Do-it-yourself travel agenting

We're headed off to Cambodia next week, and I'm stoked! After a trip or two that weren't well planned, we now have a system in place that has allowed us to have 3-4 day vacations that are fun, restful and still jam-packed with sites and experiences. I do all my research online and within 2 hours in a pinch (although I admit, I've had fun delving in and spending up to 10 hours planning some trips) I've had a few people ask me lately how I research, so here it is in a nutshell:

1. Figure out basics- flights, cities to visit, etc.
2. Check out the CIA Factbook and Lonely Planet overview of the country, and preferably the region and/or cities you'll visit to get an idea of what the main attractions tend to be. 
3. Search for "48 hours in Seoul/Kuala Lumpur/Manila/etc" (24 and 36 hours in usually work too) and pay particular attention to the New York Times Articles. I've also found some great ones from British papers- I think the Guardian and the Independent? Copy/paste any sites, museums, restaurants  markets etc. that seem interesting into another document (I use google docs so I can share with other travelers easily- separated into sections for background, sights, food/nightlife, travel and hotels).
4. Use your hot spots document to map your desired locations within the city/region you're in. Googlemaps does a remarkable job in Asia, and will let you save and share your travel map along with your notes. 
5. Determine lodging based on proximity to desired locations v. cost (taking transportation options into account). Book as soon as possible.
6. Determine major travel methods and costs. (Are you taking a bus or train from city A to B? What are the cost savings v time savings? Can you book it in English or do you need a travel agent?) Also research local transit options and costs.
7. Research best money management methods (convert currency/take out of ATMs?), weather forecast, basics of local history/culture (language, basic phrases, ways not to tick off the locals) and any local pitfalls (pickpockets? tidal waves? kidnappings? best to be aware).
8. Travel with a printout of both your hot spot list and your map with the locations and you can make plans on the fly, and never have the "I have no idea what to do now" moment of horror when you're savoring every drop of your break! (Also helpful if you pick up a tourist map and reference your map printout to be double sure you know where things are).

Vocab of the day: 
Korean: 여행 (yeo haeng) = travel
Military: SRP = soldier readiness processing