A Exhaustive Guide to Travel Planning Resources

This post is for those of you who are going to be visiting a city or country for the first time and have no idea what to do once you’re there. Yes, we’re talking travel planning resources. How the heck to find out what to do, where to go and what to see on your next vacation. Our holiday planning checklist will supply you with the best tips to make your next vacation perfect.

It can be overwhelming when visiting a new city, especially if it’s a top tourist spot. There seems to be no end to what you can see and do – and you only have a few days to experience it all!

Have no fear – we have the top travel tips for you! Researching your destination, checking out the best websites and apps, and talking to the right people will help you narrow down your choices, find the top spots and make sure you don’t suffer from travel FOMO!

Are you into travel planning? What ways do you research before your vacation? Let us know in the comments below!

Travel Planning Before You Leave

The best place to start learning is right at home – way before you begin your travels.

Do your research online to get an idea of what you will want to see and do when you get there. Once you have an idea of the places you want to visit, you can begin making a rough outline. You’ll want to prioritize your list and pick your top spots in order to start planning out your time.

Pro tip: Don’t plan too many activities. Keep a few days open to make sure you have enough down-time on your vacation. This will allow the flow of your vacation to remain calm and relaxing so you don’t feel rushed. It will also give you flexibility in order to add things to your list as you go and learn more once you are at your destination. 

Use TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor is always the first thing we check when we are researching a new city. We love this site because of all the filters it has available and how customizable the results are.

The first thing we do is search the city we are visiting under the “Things To Do” tab. It will come up with a list of all the top things to do (including landmarks, restaurants, tours, activities and parks) based on the experiences of other tourists. You can then click through to the website to get more information.

You can also search for hotels, flights and restaurants on TripAdvisor and filter your results based on your own budget.

TripAdvisor is a great one stop shop for travel.

Don’t be a fool, and travel like a pro! Travel can be exhausting, overwhelming and stressful – so make sure you bring along the right gear! Make sure you read our post Top 10 Must Have Items for Long Travel Days and carry along these items to help improve comfort and sleep, and reduce anxiety and stress:

• J-Pillow Travel Pillow– Our FAVOURITE Travel Pillow
• Hydro Flask 32 oz. Water Bottle
• Physix Compression Socks
• Alaska Bear Natural Silk Sleep Mask
• Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones

Research on Instagram

Social Media is definitely underutilized when it comes to travel planning.

Think about this – what are people doing on Instagram? The main goal of the majority of profiles is to find the most interesting and beautiful spots to post in order to gain a following. And so, by simply browsing through Instagram, you will find the most stunning places to visit, as well as the best hidden gems.

Check out the tags for your destination. For example, if I was going to be visiting Paris, I would go into the browse section of Instagram and check out popular tags like #paris #parisfrance #parisfood #parisphoto and #seemyparis. Scroll through the image results and see what pops out at you. Click on the image to get more information about where it is.

You’ll find amazing landmarks, experiences and restaurants this way – and maybe even take an Instagram shot of your own!

Utilize Facebook Groups

This is another underutilized travel planning platform. 

Before you leave for your trip, search for Facebook Groups that center around your destination. In these groups, you’ll be able to see tips from people who either live there or have traveled there.

A quick search for ‘Paris’ under Facebook Groups gives interesting results like ‘Couchsurfing Paris, ‘Paris Expats’, and ‘Young Americans in Paris’ – you will find a wealth of information in these groups.

This is a great spot to get your very specific questions answered. You’ll be able to ask any questions you have – the people in these groups are very helpful and eager to give advice.

Pinterest – More Than Just Craft Ideas!

Pinterest is a unique platform because it acts as a search engine much like Google. You can combine search terms here and get tons of great results.

I love searching on Pinterest because your results are a mixture of visual images, as well as informative articles and links to travel blogs.

When searching here, type in things like ‘Things to do in’ + ‘Your Destination’. Pinterest will also come up with other popular search terms related to your destination and these will be listed under your search bar. 

This is a great place to find travel inspiration and browse for hours!

Read Travel Blogs

Speaking of travel blogs (like this one!) – these will be extremely valuable to you as a new traveler.

Reading travel blogs allows you to learn from the pros. Travel writers exist to help others learn about the secrets, hidden gems and all the tips you’ll need for your trip. A good post will also reveal common mistakes or myths about certain areas to help you avoid wasting your time and money.

Travel blogs are also a great way to ask questions. Make any inquiry you have in the comment section and you are likely to get a response from the author or other helpful readers. 

Travel Planning by Using Reddit

Reddit is another fantastic community fueled source of information.

Try following a board related to your destination to see what popular conversations are being had. You’ll find information here about recent news, local events, tips on places to see and, the best part, you can make your own post and ask any question you want – you’ll always get lots of great responses. 

Use Craigslist to Find Local Events

Head over to Craigslist and browse around your destination. Here you’ll find tons of local events and activities. This is a great spot to find budget and free activities and you’ll find great ways to experience the local culture.

Read more about the perks of Craigslist and how to find other budget activities in our post ‘Things to do for Free While Traveling’. 

Or, having trouble getting your travels started because you are short on cash? Check out ‘How to Travel the World for Free’.

Google It!

And of course, you’ll find everything you need through a Google search.

Use Google when you need to get very specific about what you are trying to find. Some great things to search for are ‘budget and free activities’, ‘what’s good for kids or pets’, ‘hidden gems’, ‘romantic locations’,  ‘best views’, ‘hikes and walks’, or ‘guided tours’.

Find Travel Guides

There are literally endless travel guides available out there. We tend to shy away from them as information changes so quickly. We find it easier to search online and learn on the go. 

But, if you are into books and having something tangible in your hand to take with you – check out Barnes & Noble. Here you can search travel guides for your destination and see how each guide is rated and how popular it is.

Here are two of the best and most timeless travel guides you may want to check out for travel inspiration:

• Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travel: Our List of the 500 Best Places to See… Ranked
• National Geographic’s Destinations of a Lifetime: 225 of the World’s Most Amazing Places

Talk to Locals

You can do all the travel planning you want, but not much lives up to good old talking! Once you get to your destination, talking to locals is absolutely your top way of finding the best spots to be. These are the experts in the area and you would be a fool not to utilize their wealth of information. We have found the most amazing restaurants, hikes and look-outs from locals and would not have heard about these gems any other way.

But wait a second.. what if the locals don’t speak your language? A language barrier can be a big issue when traveling. If you have no time to learn a new language before you leave for vacation (ha!), consider bringing an electronic translator. Translators have come a long way and are doing quite amazing things now. For example, the Smart Language Translator will translate 36 languages in real-time! Which means all you need to do is speak into the device and it will start speaking in a different language for you. How cool is that? It will also display the text for you on screen as well if you just need a text translation. This is such a must-have item for any avid traveler or for anyone traveling to a country where your language is not spoken by the majority.

Ask Your Hotel Staff or Concierge

This is another potential source of some great local information. As locals, they will have a huge amount of information for you.

Just be wary of their suggestions – some hotels may have deals set up with other companies and work on commission. This may result in poor information and suggestions to pricey restaurants or overly touristy areas. Take their suggestions with a grain of salt and do your own research as well.

Check Out the Noken Travel Planning App

Take a look on your phone’s App Store or Play Store to find local apps that might be of value to you on your trip. There’s tons of options out there and each one will be specific to your location. Type in things like ‘Your Destination’ + ‘Tours’ or ‘Happy Hour Deals’ or ‘Top Spots’ – get creative, there’s lots to be found!

One fantastic travel planning app is ‘The Noken App‘ – this is a new app that curates trips for you to help introduce you to a new city or country. The app can be used to book accommodations, experiences and transportation that fit within your schedule and budget. The app maps out a personalized itinerary and travel blueprint that you can navigate offline while traveling around. Currently, they are focused on Iceland, Japan and Portugal but are expanding their locations.

What other travel planning resources do you use? Do you find it better to research at home first? Or is it better to stay flexible and learn about the trip as you go? Comment below!

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