Preparing For A Trip
Getting ready for a trip can be half the fun of traveling. Reading up on your destination, shopping for gear, maybe even taking some language lessons. The internet has opened up not just new worlds, but the whole world.
Visit Google Earth to see satellite images of where you're going. It's a good way to check out the location of a hotel so that when they say 'ocean view' you know that they don't mean that you catch a glimpse of it between high rises. You will need to download the application, but with all the capabilities of this program it's worth the few minutes and it's free.
Looking for images of your destination? Flickr has created a treasure trove of the world, with images from the past as well as the present.
Create a blog for friends and families to keep track of your travels at TravelBlog.org or do a search and see if anyone else has documented their travels to your destination at TravelBlogs.com
Get inspired and informed by visiting Mary Beth Bond's site for women's travel tips.
Have a bit of fun and see what you remember from high school geography class here with the Traveler IQ Challenge.
See if the U.S. Department of State has any travel advisories you should be aware of and information about passports. Did you know that Kennedy Airport in New York now has a passport help service at Terminal 4? It's an annex of ItsEasy.com, a passport and foreign visa expeditor that's open 24/7. But don't wait until the last minute to sort out your travel paperwork. A last minute passport at the airport will cost you $457.
The Center For Disease Control is a great resource for travel health tips.