Travel Planning Resources
Online
Instagram is the ultimate resource for travel inspiration. Here is a list of travel related accounts we recommend you follow for amazing travel ideas:
@the_traveller_panda - Chris' account, geared towards travel photography
@the_traveller_koala - Tiff's account, geared towards beer and wine experiences
@uniquehotels - the name says it all
@howtoget_there - stunning locations across the world with directions on how to reach them
@expeditionearth.live - this is a couple from New Zealand driving a Jeep from Alaska to New Zealand, crossing every single continent on the way with incredible drone shots
@earthcouples - compiled photos from hundreds of travel accounts featuring couples posing in incredible locations
@lovelifepassport - German couple Anika and Tayler travel the world providing honest reviews in German and English
@1suitcase4two - a couple traveling the world with advice for romantic adventure. The nice thing about this account is all of the amazing things they post are totally realistic and attainable
@thetravellingnomads - absolutely stunning and icon travel photo spots
@bbcearth, @bbc_travel -The British Broadcasting Corporation is one of the pioneers of travel advice
@cnntravel - great account to follow for user-submitted travel photos
@natgeoyourshot, @natgeoadventure, @natgeatravel - National Geographic is legendary for amazing travel advice and photos
@travelandliesure - high quality travel advice and inspiration from the magazine
@travelchannel - the TV channel features both user-submitted photos and their own content
@booking.com - the accommodation website showcases all of their best places to stay, and some unique opportunities
@lonelyplanet - pure travel advice and inspiration
@beautifuldestinations - compilation of user-submitted travel shots
@bucketlisters - photos and videos geared toward experiences and adrenaline adventures
@airbnb - all of the best and most unique places to stay get featured
@bestplaces_togo - compilation of incredible travel photos
There are so many more that we could list but these are probably the best to go with. Many of the less known accounts will post the same images so sticking with these ones will get you all the best shots. Whenever you are planning to go somewhere, temporarily following that place's official local tourism account or accounts dedicated to local tourism and photography there is a great idea.
WHERE TO GO and WHAT TO DO
Google and Google Maps are by far the most valuable tools for travel planning and inspiration. Need some inspiration? Try searching for best travel experiences or destinations for the current year or just look around randomly on Google Maps.
Always check Atlas Obscura before you plan your route or your days. Sometimes you can find the most amazing things on this site.
OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT TRAVEL SITES
Always check the VISA and visitor entry requirements for any country you plan to visit. Search for the official government site to make sure you get accurate and up to date information. The Government of Canada also provides advice for Canadians traveling abroad. The official website provides current safety information for every country, as well as information on Canada's ability to provide emergency assistance.
FLIGHTS and CAR RENTALS
We almost exclusively use Kayak when searching for flights and rental cars because with the hundreds we have booked, Kayak has almost always shown us the best prices. Kayak of course is a search engine and will often send you to the airline or car rental company's own site to complete the booking. Sometimes Kayak finds better deals on other third party booking sites like Travelocity, Priceline, Expedia, etcetera. When the deal you find is on a third party site, do your homework and make sure that site is reputable. We have never been burned by one of the third party sites Kayak has sent us to, but we did run into an issue understanding the fine print regarding baggage on a Czech booking site that cost us a bit on bags when we showed up for our flight.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Hotels.com is our go-to for two reasons; one, by booking under our account we accumulate a free night at a hotel for every ten nights we book and stay. We have used free nights many times and the prices on Hotels.com are typically no higher then any other booking site. And two, you can book anywhere in the world worry-free. Hotels.com will have your back if you encounter any issues abroad. If a particular hotel we want to stay at is not on Hotels.com then we almost always find and book it on Booking.com or the hotel's own site.
Airbnb is a great way to save money when traveling, or to find accommodations with amenities that hotels typically don't have, like washing machines or full kitchens. We use Airbnb in cases where we can't find a hotel we like, or we are trying to stretch our budget. Sometimes though, Airbnb offers some truly unique and amazing places to stay that are not available on hotel booking sites.
REVIEWS
When you are deciding what hotel to stay at, what tour to take, what restaurant to eat at, or which type of transportation is best, Trip Advisor is a must. At a minimum, always check the ratings and reviews for hotels.
FOOD
http://restoran.us/trivia/unusual.htm
https://www.atlasobscura.com/gastro
These are our first stops for advice and inspiration of what and where to eat while we are away. Google searches fill in the blanks.
VIDA EN EL CAMINO TRAVEL BLOG
https://vida-en-el-camino.net/
Blog written by Chris' parents about their travels around the world. Great resource, particularly for South America.
Television
THE AMAZING RACE and THE AMAZING RACE CANADA
We watch these shows religiously not only because of the entertainment, but also because we have watched the racers go to many cool or unusual places and then gone there ourselves. A perfect example is the Batu Caves in Malaysia. We learned about this cool place on The Amazing Race and then a few months later we went there too.
ANTHONY BOURDAIN
Anything that Anthony Bourdain has done; The Layover, No Reservations, and Parts Unknown specifically. These three shows have provided us significant inspiration and invaluable advice - for many of the lesser-traveled destinations we have been to in particular. Anywhere we go, if Bourdain ate at a restaurant there we have to as well.
BIZARRE FOODS WITH ANDREW ZIMMERN and BIZARRE FOODS: DELICIOUS DESTINATIONS
Like Anthony Bourdain, Andrew Zimmern is a celebrity chef who travels the world to parts less frequented by tourists and presents us with incredible unique local dining options. We love to watch Bizarre Foods but we don't actually have the stomach to eat most of the things he tries. Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations on the other hand is far more 'tame' and appeals perfectly to our palettes. Food is one of the most exciting parts of travel and these two chefs are so important to us.
WORLD'S WEIRDEST RESTAURANTS
Although no longer on the air, World's Weirdest Restaurants hosted by Bob Blumer is still a great resource for anyone looking for truly unique dining experiences. Find episodes online or set your PVR for reruns on television. Unfortunately the business of themed and weird restaurants is not always lucrative and many of the places Bob goes shut down not long after. Still, the shows are worth watching and you never know what fun you will find... like the Modern Toilet in Taipei where we had a blast eating curry out of toilet shaped bowls and beer out of urine jugs. Totally weird and so much fun.
Print Media
MAGAZINES
We don't subscribe to any magazines and we rarely purchase any while at home, but we almost always buy a few in the airport while waiting for a flight. Here is a list of the best magazines for travel inspiration: Afar, Travel + Leisure, Airbnb Magazine, Conde Naste Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Lonely Planet Traveller, and enRoute. Also, be on the lookout for special issues dedicated to a certain destination that you haven't been.
BOOKS
Books can be great for travel inspiration and advice, but keep in mind anything you are reading could already be out of date and should be verified online. We have a huge library of travel books and we will occasionally browse through them for ideas, but mostly they are for reference to check if we have missed anything after we've booked a trip.
The one book we probably use the most is called Where to Go When. This book is organized by separating each month and suggesting where on earth would be a good place to go during that month. The suggestions may be based on ideal weather, local festivals, or smaller crowds.
Make It Happen
Once you've been inspired and you want to go somewhere, it's time for the hard part - to actually do the planning and booking. Click the link below to see how we do it.
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