Enter Zozi, a new national service that offers deeply discounted deals on activities and events taking place in your locality.

Start by selecting your city–as of today’s national launch they serve New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and 11 other major U.S. metros–to find out what deal is currently available.

They offer everything from sailing excursions to fire eating lessons to racecar driving.  And, in celebration of their national launch, they’re giving away $500,000 in free excursions
in the next 48 hours.
Zozi is able to offer discounts of up to 90% off by ensuring that a specified minimum number of people sign up to get the deal.

Once you sign up for a deal you can share it with your friends to make sure the minimum is met. (If not enough people sign up, you are not charged and a new deal is offered).

If you’re planning a trip be sure to check out their equally exciting vacation packages (like a 7-day kayaking trip in Baja).

Now go climb a mountain (or something like that).

Helping to make this a safe and easy possibility is Roomorama, an online service that allows you to find short-term apartment and home rentals in major cities across the globe.

Start by signing up for a free account, which will give you access to all of the current listings, including photos and descriptions. Their inventory is impressive, covering everywhere from Amsterdam to Yokohama.

Once you find a listing that suits your needs, Roomorama will contact the owner to let them know you’re interested.

All payments are handled online, meaning you won’t have to worry about transfering cash. And Roomorama doesn’t release your payment to the host until they enter the six-digit payment code you give them upon arrival.

If you want learn more about your host’s track record, each of them has a profile where previous visitors can post reviews about their stays.

Yet another reason to buy that private jet…

Special To Netted Readers:
Roomorama is offering $20 of rental credit. Enter the code ROOMORAMA_WEBBYLOVE at checkout to take advantage of this offer. (Offer valid through 10/24/2010).

Enter TripTracker, a service that adds a layer of social networking and mapmaking to your travelogues.

To begin, sign up for a free account. Then add the details of the trip you want to brag about. You can upload photos, write journal entries and create maps that track the journey.

Perhaps the coolest feature on the site is the GPS track, which allows you to remotely upload data from your GPS unit to create a travel map to share with family and friends. TripTracker supports a wide variety of major, name-brand GPS units.

You’ll never have to remember to send a postcard again.

Enter Luxe Home Swap, a service that allows you to exchange your home for another luxury dwelling in some exotic port of call.

To begin, browse through the potential homes you might want to swap for your own (it’s free to look).

Luxe Home Swap is global, offering everything from small apartments in major world capitals to charming estates in the European countryside.

Feel like swapping your apartment in New York for one in Paris? No problem. There’s a perfect two bedroom complete with crown moldings, high ceilings, and free WiFi.

Each homeowner lists nearby restaurants, bars, and attractions with a few key points about what type of people they are (hobbies, occupation, etc.). In addition, each listing displays where its owner would prefer to travel.

Once you’ve found a potential swap, you’ll need to sign up for an account. Membership runs $159 annually, with a guarantee that you’ll find a home exchange within the first year. (If you’re unable to find one, they’ll pay for your second year).

And no, the White House is not on their list (not yet, anyway).

To simplify things, there’s Gliider, a browser add-on that allows you to aggregate all of your travel research into one streamlined place.

Just download and install Gliider in your browser (Firefox and Internet Explorer are supported) and click “New Trip.” After filling out some basic information, start researching your getaway.

When you come across something that interests you, simply click the Gliider arrow in your browser, highlight the text and pictures you want, and drag them to the appropriate folder.  There’s not printing or bookmarking necessary.

Gliider also uses your information and materials to suggest deals on flights and hotels relevant to your search.

Unfortunately, packing for your trip is still your responsibility.

Making plans is fun. Unfortunately, actually meeting often involves back-and-forth text messages explaining where you are along the route.

To remove the mystery, there’s Glympse, a mobile app that allows you to share your exact location with a friend for a set period of time.

Start by downloading the free Glympse app to your Android, iPhone or Windows Mobile device.

When you want to share your location with a friend, add their email address or cell phone number to grant them access to a Google map with your real time location for anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours.

If your friend doesn’t own one of the supported smartphones, they can still view your location from any computer. Glympse even monitors your speed and calculates your ETA.

The service is very handy for groups meeting in large places (like a park or arena) and families waiting on arriving relatives, to say nothing of that annoying friend who is always twenty minutes late.

Now, if only there were a way to Glympse your paycheck.

For the adventurer in you, there’s Globetrooper, a social network site that allows you to create or join a planned itinerary with other like-minded travelers.

Simply create an account and begin perusing the site. You can search by type of trip (backpacking, food and wine discovery or railway adventure, for example) or by region of the world.

Trips come complete with projections on cost and duration, as well rankings for how much culture shock you’ll experience or how risky they are. (The site offers everything from a weekend in Montreal to an attempt to climb Mt. Everest)

Even if you’re not looking to join up with others, the itineraries serve as great inspiration for booking your own trips.

Now you just need to arrange for that month-long work sabbatical.

For those who like cross an ocean when they get out of town, there’s Vayama, a travel site that specializes in finding the best deals on international airfare and accommodations.

Vayama’s relationships with specialty carriers gives them access to discounts that you can’t find anywhere else.

If you already have a destination in mind, simply enter your city of origin, destination and travel dates. Vayama will search to find you the best fares available.

If you’re in the mood to browse, take advantage of Vayama’s unique map layout by plotting a course around the globe. (This gives booking flights a bit of that “throwing darts at a map” feeling of adventure)

Just make sure you don’t run out of room for stamps in your passport too quickly.

Enter Luggage Free, a service that ships luggage to anywhere in the world, saving you the, uh, baggage that often accompanies your baggage.

Simply fill out the online form and arrange for a Luggage Free representative to pick up your items from your home, office, hotel or cruise ship. (You don’t even have to be present when they arrive).

When you arrive at your destination, bypass baggage claim (and, for international travel, customs) and go straight to your hotel or home, where your bags will be waiting for you.

The service is priced based on a per-pound rate instead of a weight range, with priority overnight options available for most major cities. (The cost for standard overnight domestic shipping is $5.35 per pound, plus a $50 service fee).

A handy on-site feature estimates the cost of common items like bikes, skis and golf bags based on origin and destination points.

In terms of logistics, an in-house team tracks your bags along their route, alerting you by e-mail when your belongings arrive. When your trip is over, simply schedule a return pick up (if you haven’t done so already) and the entire process is reversed.

All shipments are insured for up to $1000, with additional coverage available up to any amount.

With service like this, the only stress during your travels will be whether or not the sales guy in the seat next to you will turn the pages of his Grisham novel too loudly.