A former ISU student is making spring break planning easier for students at his alma mater.

Kyle Clinton, University of Northern Iowa alumnus and former ISU student, launched the Web site http://www.eRoadTrip.net last week. The site offers students, for a monthly fee of five dollars, the ability to plan out vacations. However, students say many key features are missing.

Some said missing features, such as not being able to book flights or hotels, render the site almost useless.

“Why would I want to pay for a site when they can’t even book my flight?” asked Jonah Henninger, senior in anthropology. “I could also do the planning and the budget by myself.”

Henninger said the price for the site would be very fair if features like flight booking were included.

Because of this lack of features, local travel companies said they were not threatened by the arrival of another online competitor.

Dawn Duffy, manager of public relations for the AAA Travel Agency, said the site may intrigue students, but the site is just one of countless others already on the Internet.

“It’s a good way to do research, but it’s always best to deal with a travel agent,” she said. “They know the places, and can help you plan your trip.”

Clinton said many of the presently lacking features will be added. He said he is currently looking into creating partnerships with travel agencies.

The site allows students to organize itineraries and budgets and create an online photo album. Clinton said one of the most important aspects of the site is the ability to store emergency information for friends and family.

He said he got the idea for the site from his own experiences on the road.

“I’ve taken a lot of trips like it, and there’s never much organization of information,” he said. “This way, everyone can know what’s going on.”

Funding for the site proved a major hurdle, Clinton said. Many friends and investors liked the idea, he said, but were unwilling to commit, causing him to pull money out of his own pocket.

In order to get the name out, Clinton said he placed advertisements in Iowa college newspapers and scattered fliers at Iowa, Iowa State and Northern Iowa. Promotion at Iowa State was essential, Clinton said, because of the university’s large greek system.

“They seem to be one of the largest organizations to take trips as a group,” he said. “This will really be able to help them be better prepared.”

Lydia Briggs, junior in elementary education, said she would use the site for trips to places she knows little about.

“The last thing you want to be is another lost tourist,” she said. “It would be great to make sure you knew where and when everything was.”

The price may seem cheap, she said, but the cost of membership may not be justified.

“There are so few times when I have the ability to plan a vacation and execute it,” she said. “It could be expensive when you think about it that way.”