“We need the possibility of escape as surely as we need hope; without it the life of the cities would drive all men into crime or drugs or psychoanalysis,” Edward Abbey, ‘Desert Solitaire’.Itchy feet. I have itchy feet and no, it’s not a medical condition. It’s a phenomenon of which I am sure most people are accustomed, especially because we live on a 21-square-mile island. Of course we Bermudians call this situation by another name: Rock Fever.Whatever you call it, the need to travel is something everyone feels from time to time. Some people? Well you know I find it hard to sit still.What happens, however, when you find other commitments in life? What happens when the economy takes a nose dive and your income is eaten by electricity bills, grocery bills, etc ...?And what happens when your vacation days are a pitiful ten, thanks to the minimum required by law?Well, as Edward Abbey said in ‘Desert Solitaire’ (read the quote!): “We need the possibility of escape ...”Sure it would be better to actually escape, but sometimes that’s just not possible.So what are you supposed to do? Well this brings me to my Rock Fever Column today and ten websites that will help you to find your escape and inspiration for your future travels.Bonus? These websites are free so save your money and trees by leaving magazines on the counter and log on to:1. Of course the first one has to be my own: www.robynswanderings.com!There’s nothing quite like self-promotion. My blog offers photos and stories from my year travelling around the world, my travels through Europe last year and many more. It also offers weekly offerings from fellow Bermudian, Emily Ross, who is travelling through South East Asia. Need I say more? There is even a page (Bermuda’s Postcards) dedicated to stories from fellow residents’ travels. This page is no guidebook offering very pristine views on travel instead, Bermuda’s Postcards offers real stories from Bermudian residents about real travels. Want to submit your stories? E-mail me at skinnerrobyn[AT]gmail.com.2. www.wherethehellismatt.com because we all need to dance in the rain in Stone Town, Zanzibar.You think I’m crazy to become a travel journalist? This guy found sponsors to send him around the world “dancing” and filming himself (you will understand the quotations when you watch). I even used Matt’s clips while I was on the road. When I didn’t think I could continue in Malaysia my travel buddy introduced me to this website. I continued for another three months. These four-minute flicks should be your feel-good films of the year!3. http://joobili.com/ because it’s great to travel, but it’s even better if you can plan your trip around a festival or other events. This site is easy to use and will allow you to pick a range of days in any month and then showcase concerts, festivals, etc ... in multiple different countries. Only downfall? It’s mostly Europe. There’s another travel business idea.......joobili for North America.......4. www.reallywildchallenges.com: Want to mix travel with charity? Well we have our own Bermudian organisation, Bermuda Overseas Missions, but what if you miss their trip this summer?Then Really Wild Challenges offers a traveller the chance to raise money for a charity and in doing so hike up Mt Kilimanjaro, bike through India and many other “wild” travels. How does it work? You can either pay your way (no charity involved) or ask a charity if you can raise money for them. The charity will ask you to raise a certain amount of money and if the individual does, then the charity will pay the minor challenge costs for the individual. Does travel get any better?5. www.hostelworld.com: OK so this is a little random. Sure we visit these booking sites to find hostels, but the site also offers great photos and suggestions for places to visit in a country. Stuck with where to go? See where hostelworld.com has hostels on offer and what there is to do there! It’s a great source of honest information too. Backpackers can leave reviews of the hostels but also the town, which are honest and helpful!6. http://www.travelyourself.ca/.Want some more videos to inspire? Well, I couldn’t but help to support a fellow, female traveller. Oh and Cailin’s a great videographer that is not paid by any organisation to create pristine videos. The beauty? You can visit a country for “real” and see what it’s like.7. www.wanderlustandlipstick.com.OK so this one is mainly for women …. but it can’t hurt the men to check it out; it might just give men an idea of some of the concerns women have to deal with on the road. With the adventurous woman in mind it gives tips on how to stay safe in your hotel room, lists tours and even ways to dress in other countries (ie in India you really need to be conservative). Inspiring and a relief for women worried about travel.8. www.gadling.com.This site is constantly updating its blog with a variety of contributors (though really you should be coming to mine). I personally enjoy the links at the bottom which offer random travel stories like about an artist building a mountain out of …. used clothes. Fun, quirky and informative.9.www.nomadicmatt.com.One guy, a computer and the world = Nomadic Matt. He also provides you with hundreds of links to blogs of all varieties. From travelling with kids to solo female travel blogs his is the source of any tip of information about travel you might need.10. www.matadortrips.com.Off the beaten track and don de road, rond de corner (for the Bermudians out there) this website will take you everywhere with those who know the particular everywhere you are looking for. Best part? You’re not going to visit Amsterdam just to smoke pot. Yes, crazy I know, but there are other options. Matador with help you out with that.Hopefully these sites (and of course my column) are a few places to start inspiring your travel or, at least, give you an escape from the everyday. Goodness knows Bermuda doesn’t need anymore crime or drugs (see quote if confused. I promise I don’t pull these comments from nowhere). Until next week I say, “Gauw tot ziens.”