大象传媒

The internet has made it easier than ever to plan your travels. Whether you prefer to fly thousands of miles to exotic climes, or holiday nearer to home, here are some websites that听will give you tips and advice for travelling to new destinations.

Newspaper websites often have online travel sections featuring first-hand accounts of their writers鈥� travels. An example is the Telegraph鈥檚 travel section, which includes this while on a city break. The is also听full of informative and entertaining travel articles, and helpfully allows you to explore travel options by place or by the type of trip you want to go on.

Once you have an idea of where you鈥檇 like to go, why not check out the area via online maps? Typing the name of a potential destination to 听could help you see how far your potential hotel might be from the city centre, for example. For an alternative overview of countries around the world, you could also visit , which shows you 鈥渢he world as you鈥檝e never seen it before,鈥� with maps that are adjusted to show you factors such as population, land mass and internet usage.

If you really want to take a look at a place before you visit, the internet makes it very easy to look at live webcams around major cities and towns. is a live network of webcams, featuring live streams of streets and landmarks around the world, including Niagara Falls and 听the Eiffel Tower. It even has a live video of the Abbey Road pedestrian crossing in London, made famous by The Beatles.

One important factor to consider before you travel is safety. has a page on their website which enables you to check on travel advice by country. It gives you an idea of when hazardous weather conditions could occur, how safe the country is and even the threat of terrorism. There鈥檚 also a site from about protecting yourself from medical bills when you鈥檙e away, through travel insurance and when you鈥檙e holidaying in Europe, through the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

If you have a disability, has lots of useful advice articles divided into categories such as Activity Holidays and Air Travel. Meanwhile, is a charity site that features advice for disabled travellers, a forum and regular news items.

These are just a few of the sites I found听that will help you plan that well-earned break. Happy exploring, and above all, enjoy your travels!

Charlie is a journalist and scriptwriter specialising in articles and films featuring deaf culture and sign language. He has written for the Guardian online and has contributed to programmes for Radio 4, while his films have won international awards. He also works in the arts, helping to make theatre accessible for deaf people.