New Hampshire is a great place to visit no matter what time of year it is. To make it easy to plan a trip there, whether it is a camping trip or not, order the FREE 2008-2009 New Hampshire Visitor’s Guide from the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development.

In addition to the gorgeous 176 page visitor’s guide, you’ll receive an official New Hampshire Highway Map and all it costs is a couple minutes of your time to fill out the request form. Then you just sit back, relax, and wait for the guide and map to arrive in your mail!

The guide includes a section on New Hampshire State Parks and includes a listing of all the state parks by region that lists the activities available, facilities/amenities, what type of camping whether it’s a campground or has cabins, if the campground is pet friendly, and contact information.

So don’t wait. Order your free guide today!

But, I digress so back to the topic at hand which is free things that are definitely worth asking for. One of those is Travel Oregon’s free magazine.

It’s all about Oregon, and is of course geared towards enticing visitors to come and enjoy the state. The magazine brings to life some of the experiences to be found in Oregon in a magazine format with articles written by experienced travel writers, along with great pictures.

Click here to order your free copy today. You will have the option of ordering the fall and winter 2008 issue, the spring and summer 09 issue which will be available in March of 2009, both the fall and winter of 08 and spring and summer of 09 issues, or all their future issues.

The official Vermont tourism website, VermontVacation.com has a travel planning section where people can plan their trip online, including a lodging search that helps find camping and RV parks and an online “my itinerary” builder that is pretty neat.

Plus they will mail FREE travel planning packets upon request with a choice of:a summer packet, fall packet, winter packet, fishing packet, and camping packet (you can choose more than one).

Or, if you have questions and want to talk to someone, call the Vermont Department of Tourism at 1-800-VERMONT (1.800.837.6668).

If getting out on the trails to hike or bike is your idea of a great vacation then check out the free guides at ChamplainBikeways.org.

The Lake Champlain Region Bikeways Map and Guide features the 363 mile Champlain Bikeway. Request it by calling the Vermont Department of Tourism at 1.800.837.6668.

The Heart of Vermont Bikeways Guide features six bicycle tours in Addison County. Order it using the online order form or use the download link for immediate access.

The Northern Adirondack Coast Bikeways guide has 14 themed loops for bicyclists. Order it using the online order form or use the download link for immediate access.

The Franklin County Bicycle and Walking Guide has details for 27 bicycling and walking trails (that will work up quite an appetite!). To request it, use the online order form.

There are also several other free guides on the ChamplainBikeways website and some of them are available in French.

While you’re waiting for your travel materials to arrive, enjoy these videos of Vermont in the fall:

Here’s some of the stuff you can get from TravelOregon.com:

• Oregon Bounty Guide - Where to Stay, Go, Taste and Eat (I like this one - I like to eat and I’m a huge fan of checking out the local favorites.)
• Travel Oregon Trip Planner - This one can serve as your comprehensive guide to organizing a trip to The Beaver State. It includes things like detailed itineraries for each of the seven regions of Oregon. It’s pretty sweet.
• Scenic Byways Guide
• Ski Oregon Magazine
• Oregon State Highway Map
• The Official Kid’s Guide to Oregon

Again, just head on over to TravelOregon.com and you’ll be set. And if you prefer the “green” option, you can download most of these guides.

The basic travel kit includes a travel guide, a map of Maryland, and a calendar of events. The travel guide has sections on paddle sports, fishing and boating, hiking and biking, trails, bird watching and nature observation, camping, and an at a glance chart of the amenities available at the Maryland Parks and Forests.

In addition to receiving the basic travel kit, up to nine other brochures, booklets, or maps can be ordered for free.

A few of the choices include:

- an “African American Heritage Guide” that has a listing of points of interest by region in the state and includes biographical information on some of Maryland’s notable African Americans including Beatrice Gaddy who was known as the Mother Teresa of Baltimore and Josiah Henson whose autobiography was used by Harriet Beecher Stowe as the basis for the character of Uncle Tom in the classic Book “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”

- a “Golf Guide” with information on Maryland’s 200+ golf courses

- an informative “Underground Railroad” brochure that includes a map of 30 underground railroad sites, some of which are open to the public

- a guide to the Chesapeake Bay Area (don’t forget to have some crab cakes!) that includes a map of the Bay’s lighthouses along with which ones are accessible to the public,

To order your free travel kit and brochures, go to the visitmaryland website. Most of the materials are also available for viewing online if you prefer to be “green” and save the paper.

The guide has information on parks and historic sites of interest in the Panhandle Plains Region, Hill Country Region, Big Bend Region, Prairies and Lakes Region, Gulf Coast Region, South Texas Plains Region, and the Pineywoods Region.

It includes a facilities and activities index so you can see at a glance the amenities and activities available at each park, including which ones having campgrounds. Plus the index states what type of campsites are available whether it’s primitive/backpacking sites, walk-in tent sites, tent sites, sites with water and electric, and sites that have water, electric, and sewer.

It can also be downloaded by clicking this link.

Or, if you prefer a printed copy, fill out the request form by clicking here and a free copy will arrive in your mailbox in about 2 weeks.

The Texas State Park system has been in operation for more than 80 years and now has more than 600,000 acres of land to manage.

Balmorhea State Park in West Texas is a big draw for scuba divers and swimmers because of the clarity and depth of the spring waters.

Or, to visit the largest state park in the United States that is within city limits (within the city limits of El Paso), visit Franklin Mountains State Park.

If you are enthralled by the Old West, visit Big Bend Ranch State Park where there is a working ranch and where visitors can participate in horseback trail rides and cattle drives.

Whether you prefer primitive camping, camping with hookups, being near water, or in the woods, where there is hiking, biking, historic sites, or just relaxing and enjoying the view, there is a Texas State Park that is just right.

Get your free copy of the guide today and start choosing your Texas camping destination.

Jiffy mixes. made by Chelsea Baking Company in Chelsea, Michigan, is offering a free recipe book that includes nutritional information and camping recipes. The recipe book has “old favorites and many new recipes.”

Click here to request your free copy.

Portland, Oregon is a city filled with fun things to do and see. Plus it is only 45 minutes away from Milo McGiver State Park which has a campground that is open from the middle of March to October 30.

If you are a fan of The Simpsons, then a visit to Portland is almost a must because must because the show’s creator, Matt Groening, is a native of Portland and has named city streets after characters in the show. So a drive down NW Flanders Street will probably remind fans of the show of the character Ned Flanders. There is more about The Simpsons and Portland on page 20 of the Travel Portland magazine.

Some other things found in the 96 page guide:

- a listing of where to eat, what to do, where to shop, and even where to stay if your venture into the city is an overnight one.

- a section of “points of interest” in various sections of the city including Northwest/Nob Hill, North Mississippi, Hollywood District, Belmont & Hawthorne, and Pearl District.

- a list of sites in the city said to be haunted such as Old Town Pizza at 226 N.W. Davis Street where a lady of the evening who was thrown down the building’s elevator shaft is said to still wander the restaurant’s balcony dining area and basement.

- info about the Portland Saturday market which is largest continuously operating open air market for handcrafted goods in the United States. Contrary to the market’s name, it is also open Sundays and is open every weekend from March through December

- a list of side trips to take including a jaunt over to the Oregon coast to watch the gray whales migrating (February to June and again in November through January although area experts say whales can be seen all summer long).

- lots of info about food and shopping, including where to shop green. The picture of pastries from Pearl Bakery on page 52 of the magazine looked so good I was tempted to lick the page.

- where to go to walk on water (it’s the Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade 1.5 mile floating walkway and biking passage along the Willamette River between the Hawthorne and Steel bridges)

Request your free copy of the Travel Portland Magazine by visiting the Travel Portland Website. Or, if you want to help the green thinking city of Portland save trees, click here to read the magazine online.

People can camp on or near the lakes in Maine or along the Atlantic Ocean coastal area of the state. Or, if water is not your thing, there are plenty of inland camping opportunities whether a person prefers camping in a resort type area or where it is more remote.

For the purposes of the camping guide, Maine is divided into eight regions: Aroostook, Katahdin and Moosehead Highlands, Kennebec Valley and Moose River Valley, Acadia, Sunrise County Downeast, Mid Coast, South Coast, and Western Lakes and Mountains.

Campgrounds are listed by region with contact information plus a list of the amenities each campground has to offer.

To request a free printed copy of the 96 page Maine Camping Guide, click here to go the official request form. If you prefer to view the camping guide online, click here to access an electronic interactive version.

The 33 page guide lists each state park, along with a brief description, its location and contact information. Plus the amenities and activities available at each state park is listed.

One thing I really like about the guide is that it also lists attractions near most of the parks that visitors may want to check out.

To get your free copy, click here to go to the official Oklahoma tourism website.