Have I got a new internet service for you! It's called go-lo.net (www.go-lo.net). But it requires an explanation. Here's how I'd do that:

Suppose, hypothetically, that you're thinking of a vacation stay in Cape Cod. Wouldn't it be helpful to discuss that trip with an official of the Cape Cod Tourism Office? Wouldn't it be of great benefit to run some tentative decisions past the author of a well-known guidebook to Cape Cod? Or to speak with the travel editor of a local Cape Cod newspaper? And wouldn't it then be productive to submit your plans to a couple of well-known Cape Cod travel agents, to get their feedback?

All without obligation of any sort to anyone.

That's what go-lo strives to do, with respect to any sort of trip to any destination. It is written by its members, and it consists of two types of members:

First, a group of travel insiders: government tourism professionals, travel guidebook writers, travel magazine writers and commentators, specialist travel agents, and PR representatives. Currently, more than 230 travel pros have signed up to offer their comments and advice in response to questions posed or themes advanced by members of the public. The background and credentials of each such travel pro are set forth entertainingly but carefully on the website. You learn who they are, what they have done, and why they are particularly qualified to comment on various specialized travel questions and issues.

And then there are members of the public. Anyone can look at the advice appearing on go-lo without registering. But if you wish to pose a question or submit a comment to the various professionals, you'll need to register (a free-of-charge procedure). You can then either send an e-mail directly to that professional (though you never have their e-mail address; your e-mail is passed along by the operators of go-lo), in which case that professional will send a confidential e-mail response directly back to you. Or you can pose your question or comment on the site itself.

Go-lo. sets forth dozens of travel categories -- destinations, travel methods, facilities, and more -- in which to pose your queries. It also lists, for each such category, the travel professionals who are expert in responding to questions about that category.

In brief, you're getting travel advice from specialists, from pros with long and honorable records in travel journalism or advice, with people who have no axe to grind, no interest to serve other than yours, no reason to puff or exaggerate. You are not getting advice from travel amateurs. You are not looking at answers or comments from total neophytes or cranks. You are looking at responses provided from persons with resumes of accomplishment in the travel category you have chosen.

Now why should these professionals supply such free-of-charge advice?

They do so first to polish their brand, to enhance their reputations, to get their names more widely known. If they are tourist officials, they do so in order to further the interests of the organizations for which they work (and those organizations do well if the public does well in heeding their advice). If they are travel agents, they do so in the hope that just maybe -- maybe, perhaps -- you will eventually use their services. But you are under no obligation to do so.

Go-lo is the brainchild of David Paul Appell and Jose Balido. David, I should point out, was Executive Editor of Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel Magazine during much of the time when I was its Editor-in-Chief. He is also a widely-published travel author and guidebook writer. Jose Balido is a much-published travel writer whose work has appeared in leading publications and in tv and movies. They are both friends of mine, but I have no connection with or interest in their new website. I'm simply impressed -- enormously impressed--by it.

Take a look at go-lo.