Sometimes, where to start is the hardest part! I do a lot of researching and perusing the internet because I truly enjoy it. Not only is placing the information into an organized spreadsheet heaven for me, but I love daydreaming about the trip in tandem! But some (most!?) people don’t. So I decided to narrow it down to share my most essential resources when creating my itineraries.
Google Maps
In order to plan the days in my itineraries, I lay out all of the potential places within Google Maps. Once I find a route that is efficient, I will make the schedule based on the locations and open/close times. I also sometimes compare the ratings and reviews on Google Maps to Yelp to validate my assumption of the place I’m researching.
Local Articles/Blogs
This is obviously not a specific site, but I usually research to find a few highly-rated activity and restaurant blogs or articles that are local to where I am going. I find that these guys know the really great less-touristy spots, or can give some good tips on where not to go.
Friends/Family Recommendations
Without a doubt, I can find someone I know who has visited a city before me. Sometimes I pick a destination specifically based off of another person’s wonderful experience! Majority of the time, recommendations end up being the highlight of my trip. I try to seek out recommendations from people who have similar travel goals to me – a focus on doing, eating and drinking, which leads to seeing!
Out of Office
The speaking of recommendations, this free travel app called, Out of Office, is a combination of Google Maps + LTK.it + Instagram + Yelp. You can plan trips with friends, see where your friends or fav influencers are recommending and save places to your wishlist. My loyal Coffee to Corkers know that I post post post on Instagram while I am traveling, but upon return it takes me a few weeks to add the full, detailed itinerary. By downloading the Take Me Out of Office (OOO) app, you can see where I am going real-time, view my favorite places and peek at my upcoming travels via the wishlist. Follow @coffeetocork via my affiliate Out of Office link! #ad #affiliatelink
