Last November I got the dreaded call. My travel agent for 10 years, the one who booked all my international flights, found children's fares, and helped me short-term lease a car in Belgium, was going out of business. Her business was yet another to disappear as the result of the plethora of self-service, fast, and convenient online travel sites like Expedia, Kayak, Priceline, and Travelocity, to name a few. Although I miss the personal touch of my travel agent, I do find that online travel sites are quite useful. There's certainly no lack of them, so selecting just a few to highlight here was difficult. I thought I'd forgo the big-name sites and focus on ones that reach a particular niche. Be advised: most travel sites are packed with advertisements but nevertheless contain valuable information on a variety of travel topics and destinations.