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Introduction

Need a vacation? Now is the time for you to plan your vacation. Skiing? Washington D.C.? Yellowstone National Park? You are going to choose a vacation destination, research the lodging, airfares, entertainment options and expenses. Decide when you are going and for how long. You have $1,500 for this trip. You will organize all your data in various documents to enable you to compare options and make educated decisions. In the processes, you will demonstrate your ability to use various computer software applications.

You will complete research on the internet about your vacation trip and gather as much information as you can on your data collection sheet. Once you have collected all necessary data, your task will be to complete the following documents and save them in a folder called "My Vacation - (your name)." It is absolutely mandatory that you save all your documents in the correct folder for grading purposes.

1. Complete the preliminary data collection sheet with researched information necessary to complete the following tasks.
2. A database with all lodging (hotel) information on (5) different locations. (ie: hotel name, address, room price, e-mail address, etc).
3. A "travel budget" spreadsheet with expense categories (travel, lodging, food, car rental, entertainment, miscellaneous, etc). along with a chart or graph to express your data visually.
4. E-mail a location to try to get more information about your travel destination.
5. A business letter on the word processor, writing a letter to a location requesting more information about your travel site.
6. A one page report written in past tense about your travel destination and what you did while there, using the word processor.

Ideas and Links

• If you need Ideas for travel destinations, here is a list of some popular vacation spots with some links to information about those destinations. Using this site will save you time.

Travel Planning Sites

The following are travel planning sites where you can get airline and flight, hotel, and car rental, information, etc.

• Travelocity (Airline Schedules)
• Preview Travel
• Expedia Travel
• VacationSpot
• Weather Report (Finding the current weather)
• MapQuest (Mapping your destination)

In-Class Resources

• Atlas
• Map Books

Below are the steps you will follow to complete your quest.

	Things to do	How to do it
1.	Choose a vacation spot	Decide on a vacation spot of your choice. If you need help with this click on Ideas to see a list of popular vacation destinations along with links to some sites. Using this will save time.
2.	Preliminary Data Collection Sheet	As you research your destination, record the data on the preliminary Data Collection Sheet with the information necessary to complete all the following tasks. If you have internet access at home, you may be able to do some of this research outside of class. (this sheet can be printed out if your teacher does not provide one)
3.	Approval of data collection sheet	Once you have completed research and filled in your data collection sheet, show your Data Collection Sheet to your teacher for approval. He will initial it and check you off before you go on.
4.	Lodging Database	In ClarisWorks, create a database with all lodging (hotel) information on (5) different locations. (ie: hotel name, address, room price, e-mail address, etc) Sort in "list view" in alphabetical order. Finding this info may require some research. (click here to see an example and additional information)
5.	Travel Budget - spreadsheet and graph	Using ClarisWorks, create a "travel budget" spreadsheet complete with formulas and expense categories (travel, lodging, food, car rental, entertainment, miscellaneous, etc). Do a cost analysis of various options making adjustments to bring your expenses within your $1500 budget. Make a chart or graph to express your data visually.(click here to see an example and additional information)
6.	E-Mail for information	E-mail a location to try to get more information about your travel destination. (examples: Chamber of Commerce, vacation sites, hotels, etc,)
7.	Business Letter for information	Using ClarisWorks word processor and correct business letter format, write a letter to a location requesting more information about your travel site. (click here to see an example and additional information)
8.	One Page Final Report	Using ClarisWorks word processor, write a 1 page report about your travel destination and what you did while on your vacation. Write this report in the past tense, as if you have already taken the trip, you should know enough about this vacation spot after your research to do this. (click here to see an example and additional information)
9.	Print your Documents	Once you have completed everything and double checked it for accuracy, spelling, following of directions, etc., then print the (5) documents you created and turn them in. You should have: Data Collection sheet Lodging database Business letter One page Final Report Travel budget with spreadsheet and pic chart Cover Sheet for project
10	Checklist	Go over the Student Checklist to make sure you have completed everything completely before turning in.

If you complete this project early, please take it a few steps further and create the following assignments:

1. Add one graphic down-loaded from the internet and insert it into your one page report (make sure to "text wrap" it).
2. Using MapQuest, create a map or two (possibly with directions) of either the location you are visiting or how to get there from your home or from the airport.
3. Create a final Itinerary of your travel choices. (click here to see an example and additional information)
4. Create a HyperStudio stack presenting your vacation destination.

Your grade will be determined by the documents you create and how well you adhere to the guidelines of instruction. This project should provide enough valid information to enable you to plan an actual trip. You can view the rubric to see more specifically what your teacher will be looking for in your project and how you will be graded.

Once you have completed this project, you will have shown an ability to create various computer documents necessary to be considered computer literate. In addition, you have learned some practical travel planning techniques using the widely available internet as a resource. One day you will use these techniques to plan an actual vacation. Have fun, Bon Voyage!