gtrekker

The BBC Profiles provide an economic, historical, and political overview, with a section on current leaders. The Profiles also list the media outlets, which include television and radio stations and the press.

Sounds & Sights of Portugal
Soaring music and soaring spires - Robert Landon breaks bread with the nuns of northern Portugal.

National Geographic's People and Places feature provides a short overview of the destination and include a Features section with related articles, photos, and videos, depending on the destination.

Travel + Leisure Magazine's guide to the greatest hotels worldwide as selected by its team of reporters and editors.

Weatherbase provides historical weather information such as "average number of day above 90," "average number of days with thunderstorms," and other similar types of data.

Up-to-date information provided by the State Department on matters such as passport and visa requirements, safety and security, crime, health and medical issues, any areas of instability, and the location of the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. It also links to Travel Warnings for that country, if there is one.

From website: With such a long sea coast, it is not surprising that Portugal has witnessed so many sailings and arrivals. This is why we have been open to the world and to communication for so long. We have assimilated peoples of different origins: Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans (who left us our language), northern Europeans and peoples from Mauritania. In spite of all these mixtures, Portugal is one of the oldest nations in Europe...click for website

Frommer's Forums are divided into countries, and all the messages relating to a country are presented in a list that makes it easy to browse through the topics.

Review site with hotel reviews and candid photos posted by users.

Concierge.com destinations guides include information on getting there, getting around, lodging, places to eat, see and do, ... etc. Although Concierge.com may not have as many hotel recommendations as some guide books, they provide hotel photos along with the recommendations. The destinations guides also have links to articles about the destination published by Concierge.com or Conde Nast Traveler.

Frommer's has put a substantial amount of content online, making Frommers.com a good resource for travel planning. The site is easy to navigate since all the destinations are organized by similar topics such as "Getting There," "Restaurants," and "Suggested Itineraries."

USA Today's Country Guides have information on topics such as Money, Health, Accommodations, Entertainment, Top Things To Do and See, Getting There, Getting Around, Climate, and Map. You can also select the topics you are interested in and create a mini guide that puts all the information on one page for easy reading.

From Lonely Planet
When I walked out of Spanish class, it wasn't the poster advertising an organised trip to Toledo that caught my eye. It was the Canadian girls standing around the don Quijote message board hollering 'roaaad triiiip!'...click for full article

From Conde Nast Traveler
Published August 2007
Portugal's sleepy southwestern shore is Europe's newest coastal preserve two hundred thousand unspoiled acres zoned to stay that way. Here, just three hours from Lisbon, time itself seems to have stopped for a siesta. Amy Engeler gets back to basics ... click for full article

From Conde Nast Traveler
Published August 2007
Unrivaled access, special connections, destination savvy-these are just some of the tools each of these uber-agents can deploy to bring the most to your next big trip. In parsing the day-to-day events of an actual itinerary, Consumer News Editor Wendy Perrin demonstrates how the intuitive maneuvers of a great travel planner can turn any journey into a smoothly orchestrated, magical experience. ... click for full article

From Conde Nast Traveler
Published June 2006
Your indispensable guide to 35 rigorously vetted villa rental agents in 16 countries ... click for full article

Virtual Tourist has user reviews on topics such as Hotels, Things To Do, Restaurants, Local Customs, Nightlife, Off the Beaten Path, Tourist Traps, Transportation, ... etc.

From Conde Nast Traveler
Published December 2005
A mystery to many but a friend to all, the hotel concierge is a traveler's most overlooked ally. Christian L. Wright reports on these ultimate insiders and how to put them to work for you ... click for full article

From Conde Nast Traveler
Published January 2006
Europe's cradle of discoverers, where the days last all night long, emerges as a city to be discovered. Bruce Stutz finds global style energizing an imperishable Iberian capital ... click for full article

From Conde Nast Traveler
Published April 2006
Great architecture doesn't just turn heads, it determines where we're heading. This year's seven show-stoppers range from the witty (Spain's Hotel Puerta America, designed by a dream team of "starchitects") and the sublime (Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum) to the provocative (Portugal's multifaceted Casa da Musica) and the awe-inspiring (Norway's spectacular new scenic lookout). Wherever they are, though, all prove one thing: If they build it, we will come ... click for full article