Summer is just around the corner and that means vacation time for a lot of folks. Before you start making your plans, I want to put a green bug in your ear so that your travels can be as eco-friendly as possible.

We've already covered carbon offsets for flights and such. So now let's look at other ways to travel greenly, as it were.

First, I'd like to offer a tip that will be helpful all year-round. Better World Club is the environmentally friendly alternative to AAA. Their services include roadside assistance (for car and/or bike), a travel agency and insurance. I've been a member for several years and they are great in numerous ways. They pay the tow truck folks better than AAA does, so the drivers are always very happy to help you. Their rates are equivalent to AAA, plus they give you $40 worth of gas rebates over the course of the year to further offset your expenses. How awesome can you get? Oh wait, it gets more awesome! If you go to my website and click their 'Join Today' logo, you get something like 10% off your membership. Sweet! Run, don't walk, to sign on up.

If you need a rental car, try to grab a hybrid. Even if the daily fee is a little more, you'll probably more than make up for it in your gas costs. Traveling in California or Phoenix? Check out EV Rental. They ONLY rent hybrids.

Going to Maui, perhaps? Then you really must go to Bio Beetle. They only rent bio-diesel vehicles, from VWs to Jeep Liberties. Both EV Rental and Bio Beetle also offer discounts to Better World Club members. (It's the gift that keeps on giving, I tell you.)

Budget, Enterprise, Hertz and Avis all claim to also rent hybrids, but despite even airing commercials to prove it, I know Drunrchick recently had a tough time booking one for an upcoming trip.

On to hotels! Green Hotels offers some handy resources for finding great, green places to stay in pretty much every state. Their member hotels do things like save water, conserve energy and reduce waste whenever possible.

Several other sites also give great tips on eco-friendly traveling. Sustainable Travel has an “Eco-Directory” with listings of all sorts all over the world. You can even purchase your carbon offsets from them. The International Ecotourism Society is all about... ecotourism. Imagine that? They have trips happening all around the globe. Looks pretty exciting, actually. Eco Bookers is a similar thing, but simpler. Say you want to go to Jamaica and stay in a green hotel. A few clicks later, you're at the Hotel Mocking Bird Hill. Rather go to New Zealand, you little Kiwi lover you? No prob. Clickety click and you can choose between the Knapdale Eco Lodge and Chalet Eiger. So easy. They even show you price comparisons. For an even more one-stop shop, Orbitz is getting in on the eco action. I knew they were a carbon-free company, but their eco travel site is pretty cool. I'm a huge proponent of small businesses, but it's also important to support big companies that make socially conscious choices so that they keep it up and spread the love.

That should be enough to plan the perfect green vacation. Go softly into that good trip. And don't forget to send me an e-postcard wishing I was there!