Kayaking, hiking and the great outdoors. The venerable Gorp ( http://www.gorp.com/), now part of the Away.com family of sites, is the best starting place, especially for articles on outdoor destinations from Nepal to New York. Its weekend city escapes pages are especially useful for urbanites; for instance, there are 11 articles for the District, including "Paddling the Potomac" and "The C&O Canal." It requires registration for using some areas of the site, but it's free.
Honorable mentions: Check http://www.iexplore.com if you're more adventure-oriented; it sells trips and focuses on organized adventure tours. The Appalachian Mountain Club's site (http://www.outdoors.org) is a welcome resource for those looking for cheap huts, lodges, cabins and campgrounds. It costs $49.95 a year (two-week free trial), but http://www.trails.comgives access to 30,000 outdoor trail maps.
Last-minute. Look for packages to a wide array of destinations on Site59 ( http://www.site59.com/), one of the few sites truly devoted to last-minute deals. For example, a recent three-night air/hotel package from Washington to San Diego departing just three days later was $731 for two people (including all taxes); priced separately, the same deal would have cost $1,396.
Honorable mentions: At http://www.lastminutetravel.com, you'll find deals -- some of them exclusive to the site -- that are expiring in the near future; a recent offering at the Oasis Cancun shaved more than $100 per night off the hotel's rate. If you enjoy bidding, http://www.skyauction.com is a good alternative.
Motorcoaches. At GotoBus.com ( http://www.gotobus.com/), you get buses covered from several angles. Book discounted scheduled service between the District and several cities, including Richmond, Philadelphia and New York. Or find sightseeing bus tours in New York, Hawaii, Los Angeles, etc. Or identify vacation motorcoach tours. The site can be squirrelly; a recent request for bus vacations in South America elicited a response offering orders of soft yellow noodles ($4.95 small portion, $6.95 large).
Honorable mentions: For short sighteeing tours by motorcoach, try http://www.grayline.com, and go tohttp://www.trailways.com for info on longer tours. For scheduled service, seehttp://www.greyhound.com or http://www.chinatown-bus.com.
National Parks. I have to go with the official site of the National Park Service ( http://www.nps.gov/). It's one of the better government-run Web pages, with extensive info about every national park, national monument, recreation area and historic site, including directions, hours of operation, lodging options, fees, etc.
Honorable mentions: The National Park Foundation (http://www.nationalpark.org), the Park Service's private charitable partner, offers tips from park rangers and visitors, and info about kids' programs. For a list of tour operators and vacation ideas for visiting the parks, go to http://www.seeamerica.org. The National Parks Conservation Association (http://www.npca.org) has a good section on marine parks. For Canada, try http://www.parkscanada.ca.
Oxygen and other special needs. The nonprofit Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality ( http://www.sath.org/) has an extensive list of tour operators and travel agents that specialize in general disabled travel, plus travel for the deaf and for the blind. The site offers links to other travel sites for the disabled, as well as articles on cruising and links to individual airline policies.
Honorable mentions: Head to http://www.disabledtravelers.comfor info on specialty travel agencies, including cruising and adventure. At http://www.dialysisfinder.com, you can search for dialysis centers by Zip code. Also, try http://www.gimponthego.com, http://www.access-able.com and http://www.mossresourcenet.org/travel.htm.
Packages. The U.S. Tour Operators Association ( http://www.ustoa.com/) represents nearly 140 tour operators, which must meet standards that include being in business under the same management for at least three years and carrying a minimum of $1 million in professional liability insurance. The site allows searching for tours by destination, activity and "vacation personality" (escorted, independent or special interest/adventure). Articles include "Ten Ways to Avoid Disappointment on Your Next Vacation" and "Choose the Tour That's Right for You."
Honorable mention: At http://www.infohub.com, you can search for tour operators by travel category. The site also offers lists of private tour guides.
