Plan Your Next Trip in 7 Steps

There is a huge range of travel websites that can help you successfully plan a trip. The problem is that those websites are not equally useful, reliable or user-friendly. So which ones to choose?

This world travel step-by-step guide is designed to assist you in planning your next trip or vacation by showing you the right steps to take including helpful international travel tips and advice. Each step is associated with its corresponding category that includes some of the best travel resources with web address and a short description.

Therefore, this lens is not only featuring a practical 7-step guide to trip planning but also a handpicked selection of the most popular and useful travel websites such as leading international travel agents, unbiased hotel & holiday reviews, competitive travel insurance providers and must have travel essentials.

Step 1. Online Travel Agents
Step 2. Hotel & Holiday Reviews
Step 3. Travel Guides
Step 4. Travel Insurance Providers
Step 5. Travel Documents
Step 6. Must-Have Travel Essentials
Step 7. Currency Exchange

This first section is featuring top-rated travel agents used by holidaymakers and travellers worldwide for online booking as well as hotel discounts, vacation promotions and the latest special offers.

Online Travel Portals are the best and the cheapest way to book your travel needs including flights, hotel rooms, vacations, cruises, holiday packages, car rental or last minute deals.

Do your research before booking! It is recommended to use several internet-based travel agencies to perform the same search and compare the latest offers and prices. You might also want to consider more alternatives: different airports, flight hours, leaving / return dates & time, budget / luxury hotels, etc. Be flexible!

Do not take a decision based only on price and availability. Check out step 2 and step 3 of this guide and when you are positive about your selection go back to your preferred choice and complete the booking.

Hotwire
Hotwire.com allows travellers to purchase discount airfares, make hotel reservations, find vacation packages & cruise deals. Here you can find rental cars from $13.95 a day.

Expedia
Find cheap airfare, hotels, car rentals, vacations and last minute cruise deals at Expedia.com Expedia.com, the largest online travel agency in the world. Book your luxury travel or family travel, find last-minute hotel deals and save an average of $220 when you book your flight & hotel together.

Kayak
Kayak.com is not a travel agent. Still, check this out! It is the largest travel meta-search engine, an aggregator that allows you to search and compare results for cheap flights, discount hotels and travel deals.

Lastminute.com
On Lastminute.com you will find exclusive deals on travel. You can book flights, hotels, European and worldwide holidays, city breaks and last second deals.

Travelocity
Choose Travelocity for all your travel needs. Find top destinations for hotels, vacation packages, European vacation destinations, low cruise prices and the best car rental rates.

Priceline
At Priceline.com you can shop for discount travel - flights, hotels, car rental, vacations and cruises, book your activities or browse city guides.

OK, so you have found the right hotel to suit you. Visit one or more of the travel information websites to look for travel advice and read traveller reviews and recommendations before booking. You might find out that the hotel you picked is not what you expect it to be!

Take your time and read several reviews, especially the bad ones. If there's a lot of negative feedback, you might want to reconsider your choice, get back to step 1 and look for another hotel.

Those are 3 of the most popular user-generated travel review websites:

TripAdvisor
The most successful travel review site is TripAdvisor with over 15 million reviews and opinions covering hotels and destinations worldwide. You will also find lots of photos and videos posted by travellers and locals.

Hotels By City
HotelsByCity.com includes international hotel guides grouped by country and city but also hotel blogs. You can also book hotels and flights or read vacation guides!

Holiday Watchdog
On Holiday Watchdog you will find unbiased traveller reviews of hotels and apartments in cities all over the world. This is a specialist holiday and hotel review website that includes holiday photos, video reviews and a holiday watchdog forum.

Try to organize your itinerary in advance. Make sure there is no shortage of things to see and do. Knowing more about your holiday location is important because based on the results of this research, you might wish to extend or shorten your holiday. You can still go back to step one, re-adjust the length of your vacation and finally make the reservation.

Visit the following travel guide sites, get valuable travel tips and check out for tourist attractions at your destination.

VirtualTourist
On VirtualTourist.com you can browse travel guides made by real travellers and find tips, photos and information on over 2 million travel destinations. You can even create custom travel guides for your next trip.

Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet is a leading publisher of travel guides. You will find here destination guides selected by country and city as well as trip advice, tips and travel information including photos, videos and maps. Browse Bluelists by keyword and find anything travel related recommended by real holidaymakers.

World Travel Guide
World Travel Guide offers guides by country, city, airport, attraction, cruise, ski, beach, event and even weather guides. The website is also featuring the destination of the month and the latest travel news.

Expect the unexpected! Before travelling abroad it is recommended to purchase travel insurance for medical cover, otherwise you might end up with a huge bill for medical costs in case of injuries or illnesses while on vacation.

It is highly strongly advised to arrange a comprehensive travel insurance that offers extensive coverage: accident and medical expenses cover and protection against potential financial loss associated with the trip. This all inclusive travel insurance will also include cover for trip cancellation or interruption, lost luggage and public liability.

Travel Guard
Travel Guard is one of the leading providers in travel insurance plans. Get Free Travel Insurance Quotes from AIG Travel Guard and purchase insurance protection for: single / annual trip, family travel, cruise, vacation, flight, honeymoon and golf travel.

World Nomads
At World Nomads travel insurance is available to residents of over 150 countries. Get a quote, buy, extend and claim online! World Nomads covers skiing and snowboarding and most adventure sports. Also find travel journals and destination guides.

Travel Insurance Center
Get a quote, compare and buy travel insurance packages at Travel Insurance Center. The list of available categories to pick from includes: trip protection, long-term global insurance, annual multi-trip, international medical insurance, Schengen visa insurance, student travel insurance and many other.

Ensure you have a valid passport, driving license and visas (if needed). In some countries, an international driving license is mandatory in order to be legally able to drive a vehicle, whilst in other countries this document is not required. It is strongly recommended to obtain an international driving license before travelling overseas. Find out if you need a visa before travelling abroad! In case you need one, plan ahead and apply early.

RushMyPassport
Get your US passport in 24 hours at RushMyPassport, a the leading U.S. Passport expediting company. Find here a full range of passport services: new passport, passport renewal, lost/stolen passport, child passport, passport pages and name change.

US Passport & Travel Visa Services
Find comprehensive information on passport services and visa requirements.
At VisaHQ.com you can either apply online or send paper application forms. You then stay informed by having access to real time online tracking and email status updates.

List of Embassies
At Embassy.org, you will find the list of all embassies in Washington D.C. Contact the embassy of the country you are planning to visit in order to find out if you need a visa.

As a final step in preparing your trip, determine all your other travel needs including travel products you might need to shop for like luggage & accessories, travel gear & gadgets, handbags & backpacks, business & laptop cases or sports bags.

Here are some Tips For Flying and here is a selection of sites that offer discount travel luggage, travel with kids essentials and other travel stuff:

Luggage.com
At Luggage.com you will find a huge selection with over 6,000 types of luggage, backpacks, sports bags, briefcases, handbags and travel accessories. Shop by item, shop by brand or browse existing sales and promotions. Free shipping!

TravelingWithKids.com
Traveling With Kids is offering a selection of toys, cribs & bags, strollers, car seats. You can shop by category, age or manufacturer.

eBags.com
eBags.com is offering a wide range of travel products: handbags, luggage, sport bags, and travel accessories.

LuggageGuru
LuggageGuru.com offers luggage, briefcases, backpacks, computer cases, laptop bags, wallets, kids backpacks & luggage and travel accessories including luggage tags, security belts, adapters and many other travel essentials.

Be aware of the hidden costs of using a credit or debit card abroad. Debit and credit cards can be particularly expensive when used overseas due to foreign exchange fees. You might be charged a fee for every transaction as well as currency conversion fee for each purchase. Check this with your bank!

Keep in mind that once you arrive at your destination you might need some cash in local currency for a taxi or tips. Consider all the above, do a proper research before leaving and make a decision about your currency exchange needs - how much and where to buy it from.
Here are a few selected websites that might help you:

Universal Currency Converter
The Universal Currency Converter is the most popular currency tool that lets you perform currency and foreign exchange rate calculations. It contains the top 85 currencies sorted by country name. The ten most popular currencies are listed first.

Travelex Worldwide Money
The Travelex Worldwide Money is offering foreign exchange services for personal and business customers in USA, UK and 17 other countries.

International Currency Express
At International Currency Express you can order currency and avoid the 3% surcharge on credit card purchases and ATM withdraws.