Planning vacations by rail just got easier with the launch of the newly designed AmtrakVacations.com website. Amtrak Vacations offers a variety of single-city rail getaways and multi-city rail journeys across the United States and Canada.

AmtrakVacations.com offers complete travel packages including hotel accommodations, sightseeing attractions, activities, dining and cruises. The newly designed site includes improved navigation, trip searches by region and destination, extensive package information, most popular trips, and vacation package ideas.

In celebration of Amtrak’s 40th anniversary, visitors to the AmtrakVacations.com site can enter the “The Amtrak 40th Anniversary Sweepstakes,” for a chance to win a nine-day, eight-night Grand Canyon Rail Journey for two adults. The sweepstakes runs through August 31, 2011. The official rules, entry form, prize package and terms and conditions can be found at AmtrakVacations.com/win

City.Mobi

Also in US today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to Washington DC.

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

WashingtonDC.mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.