Specialty Travel Resources

When deciding just what to do with precious vacation time, some get by with a little help from their friends; others look to organizations focused on a particular demographic, diversion or location to put together the perfect trip. Below are resources for some of the more popular specialty travel topics. If you can't figure out which of your interests to indulge on your upcoming travels, check out Specialty Travel Index (888-624-4030,http://www.specialtytravel.com), a magazine and accompanying Web site with plenty of ideas .

Adventure Travel

· Appalachian Mountain Club , 800-411-5776, http://www.outdoors.org/ . Hike through the Appalachian region with the oldest recreation group in the United States. Excellent workshops and family outing suggestions on its Web site.

· Away.com, http://www.away.com/ . Extensive site that features Top 10 lists of places, activities and adventures, and highlights travel deals. Also, great photography (including a "Behind the Image" section) and feature stories. The same company runs Outsideonline.com (the site for Outside Magazine) and GORP Travel ( http://www.gorptravel.com/ ), a guide and reservation service that also includes destination reviews and "best of" lists.

· iExplore.com, 800-439-7567, http://www.iexplore.com/ . National Geographic invested in this adventure and experiential travel agency that offers trips around the world, from the Taj Mahal to the Galapagos.

· National Outdoors Leadership School , 800-710-6657, http://www.nols.edu/ . Pricey wilderness trips that are great for developing mountaineering and backcountry survival skills. Undergrads at more than 400 colleges can receive college credit for semester courses, but you don't have to be a student to get schooled in the wild.

· Sierra Club , 415-977-5522, http://www.sierraclub.org/outings . The environmental group offers more than 350 volunteer-led trips worldwide, including volunteer vacations.

· Trails.com , http://www.trails.com/ . Descriptions and maps of 30,000 trails can be accessed for free at this all-trails-all- the-time site. The Topo Finder lets you search for topographical maps anywhere in the United States. Annual membership for full benefits is $49.95.

· Wilderness Travel , 800-368-2794, http://www.wildernesstravel.com/ . Offers intense, expert-led--and expensive--cultural, trekking, archaeological and oceanic expeditions worldwide, from Timbuktu to Patagonia.

Eco-Travel

· Audubon Naturalist Society , 301-652-9188, Ext. 11, http://www.audubonnaturalist.org/ . The local preservation group's Travel Program offers trips to observe the outdoor world.

· Better World Club , 866-304-7540, http://www.betterworldclub.com/ . Organization that touts itself as more socially responsible than AAA offers roadside assistance and eco-friendly car rental discounts. Its travel service charges $35 for inquiries. Basic membership is $53.95 a year.

· Conservation International's Ecotravel Center , 800-406-2306, http://www.ecotour.org/ . Check the Web site for profiles of biodiversity spots and information on in-country eco-friendly agencies (it doesn't offer itineraries or travel-planning assistance).

· Green Hotels Association , 713-789-8889, http://www.greenhotels.com/ . Its Web site shows eco-conscious hotels arranged by state.