Here’s the Thing

This page is periodically updated. All the websites with links here are resources that I’ve used with positive results.
Researching Destinations

While I prefer to leave most of the discovery for when I reach a destination, it’s a good idea to know a little about what you’ll find when you arrive. If you’re the type of traveler who likes to fly by the seat of your pants (like me), I advise getting a good guidebook for the country or region you’re visiting. Lonely Planet makes great country guides, region-specific “…on a shoestring” guides, and mercifully lightweight city guides for many major cities.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/ - Buy a guidebook online, read a free country profile, or peruse some of the blogs linked from LP’s home page. LP guides are great for inexperienced international travelers.
http://www.roughguides.com/ - A more recent competitor to Lonely Planet, many travelers I’ve met prefer their guidebooks over the old LP. While I generally prefer the layout of the LP guides, RG’s Thailand guide is better. They also sell their guides as e-books, which do not include the photos and maps from the books.
http://www.jazz-clubs-worldwide.com/ - A decent listing of jazz clubs around the world. A number of its listings won’t be found in your LP guidebook.
Booking Flights & Lodging

Most countries I’ve visited have discount airlines that fly the major domestic routes, and you won’t find these searching on travel sites like Travelocity or Hotwire. Usually a Google search like “budget airline Thailand” works like a charm. To find cheap accomodation, try one of the hostel booking sites listed below, Travelocity, or run a Google search that includes the city/region. Also, many of the places listed in Lonely Planet books have websites with secure online booking.
http://www.statravel.com/ - Good resource for discount youth (under 26) and student fares. For booking a hotel/hostel, you’re better off booking with another site.

http://travelocity.com/ - Great search & compare engine for hotels, with a decent range of budget to quality.

http://www.expedia.com/ - Comparable to Travelocity or Hotwire. Easy flight bookings for international destinations.

http://www.hostelworld.com/ - A complete, user-friendly way to find and book cheap accommodations around the world.

http://www.hostelbookers.com/ - If you can’t find what you’re looking for on hostelworld, check out this site.

http://www.airasia.com/ - The RyanAir (cheap flights) of Asia.

http://www.fly12go.com/en/main.shtml - The cheapest flights in Thailand.

http://spicejet.com/ - The cheapest domestic flights in India. Applicable taxes cpuld triple the total ticket price.

Travel Blogs

There are probably millions of these out there; if you’re browsing, Google works like a charm. If you’re looking for candid (and useful) observations on a particular destination, its a good idea to read postings on several different websites…the more thorough you are, the better you’ll be able to assess the credibility of any particular blog posting. With very few exceptions, I’ve found travel blogs to be entertaining but rarely useful.
Other Recommendations & Observations

For specifics on good/bad places I’ve stayed on my trip, drop me an email and I’ll get back to you. Alternately, please do the same if you’ve got ideas on ways I can improve this page.