Where do you go to research travel to other areas?

[SunkistJoy]

I love the DIS for planning our WDW trips. But, our trip is over, and we probably won't be going back for a while. We tried Spirit Airlines this trip, and were very pleased, so we are interested in flying to some of the other places Spirit has low prices to from DFW. But, our trips will still need to be budget trips. There are 7 of us, and we homeschool...so it is important to keep things relatively inexpensive.

Some of the places we are considering are Atlanta, the DC area, New York, Denver, Phoenix, Philadelphia, and probably others. So do you know of good places to go for trip planning in these areas? Or do you just ask here?

Thanks for your help!

 

[yoopermom]

Tripadvisor forums are excellent. I also use city-data.com forums, which are more for people living there or looking to move there, but give you a good "feel" for the city/state.

Terri

 

[SunkistJoy]

Tripadvisor forums are excellent. I also use city-data.com forums, which are more for people living there or looking to move there, but give you a good "feel" for the city/state.

Terri

Thank you. I had looked a bit at City-data, but was mostly seeing the relocating type questions. I didn't realize Tripadvisor had forums, I will definitely check them out.

 

[MAO]

The city websites where you are considering going can sometimes point you to attractions you might not have been aware of. Sometimes the Chamber of Commerce has interesting information; sometimes the Tourist section of a city website will list conventions and gatherings going on at the time you're going to be there that might be worth a stop at. Looking at the local newspaper(s) can sometimes net you information on special upcoming events. You might also check the websites of the states of these cities - there might be events going on nearby that would make an interesting day-trip with your chosen city as the hub. The library also might have guide books for the cities or, at least, the states. Also check into the websites of various hotels - sometimes, if you buy a package with them, they have coupon books as part of the deal. If nothing else, they'll list the attractions they're close to that they think visitors will want to see.

If you're on Facebook, consider taking the time to go through your list of 'friends' and see if anyone's got on their profile that they either currently live there or were born there - you might get some tips from them as to 'hidden gems' to look for, as well. (Personally, if you're of Hispanic descent, I'd consider twice before going to Phoenix. I spent almost 5 years there and the current sheriff, who's under Federal investigation, scared me. I was glad to get out of that county. Ultimately, I was glad to get out of the state, but the reasons for that are different than why I was glad to move away from the Phoenix area.)

 

[ariel71]

TripAdvisor, Lonely Planet, Fodors, Frommers, any other online city-specific travel guides or forums that come up in a search. Each city probably has a list of travel resources on its official government site. I honestly don't understand why people use a Disney forum as a primary resource for non-Disney trips. Sure, you may get some input, but it's nothing like what you'll find when you're looking at info specific to the location in question.

ETA - my post crossed with MAO and I agree with those ideas. I borrow travel guides from the library if they're relatively recent. One thing I forgot to mention is to check to see if there any events going on that you would be smart to avoid. For example, I wouldn't advise people to visit Chicago over the marathon weekend or if there are any major conventions in town.

 

[snappy]

Oyster.com for hotels, and I use Tripadvisor.

Once I decided on a hotel for our last trip to NYC, I read the reviews for restaurants attached to the reviews for our hotel on Tripadvisor. Gave me good ideas to further research.

I found reviews on the restaurants I targeted on NYCGO, menupages, and Zagat. Gave me ideas also of what to order.

Note that NYC hotels prices are less during off season. Also, restaurant week there runs for about 3 weeks in August and February each year. Really good options at lots of restuarants. NYCgo even had the restaurant week menus for many of the restaurants.

I have traveled to NYC twice in February and once in August. It was warmer in 2013, colder but still doable this year.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

I usually start by entering "visit Atlanta" (or whatever city) in Google - most big cities have tourism websites that give you a good start. I often ask my friends and family, as well.

I'm currently planning a DC trip. My husband and I have each been once, but it was 20+ years ago so a lot has changed. I've gotten some good info from here on the DIS Budget Board. I checked out a couple of books from my public library. I got MD/VA/DC guidebooks and maps from AAA. I've googled practically every monument and museum we want to go to, to get operating hours and admission fees (if any). I've talked to relatives that live in the area. I've watched Youtube videos on loading a fare card for Metro. I have Metro and Virginia Rail maps printed. I'm working on a spreadsheet of days and plans for each day. I figure we'll probably only go once, so I need to plan as much as I can so we can see and do as much as possible!

I enjoy the planning almost as much as the vacation!

 

[lurkernj]

I use tripadvisor as well. Love that site.

 

[C-CMom]

Great suggestions. I also tend to use Tripadvisor, including the separate categories for Attractions, Hotels, Restaurants. They have the classic "Rankings" view or a newer "Just for You". I like to look at both, because I am not yet convinced the "Just for You" algorithms they are using really match what I would actually like. Other "Visit [insert city or region here]" type website usually have at least a few good tips, and I agree that public libraries often have quite a selection of good guidebooks.

Of the cities/areas you listed, NYC is fantastic, but definitely not the least expensive, though there are some less expensive things you can do. They also participate in a City Pass program where you can potentially save versus buying separate admissions to attractions (assuming you would have chosen those same attractions in the first place). Broadway shows can be viewed cheaper that standard rates at TKTS booth (or other resources). Just walking around in NYC is fun, and the public transportation system is helpful for a reasonable cost.

DC can be done "somewhat inexpensively" in that you can stay outside of the central "National Mall" area but still be near a Metro line (for example Crystal City - we liked the Hampton) for easy access to most of the common tourist sites (Smithsonian locations, National Mall and Monuments). Those tourist sites I listed are "free" (AKA prepaid by your tax dollars).

Atlanta... no, sorry, got bored typing on that one... there must be something to do there (?). Maybe I've had too many work meetings there to think of it as an actual destination (please forgive sassy attitude!)

Does Spirit fly to Chicago? Can't recommend it in winter (just toooo cold for me), but lots to do and see in summer. Many of the classic museums are on the "ASTC" list for free entry. We are members of our local Science/Children's museum which participates in this network offering reciprocal free entry to partner museums in many other cities. Highly recommend the Homewood Suites Downtown for quite a bit of space including kitchen, within walking distance of many downtown sites, about a block to a subway stop.

Enjoy your travels!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

For Denver or Phoenix, I'd fly in & then rent a car to go see the National Parks & other outdoor sights

 

[SunkistJoy]

Thank you all again!

My oldest girls want to go to Atlanta for a homeschool Minecraft meet-up, of all things. Not sure we are going to make it, but if we do, we'll probably take a day to see something else while there. Good idea on the ASTC membership. That is something we have considered in the past, but have never done. Might be a good idea to consider it again. We stayed at Homewood Suites once in San Antonio, and it was wonderful. We would be willing to try them in other cities.

Chicago O'hare is one of the places Spirit flies, and it's one of the places we can get roundtrip tix from DFW for $34 per person. My main criteria. I'm assuming we can find something to do everywhere.

I've been spending time in the TripAdvisor forums. A wealth of information.

 

[sharona]

Atlanta - the aquarium
DC - so much to do that is free, can be a great budget trip. Let your Congress person know your dates if you want a White House tour. Check out the Washington Hilton, not the Capital Hilton, for cheaper rates away from the "downtown" area but still walkable to attractions
NY - not a budget destination

TripAdvisor - the forums are great. Be leery of the rankings and of any single reviews from memberst with no other contributions. Many vendors gaming the system.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

There's a lot to do in Atlanta.

Sights include:
Fernbank Museum of Natural History - very interesting - dino bones, IMAX movies, fossils
Atlanta Zoo - pandas are their biggest draw, but have a lot of other animals also
Georgia Aquarium - one of the biggest in the Southeast
World of Coca-Cola - fun way to spend several hours, learning about the history of Coke and how it's made
Stone Mountain - hiking, night time laser light show, sky trolleys to the top of the mountain
Six Flags over Georgia - haven't been in years, but was always a fun day
Atlanta Braves game - love Turner Field and sad they're moving - they have decently priced family 4-packs that include seats, hotdogs, Cokes, a program and parking - there's also a stadium tour if you like baseball - we enjoyed it a lot

A CityPass is available and we used that several years ago to do Fernbank, Zoo, World of Coke and the Aquarium.