(MONEY Magazine) – If you're looking for summer vacation tips, reach for the remote control; there are a growing number of televised travel shows that might help you. The latest offering: a new 24-hour cable channel, the Vacation Network, which had its debut Jan. 27, reaching 4 million homes. But as Money reporter Debra Wishik Englander learned after watching more than 12 hours of this programming, some shows are better than others. Her reviews, from the four- star winners to the turkeys: **** Weekend Travel Update (syndicated). This fast-paced half-hour is packed with practical advice. Example: save 25% by going to Venice off-season, in January. Best feature: newspaper travel editors' picks. *** The Travel Channel (cable). Every show on this 24-hour network isn't great, but most are. Don't miss the new half-hour program Travel Bargains (9 p.m. ET), whose toll-free number lets viewers book trips to, say, France, at savings of 50%. *** Laura McKenzie's Travel America (syndicated). A top travel-video producer, McKenzie spends a half-hour walking you through popular destinations like Orlando. She's critical, even willing to harpoon hyperinflated nightclub cover charges. ** Travel Guide (CNN; 8:30 a.m. ET Sunday). Tune into this half-hour show for hints about unexpected places like the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich. But some segments are yawners. The Vacation Network (cable). Watch out! Every ''show'' is a 30-minute infomercial paid for by resort owners, tour operators or members of other travel firms, who are often ''guests.''