These days, most of us have learned to rely on the Internet to help plan our travels and in response, some websites are giving travelers even more information to help you make better choices.

Want to travel but don’t know where to go? You might just need some inspiration. So check out some of these resources to help you figure out where you want to go, and on what budget.

Airlines are laying off workers, cutting back services and charging new fees, hotels are seeing record-low occupancy rates, and cruise lines are practically giving away cabins.

Now the online travel booking industry is also feeling the pinch from the recession.

Expedia.com, which also operates Hotels.com and Hotwire.com, announced today that its revenue dropped 6.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008 amid an 11 percent decline in business.

Mardi Gras week starts tomorrow—are you ready?

Starting February 18, hundreds of thousands of people from all over the country will descend on New Orleans, the traditional home of Mardi Gras, to party in the streets and watch more than 30 parades.

Mardi Gras (which translates into “Fat Tuesday” in English) is the final day of the decadent revelry that starts on January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, and ends at midnight on the Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday.

Those viewing, please make sure that you have your safety glasses on and prepare for the test.

The blast will occur in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!

Atomic tourism is a new style of travel that involves visiting places that are significant to atomic and nuclear history such as real explosion sites or museums.

Here are just a few of the glowing highlights:

So you scored one of the 240,000 tickets to the Inauguration, and even managed to find yourself a hotel room in Washington DC?

Congratulations!

You’re all set to party, party, party in honor of the new President and a new era in the White House.

Now that’s all well and good, but it’s time to start thinking logistics.

We won’t say “don’t go there,” but if you have any choice, there are nicer times to be in Washington, DC, other than January, typically its coldest month all year.

“Snow Cripples Inaugural City” was the headline the day John F. Kennedy was sworn in.

But if you are intent on heading to our nation’s capital on January 20, here’s what you need to know:

In today’s tough economy, there’s one silver lining: travel deals.

As hotels, resorts, airlines, and cruise lines compete for your travel dollars, they’re dropping rates like never before.

And then there is what is known in the travel industry as the “Dead Week.” That’s the week after New Year’s Day when nobody is traveling, and rates drop even lower.

Peter was on the Today show talking about some of these great deals, and we have even more for you below.