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I have just seen a great list of tools that you can use on your computer to plan and have your next road trip.

The site Mashable is all about the cutting edge of high tech but today there is this article that list 20 tools that Mashable thinks are the great online tools for your family vacation.

Most of the article is including sites to book hotels, cars and other stuff as well as journalling your vacation experiences online.

The first tech stuff I used on a vacation was back in 1999 when I brought a laptop along on a long 16 day road trip. I used the program Map Point that is really the old version of Microsoft Streets and Trips and was able to map our vacation as well as get myself out of trouble whenever we got lost.

The newer versions of streets and trips actually come with a GPS unit that you can plug into your laptop so that you can find out where you are when you get lost…out of town this is really easy to do espcially in big cities.

Here is a great list that I just ran across of great vacations for families. I am not sure how accurate the list is but these certainly look like great places to check out with the wife and kids.

1. Fly fishing, Scotland
If your kids love to fish this is the ideal location where you can fish for salmon or trout. Fly fishing is great for older kids but the young ones would struggle a bit with the coordination. There are great places to fly fish all over the world.

2. Dude ranch stay
Give your kids an authentic taste of the old West and take a step out of your hectic family life. Where I live in Alberta Canada there is a lot of this as well as in Montana and Idaho.

3. Cappadocia, Turkey
Kids will love this region of underground cities where they can explore the subterranean levels and the labyrinth of tunnels. [Read more…] about Top 10 Family Vacations

I just ran into the greatest camping checklist. This is soemthing that I have looked for for a while as every time that I go camping I forget some stuff, overpack, take things that I thought would matter but don’t and of course I worry about getting cold so I take as many blankets as the car will hold.

Bookmark the camping checklist and use it the next couple of times out camping and see if you start to pack better as well.

Happy Camping

My family is yet to go to Disney World in Florida but a friend of mine has and just also showed me a great way to use Google Earth to see Video, pics and flybys of the DisneyWorld resort.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is harnessing the power of Google Earth to build an interactive, three-dimensional tour of Walt Disney World Resort that brings you one step closer to a true park experience. With direct links to Disney’s online travel-planning tools, Walt Disney World Resort in 3D will re-invent how people plan and book vacations.

Disney World and Google Earth

Beginning today, Disney guests can use Google Earth, a program which offers a 3D digital model of the world, to virtually tour Walt Disney World’s four theme parks, as well as its 22 hotels and resorts. An overview of Walt Disney World Resort in 3D, along with instructions on how to get started, can be found at www.disneyworld.com/3dparks. Existing Google Earth 4.3 users can see Walt Disney World Resort in 3D by enabling the “Gallery” folder within Google Earth, or by selecting any of the 3D buildings within the resort.

“You know the phrase ‘next best thing to being there’? Walt Disney World Resort in 3D is going to deliver on that,” said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “Guests and travel planners can now explore our world with just a few clicks of a mouse, and they can book vacations while being immersed in what the destination has to offer.”

Disney World Digital Mapping

Disney’s digital mapping project, Walt Disney World Resort in 3D, will become the ultimate online travel guide for Walt Disney World Resort, integrating the Google Earth 3D experience with the planning features of Disney.com. Whether guests book through the Disney reservation center, a travel agent or online, nearly nine out of ten Walt Disney World guests use the internet to plan their vacations and Walt Disney World Resort in 3D provides the latest technology available to enhance that experience. From Google Earth, guests and travel planners can click on images of their favorite attractions and hotels to purchase tickets, make reservations, and map out the vacation that is right for their families – in 3D and with the click of a mouse. Disneyworld.com visitors can view videos and other information about viewing Walt Disney World in 3D at www.disneyworld.com/3dparks.

The depth and vivid detail of Walt Disney World Resort in 3D project makes this a unique, truly immersive experience within Google Earth. Visitors begin their virtual tour of Disney World with a stratospheric view of the globe, a starting point familiar to anyone who has ever used Google Earth. A skydive takes visitors past the flatlands of Florida to a view of the Seven Seas Lagoon in the Magic Kingdom. Guests can then fly through the streets and explore in and around the hotels and resorts, down Main Street to Cinderella Castle, from the heights of The Tower of Terror to base of the Tree of Life. To enter the virtual park:

* Download Google Earth 4.3 by visiting www.disneyworld.com/3dparks.
* Launch Google Earth and search for ‘Disney World’
* Click the Gold Mickey Ears to open an info window.
* In the info window, click “Show Disney World in 3D.” Now explore!

“This is the most detailed 3D rendering undertaken within Google Earth to date,” continued Rasulo. “The work done here will provide a professional counterpart to the wealth of Disney images and 3D models from around the world contributed by thousands of volunteers. The difference Walt Disney World Resort in 3D provides is one of scope and interaction.”

During the project’s first phase, eight photographers worked for 10 days to shoot all the visible surfaces of Walt Disney World, including every building façade. A total 100,000 photos were taken in all; these became the start for some 1,500 3D models that populate the virtual tour. Walt Disney World Resort in 3D creates a new level of usability for vacation planners and makes detailed information about one of the world’s foremost destinations available to Google Earth’s 350 million users, furthering the Google Earth team’s goal of recreating the world as it really is.

Check out Disney World Digital Mapping and see how it can help you plan your next vacation.

Getting your kids involved in your vacation is essential and studies have shown that they enjoy the trip even more when they have made some contributions involving the trip. When visiting family attractions on your trip, find out as much information about the destination as you can before hand, to prepare your children. Let them help plan out which family attractions they would like to see-this will make them more interested in their choices.

Learn a bit about the cultures you will be visiting so things will be more familiar and comfortable for your children once they arrive. For instance, tell them they wear big hats in Mexico called sombreros. They will be excited when they spot someone wearing one! For younger children, try to plan out the family attractions you want to see most early on so you don’t miss out on the “star” attraction because they got too tired.

Make a game out of visiting sites to keep them interested. For example, when visiting a museum, make a game out of who can find certain attractions.

For older kids, find some sites on the Internet about your destination and let them explore. Another great idea to get kids excited, especially teenagers, is to watch some movies that have been shot on location at your vacation destinations. Contributing these tips while planning your family vacation will insure your children will have a great time on their vacation, wherever it might be.

You can make the planning of your family vacation a family event. Order some pizza and go to your local video store and rent movies that include various destinations, so that the family can collaborate together; plus its fun!