Connect with me Find us on Facebook.

Follow us on Twitter.



Creating an Itinerary



Travel Quotes



Travel Planning







Travel Preparation



Advertise With Us

If you a company within the travel industry that wants to get your message out to a targeted audience of young, independent world travellers and backpackers then exposure on Step Ahead Travel is a great option!

Refer to the Advertising page for more details.







Useful Links


Aside from this site, there are many resources available to you which will help inspire your wanderlust, plan and book your travel. The following are a few of my favourites:



DESTINATIONS Destination signpost


Where When Why - as the name suggests, this inspirational travel guide uses country, climate and activity data from all over the web to help with the logistics of deciding where to travel and which time of the year is best to go.

Lonely Planet - is travel inspiration from the experts at the original budget guidebook. Clearly divided into geographical areas on the world and the countries within them. Each country has an overview and information on major sights, visa requirements and costs.

Trip It - a popular travel planning tool with various features and guides. It has sample travel itineraries from which you can build your own. These can be saved online and accessed anywhere in the world whenever you need them.



FLIGHTS Plane


Kayak – will simplify your exploration for that discounted airfare. It searches over 140 airlines and travel agencies (including other airfare search engines) to bring you all the best flight deals that will enable you to do direct comparisons.

Orbitz – the significant advantage of this site is the price assurance that guarantees the lowest rate. In other words, if another customer books on the same flight for less, you will automatically be issued with a refund for the difference. They also offer updates on your flight status.

Hipmunk – is particularly useful if you need to make a more complex flight booking. The search default menu will sort flights quickly by a range of factors such as price, duration, number of and length of layovers. Displays most appealing options first and intuitive filters hide poor ones.

Last Minute – as the name would suggest, this is the place to go if you need something at the last minute. Use it to book a flight for tomorrow or search the database for other hotel or travel packages being offered at short notice.



ACCOMMODATION Bed


Booking – helps travelers, whatever their budgets, easily discover, book and enjoy the world’s best places to stay. Benefits of using this site include lowest prices with no additional reservation fees or commission. User-friendly site enabling easy searches and secure bookings.

Hostel World – has a huge portfolio of hostels, numerous reviews, free downloadable audio guides, videos, photos and a social networking area. It also enables you to apply for a Gold Card to avoid hostel booking fees.

CouchSurfing – is a fantastic concept that adds another dimension to travel. It is a global travel community that enables generous hosts and adventurous travellers to connect with each other. It saves on accommodation but also promotes friendship and cultural understanding.

Priceline – gives you control over the price you pay for a range of travel essentials such as flights, hotels and rental cars. Simply bid your best price and wait to see if it is accepted. There is nothing to lose and the site also offers reviews to assist you in making the best decision.



TRAVEL ADVICE Information


Wiki Travel – like its parent site Wikipedia, this site offers factual information on travel destinations that is complete and reliable. It is written by travellers and is a great resource for learning about various places before you start planning an itinerary.

Trip Advisor – is the largest online travel community and a great trip planning tool. You can make travel bookings but its real value lies in the reviews and hints from other travellers. There are also excellent destination guides that are more detailed and up-to-date than most guidebooks.

Lonely Planet – just like its guidebooks, the website is renowned for its commitment to providing accurate and practical travel information, impartial recommendations and great value hints. There are also excellent forums that share information and answer numerous questions.

Postcard Travel – is a comprehensive guide including an introduction to personal safety, overcoming personal disasters, the risk of natural disasters and a personal safety checklist. Full of well researched facts and important statistics that will help make travel safer and more enjoyable.

Virtual Tourist – is a great resource if you are seeking an insight into a travel experience from real people who have already been there and done it. It boasts the single largest source of user-generated travel content containing useful tips, reviews and photos.



TRAVEL BLOGS Blogs


Travel Pod – is one of the first places to go to read up-to-date experiences of people who are travelling right now. Blogs are complete with maps, photos and videos so you can gain a great insight into virtually any destination on the planet.

BootsnAll – is renowned as a ‘one-stop shop’ for all your travel needs so it seems appropriate that they should have a forum that is a perennial favourite among the travelling community. It’s a place for exchanging information and also networking with others to find travel partners.

Travellers Point – is ‘where the journey begins’. It one of the largest and most active online travel communities, with its members representing every country in the world. The site’s forums and blogs are constantly answering the numerous questions of potential travelers.