CHECK GAS PRICES

     GASBUDDY.COM gives both Americans and Canadians the prices at their local gas stations, so they can fuel up at the lowest available price. And, for those of you traveling, you can use their neat map of the U.S. and Canada to find out gas prices elsewhere. (One problem: they don’t say what the colors on the map mean. I guess you learn through experience.)

http://gasbuddy.com/gb_index.aspx

     MSN AUTOS does the same thing as GASBUDDY, but by zip code. That’s fine if you’re staying in one place, but for a longer trip the GASBUDDY map has a lot to recommend it. MSN AUTOS says, “Every night MSN Autos receives pricing data from over 90,000 gas stations across the nation.” Find it here:

http://autos.msn.com/everyday/
gasstations.aspx?zip=&src=Netx

CALCULATING FUEL COSTS

     If you’re traveling in the U.S., this AAA site helps you figure the approximate cost of gasoline for your trip.

http://www.fuelcostcalculator.com/

TRIPS WITH PETS

     How could I resist a site that offers a “portable dog potty?” You’ll find lots more than that on the site of course, and, while they assume the pet in question is a dog, I do see a picture of a cat who seems to feel pretty good about the whole experience.

http://www.tripswithpets.com/

     And then this site offers “City Guides For Dogs,” plus much more, all for dogs.

http://www.dogfriendly.com/

PUT YOUR MAIL ON HOLD ONLINE

     Yes, the U.S. Postal Service is ready to help you, online, to put your mail on hold before you leave for your vacation.

https://dunsapp.usps.gov/HoldMail.jsp

RV INFORMATION

     These helpful souls aim to be “the best online independent public service information resource for RVers, with well over a thousand pages of non-commercial RV-related information, and online help for all types of RVing questions.”

http://www.rversonline.org/