ONLINE TRAVEL RESOURCES

MY 5 TOP TRAVEL SOURCES

HOLIDAY PLANNING

The next best thing after going on holiday, is planning another one.

We now live in a World where innumerable travel resources are online and at your fingertips.

In this blog post I thought I’d share my Top 5 go to resources online when I’m planning a travel adventure.

Whether you are a solo traveller like me, or organising your family and friends, there’s something for everyone here.

LINKS

In this day and age we are conditioned to know that you can’t trust the internet and not to click on untrustworthy links.

In the sections below I will include the current link to the main website online that I’m talking about for each of these travel resources.

However I’ll also give you enough info so you can plug the details into your preferred Search engine too.

1 GOV.UK

What’s it about?

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

My first resource is the UK Government website.

As well as advising on all things domestic in the United Kingdom, there is a whole section on Foreign Travel Advice.

There is a specific information page for each of 226 countries and territories around the World.

These are filled with all sorts of useful information.

For each country there is a list of useful topics:

• Summary
• Coronavirus
• Safety and Security
• Terrorism
• Local laws and customs
• Entry requirements
• Health
• Natural disasters
• Money
• Travel Advice Help and Support

Information

As the World was slowly coming out of the pandemic, I used the Coronavirus section of this online travel resource to check the latest country specific entry requirements, as I went on my first holidays after Covid.

In a post Brexit World the Entry Requirements section is also extremely useful. What are those new passport rules for the EU again? Its all in here.

Although the site also usually refers you to the local country website as well so you can check the rules that apply to your specific circumstances.

Some places in the World are less safe than others. While terrorism can be anywhere, this guides you as to the degree of threat.

Its worth noting that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice is also given here. Where the FCDO advises against all but essential travel your travel insurance policy may be invalidated of you did still decide to travel.

This website also tells you what that advice is.

The practical help is good too though.

Whether its telling you what currency to take or advising on local laws and customs.

I knew the legal age for alcohol in the USA was 21, but didn’t know that it was illegal to cover your face in public in France.

Having visited I also know that its an offence to wear any type of camouflage clothing in Barbados. But I wasn’t aware they are very conservative in their attitudes to the LGBT community, which might affect someone in your party.

This is the sort of random information that you might just pick up as being relevant to you when planning your trip.

There is so much good information on here that I check it every time I book to visit a foreign country.

The joy of the internet is that even if you are not British this travel resource is online for everyone to see.

2 NaTHNaC

What’s it about?

https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/countries

This travel resource lets you check any health issues in the place you are planning to visit.

It also advises on whether vaccinations are recommended or even mandatory.

NaTHNaC stands for the National Travel Health Network and Centre and gives its information through the Travel Health Pro website.

This website is all about the very specific regional health risks around the World.

GOV.UK references it under their Health section.

When I went to my doctor’s surgery, to update my own travel vaccinations, the Practice Nurse actually clicked into this website to check what the risks were in the places I was visiting.

Information

Again each country has its own specific page.

Tabs cover:

• General Information
• Vaccine recommendations
• Specific diseases, for example malaria
• Other risks
• Covid
• News
• Outbreaks

This is an especially useful travel resource when you are planning online for a more exotic adventure around the World.

For example, in 2019 I visited Peru for a couple of weeks, travelling to various parts of the country, from the coast to the rainforest.

There was a low risk of malaria in the areas I was visiting, so I decided against anti-malarials for that trip.

However there was a slight risk of Yellow Fever in one of the places we would be staying at.

The website helped me make the decision that I would get the yellow fever vaccination. Although only advisory in Peru, it is mandatory in some other countries.

NaTHNaC tells you where.

I now have my certificate for future travels.

You can also check the latest outbreak news. When I was travelling in 2019 the Zika virus was topical, whilst monkey pox outbreaks were recorded last year.

I probably wouldn’t refer to this online travel resource for a week in the Med, where I know there are limited health risks.

However when planning long haul adventures this really is a must to check.

3 TRIP ADVISOR

What’s it about?

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/

Well the name says it all, advice about Trips!

And as a traveller, solo or otherwise, that is always useful.

More importantly you get reviews from real people like you, so can judge, based on their opinions whether it sounds like it is right for you.

Information

The website covers:

• Hotels
• Things to do
• Holiday rentals
• Restaurants
• Travel stories
• …and more

Personally I use the reviews on Trip Advisor mostly when I’m booking accommodation.

Its an add on to my own research, rather than the research tool itself.

So I might filter my hotel search for places that only have an average customer review of 4 out of 5 or above.

I’ll then pick somewhere that’s in the location that I want. My price range. That looks nice on the photos.

A place that I think will suit me nicely.

Reading reviews

But then having found a candidate hotel I will read some of those reviews.

Now you do have to use your brain too.

If there are only a handful of reviews they might not be very representative.

If there are thousands, are they mostly positive or mostly negative? That would be an influence.

I always read a few 5 star and a few 1 star reviews.

I’m perhaps not put off by 1 star, if that holiday was ruined because they didn’t have a person’s favourite brand of tea bags. I know people who complain as a matter of course in the hope of a freebie.

On the other hand I know people who would give a 5 star review to a cardboard box.

Hopefully the overall balance of reviews will help me make a decision.

I am regularly swayed both to book immediately and to look for something else.

That’s why I consider this a powerful online travel resource that makes my list.

4 GOOGLE

What’s it about?

Yes, Google!

Ask it for “Things to do in…”

Before you say that’s obvious, it earns its spot as an online travel resource because it literally does cover everything.

And being so obvious, you of course forget to use it.

Information

When I began this travel blog, 9 months ago, almost the first new lesson I learned was Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

Why is this so important?

Well as a blogger, or company, or website of any kind, you want people to find you.

SEO helps Google, and other search engines, work out what your content is about and then matches you with the people searching for that information.

So a search for things to do in the place you are planning to visit will throw out a hundred ideas or more.

Only you know what will interest you.

But many a time I have done this search and seen something I had heard about, but didn’t realise was so close to the place I was visiting.

On my recent holiday to Playa Blanca on the Canary Island of Lanzarote I did a search.

One of the things to do was a ferry ride to the neighbouring island of Fuerteventura. As it happens I didn’t have time to go in the end. But before that search I had no idea it was even a possibility.

Google Maps

This is another gem.

Having found my “thing to do” in a search I then quite often look up the route on Google maps and work out if it is practical to get there.

Again in Playa Blanca I wanted to know how to walk from my hotel to a bar that I was meeting friends at. I discovered I could walk in a fairly straight route within 15 minutes. No taxi needed.

I also use this a lot on cruises.

When I plan a DIY day in a port of call I’ll print a wider map, centred on the cruise terminal. That way I have an idea which direction to walk, and more importantly how to get back to the ship.

Yes, you can use this on your phone in port. But you might not have data, or battery life. So I’m still a bit old school and like a hard copy in my hand.

Google is a universal online resource, but its also great for travel.

5 SOCIAL MEDIA

What’s it about?

Facebook, Instagram, Cruise Critic ( https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/ )….

Again another slightly generic, but often overlooked travel resource.

This one especially gets my vote because I’m almost always a solo traveller and sometimes its nice to make friends.

Information

Cruise Critic is particularly useful if you like going on cruises, especially on the American cruise lines.

Members organise online groups called “Roll Calls” for a specific cruise, on a particular date.

This allows people going on that cruise to chat before hand. Compare notes. Exchange tips. Maybe even organise private excursions together.

If enough people join they may organise a “meet and greet” onboard where you can actually meet in real life.

This is really good, if like me you are a solo cruiser, and want to at least have someone to say hello to on your holiday. That said its not a specifically solos thing, most people joining will be couples. This is different to the solo meetings that the ship may advertise.

Some of the getting to know you work is done as you all count down to your cruise from home. On the ship its often nice to put a face to the name.

A slightly less formal version of this exists for some cruise lines on Facebook. Again passengers set up groups for their sailing.

I’ve even seen some social cruise chat groups organise group cruises themselves.

I’ve joined several of these groups prior to my various cruises. It doesn’t necessarily mean you will, or have to, meet anyone from the groups on board the ship.

But its a fun way to build some holiday excitement and I have made some good cruise buddies that way.

Then there are lots of accounts on the likes of Facebook and Instagram where people just share their travel inspiration, tips and experiences.

6 GARY TRAVELS

What’s it about?

Yes, I know this is meant to be a Top 5. But you lucky people have access to a set of bonus online travel resources that I don’t.

Gary Travels…

Information

Hopefully if you’re still reading you have found something useful or interesting in this post.

There’s an ever growing batch of stories, tips and adventures to offer help, advice and inspiration on my blog.

You can jump straight to the Blog tab.

Or maybe click on the World Map to see if there’s a pin for the place you plan to visit. If so there will be a link attached to that post.

You can always use the Search bar too.

YouTube

Then I’m on YouTube now. So if you’ve had enough of reading you can now watch a bunch of travel videos showing you things that I have done.

I don’t claim to be an expert, but I can show you the places I have been and the things I did and whether or not I enjoyed them.

Please do subscribe to my channel. It will help me make even better content as I learn more.

Socials

And if, like me, you are never off your phone, there is social media.

If Tip 5 above resonated with you then why not follow me on Instagram and Pinterest.

The links are in the sidebar and at the end of the page.

I’m always posting some holiday snap or other.

Maybe one of these will inspire your next holiday.

Best of all my Gary Travels content is all entirely free to subscribe to. Enjoy it!

LOTS OF ONLINE TRAVEL RESOURCES

I hope you have found some useful travel ideas in this post.

Have you got any other favourite online travel resources that you can recommend?

Why not add a comment at the end of this post.

Then if you aren’t reading this while you relax on your holidays, you can perhaps get back to planning your next trip.