Best New Travel Websites

Disneyland Paris is just too obvious

(NEWSER) - Had enough of all those lists of places to see before you die? Then check out 101 Places Not to See Before You Die, which focuses on “overhyped tourist sites" and the like. A sampling, courtesy of USA Today :

• Ibiza: The Spanish party isle is a great place—"for the world’s horniest youth.”
• Disneyland Paris: Need we say more?

They may be cheap, but you really don't want to stay in them

(NEWSER) - Unless you like urine-scented rooms and hairs in the bathtub, you probably won’t want to stay at any of Trip Advisor ’s top 10 dirtiest hotels in the US. Below, a sampling of the user reviews:

1. Heritage Marina Hotel, San Francisco: “The second room ‘appeared’ clean until we realized the next morning that we slept with bed bugs.”
2. Days Inn Eureka/Six Flags, Eureka, Mo: “The smell was horrible. The floors and walls were dirty. There was food and beverage spilled and dried up all over the place.”
3. Tropicana Resort Hotel, Virginia Beach: “The ice machine produces dirty ice and is not fit to use.”
4. Super 8 Virginia Beach/At the Ocean, Virginia Beach: “There were hairs in the bathtub, and bugs on the counter.”

Can't afford a vacation? Don't worry about skipping these locales

(NEWSER) - Sure, you could read one of the many lists of destinations you should visit this year—but in this economic climate, wouldn’t it be more useful to check out a list of places not to visit? Hailey Eber thinks so, and gives her top 10 in BlackBook :

• Oymyakon, Russia: In this Siberian village on record as the coldest town on Earth, the temperature must drop to -62 degrees Fahrenheit before schools close.
• Paula Deen Cruise to the Caribbean: You usually put on a few pounds while on vacation…and a few more if that vacation is the neverending buffet of a cruise ship. Add Paula Deen’s butter-filled recipes into the mix, and you’ll soon be “too ashamed to waddle around the lido deck in your bikini.”
• Pakistan: “Violent extremists, Al-Qaida, and Taliban elements do not a vacation make. But, you probably knew that already.”

Find a bathroom, cheap gas, or a hiking trail wherever you are

(NEWSER) - If you’re traveling for the holidays, it should come as no surprise that the iPhone can be a handy tool. Michelle Higgins lists some of the best travel-friendly apps in the New York Times :

• HearPlanet, $4.99: Text and recorded commentary for 250,000 attractions and landmarks worldwide.
• SitOrSquat, free: Need a bathroom stat? Find the nearest toilet, or, if you’re picky, check out restroom ratings.
• Gas Buddy, $2.99: One of the best apps for finding cheap gas on the road, but there are many others available for free.

(NEWSER) - Looking to see the best of the countryside on your summer vacation? National Geographic lists its top 50 road trips, from simply gorgeous to quirky and off-beat:

• Cheese Trail, Vermont: On this 280-mile loop, sample gorgonzola, gouda, feta, chèvre, and more.
• Finger Lakes, New York: Go vineyard-hopping on this 75-mile trip.
• Big Island, Hawaii: Driving around the island offers a taste of everything from jungle to farmland, beaches to lava deserts.