My top 2 out of 10 things to do before my oversea trip1. Find The Place I Want To Stay ( Hotel, Hostel, Inn, Backpacker lodge)Checking out the place is important. It helps to determine what needs to be packed and what to expect from a particular place. The best sites I always go few months before I travel are http://www.virtualtourist.com and http://tripadvisor.com. I like the design and forum in VT better, so I normally post my questions in the forum. So far, I have not been disappointed with the VT members’ help. It is one of the reason that I have also shared my travel tips there. Once in a while I will try my best to answer questions posted in the forum especially questions about Sabah. I am glad I found Dr.Izad’s blog. I can recommend tourist to go to his blog and webpage to read more about tips on Mount Kinabalu climbing. I mainly used Trip advisor to find places to stay and to check traveler’s reviews on any particular hotel. They too have their own forum. In the forum you can ask as many questions before you go or even while you are on the go. I’ve selected and stayed at Masters Inn Kissimme Orlando based on view in the forum. Other popular sites you can check are; lonelyplanet and fodors. Try to check for cheap accommodation at here. I have used this site to find accommodation in California and Las Vegas three years back. That was my first experience booking a hotel online. Well, I managed to find a nice hotel and was satisfied with the search and recommendation. Those who are traveling on a budget can check here.IMPORTANT TIP:-Stay in a place where you can get access to transportation easily especially to and from the airport, close to eating places and also close to the main attractions if possible.IMPORTANT TIP: – Unless you can’t stay in a place less than a 5 star hotel, opt for a cheaper hotel. After all you are not going to stay there. You will need a hotel just to sleep as most of the time you will be out there, exploring. Anyway, if you are on a special vacation like honeymoon, then it’s fine to splurge on a nice hotel and other things.2. Check The Transportation SystemIf you are going oversea, then the first transport system that you have to check is the airlines than goes to your destination. There are two ways you can do this. It’s either calling your travel agent and asks for a quotation of your place or routes of interest or go and do your own search and booking online. Do call two or three travel agents as they normally give different rates.You can also check the MRTA systems, Bus and even Ferry services. (If related). MRTA are common in major cities and it’s easy to get access to it. Just get the map for the MRTA routes and you are on it. Subways are more common in big city like New York. Subways in New York are superb. It is one of the best transportation systems I have ever seen.Important TIP: Go for airlines with at least one stopover if you are not rushing to go home. For example, if you plan to go by MAS to Los Angeles, there is a stop over in Taipei. To kill two birds with one stone, do spend 2-3 days in Taipei. If you are heading to New York by the same airlines, there is a stop over at Stockholm, Sweden. In 2004, I went to Los Angeles via Taipei and stop for two nights. Last June, I didn’t manage to stay 2 nights at Stockholm as planned initially. If not because I have a meeting just after my trip I would have spend some time there too. To go to Australia, you can either check Qantas or other airlines too. I went to Sydney in 2001 and Singapore Airlines gave a cheaper rates compared to other airlines. If you plan to go to other places within Australia, you can check Virginblue.IMPORTANT TIP: Look for their cheap flights from budget airlines like offered by Air Asia. This will save you a lot of money.