Veteran travelers usually carry some essential items to make their trips easier. Following is a selection of online tools to bookmark and use.
Visa ATM Locator (www.visa.com), for locations of Plus ATMs worldwide, or MasterCard ATM Locator (www.mastercard.com), for locations of Cirrus ATMs worldwide.
Foreign Languages for Travelers (www.travlang.com). Learn basic terms in more than 70 languages and click on any underlined phrase to hear what it sounds like. Note: Free audio software and speakers are required.
Intellicast (www.intellicast.com) and Weather.com (www.weather.com). Gives weather forecasts for all 50 states and for cities around the world.
Mapquest (www.mapquest.com). This best of the mapping sites lets you choose a specific address or destination, and in seconds, it will return a map and detailed directions.
Cybercafes.com (www.cybercafes.com) or Net Café Guide (www.netcafeguide.com/mapindex.htm). Locate Internet cafes at hundreds of locations around the globe. Catch up on your e-mail and log onto the Web for a few dollars per hour.
Universal Currency Converter (www.xe.net/currency). See what your dollar or pound is worth in more than 100 other countries.
U.S. State Department Travel Warnings (www.travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html). Reports on places where health concerns or unrest might threaten U.S. travelers. It also lists the locations of U.S. embassies around the world.
