Travel Planning Tips

I love to travel.  It may be argued that I love the planning portion even more than the travel.  That said, here are some tips that may be helpful when you're planning a trip.

 

1. Check out the local visitors and convention bureau's website.  You can usually find it by googling the name of the city and the word "visitors."  This will give you lots of sanctioned information and will be a good jumping-off point for the rest of your research.  You'll be able to find information on lodging, attractions and dining, but it may not be very in-depth.

 

2.  When I look for accomodations, I normally read a bunch of reviews on places that I'm considering.  While you could go to a site like TripAdvisor for that, you could also try doing a blog search.  A review on a blog page will give you a much better frame of reference, then a review on a mega-site.  Plus, the reviews will often be a part of a larger trip report, which will give you extra insight into what the city has to offer.  I never knew about the New York Milkshake Company, until I read about it earlier this week (in preparation for my own trip to the big city next week).  If you're looking more for attraction and dining information, consider using the blog search with the name of the city and "trip report."

 

3.  Speaking of trip reports, there are websites solely devoted to these journals.  I just can't think of any at the moment..

 

4.  Check out the library or your local bookstore.  You'll be able to peruse various publications and you may be suprised that they all don't mention the same places.

 

5.  Finally, check out local newspapers.  It's a great way to see what's going on activity-wise and it can provide you with more up-to-date information than some websites offer.  Also, many cities like Washington and Pittsburgh have their own monthly magazines dedicated to their city.

 

So there ya go.