Extra! Extra! Read Up On Local News Before You Go

When planning a trip you’ll certainly surf the web a bit. You should check in with Lonely Planet and other travel guides, maybe check out some forums where you can ask questions of other traveler’s and get advice, and talking with an experienced travel agent is a good idea as well.

Another simple thing to do is to find the local newspaper for your destination online and read up on what’s going on there. It’s an easy way to get weather reports, find out about local festivals or events you may want to attend, or just to get a feel for what the people there are talking about. It’s much easier to strike up a conversation with locals when you’re able to ask them about a recent election, important court case, big sporting event, or just something funny you saw (”What’s the deal with that surfing poodle?”).

Here are some of the best sources for news in other parts of the world:

• The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia): www.smh.com.au
• The Guardian (England): www.guardian.co.uk
• The Irish Times: www.ireland.com
• Le Monde (France - French language): www.lemonde.fr
• Il Messaggero (Italy - Italian language): www.ilmessaggero.it
• Corriere della Sere (Italy - English language): www.corriere.it/english
• The Daily News (Egypt): www.thedailynewsegypt.com
• The Japan Times: www.japantimes.co.jp
• The BBC (For news from all over the world): www.bbc.co.uk