BudgetTravel.com asked its readers what they consider the top 10 most important travel improvements and Tourism Review brings you the results of the poll.

10. Online Maps

An online map is definitely a useful tool. Not just that you can look at the place you are going, the map also shows you the shortest or fastest way from your airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the nearest restaurant or museum. An even better idea is the photomap. It gives you the real impression of things and places almost anywhere in the world.

9. Digital Photography

Everybody knows it – with the “old-school” camera, you make hundreds of photos on your holiday, half of which are blurred, yet you only find out which half it is after you pay for developing them. With digital camera, you can make thousands of photos, check them on your computer, delete 90% of them and have only the best ones developed which saves time as well as money. Brilliant, isn’t it?

8. Online Flight Check-in

People who often travel by air do not have to spend minutes and hours in the ticket counter queue with other nervous travelers waiting for their boarding pass. All you have to do now is check-in online and print your ticket right away. You can even choose your seat or change it in case you simply must have the bulkhead seat.

7. GPS Navigation

Pretty cool thing to have in your car. Orientation gets much easier in cities you have never been to. All you have to do is set the precise address you want to reach and the smart little thing does the rest. It tells you when and where to turn and can even inform you about a traffic jam ahead and figure out the shortest detour. The era of straying is over.

6. Worldwide ATM Access

Anywhere in the world, any time you want, quickly and comfortably, you can withdraw your money from your account in the local currency, be it dollar, euro, crown or trouble. You do not have to wait until the bank opens and then explain the lady at the counter, who often doesn’t speak any language you know, how much money you want, or search for an exchange office. Very practical.

5. Cell Phones

No more looking for phone booths and carrying coins around in your pockets. If you get into trouble, all you have to do is dial the emergency number, anytime, anywhere. It has some cons too, though – your mama can check on you every day. Yet the pros prevail.

4. Internet

Internet access is a common service in many hotels and there are internet cafes in virtually every city of the developed world. You can thus operatively change you itinerary, book a flight ticket or keep in touch with your friends and family even while traveling to the opposite side of the world and send them fresh photos and news every day.

3. TripAdvisor

If you are not sure what destination to choose and which hotel to stay in, TripAdvisor is here for you. You can browse for other people’s – real people’s – real opinions and experiences and thus avoid a wrong choice. No more dirty beaches, lousy hotels with creepy staff and awful restaurants. On TripAdvisor, you can find information that would be quite hard or even impossible to get from any other source.

2. Online Travel Booking

Online travel booking is a true revolution in tourism. It enables you to plan your trip yourself and change plans as often as you like it. No more are travelers dependent on the travel agencies. You can find your destination online, book a hotel and a flight ticket or even reserve tickets for the theatre without having to leave your living room.

1. Roller Bags

The winner of this poll is quite surprising. One would guess that GPS or some other revolutionary technical innovation would make it to the very top, but all the smart digital machines got beaten by something as simple as a suitcase with tiny wheels. Yet, the majority of travelers consider the roller bag to be a thing that contributed mostly to more comfortable and pleasant traveling.

The Department's ongoing goal is to educate U.S. citizens about the change and encourage them to secure the required travel documents well in advance of their scheduled travel. The Department of Homeland Security urges U.S. citizens of Utah, who are planning or considering travel outside the United States, to apply early for a U.S. passport book and/or U.S. passport card as demand is expected to be heavy in the coming months. A website http://travel.state.gov and toll-free telephone number 1-877-487-2778 have been provided to assist travelers in obtaining their passports.

In FY 2008, the Department of State issued 16.1 million U.S. passports, including more than 500,000 U.S. passport cards. Current processing time for both the U.S. passport book and U.S. passport card is approximately two weeks for routine service and fewer than two weeks for expedited service. These processing times can change depending on level of demand. The department is committed to providing U.S. citizens with professional, courteous, and efficient passport services, and ensuring that Americans obtain their passports in time to meet their scheduled travel.

Throughout the state of Utah, the Department of State has designated 55 passport acceptance facilities, including U.S. Post Offices, Clerks of Court, and other municipal offices. First-time applicants and minors under age 16 may apply for a U.S. passport and/or the new U.S. passport card at any of these locations for the same cost and with the same outstanding customer service they can expect at any one of the State Department's passport agencies. A listing of the locations of these acceptance facilities can be found on the website http://travel.state.gov.

A Utah city that sometimes feels left out of the attention lavished on other Utah destinations has now found itself in the spotlight.

Ogden is earning an entirely new reputation.

Nationally, Salt Lakes and Park City's ski resorts are well-known, but USA Today highlighted the lesser known Snowbasin and Powder Mountain resorts in the Ogden area.

City leaders say it's just another reason to visit the new Ogden and help shed the reputation you probably have of the city. Sara Toliver, with the Ogden Convention and Visitors Bureau, says, "It's been an amazing transition."

Even as director of Ogden's visitors bureau, Toliver can't believe how much her hometown has changed. She says, "Growing up here, truthfully, I did not think it's where I'd be spending the rest of my life, and now, I wouldn't want to be anyplace else."

National publications are noticing. Ski Magazine, Rock and Ice, National Geographic Adventure, Outside Magazine and now USA Today have all named Ogden one of the up and coming cities to live, work, and play.

Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey says, "We feel so honored that the national media is paying attention to Ogden, that they know who we are and what were trying to accomplish."

Ogden wants to be the Mecca for outdoor recreation in the United States. There's indoor skydiving, surfing, rock climbing and the nearby ski resorts. Even national outdoor-type companies have relocated here.

"They know who we are, and I think that validates our message," says Godfrey.

And even with all the recognition Ogden is getting, city officials are not done yet. Downtown construction will allow more businesses to move in. There's also a planned athletic center, which includes indoor bicycling, tennis courts and a world-class archery range.

Some residents like the new Ogden. Ben Rojas says there aren't a lot of vacant lots, and a lot of new businesses are coming in.

Others think there are more important things than outdoor recreation. Ogden resident Lawana Hayes says, "Part of me being here is to try to find a job. Nothing is going on. It's hard out there."

No matter what you think of Ogden, city leaders just want you to visit. Toliver says, "Once they get here, they want to come back and see it again."

Ogden City leaders admit their reputation has a lot to do with the city's rough past. But they truly believe if you visit some of the new places they've built, you'll like what you see.

Reprinted by permission, acabrero@ksl.com, www.ksl.com