Get Packing! But First, Plan

Some good friends are off to Italy this fine June morning. So yes, if this post looks tinged with green, it is a touch of envy you see.

Amidst her many pre-trip arrangements, my mom-of-four friend sent me links to the sites where she spent many hours planning a 12-day trip by herself. A travel agent's nightmare. She did a great job (she hopes) planning their trek through Rome, Venice, Santa Margherita, Florence, and Milan by emailing travelers who have been there in forums on Fodor's and TripAdvisor.

Her kids' ages run from 9 through 19, so she determined early on through online chats that a quiet villa in Tuscany might not be a big hit with her two oldest teenagers.

If you don't have summer trips, long or short, fully planned, check out the above sites, and these below. And if you're up for adventure, you may want to follow Robin Raskin to the vacation auction Web sites she writes about in this post.

• Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel Online

• Yahoo! Travel—has Farechase, which searches dozens of travel sites for airfares, and a question/answer section for travelers

• Kayak—pulls up boatloads of fares from several airlines and ticket Web sites

• SideStep—provides side-by-side airfare comparisons, fast

Summer is officially here, so please share how you planned your getaways this season.