Internet Travel Planning: Teaching the Process
 

I'm putting together a course outline on the ABCs of planning for a trip through the internet.My method has worked for me. Looking for the process others have successfully used.
Thanks

The words "Planning" and "Trip" have yet to be in the same sentence that has come out of my mouth.

Chicken or egg situation - which comes first?

Research before deciding on the eventual destination?

OR...

Deciding the destination first and then doing the research?

Julia

Bit of both for me. The last few trips I've been planning, I've decided on a destination, researched it and then decided I wanted to go somewhere completely different:-)

But Xenos - I thought you always went to Paxos!! ;-)

Hi Syl,

First, catch your internet.

((I))

Only once a year Julia! Been to Cyprus and Germany since my last visit to Paxos and planning to go to Thailand next year.

What I generally do is:
1)Listen to suggestions from colleagues/friends/family
2)Research online the various tour company routes
3)Follow the major travel website posts
4)Register with the towns' chatlines
5)Buy the best travel guide & rip out the necessary pages
6)Skype people from the countries I plan to visit
7)Colate all the pertinent info into individual binders so that, as we move on from town to town, we're well prepared.

What I do is to decide on a place we are going to for the year.

After that I read the fodors and frommers destination guides online to get a rough itinerary.

I do most of my research using the message boards as I've found this to be the best - most comprehensive and up-to-date. I usually look at other people's itinerary and adjust it to what I want to see. Look at all the food and maybe even shopping suggestions on the board and then I get going. It's quite time consuming but very much worth it. It's like you know the place even before you've been there!