Planning a Trip

Peak season in South Florida runs from October to March. And while peak season is the most popular time to visit, pre- and postseason offer you a less congested, less expensive travel experience. Regardless of when you choose to travel, a little advanced planning will help you make the most of your trip.

Tips for Digital Travel Photography--Take along a spare camera -- or two. Even if you've been anointed the "official" photographer of your travel group, encourage others in your party to carry their own cameras and provide fresh perspectives -- and backup. Your photographic "second unit" may include you in a few shots so you're not the invisible person of the trip.

Stock up on digital film cards. At home, it's easy to copy pictures from your memory cards to your computer as they fill up. During your travels, cards seem to fill up more quickly. Take along enough digital film for your entire trip or, at a minimum, enough for at least a few days' of shooting. At intervals, you can copy images to CDs. Many camera stores and souvenir shops offer this service, and a growing number of mass merchandisers have walk-up kiosks you can use to make prints or create CDs while you travel.

Share and share alike. No need to wait until you get home to share your photos. You can upload a gallery's worth to an online photo sharing service. Just find an Internet cafe where the computers have card readers, or connect your camera to the computer with a cable. You can find online photo sharing services like America Online's Your Pictures service, or commercial enterprises that give you free or low-cost photo sharing: Kodak's EasyShare gallery (www.kodak.com), Yahoo! Photos (www.photos.yahoo.com), Snapfish (www.snapfish.com), or Shutterfly (www.shutterfly.com).

Add voice annotations to your photos. Many digital cameras allow you to add voice annotations to your shots after they're taken. These serve as excellent reminders and documentation. One castle or cathedral may look like another after a long tour; your voice notes will help you distinguish them.

Experiment! Travel is a great time to try out new techniques. Take photos at night, resting your camera on a handy wall or other support as your self-timer trips the shutter for a long exposure. Try close-ups of flowers, crafts, wildlife, or maybe the exotic cuisine you're about to consume. Discover action photography -- shoot the countryside from trains, buses, or cars. With a digital camera, you can experiment and then erase your mistakes.

-- From Travel Photography Digital Field Guide, 1st Edition (Wiley Publishing, Inc.)

Online Traveler's Toolbox

Veteran travelers usually carry some essential items to make their trips easier. Following is a selection of handy online tools to bookmark and use.

Airplane Food (www.airlinemeals.net)

Airplane Seating (www.seatguru.com; and www.airlinequality.com)

Foreign Languages for Travelers (www.travlang.com)

Maps (www.mapquest.com)

Subway Navigator (www.subwaynavigator.com)

Time and Date (www.timeanddate.com)

Travel Warnings (http://travel.state.gov, www.fco.gov.uk/travel, www.voyage.gc.ca, www.dfat.gov.au/consular/advice)

Universal Currency Converter (www.xe.com/ucc)

Visa ATM Locator (www.visa.com), MasterCard ATM Locator (www.mastercard.com)

Weather (www.intellicast.com; and www.weather.com).

General South Florida Sites--For entertainment, dining, sports, and festival information produced in cooperation with the Sun-Sentinel: southflorida.digitalcity.com.

The site of Florida's official tourism bureau, this extensive website includes information on attractions, beaches, golfing, and watersports, as well as airport information, weather, and maps: www.flausa.com.

This site links to more than a dozen convention bureaus throughout the state. Most of the sites include information on attractions, dining, lodging, and shopping: www.facvb.org.

Detailed information on state parks, right down to what kind of wildlife hangs out where, and the lowdown on fees, attractions, and facilities: www.dep.state.fl.us/parks.

A nicely organized guide to theme parks, marine attractions, museums, boating, fishing, and much more, as well as advice for first-time visitors to the Sunshine State: www.see-florida.com.

City Guides, Dining & Entertainment Sites--A collection of websites regarding Miami, all with links to other relevant websites: www.gomiami.about.com.

For listings and reviews for Miami arts and entertainment events, restaurants, shopping, and attractions: www.miami.citysearch.com.

A well-rounded guide to Key West, including an events calendar and extensive listings for attractions, sightseeing and ecotours, theater, art galleries, dining, lodging, fishing, and shopping: www.key-west.com.

A guide to gay-friendly Key West: www.gaykeywestfl.com.

Featuring local news and up-to-date information on events and entertainment options from the Miami Herald: www.miami.com.

This site offers reviews and listings for attractions, entertainment, restaurants, hotels, and shopping, and includes categories for kids, and gays and lesbians. Unlike some other city guides, Time Out: Miami makes a concerted effort to cater to tourists as well as locals: www.timeout.com/miami.

Miami's leading alternative weekly includes features and listings for music, theater, film, and more: www.miaminewtimes.com.

Here's a nice roundup of music, theater, sports, and dining choices in South Florida: www.sun-sentinel.com/showtime.

Listings and reviews for Miami. Each restaurant has a capsule review and ratings based on surveys received from site users. For many restaurants, only two or three people have bothered to submit ratings, so they may not be statistically significant. However, comments can be instructive, as CuisineNet's readers discuss service, parking, free birthday desserts, and a host of other insightful topics: www.cuisinenet.com.

Reviewing top restaurants, Zagat has made a name for itself as the people's choice, as its listings are based on extensive surveys: www.zagat.com.