Good 4 u...remember the Lonely Planet motto: Quit worrying about whether your trip will work out. Just go.

Am glad I took that to heart back on my sabbatical-of-sorts some time ago. Started out by going to Thailand and the Philippines, where I had some familiarity and costs were cheap (VERY important for longevity of my trip). But this was back when the Internet was just starting to spread and boredom was much more a threat than now. Had some friends from the U.S. in Thailand and they were good to hang out with, but not very intrepid about trying other places.

Best thing I did that summer was decide to still go out on my own. Took a trek near Mae Sariang that wore me out, then flew to Bali for the first time.

That turned out to be a great confidence-builder, as within the next 18 months after that I tackled Cambodia (much wilder then), Nepal, Palawan, Vietnam and a spur-of-the-moment cross-Indonesia trip that got to the Bandas in Maluku and the Baliem Valley in Irian Jaya. Was the best trip I have ever taken.

I use checklists on the items to bring, but many places have tons of stuff you can buy there; it's when you get deep into ones like Laos that your preparedness or lack thereof can really bite. If you stick to places like Thailand or Malaysia you have almost as many options as in the U.S.

Lonely Planet guides are definitely a help.

If you're traveling on awards, also pay close attention to stopover and open jaw allowances, as it's one of the few cases where the fine print gives you something. Have stopped over in Hawaii something like 10 times on Asia trips, as well as spots in Micronesia and the South Pacific, all on the theory that it's better to see 2 places or more if the fare is the same as seeing one.