Internet Travel Resources: A New Way to Plan

Everyone has their own approach to researching their next big trip.  Over the last few years, we’ve refined the way we’ve used the internet, especially social media sites, in our planning process.  We’ve been thinking about a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico, a place that’s been on our list for a while.  Here are some of the things we’re doing to educate ourselves.

First, of course, is how do we get there?  We like to research domestic flights with Kayak.  (For international flights, we get great results using Skyscanner.) It looks like both American and United fly to both Santa Fe and Albuquerque, which is about 40 miles away.   Round trip flights are in the $350-$400 range, and there are several daily options, both out and back.  That’s all I need to know for now.  I’ll circle back later to see how I can use points or miles for specific dates once we make a final decision.

Next, what is there to see and do out there in the desert?  We like to start our research at Trip Advisor.  From their home page, I simply typed Santa Fe into the search bar.  This led to a page entitled “Explore Santa Fe”, which offers a wealth of information, from places to see, to stay and to eat.  Scrolling down,  I clicked on travel guides, scanned their forums for trip reports and specific questions, and found links to related articles on other sites.  Trip Advisor shows available hotels and customer reviews, tours and a link to book them, and information about the area’s art galleries, museums and outdoor attractions.  Note: By setting up a free account with Trip Advisor, you can use their “Create a Trip” function to save all of the interesting information you find.  Trip Advisor has grown tremendously in size and scope over the last several years, and we find it indispensable in our planning process.

Photo by Gabriel Tovar on Unsplash

Next, we Googled “Santa Fe Travel”.  This led to enough links to articles to occupy an entire weekend afternoon.  Tip: Look for articles that provide an itinerary for the planned length of your stay.  Or, if you have a  flexible schedule, use the links to determine how long your trip should be in order to have a solid experience.

By now, the must-see museums and galleries, the interesting hotels and restaurants, and the outdoor activities that work for you are emerging.  Now it’s time to head over to your social media sites and put them to work.  We like Instagram best, but Facebook and Pinterest can also give you some great insights as well.  Tip: On Instagram, click on the search function and type in Santa Fe.  Scroll through each of the four areas (Top, Accounts, Tags and Places) and click on those that pique your interest.  The Tags, i.e., #santafe, #santafegalleries, etc., will bring a large variety of posts into your feed that you can then choose to follow.  That will lead to specific feeds like @cityofsantafe, @standardandstrange_santafe and @fssantafe.  If you follow some of those accounts, Instagram will show you additional related account recommendations.  Soon you’ll be seeing a steady stream of posts related to your next vacation spot, including bloggers, restaurants, wellness providers, hotels and much more.  We’ve found that most of these sites are pretty responsive to comments and messages, so don’t be shy about asking directly or in the comments section.  It’s a great opportunity to get the answers to your specific questions and even start a dialogue with some of the locals.

As these newly-followed accounts and tags provide more and more info, more ideas will emerge in short order about how to optimize your trip.  Then, it will be time to make airline and hotel reservations, hopefully using well-earned points and miles.  But that’s the subject of another post, coming to you soon.  For now, pick out your next potential destination and start working your way down the research trail.

Photo by Maddy Baker on Unsplash

Do you have other methods you use to research your travel?  Please share them with The Exceptional Traveler community by leaving your tips in the comment section below.  Thanks!