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This is where you start looking at all the pretty pictures. Find some travel blogs that you like, scan through websites, and get some travel guides (from the library – do not buy them). See what inspires you. Start looking at how far your money will go in different places. Start scanning plane ticket (skyscanner) and lodging prices on AirBnB and VRBO (don’t spend too much time doing this yet – just get a basic idea).
Sometimes I like using TravelZoo and Groupon Getaways for inspiration as well. Trip Advisor is also great but can have so much information it can be overwhelming at this stage. I absolutely recommend it for the details and use it frequently just a little bit farther in to my research.
Also take just a little time and explore some of the travel webpages and travel blogs out there (and thank you for visiting mine). There are a ton and it’s really overwhelming. Good starting places are Insprirock, Tripit, and Nomad list. I’ll add more in my resources section.
Then (this is a step I missed and I would definitely do different the next time) – Look in to Facebook travel groups specific to your travel style. Also look in to local groups where you want to stay.
I like Location Independent Families or Worldschool groups for long term travel. I’d ask the group about where you would like to go (but before you ask please search the posts – you don’t want to ask the same questions asked last week). You may find that you were looking in to one area but there are 5 travel families in another town that is really similar and cheaper.
For example we stayed in the mountains of Costa Rica but had I joined the group prior to planning I would have likely picked an area on the Pacific where other families were.
Having beautiful pictures of our travels is great but being able to interact with other travelers more often would be even better.
Also look into expat Facebook groups and worldschool groups. I found Halloween information from an expat group Facebook page in Sana Ana Costa Rica and I was able to meet up with a lovely group in Spain from Andalusia Worldschool group.
If your an RV’r then Fulltime Families is for you. There is some travel info there but it’s lately not as relevant to travelers. They do have a paid member page that likely would be more helpful.
Don’t spend all your time in these Facebook pages. Just pick a few relevant ones, do a little searching and move on. It’s too easy to over do the research and get lost in too much information. Set a limit – like 1 week, a few days or even a few hours then move on.
