The best way to Plan a Journey to a Place You Know Nothing About

Just a few years as soon as extra, I went to Sri Lanka and, outside a number of particulars I’d picked up by studying the information and chatting with associates over time, I seen I knew shockingly little relating to the nation.

I knew it was as rapidly as dominated by the British, there was a protracted battle between the Tamils and Sinhalese, the nation produces a complete lot of tea, it has beyond-delicious meals, its capital is Colombo, and there are some implausible jungles and seashores to seek out.

Nonetheless, earlier that superficial understanding, I knew nothing.

I couldn’t inform you if the nation was low worth or low-cost, what to see, one well-known destroy, issues of safety, the place contained in the nation is regular to go to, the easiest way to get spherical, what their international change or customized is, or one factor in between.

Sri Lanka was a transparent slate to me.

I by no means wish to go someplace new blind — it’s a sure-fire method to get ripped off, eat the incorrect difficulty, get sick, make a cultural fake pas, and, generally, have one issue go badly.

Data is energy and, on condition that fairly a bit data is within the market on-line, I truly actually really feel like going someplace with out any understanding of that place reveals a laziness in your planning and an indication that you just simply’re an unskilled traveler.

So, when planning my journey there, I wanted to do some preparation. Usually, if I’ve satisfactory of a primary understanding of a spot, I merely wing it — I’ve been to neighboring nations, know of us, or have research satisfactory to have an thought. Sri Lanka required some work.

Confronted with a information hole, correct proper right here’s what I did — and you possibly can do — everytime you journey someplace you’ve by no means been earlier than:

1. Purchase a Journey Information

I think about guidebooks are nonetheless vital for vacationers. Although their sensible data is usually outdated, I like flipping by way of them to get an summary of the easiest way to get spherical, form concepts on what to see and do, develop itineraries, and take a look at the maps and featured areas.

Discovering out guidebooks helps me put collectively the inspiration of my planning. Moreover, there’s merely one issue fulfilling about holding a e-book and highlighting areas that studying a weblog doesn’t present.

For this journey, I purchased the Highly effective Information to Sri Lanka. Along with Highly effective Guides, I like Lonely Planet. I just like the the guides’ look, group, delicate weight, and emphasis on value range journey.

2. Examine Journey Blogs

Subsequent, I went looking for journey blogs. Guidebooks are an outstanding basis, nonetheless blogs can fill in a complete lot of gaps as yow will uncover extra up-to-date data and off-the-beaten-path areas, and ask questions of the bloggers. I searched, research, and searched some extra for content material materials supplies and tales that gave me a way of the vacation spot. Listed under are a number of blogs value making an attempt out:

Merely doing considerably Googling will get you good outcomes, nonetheless in case you wish to go straight to some tried-and-trusted sources, correct proper right here’s my file of favourite journey blogs.

3. Ask Mates/Household for Recommendation

As rapidly as I had my data and skim over some blogs, I requested family and associates for his or her recommendation (or inside the event that they knew anybody who could give me recommendation). It turned out I had a number of associates who had been there just lately and some with household there. They gave me recommendation, ideas, and methods on lodging and consuming places, and linked me to relations.

Then, as quickly as I landed, I had a few of us to stick with, present me spherical, and assist me get located. Nothing beats a neighborhood host.

4. Ask Utterly totally different Vacationers

Now I do know that not all folks has buddy group that travels as avidly as mine. Nonetheless all folks (that’s studying this weblog at least) can use the web to hunt out new associates and connections. I wish to suggest utilizing networks like Couchsurfing, turning right into a member of Fb teams, and even posting to your private social media accounts. You by no means know who might know anybody that’s been the place you’re going!

For me, with so many individuals studying this weblog, I figured there should be some readers who had been there. The tweets, Fb posts, and weblog posts that I wrote produced a flurry of messages with ideas and recommendation, and even some locals searching for to meet up.

It was terribly useful, after which I already had a few of us to carry spherical with right as quickly as I bought there!

5. Examine Some Books

As I’ve talked about thus far, you possibly can’t know a spot for a lot of who don’t know its historic earlier. With a protracted flight forward, I purchased a number of books about Sri Lanka’s historic earlier so I might get a bigger understanding of the nation’s wealthy historic earlier.

Correct proper right here’s what I research:

Listed under are just some of my completely totally different truly helpful journey reads:

6. Look at Uncover methods to Keep Protected

Getting a way of what to be careful for by way of common security is an efficient suggestion irrespective of the place you’re going, nonetheless considerably in a spot that’s completely unknown to you.

You’ll wish to focus to any widespread journey scams to look out for together with the easiest way to conduct your self contained in the journey spot. Even factors like studying the final gown code and native customs will go a protracted methods to serving to you mix in. It’s not merely respectful of the place you’re visiting, nonetheless will current you how one can keep away from standing out as a purpose for opportunistic petty theft.

Listed under are a number of of our security guides that may present you easy methods to get began planning your subsequent journey:

7. Get Journey Insurance coverage protection safety

I choose to advocate getting journey insurance coverage protection safety irrespective of the place you’re going. It’s the primary difficulty that I by no means go away dwelling with out, and I choose to advocate that you just simply don’t every. Journey insurance coverage protection safety will defend you in opposition to stunning prices which may come up if one issue goes incorrect on the highway, whether or not or not or not or not it’s a damaged arm, smashed cellphone, or a stolen bag. When going to an unknown place, positively get journey insurance coverage protection safety.

Listed under are some posts to begin with:

***

Visiting a spot you already know little about in an area you’ve by no means been to may be considerably intimidating. To go someplace completely fully completely totally different pushes you out of your consolation zone and that could possibly be a tough difficulty.

Even after fifteen years of journey, I nonetheless have a small quantity of trepidation earlier than I’m going someplace completely new.

Nonetheless chatting with associates, household, readers, and bloggers gave me a way of the vacation spot: an inexpensive, protected place with good locals, scrumptious meals, and sluggish transportation. “Everyone seems to be terribly good and useful, nonetheless don’t anticipate to get anyplace quick moreover you lease a driver” was the widespread chorus.

For the primary time in a extremely very very long time, I went to a spot I knew nothing about. I used to be so excited to backpack and resolve factors out on one of many easiest methods as quickly as additional! Sri Lanka sees a complete lot of vacationers and it’s not completely “off the overwhelmed monitor” nonetheless it completely was fully completely totally different to me.

You by no means know what a spot is completely like till you go, nonetheless upon following the steps above, you’ll convey your journey spot into focus barely than it being an entire blur. Constructive, your plans, routes, and concepts could change everytime you hit the underside. Nonetheless you’ll have a bigger thought as to what you’re getting your self into and what to anticipate. That each one made me truly actually really feel barely extra cosy about visiting.

This isn’t about scheduling all of your days and all of your actions. That is merely about being extra educated relating to the journey spot you’re visiting.

Due to a sensible and educated traveler is a bigger traveler.