We are not one of those working and travelling couples and I think we’ll never be one. Our vacation days are also finite. So we usually plan them well so we can make the most out of them. And still we manage to visit friends and family.
But, personally, travelling is as much the anticipation of the trip, as it is the enjoyment of the scenery and the locations you visit. Although free roaming is amazing and liberating, there’s also enjoyment to be found in looking into your next destination and deciding on what to do and what to visit.
Now and before, travellers always found ways of connecting. A few years back, I would use the “VirtualTourist” (VT) forums. I would use them to obtain info and to help out fellow travellers who wanted to get real info about my country.
Nowadays everyone seems to rely on “TripAdvisor” (from the same company who bought out VT), “Yelp” and the sorts. It’s not that you can’t get good info, it’s just that the experience is not the same anymore. I found that a lot of comments and info is fabricated by users who seem to have been created or hired by travel companies.
I still use them to get a feel of a place. But I rely more and more on the specialists. By this, I mean anything from “The Green Guides” by Michelin to specialist blogs like ours. For example, our trip to Japan, about which we wrote in the previous post, was mostly planned based on the “Green Guide’s” advice and on the official tourism’s website, which is quite extensive, complemented by specialist blogs such as luxeat.com.
Another good example, was a budget long weekend trip to London with a group of friends. It was planned solely through visitlondon‘s advice on free and cheap museums, eateries and activities.
There’s a lot you can do when you can’t travel! Even if you don’t have a date, why not start planning your next escape?