Here are some great websites to help you prepare for your dream vacation with simplicity and ease.

Everyone enjoys going on vacation, but no one likes the headaches, hassles and hindrances often involved in planning that picture-perfect getaway. The internet can help you plan a trip filled with �Kodak moments.�

For starters, you need to find the perfect vacation destination. Check out getaways and great vacation destinations (virtualcities.com/ons/getaways.htm) for dude and guest ranches, places to ski or fish, country inns and small hotels or historic villages and towns.

If you can close your eyes and imagine a snowy-white sand, coconut palm-fringed beach with turquoise waters stretching as far as the eye can see, then visit www.tripadvisor.com/Inspiration-g1-c1-World without further ado.

One of the best vacation-oriented attributes of the web is comparison shopping among airlines to find the fairest of fares. Travelocity (www.travelocity. com), Kayak (www.kayak.com) and Microsoft�s Expedia Travel (www.expedia.com) are online travel agents. Compare fares, schedules and availability, and book hotel rooms and rental cars, all with a few clicks of the mouse.

Using Priceline.com is easy. Make your best offer for an airline ticket and if there�s an airline that�s willing to sell you a ticket that accommodates your specified conditions, you�re in business.

Sure, it�s fun to visit cathedrals, museums and other genteel sites in charming cities. But, for something a little more exciting, visit travel.usnews.com/Rankings/Best_Adventure_Vacations_in_the_USA for a list of the top 15 best adventure vacations in the country.

Hands up or down, whether it goes from side to side or around and around, the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) (www.iaapa.org/connect/find-an-attraction) is sure to make you dizzy from delight at the never-ending collection of links to amusement parks with hair-raising rides fit for a wild vacation experience.

Want to learn the inns and outs of the greatest places to stay during your vacation? Visit the InnCrawler  (www.bedandbreakfast.com), which lists more than 27,000 B&Bs and inns across North America and around the world. Somewhere out there is a cute inn just waiting for you to visit.

�Mi casa es su casa� is the concept behind the International Home Exchange Network (www.ihen.com) website. Cut lodging costs by swapping your residence with a traveler who wants to take a trip at the same time as you and visit your town. For a small fee, you can be eligible to trade lodging with other members of the network.

For the skinny on street fairs, carnivals and circuses, stop by Festivals.com (www.festivals.com).

Quelle heune est-il? If you don�t know what this says and you�re planning a trip to France, then you�re in big trouble � but there�s no need to worry because you can take a crash course in French, along with roughly 70 other different languages, at TravLang (www.travlang.com) by listening to the pronunciation of exotic words in RealAudio, or looking up words in the translating dictionary.

Whether you want to bask in the bright sunshine on a beautiful beach or go fishing on a farm � be sure to stop by these recommended websites. When the luggage is unpacked and the miles are traveled, you�ll appreciate the convenience and ease of having planned your postcard-perfect vacation online.