People often ask me how I plan for a trip. How do I know what to do, where to stay, how to get around when I travel? I tell them:

“I research the shit out of it.”

I’m a researcher by nature and by trade. The skills I learned writing my thesis in grad school and honed while researching policy in my real-world working days actually apply to travel. Yay, it wasn’t all for not! I tell myself this every time I make a student loan payment, but it doesn’t help… Anyways, it’s all about the preliminary research!

Travel Research is More Important the Shorter the Trip

If you are on a 4-month backpack adventure through southeast Asia (ahem, me in a few months!) then chances are you’ll have some days where you can dedicate to travel research, so you don’t need to research everything beforehand. But if you are flying to Peru for a week, you want to make the most of your time there, so the more research you can do beforehand, the better.

My approach to travel is very focused and academic before I get there, then becomes very nebulous and intuitive once I arrive. Because I’ve done so much research beforehand, I can really enjoy and make the most of my time.

3 Reasons to Research & Plan Beforehand

You don’t want to spend your time in a new place searching on your phone or inside on a computer for the best place to eat, where to visit, what to do, or how to get around. Let me tell you why:

You get all the lame touristy places first. If you search on the spot, the first things that pop up are the boring, top 5 must see attractions that everyone who has ever gone to that city has seen.

You’re wasting precious exploring time. You’re looking at a screen, not at what’s around you. Not what you should be doing when traveling.

You won’t have enough time to do it right. To really do it right, you have to dig in. It’s having 12 tabs open at once, looking at maps, various blogs, and translating pages. It’s not easy to find those hidden gems or places off the beaten path that are often missed by those last minute searchers.

My Essential Research Tools

Laptop. I’ve found that laptops are easier to research on compared to a tablet or phone. I can have multiple tabs open, and switch back easily between Word and Chrome. I type faster on a laptop, and my phone is available if I need to look at my calendar, social medias or other apps I have only on my phone.

Travel Document. A blank Word or other word processing document where you list the places you find, and copy and paste all relevant information, like a short description, links, cost, hours, address, directions, and tips. I make the sights the headings, then as I find more information, I copy and paste it all under that heading. At the end, you have all the info you need about everywhere you want to go.

A notebook. I’m kinda old school in the sense that I like to write stuff down when I research my next adventure. I use Word to cut and paste info too, but the real planning and organizing happens in a notebook. It’s also easier to carry around a notebook than a laptop or a cell phone that may not have internet when you’re traveling abroad.

Start Researching: My Top 5 Tips

Before the magical thing called the internet was invented, travelers had to rely only on travel agents, books and articles that were possibly outdated, and word of mouth. Most of the information was collected when they arrived, spending precious time that could have been used exploring. Old school methods are still valuable, and the internet makes it much easier to do them, but there’s also so much more travel information at our fingertips just waiting for us to utilize.

So, head to your favorite café or snuggle up at home, grab some caffeine, play some music, and get to it!

1.  Ask People You Know

This is an example of an old school method made easier by the internet, and one of the best perks of social media. In one minute, a simple “hey friends! I’m going to Thailand, what should I do?!” Facebook post can reach hundreds of your friends and people in your network.

You know people who have done things. Who know other people. Who can share their knowledge, connections and experiences. Maybe someone has family or a friend you can connect with. Maybe someone has stayed at a kick ass hostel, or one that you should avoid.

I’ve gotten so much good information from simply asking people I’m connected to on social media: from snorkeling on a remote beach in Oahu, grubbing on incredible sushi in Osaka, to hiking in rural Italy. Reach out, people love talking about their travel adventures, and you can benefit from it.

2.  Dive Into Travel Blogs

Travel blogs are gold mines for travelers. There are big sights with thousands of followers and small sights with only a few, but both have magical little nuggets for you during your travels. Dive in there, dive in deep.

Search WordPress blogs. Type in “to do in [insert city]” or something more specific like “sumo wrestling in japan” or “remote hiking trails in Peru.” It’s more likely than not that you’ll find pages of results straight from people who’ve been there and done it. Don't forget to leave a comment if you find one extra helpful, and subscribe to help that writer reach more people.

You can also search Google for “travel blogs” or “[insert city] travel blogs.” A few of my favorites are Partying Traveler, The Blonde Abroad and Nomadic Matt – he even made a list of his favorites from 2015.

3.  Research on Social Media

This is a great way to find destinations or sights that you want to visit. Search Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and all the others that I don’t know about because I’m old and out of touch. Click on pictures that catch your attention and interest, then find where they are and how to get there (and add them to your Travel Document).

Search hashtags of the country or city you’re going. Start following tour companies, artists, bands, musicians, local government, anything. People post about festivals, gallery openings, sporting events, anything and everything. See what’s happening and get a feel of the place before you’re there.

4.  Do a Google Search

Google searches are a good place to start; it creates a kind of skeleton outline for your Travel Document. You’ll find the top tourist sights and some general information from larger sites. My go-to mainstream ones are Lonely Planet, Atlas Obscura, and Reddit Travel. But I’ll click on about 20 other sights to get a feel for what there is to do in my future destination.

Don’t stop at just the first page of results, go to page 4, 5, 6 or further. Check out the related search suggestions at the bottom and search those too. Visit the places that say it written by a local, or someone who has lived there a long time and has the in.

Don’t limit your Google search to just sites. Check out the image search too. Click on cool pictures, see what it is, where it is and how to get there.

5. Figure Out the Transportation

Subway map of Wuhan, ChinaResearch maps to get a sense of where you’re going and how to get around. If you haven’t already found it out through your other research, figure out what is the best way to get around: metro, buses, trams, walking, taxis, tuk-tuks, or anything else? Do you have to buy a metro card or can you pay cash on buses and subways? Metros? Walking? Most major cities have subway and bus apps that let you plan out your transportation options. Download it and become familiar with them before you get there.

Now It’s Time to Plan

So, you have a whole bunch of information, but how does this translate to action?

First, organize your Travel Document, full of information, by area, neighborhood, metro stop or city, whatever makes sense. You’ll have a document that has everything you want to do grouped by geographic location.

Second, find a map of where you’re visiting with as much information on it as possible (i.e. subway stops, neighborhoods, cities). I actually print out a map. For most places, Google maps shows you the subway routes and stops, so you can see the nearest station (in some places, like South Korea, you have to use a different map because they don’t let Google map their streets).

Third, mark where all the sights are from your Travel Planning document. This helps you figure out what order makes the most sense to see things. This is time efficiency people! You don’t want to be traipsing from one end of the city to the other in one day. For one, you’d miss all the in between, for another, it’s a waste of time that can be avoided with proper planning. I like walking around areas, so when you are able to find a few places of interest in a neighborhood, you can walk the area in between, getting a better sense of the place.

Lastly, roughly plan out your days based on what sights are near each other. I use my journal to plan out my days, I like the pen to paper feel, but it may not be for everyone. I’m sure there is an app that serves the same purpose. Just make sure it’s something that you can access without internet. You wouldn’t want to do all this research and then not be able to access it when you’re there.

You’re There... Now Talk to People

I always stay in hostels or some place where I can meet other travelers. They usually have a lot of information about cool spots, how to get around and some even set up tours or trips.

Talk with people. A lot of long term travelers stay at hostels and they are usually knowledgeable about areas worth your time, where to avoid, where you should go or eat. Ask the people who work there. They are usually travels at heart and live there, so they are in the know. Especially about the night life.

Ask anyone local who seems friendly. A bartender, waiter, store clerk, someone in the elevator, anyone who gives you a smile or a nod. Ask where they like to go, where you can really get a sense of the area, not just the touristy spots.

And then just wander…

Check out my post Wandering 101 to learn how to be a Wandering Traveler.