Research Your Destination

Travel, one of fast growing past times in the world, can be the most enjoyable and memorable experiences of ones life. While for others, it’s nothing short of a nightmare!Before heading of on an overseas journey, it pays to do some research. Simple stuff like finding out a countries security conditions, learning about the local customs, their history, the type of food you’ll get to taste, do you need USD in cash or travelers cheques? Can I use my Visa card in an ATM?Doing your homework before getting on the plane, will not only build up excitement about your upcoming journey, it will also mean you don’t have mess around “in country” on arrival, maybe in a country where know one speaks your language, banks are closed for a 2 day public holiday and the taxi driver doesn’t want your 10USD bill!Here are a few resources that can help you answer all your questions, before you leave home. Government Travel Advisory Most governments these days keep an up to date Travel Advisory site on the net. While these can sometimes be “over the top” in regards to safety, they are a great source of free and current information.World Wide WebYou’re on it now! Go to a search engine and type in the country/s you will visit. You’ll get loads of information on just about everything there is to know.BlogsThe world of blogs is exploding! Nearly everything is being blog these days, including countries and travel issues. Head to www.blogger.com or www.typepad.com or one of the other major blogging companies and search your destination, you’ll be amazed by the info out there in Blogs Land!Travel Forums Generally frequented by fellow travelers, travel forums can be an invaluable source of information. Whether you need to know about visas, security, good hostels/hotels, local guides you will find it on these forums. Most are free, but you may need to sign up to post messages.Guide Books Buy a guide at home or through the net and read it before you go. You don’t have to read everything, maybe the history, dangers, food and money sections, whatever you like. Know the basics before leaving and you won’t be chasing around after something on arrival, when you should be at the beach or checking out the museum!Travel Agents Most of us will book our flights through a travel agent, so when you do ask him/her questions regarding your destination. Generally travel agents will have access to information about visas, great hotels/resorts, along with other bits and pieces (depending on the agent!). Plus most travel agents have traveled themselves; maybe they’ve been to your next destination?Travel CompaniesNow you may be thinking, “Travel companies don’t give their info away unless I travel with them?” This is true, but their websites contain all their tours, suggested packing list, cost of visas, best time to travel, sights they visit etc. Use this information to make your own tour, look at where they go. They go their because there great places and worth seeing!Friends and Family A huge information bank is generally available right at our fingertips, but rarely used, true! Yours friends and family may not know the answer to your question, but they may know someone who does. Co-workers, family friends, bothers football mates, the ladies Mum goes to lunch with on Monday’s ………you get my point! So go on, ask your little sister or big mean brother, you may be surprised!Learn the Language By this I don’t mean be fluent on arrival! I mean try and learn how to say “hello”, “good-bye” and “thank you”. Many local people really appreciate travelers making an effort to learn about their country. Many travel guides now have a language section or try the Internet. Another option is to check your phone book for local clubs catering for other nationalities, most would love to teach you the basics!So, do some research before leaving, just a little bit will help. But most importantly;Get out there. Get lost. Have a Great time!

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