How do you plan your international trips?

[Pharmgirl123]

I’m thinking about going with a friend on our first international trip. We found a great deal on flights for New Zealand in September. The only thing is I have no idea how to even begin planning this trip since I know nothing about New Zealand!

How do you guys plan your trips? Are there any tools or resources you use?

 

[soccerdad72]

I use Tripadvisor a fair amount, both the reviews as well as their forums. Otherwise, I try to find other forums that specialize in the area that we're travelling to. Our last international trip was a cruise, so Cruise Critic was the place to go as well.

 

[Praying Colonel]

For Europe trips I look closely at Rick Steves' guidebooks. For other areas I look at TripAdvisor, Cruise Critic and Lonely Planet.

 

[AndreaDM]

I traveled to Germany & France last year, and to China this year (so far). Trip Adviser has been so helpful in planning those as well as domestic travel, I use it all the time. Cruise Critic if cruising.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Google “New Zealand Tourism” and “Things to do in New Zealand” to get started. Follow up with search words specific to your interests such as wildlife or art museums.

 

[DoraBA]

I start by googling trips in the relevant area - using phrases like trip review, top things to do, highlights etc. Also trip advisor. Im not picky - travel blogs and forums, articles etc.

Then I choose all the ones that interest me and place them on a google map and a list. This allows me to estimate travel time, how many days in each location etc. Often you end up with a list of 'musts', a list of likely and 'since were already there' etc. And you cant do everything and go everywhere, so this allows you to decide where you want to spend time.

So I have a general itinerary and route. Then I move to deciding about transportation and lodging, making finer adjustments for things like opening days / hours, market days or whatnot. If possible, i try to find interesting lodgings - in parks or small villages etc. Im assuming youll be renting a car in NZ but if not, public transportation issues are crucial.

Eventually I read through the specfic websites to decide about routes, tours, hikes or whatever is necessary.

I havent travelled to NZ but toured most of Europe and some US this way (im from Israel so the US is international LOL) Ill try and post a US trip process later on.

Oh and I know youll have a great time -NZ is gorgeous!!!!

 

[Moliphino]

Trip Advisor has not failed me yet when looking for a hotel.

 

[caylene44]

I agree with a lot of the other posters. Additionally, I use Pinterest and Instagram (look at the hashtags or find accounts dedicated to New Zealand) to look up things to do there. AirBnB is the best for places to stay abroad. Not sure what kind of travelers you and your friend are but I've done hostels in Europe to great success (I use Hostel World to find them).

Google can also point you to a ton of helpful blogs and websites. I just search thing in phases: places to stay in New Zealand, things to do in New Zealand, transportation in New Zealand, etc.

 

[Pharmgirl123]

Thanks everyone!! Super excited about this trip! New Zealand has been on the top of my bucket list since I was a kid!

 

[soccerdad72]

BTW, if you found a really good deal on flights and you're good with your dates, I would jump on that and book the airfare. That's always one of the hardest things to find - good airfare. Enjoy your trip - Australia and New Zealand are locations that I have not been to and have always wanted to go.

 

[RangerPooh]

W're traveling to Europe this summer and DH has done the bulk of the planning (I'm clueless on where to even start), but he's read lots of travel bogs, Trip Advisor for reviews, and we've browsed Rick Steve's travel books. They have all been useful in planning. Pinterest has also provided some ideas.

 

[shelemm]

I’m thinking about going with a friend on our first international trip. We found a great deal on flights for New Zealand in September. The only thing is I have no idea how to even begin planning this trip since I know nothing about New Zealand!

How do you guys plan your trips? Are there any tools or resources you use?

Once you've decided on a destination, a major travel book is a good general investment. Maybe your library has one you could check out. Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, and other publications that do not rely on pictures but I have a 'tell it like it is' approach. More recent versions will have a map which shows top ten to 25 highlights and where they are located. The other place to start would be the official tourism site of your destination. They will surely have a tourist map of highlights that is an essential first step IMO.

I have not been to New Zealand, but I have a good friend who lives there. I can tell you that it is a very expensive destination known mostly for national parks and vast expanses of land where there are far more sheep than people. People go first and foremost for the nature and then for the culture.

 

[avengerspoilerer]

I pay our travel agent $500 for her consultation and planning or entire trip. Worth every penny!

 

[iivye]

I start by googling trips in the relevant area - using phrases like trip review, top things to do, highlights etc. Also trip advisor. Im not picky - travel blogs and forums, articles etc.

Then I choose all the ones that interest me and place them on a google map and a list. This allows me to estimate travel time, how many days in each location etc. Often you end up with a list of 'musts', a list of likely and 'since were already there' etc. And you cant do everything and go everywhere, so this allows you to decide where you want to spend time.

So I have a general itinerary and route. Then I move to deciding about transportation and lodging, making finer adjustments for things like opening days / hours, market days or whatnot. If possible, i try to find interesting lodgings - in parks or small villages etc. Im assuming youll be renting a car in NZ but if not, public transportation issues are crucial.

Eventually I read through the specfic websites to decide about routes, tours, hikes or whatever is necessary.

This is also how I plan! To me the planning is almost as enjoyable as the actual trip. My family gives me a hard time because I have everything marked on My Google Maps including special colors and icons for sites, hotels, and food. I'll admit I over plan but there's nothing worse than getting somewhere and asking what people want to do and no one has any ideas.

 

[Colleen27]

I do a ridiculous amount of my planning, even for non-Disney destinations, here on the DIS. Between the CB and the boards devoted to other parts of the world, we have a really large, mostly friendly, English-speaking group here that is a great resource no matter where you're going. I haven't really found a good general travel site that compares in that aspect (though I admittedly haven't looked too terribly hard either). And I use Pinterest and Google Maps "save" feature to organize the ideas and recommendations I find, which makes it really easy to share or get feedback if I'm traveling with someone other than just my immediate family.

I also like the Lonely Planet travel guides and the Atlas Obscura (that being a bit of a niche thing, but endlessly amusing to me). The thing about travel books, though, is that you really should own them in hard copy format. Between my library card and e-book subscriptions, I almost never buy books any more but travel books are the exception. You have to be able to make notes, stick posties in important pages, dog ear, and flip back and forth too much to do otherwise.

 

[Floridaman999]

I pay our travel agent $500 for her consultation and planning or entire trip. Worth every penny!

Do you use Chuck too?

 

[Cindy's Mom]

I start with Tripadvisor for ideas - then if it a place that cruise ships stop at I head over to cruise critics for and ask around on their "ports" forum. One click usually leads to another. I make a Word doc with as many columns as there is vacation days - then make make three horizontal columns. These represent morning, afternoon and evening. I plug stuff in there to see how they fit into the day, are they close or far from one another, just plain too much in one day, etc, I'm a visual person and that helps alot.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

I pay our travel agent $500 for her consultation and planning or entire trip. Worth every penny!

You pay your travel agent? that's odd. Maybe for a full out consultation/recommendation meeting I cant see $100, but if he/she is planning your trip - why are you paying them $500?

 

[fla4fun]

When I planned my first international trip (solo trip as well) I just read everything I could get my hands on. I was going to the UK and I remember coming across a travel book at Epcot. I bought it and sat down on a bench to look at it. A while later, this guy sitting nearby says “Boy! That must be a good book!” and I realized I had been reading for over an hour. Information is your ally, so just research as much as you can and look for forums related to where you want to visit.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I’m thinking about going with a friend on our first international trip. We found a great deal on flights for New Zealand in September. The only thing is I have no idea how to even begin planning this trip since I know nothing about New Zealand!

How do you guys plan your trips? Are there any tools or resources you use?

I start with Google and look up things like the main tourist attractions. Most places have a government tourist website which offers help and advice for first time visitors.

I then go to Google maps and look at where the tourist attractions are located. Once you see where the main places of interest are located, I start planning which are

1. Must Do
2. Would Like To Do

As I dont drive, I next look up public transport for that city.

I tend to stay in hotels which are located near a bus stop / underground station / tram stop.

Once I have an idea of the area I would like to stay, I Google that area and see is it a safe area for tourists. Once I find a relatively safe area for tourists, I think Google hotels in that area.

I also Google Hop On Hop Off buses, as these are a great way to see a new city and most cities have at least 1 company.

Every new country / city I visit I always find Hard Rock Cafe and Starbucks. I use Google maps to find them.

I also Google the main shopping areas / streets of that city.

I dont really use Trip Advisor or look at reviews. I make my choices based on location, price, type of activity , things which interest me. For example, I have an interest in historical homes / local history, so if I am visiting a new city I will research their local history and see if there are exhibitions or buildings open to the public. I dont really visit museums unless they have a particularly interesting exhibition. Often times when I am planning a visit to a new city, there is something that is well known about that city. For example, last year I visited San Francisco, so Alcatraz was top of my list.