Smart travel planners might begin trip research with the people in charge of a city’s tourism.

>> What it does: An interactive map of the United States “zooms” you to visitor guides for states, cities and counties across the country. Discover things to do, places to stay and timely events.

>> What’s hot: The website’s strength is how quickly it gets you to information you need. Hover your mouse over a state and watch its license plate pop up. Click on the state to take you to its map with cities and counties represented, then click on a destination’s point to take you to its visitor guide. A wealth of information awaits in the tourist board’s or convention and visitor bureau’s website. The GuideZoomer’s top navigation-bar tabs are shortcuts to information about lodging, dining, events, activities and shopping. I used this site to quickly find kid-friendly things to do in Nashville for an upcoming trip.

>> What’s not: I couldn’t find the usual About or Contact pages you find on most websites. It’s a small issue, but the information helps establish trust.