I recently had a friend ask about resources I use for research before and during travel. I didn’t have a succinct answer… Lots of “depends on” and website references. I’ve never used a professional travel agent so the bulk of our trips have been the result of hours of reading and time online completing planning and purchasing. Thus, I thought it might be a great topic for a February blog entry, as we continue to plan at home for our March Break excursion to Jamaica. Perhaps this is best broken up into the main components of most trips, which include for us the elements of general information, transportation, accommodation, and food/attractions.
General Information: Couple of specific “go to” options here (with tips on all items and add ins like history / money / safety / blogs / itineraries). Early on in my travel planning days I was very tied to Frommers Day by Day guidebooks. The itineraries were thematic and descriptors on attractions were excellent. Now I just connect to Frommers online for it virtually, bypassing the books and accessing a broad set of introductory details on their web site. For destinations in Europe, Rick Steves is a valuable resource… And his online presence / video catalogue is designed for the independent traveler (although tours form a huge part of the business). I’ve undoubtedly gotten great tips there! More recently, I let Twitter do the work, as I follow one or two solid feeds from the chosen destination that drop up to the minute information on everything travel. This trick paid excellent dividends in Paris ( i.e. Helped us keep an eye on rotating transit work actions and potential attraction interruptions).
Transportation: For “air” we always start with some “Expedia.ca” time online. It’s a good tool for narrowing in on a wide range of flight options. Halifax or Moncton are our start / end points. In the end, we’ve never purchased through expedia. Most often secure the flights through our ScotiaBank Rewards VISA collecting card points and normally a small discount. If we’re driving, we never leave without our GPS. The best highway tool ever! Google Maps also plays into this… As I will “save” all stops at the planned destination, then create travel loops. Oh… And the best site for trains in Europe is “Seat 61“. Always start there!
Accommodations: Of course, this depends on where and choice. For our big road trips, we’ve always stuck to a “chain” that works for our taste/budget. A quick breakfast, Internet, and parking were always factors, and our go to has been Hampton Inns / or others from the Hilton Honours Program. Further… Grab the points program and collect. More recently, we have used VRBO and HomeAway for rentals when spending multiple days at a destination. Janie refers to selecting these as real life HGTV time! Fingers crossed… But as of yet we haven’t had anything that would be close to a complaint in utilizing this type of accommodation.
Food/Attractions: Lastly, where to eat and fun things to do! Once again, we use Google Maps a fair bit, and will scan it for potential places to visit within a specific area. Then ramble through TripAdvisor (combined with Google Maps) and a cull through the reviews to give one a “feel” for a good foodie visit / attraction. We did this quite successfully in New Orleans recently, just because it’s so incredibly walkable. This in mind, the links I use only scratch the plethora of online possibilities… although sometimes the best methods (like asking someone) are the old school kind.