As we embark on the New Year soon, I’m going out on a little limb to make a Five great and probable Travel Predictions for the splendid year of 2007.

US Lifts Cuba Travel Restrictions Fidel Castro’s eternal rule over Cuba ends with his passing mid 2007. Diplomatic relations immediately improve between the US and their neighbor to the South. Travel restrictions will be lifted, and Americans will flood Cuba. By the end of 2007, Cuba will find itself in a position to be one of the fastest growing travel destinations in the world, to the UAE’s dismay.

Puerto Rico or Florida Travel Increases The United States’ new passport requirement of travelers may mess up some last minute beach vacationers. Since Puerto Rico, and Florida (obviously) do not require a Passport, those who are too lazy or late to purchase a Passport may elect to visit Puerto Rico or Florida instead of other Caribbean destinations. The same goes for cruise passengers who will need to have Passport starting in 2007.

Airfares Stay Steady I don’t see oil rising as much, with the rampant oil speculation failing to kick off early in the spring, therefore, sending hedge fund money to other sectors. So airline fares shouldn’t be, in theory at least, as high with cheaper fuel costs.

European Travel is really, really expensive - The Federal deficit, which could lead to a world wide financial collapse in the future, is growing astronomically right now (Something like $2.3 trillion this year alone…Thank you Mr. President). Investors will notice and wave the finger, and then Euro will continue to kill the dollar in the financial markets of this wonderful world. European budget airlines are the only bright spot of traveling in Europe, but they are not bright enough.

I think the cost of traveling to Europe could go up 10-25% according to my very rough calculations. But I wouldn’t advise waiting for the dollar to gain strength before your travels to Europe, because it will head south until the 2008 elections.

Internet still Impacts Travel The internet and the Online Booking Revolution (Flyspy, Farecast, Farecompare, and Triptie) will continue to impact the travel industry 2007. With Web 2.0 staying strong, expect even better online travel tools developed in the next year for you to use at your disposal. After Web 2.0 bursts, there may be a drought until Web 3.0 starts up, but that’s several years away.So there are five of my not so risky travel predictions for the year 2007. If you have one of your own, feel free to leave it as a comment.

This is my third entry into Problogger’s Awesome Group Writing Project. My previous entries into this cool writing project were How to Travel and Budget Travel Wish list.

Traveling has now become much easier and affordable. You can find resorts and cheap hotelsthrough the world but you have to take some precautionary steps to avoid any undesired situation. Many insurance companies along with cheap car insuranceand health insuranceare now offering insurance package which includes travel insuranceas well. While traveling, credit cardsand visa cardsare really beneficial and your only partner when you are out of cash.

If you are someone who loves traveling, the best place to go when you need last minute travel deals is online to a site that can get you last minute cruises or even Hawaii vacation package.

The following is a paid review:

HotelReservations.com is a online travel booking website which prides itself, like most travel sites, on low rates and helpful travel tools to help customers plan their trips.

First, and most importantly, I tested their claim to offer the cheapest prices. After a quick comparison with Expedia regarding hotel prices in Amsterdam, I found Hotel Reservations to have low nightly rates that are very comparable to Expedia.com.

Hotel Reservations also returned a large number of results, which is always good to allow customers to have a wide selection.In addition to their obvious offering of hotel reservations, Hotel Reservations.com also offers affordable flights, car rentals, vacation rentals, and vacation packages on par with the standard industry budget travel rates.

Another feature of Hotel Reservations is its toll free booking over the phone. If you are old school, hate the internet, and/or prefer “actually talking to someone,” Hotel Reservations can accommodate you.

I tested their toll free calling system by telling the agent I was looking for a hotel in Miami. He handled my call in a very standard fashion, and was able to answer my questions correctly (I checked his answers online myself during the call).

The only drawback of Hotel Reservations is its design, which could be simply described as bland. Its older design is also a little harder to navigate than more modern travel booking sites. One example is choosing departure and arrival dates. It tends to be a little more of a hassle with Hotel Reservations compared to the big travel sites like Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz. Those larger sites have the nifty “interactive” pop up calendar that makes dates a breeze.

So if you are looking to book a hotel, vacation rental, flight, or car for your travels, HotelReservations.com seems like a reliable online or phone booking agent to satisfy your needs.

I waited to report on the Fiji political situation, as I expected it to blow over. However, almost a week later, Fiji still faces political unrest. Basically, the military is in the middle of an overthrow of the government. After it started, many countries posted travel warnings because of the potential dangerous conflict.

This has undoubtedly angered potential travelers to the region, as they canceled their holiday plans. Luckily, since Fiji really isn’t considered the most budget friendly travel destination, I have an inkling that all of my readers are not affected. This is an important political and economic lesson however.

Last year, Fiji’s holiday travel occupancy was up 75% compared to 2004. Impressive. This year, it’s occupancy is down to 25%. Not good, since 25% Fiji’s Gross Domestic Product is tourism. The only way their economy could be any worse is if they poison their water supply, and lose their Fiji water exports…(just kidding)

But from the travel cancellations, Australians are getting a refund of $500. With such a big hit to their economy, their currency is being monitored very closely.

So big unrest in the Fijian travel market. After the conflict is solved, the cost of travel will surely decrease. Maybe, it’ll depreciate to a level us budget travelers and backpackers can afford. Time will tell.

When I started this blog, I planned to include interesting and inspiring travel photography, but I seem to have forgot to do that until now.

I ran across some really good photos of Peru from Andre Gunther Photography. My favorite photo is that of the Andean Explorer, a train that takes riders through the awesome Peruvian scenery of the Andes. I also like one of a cathedral con flores (middle), and I’m showing Lima some love with the final picture of the Miraflores district.

Since I created my budget travel wish list, I have been interested in traveling to Peru. The Spanish culture and language, beautiful scenery, and its affordability are all reasons that I would love to travel to Peru.