Taking Some Trips on the Internet

The National Tour Assn., which represents 635 tour operators, has revised its Web site so that you can search for members’ travel packages by type, destination, point of origin, date and price. Members must have been in business at least three years, carry insurance and meet other requirements.

Online booking, however, is not yet available on the site, and selection is limited. For instance, “adventure/active” called up only three tours in a search last week; by contrast, “sightseeing” called up 34 tours. The site is at https://www.ntaonline.com.

The United States Tour Operators Assn., with 56 wholesale tour operators who sell through travel agents, also offers trip searches, at https://www.ustoa.com. It’s more cumbersome to use because searches yield companies rather than packages; then you must call the companies or link to their Web pages for details. But, in part because USTOA firms tend to be bigger than NTA companies, there are more choices. For instance, a search last week for “bicycling in Alaska” called up six companies. USTOA members also must meet insurance and longevity requirements.