IDEAS for the Best Way to Travel IS SNOWBIRD MIGRATION

As temperatures drop, and leaves begin to turn, most of us are thinking of woolens and storm windows. But for some fortunate folks, it’s time to pack up and hit the road for sunnier climes. Across the northern latitudes of North America, the annual snowbird migration is set to begin. Dictionaries define “snowbird” as “one who moves from a cold place to a warm one in the winter.”

For those who travel by car, the trip to the Sun Belt means an exhausting drive on a busy highway, punctuated by nights in cookie-cutter motels. Consider enhancing your trip -- or at least your accommodations -- by staying in bed & breakfasts or country inns along the way.

“Bed & Breakfast Inns ONLINE offers a service designed for snowbirds in search of charming places to roost en route,” says Randy Fought, Bowline founder and CEO. “Our unique Snowbird Route mapping feature makes it easy to locate interesting, luxurious places to stay on a long car trip, so people don’t have to settle for the ubiquitous chain hotels that cluster along the highways,” he explains.

Snowbird Routes make it easy for travelers to locate bed & breakfasts and small inns close by every major North-South Interstate highway. “Southbound travelers can plan their route, explore nearby B & BS and communicate with innkeepers, all from a single starting point,” says Fought.

The system is simple to use. Starting from the Bed & Breakfast Inns ONLINE home page, click “Locate a B & B,” and then the Snowbird Routes link, which lists 20 Interstate highways. Click your route, and find a convenient stopover in the list on the left side of the page. Click “Draw a Map,” and your map appears on the right, showing all the inns within a radius of 25 miles of the town you chose. Beneath the map are links to photos, rates, directions and innkeeper contact information, and often a form for reserving a room online.

Bowline’s Snowbird Routes cover 20 North-South Interstate highways, including Interstate 35, running from Duluth, Minn. to Laredo, Texas; Interstate 95, from Maine to south Florida; Interstate 75 from Sault St. Marie, Mich. to southern Florida; and Interstate 5 from northern Washington to the Mexican border.

Travelers can also locate inns with special amenities and features, such as those that offer discounts for midweek or extended stays, inns on the National Register of Historic Places and properties that offer extras like flowers or gourmet cooking classes.

Whether you are a snowbird, a honeymoon couple, or a family looking for an interesting vacation stopover, Bowline provides an easy-to-use, searchable directory of nearly 5,000 bed and breakfasts and small inns in North America along with special packages, contests and innkeeper recipes.