The Internet - Yes we all use it to plan.

My planning research passion started as a child. My father worked for United Airlines and travel was ever-present in our family. I remember writing letter to various destination requesting information. These letters would be to National Parks, Chambers of Commerce, and visitors bureaus. Now we have the Internet. 

If you are here reading this you surely have a mastery of Google. We start with a Google search of our destination to gather general information. We visit the website of any hotels we will be visiting. Usually there will be an official tourist bureau web site that can provide an overwhelming amount of information.  

We use Trip Advisor reviews quite a bit. Any review on the Internet should be read with an cautious eye. One can get a feel for the accuracy of the reviews by reading several from good to bad. This is how we have found several lodging locations for our trips. 

Last year we traveled with Viking River Cruise Line (to China) and Lindblad/National Geographic (to Antarctica). Both of these operators made great use of the Internet. Viking River Cruise Line sent us emails with links to great videos informing us of sights we would be seeing. These videos were very informative and definitely enhanced our experience. Lindblad/National Geographic also used the Internet to enhance our experience. Lindblad/National Geographic provided links to past cruises Daily Expedition Reports. These were very informative and gave us great insight into what we would see and experience. We were also able to sign up friends to receive the Daily Expedition Reports from our trip. Lindblad/Nat Geo also made use of webinars. These were extremely helpful in planning and preparation. Topics covered what one might expect on the  expedition,  gearing up for the expedition, and of course photography. 

Planning for this upcoming trip we have used the Internet to purchase tickets for the Monty Python Live show in London, arrange Hotels in London, France, and Italy, pre purchase our rail and ferry trips, rental car reservations. 

We have also gathered a good bit of information on sites we wish to visit and local public transportation. Speaking of local public transportation, here is where the Smart Phone really comes into play as “there is an App for that”. An excellent example for this is the London Underground apps, most helpful for planning a journey. 

Maps, here is where Google maps really is handy in planning. We use the satellite view and street view to locate and get a feel fro a location we might need. I.e. the Avis Car Rental in Calais or the cruise port in Venice. This gives one a good lay of the land.  The app Maps 2 Go is good, depending on the location. Most of the time pretty darn accurate, but not so much in China (learned that one the hard way). Our local guide with our Adventures By Disney  also used Maps 2 Go and was surprised I was using it, we had a discussion as to how inaccurate it was. 

While not Internet based, I do pack a GPS with me. Pre trip I load various way points into the unit.  These include hotels, points of interest, cruise ports, and so on. 

I hope these post are helping folks. By no means are these all inclusive. My hope is that our experience will help enhance your journeys .