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Just another quick note for travelers. Tourists can book a package or a tour. For those of us who are travelers, finding a new spot and having and adventure takes a little work. I do a lot of research before going to a tropical paradise for the first time. I even do a lot of research when I'm going to a new part of NYC. The problem that I've found in recent years is that where I used to look for inspiration just isn't there anymore. I used to look at travel programs on the tele, but that doesn't seem to be much of a thing anymore except on PBS. God bless Samantha Brown and Rick Steves.
for those of us who go our own ways and don't take the cruise or the tour, there's a lot of research involved. I always turn straight to the internet. I always try to find a tourism website for the location first. Most countries, landmark locations and several individual regions and cities have their own website devoted to tourism. If you wish to go to a country like Switzerland, they have a website that covers everything. I do mean everything. But, never just book a flight and room and show up in a foreign location. I don't even mean out of the US. Anywhere that's foreign to you. We used to travel like that in the old days before the World Wide Web. But now you don't have to take those kinds of chances.
Is it safe to travel through your destination? Are there wildfires burning in the area where I wish to travel? Are there floods? Are there hurricanes? Are there terrorist attacks? Is the world cup in town? All things to know.
https://www.state.gov/ The U.S. State Department site is a great place to start. If it's not safe, they'll tell you about it and tell you why. Remember, it's always up to you though. It's just a good place to start. You can also find out what shots you may need to travel to your destination.
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices What diseases are going on? The CDC is the place to look for that information. We've all just been through a historic pandemic, and not all of us are ready to just roll the dice these days. The information you find there may help any fears you have.
https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker In this day and age, we know that countries in various locations are at war. We've all heard about Russia and Ukraine, but sometimes we don't see about other violent situations around the world. If you want to stay out of the line of fire, Global Conflict Tracker might be of use. They show you where the current conflicts are happening, so you can decide how close you want to be to the wrong kind of action.
https://www.usembassy.gov/ When traveling outside the country, you never know what might happen. This list of United States Embassies can come in handy wherever you are. If you need or want to know where the closest embassy to your travel spot is, this list is your friend.
https://worldweather.wmo.int/en/home.html Are you traveling to a place that might have weather issues during your visit? The World Weather Information site run by the World Meteorological Organization or WMO has weather forecasts and reports for virtually anywhere on Earth. Did you book that cheap September Caribbean Cruise? This site might be very useful to you.
https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/ If you want a little bit of statistics on your travel location, The CIA World Factbook might be able to help you. How big is that city you're going to? How is the area heated? Do they have military in the area? Do they have terrorism there? Even if you just want a brief history, this site can help you.
Once you have your ducks in a row for how to check on the safety and other issues with any travel plans you may come up with; it's time to research the fun parts of the journey. One of the amazing things you'll discover about travel is that people are traveling. A lot of them can be found on YouTube. I spend a lot of research time looking up and finding Vlogs about the locations I wish to visit on YouTube. It's a great place to get information. Here are some of my favorites and why:
https://www.youtube.com/@Worldwanderista The World Wanderista. She is Joelle and she's from Belgium. I like to research places through her Vlogs because she doesn't do all the standard activities when traveling. She likes the outdoors. She loves hiking and waterfalls. She's also into ancient architecture. I've watched her Vlogs and learned a lot about Madeira, Morocco, St. Lucia, Italy and so many more countries. She doesn't go to Asia much, but if you want authentic wandering outdoor travel in Europe, Northern Africa and the Caribbean; you'll like her.
https://www.youtube.com/@TheMattJames Matt James is another one of my favorites to watch on YouTube. The thing I like about him is that he doesn't only make travel Vlogs. He's from England, whether it be his home in London or with his family in the Manchester area, and he travels a lot of Europe and sunny destinations around the world. But, he also continued to Vlog during covid 19 giving we the viewers an idea of what it was like to travel in that time. He also talks about items to get that help with efficient packing and photography and so on. There's more to him than just travel and you learn a lot about the details like which car to rent in a certain area or which day trip to book to enhance your trip. With Matt James you will also find Vlogs about spending a specific amount of time in a location so that you know how much you can expect to fit in during a specific period. Very informative and a wide variety of location and information.
https://www.youtube.com/@ricksteves I've already mention Rick Steves. He's on YouTube and a lot of the videos also provide practical travel information that you don't get on the TV Series. He travels all over Europe and part of the western Middle East. Great stuff and with decades of experience.
https://www.youtube.com/@ONWorldTravel On World Travel is an American couple traveling the world. You never know where they'll be next, and unlike a lot of travel on YouTube, Olivia and Nathan travel in the U.S. and all over the world. They try out different kinds of travel. They discuss budget travel. The give you a lot of information for how to make the most of a buck in the location you're traveling too. Great information.
https://www.youtube.com/@LucasWorldTravel Lucas World Travel is again an American couple traveling the world. The idea was to find a different country to move to, so when Kendra and David visit a place, you get to see a little bit more of local life. They tend to rent an apartment, they take local means of travel from location to location and they find places that are for the locals. They travel all over the world and even have Vlogs from during the pandemic lockdown so you get a taste of what life was like during that time while on the road. It's informative and this couple tackles more of Asia than most of the Vloggers I watch.
https://www.youtube.com/@JonnyTickle and https://www.youtube.com/@baldandbankrupt
Jonny Tickle is a British expat living in Russia. If you are a Russophile like me and can't travel there for obvious conflict reasons, he's great to watch. He visits cities around the country and gives you a great feel for the places and history of the country. And, his name is Ben, that's all we know for sure about Bald and Bankrupt, and he's from England. He goes where most people don't want to, and for years he was all over Russia. He's also spent significant time in India as well as travel all over the world. He shows us places we would never think of in the countries he visits and he spends a lot of time with the locals. He's wildly entertaining and teaches you a lot about the places he visits. I don't plan trips from either of these guys, although you could with Jonny Tickle if we could just go to Russia. I do love to watch the places they go and the people they meet. Fascinating stuff.
https://www.youtube.com/@TheTimTraveller And finally, one of my true favorites; The Tim Traveller a British Vlogger. If you like the unusual, he's your guy. He travels around western Europe and finds some of the most unusual attractions I've ever heard of. If you like Atlas Obscura, you'll love Tim. I love to find something truly one of a kind when I travel. Like, when I went to St. Lucia and found this little seaside restaurant that I couldn't get enough of. Didn't see that in any brochures. This is the kind of thing, although it will be more unusual, that you find with Tim. His Vlogs will give you great ideas to go along with a trip you've already planned in the area.
So, there you have it. Some places you can do some great travel research. I love having the information that the government and worldwide statistics and news sites give. Helps me with everything from picking a location to deciding what time of year to visit and how to travel within the location I'm going to. All very useful stuff
And YouTube. I just type in the location I want to visit and search until I find some good information for my type of travel. It's one of the best tools in the world for travelers, and I highly recommend it. So, if you don't want to travel like the masses, these are some ways you can plan an interesting trip to almost anywhere. It might be a little homework, but in the end, you'll have an unforgettable location and your friends will be telling you how lucky you are. So, do the work, make your own personal plans and enjoy!
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