Travelers like to find new places to explore. Judging from the trends of online searches, most of them want to go to the beach. If that sounds like you, do you know how to find a new beach for your next vacation or day out? This article will teach you how to use free tools to prepare for a visit to a beach you’ve never seen before.

Your beach day starts with an online search:

• Submit the word “beach” and the name of a town, city or state into your favorite search engine. The results will include “things to do” directories (some with detailed addresses and reviews), official pages from local governments, and personal pages with reviews and directions.
• Search for beach cities in a map Web site such as Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps or MapQuest. For example, submit “Miami, Florida” and the map will zoom in to the specified location. If you have a rental home, condo or hotel in mind, submit its street address and scroll the map (or zoom out) to find the nearest body of water.
• Browse a directory of beaches such as http://www.morebeach.com or http://www.AreWeThereYetMap.com. The owners of these sites have already located good beaches for you to visit. You’ll find lists of beaches organized by region, plus maps, street addresses and links for more information.

To view beaches in more detail, switch the Web site’s map type to “satellite”. If the site you’re on doesn’t offer satellite photographs, try another site. Then zoom in to street level and look for:

• Rental location: How close are your choices of rental homes, condos and hotels to the beach? Can you walk there or will you have to drive?
• Public parking: Where is it and how many spaces are available (meaning how many total, not how many are occupied in the photo)? Cars are easy to see, so scroll around the map to find rows of them. Switch the map type to “hybrid” and take note of street names in relation to parking lots and street parking.
• Beach access: How far is the walk between parking or drop-off points and the sand? Make sure you bring only as much gear as you can carry.
• Beach length: Does the beach stretch for miles or is it a tiny spot of sand useful mostly to locals? Many beaches are closed off on each end by large rocks, trees, or grass.
• Beach width: How much space is between the grass/rocks/parking lot and the water? Of course in the ocean, the tides will change this trait every hour. Sandy shores look white or light tan merging into the blue-green water, while rocky slopes and retaining walls look dark and grainy against the water.
• Watercraft: Are boats visible along the shore? Don’t swim in a marina or other high traffic waterway.
• Lifeguard towers: The towers may be hard to see. Look for round or square roofs and rectangular shadows, often paced at equal distances from each other on the sand. If possible, swim near the lifeguards, especially when you bring children.
• Coral reefs: Green and brown splotchy areas in the water near shore may indicate a reef, giving you a chance to view a fascinating ecosystems of coral structures, colorful fish and other wildlife. Bring your snorkel and mask, but don’t touch the coral or you’ll damage the colonies of polyps that build the reef.
• Seaweed: Then again, green and brown splotchy areas might just be seaweed.

After your search you’ll have a good idea of how to get to your chosen beach and what to expect when you get there. Check the tide and weather reports before you head out and you’ll be ready for a great day at the beach. Have fun!