Unlock The Hidden Treasures Of The Internet To Plan Your Next Trip

Written on August 27, 2007 by Tezza

Monday’s weekly guide to Travel and Recreation from 4EvaYoung.com

The mind boggles as to what you can find online these days relating to travel. For some the most obvious point of call for trip planning advice would be travel agents, friends, family or travel guides. These are all useful sources of information and advice but more people are now realizing the usefulness of the Internet to provide the budding traveler a wealth of information and resources right at their finger tips.

If you want to make your trip a pleasurable experience here are some useful resources I have come across and used to plan my trip. The best part is that you don’t have to leave the comforts of your home.

Independent Traveler Sites
The best place to start is find out what other travelers who are going to where your going are saying. Advice from other travelers are often times more accurate and up to date then information contained in guide books since there is often a delay in getting the books published. Also more often then not independent travelers will give you gems and tips that aren’t in your average guide book.

My favourite sites to find information, opinions and reviews from other travelers are:

Boots n All - The forum is filled with helpful tips and advice on all areas of travel. The site itself is jam packed with useful information on travel planning. If you are visiting Boots n All for the first time consider going to this page they provide to first time visitors to help avoid information overload.

Lonely Planet Thorntree - Lonely Planet is a household name in the travel guide book industry. There guide books are a popular choice for information for any prospective traveler. They also provide this forum to enable travelers to get together and share travel information and tips. The forum is not as well setup as Boots n All but it still contains a wealth of information.

TravellersPoint - Another useful forum that enables travelers to discuss travel plans, share tips and learn more about your travel destination.

Trip Advisor - According to their website there are over 10 million traveler reviews & opinions of hotels, vacations. Read reviews on just about anything travel related. If you aren’t sure about whether a particular hotel is suitable for your needs, or whether a particular attraction is worth visiting or just looking for suggestions or advice this is the place to start.

Virtual Tourist - This link will take you to a collection of travel guides to locations around the world. The travel guides are made up of contributions from other travelers. Just about the easiest way to get useful information about your destination right at your finger tips and many are provided by members who are locals which is even better.

Inspirational Travel Videos
Now that you have made the decision to travel there can be moments when you’re struck by bouts of “What the hell am I thinking?” If you find yourself double guessing your decision then it’s time for some much needed inspiration to keep your travel dream alive.

Where the hell is matt - Matt has become somewhat of a cult phenomenon in the Internet sphere with his dorky dancing. Matt traveled for 6 months sponsored by a company to make the video. His trip went through 39 countries on all 7 continents and it’s very inspiring for anyone looking to do some traveling in life. If you enjoyed his video visit his website for more information.

The Global Trip - Erik R. Trinidad has done what many can only dream. He has traveled around the world and he compiled this video to provide him inspiration while he was preparing for his “Global Trip 2004”.

World’s Best Dad - While this video in not about travel, it is very inspirational. It is about a father and son living out their best life now. This video will move you to live out your dreams and make you realise how short life is so make the most of it.

Blogs About Travel

Working Nomad - Started traveling in his 30’s he travels and works from his laptop. While this lifestyle isn’t going to appeal to everyone it none the less shows that there are many creative ways to live out your travel dreams.

Hobo Traveler - Follow the hobo traveler on his travel journeys. Andy has been traveling for over 10 years and has covered over 76 countries. He also has a page jam packed with great travel tips.

Tim Leffel - Tim Leffel has been recording his travel stories since April 2003 which is old in the blogging world. Read about his travels.

Travel Minx - Shona’s blog is full of travel tips and resources to make your travel planning a breeze.

Euro Cheapo - If you’re planning a trip to Europe then this is a blog for you. They have scoured Europe’s most popular cities to find hotels that are both welcoming and wallet-friendly.

Vegabondish - Vagabondish follows the story of Mike, a lifelong travel addict, on a long-term journey ’round the world.

Brave New Traveler - A online travel magazine, it explores many issues faced by the traveler. This is one of my favourite blogs with it’s insightful tips and articles on all that is travel.

Nomad 4 Ever - After getting tired of the rat race Chris decided to give it all away in preference to a nomadic lifestyle traveling around Asia. Read about his travel tales.

Ubertramp - Freelance travel writer and fanatical backpacker Nathan Richards wants nothing more than to inspire and encourage others to satisfy their wanderlust for travel.

If you have a favourite travel resource that is worth sharing then please feel free to contribute it.

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