MORE TRAVEL PLANNING
The last post stressed the importance of getting ACCURATE
information.
This post provides helpful suggestions!
Government websites provide the most accurate
information. Besides their tourism bureaus,
this info is mostly logistical, however very important. Entry / Visa regulations and protocols for
example, Required vaccinations (if any), and other important matters. Some non-extradite countries (such as Mexico)
REQUIRE a notarized letter from a non-traveling parent of a minor, consenting
that the minor can travel. You will be
denied boarding upon departure by the airline if you do not have it.
Many scammer or look-alike websites are out there, learn how
to distinguish them apart. Typically
countries will use their official suffix such as the USA which uses .gov, as
well as many other countries such as UK, Mexico, Australia. Only official government entities are allowed
to use the .gov, which is strictly regulated.
Many officials end with .gov, and then the official suffix of that
country such as .vn for Vietnam.
Also, scroll to the bottom of a site and see the footer
information. Official government seals,
links and information about that entity should be clearly listed.
It is a common scam for a website to pose as the “official”
website for entry visa’s for a country.
Some are actually brokers in business who will accept your payment
(which includes a fee for their service, plus the official cost of the visa)
and will take your information and provide you with their visa service. Many are complete scammers, and will keep
your money along with the important information you just shared which can be
used for identity theft, also sold on the black market. BE VERY CAREFUL!
Here is a link to the official United Nations list of
official country websites. From there,
you can get to the country of your choice, and navigate to where you desire
(entry requirements, tourism bureau, etc.)
EGOVKB
| United Nations > Resources > Country URLs
Besides the logistics, you can get a lot of good information
on what is going on in your desired countries.
Best time to travel, attractions, recommendations on hotels,
restaurants, etc., typically through their tourism bureau, a link to which should
be provided.
Other than official government websites, how can you tell which
websites provide helpful, useful objective information? Not quite so easy at first, but follow some
logical “rules of thumb” and you will quickly learn how.
The vast majority of websites are subjective to some
degree. Put out by the very businesses
that are trying to promote their own business. Or outdated info that has changed
drastically.
Even from influencers who got a freebie to experience a
place who are compelled to write good things about it. This happens much more frequently on social
media platforms (which I will address in the next post, focusing on websites
now).
A GREAT way to get good info that is only slightly subjective
is to check out large tour operator websites, particularly ones which have been
around for decades.
These tour operators have a clientele base that is a
cross-section of the general public.
They need to appeal to a broad spectrum of clients, of course wishing to
make them happy so they become repeat customers and tell others about their
great experience.
They have a history of doing business with hotels,
restaurants, attractions etc. that they work with. Travel professionals continually assess each
place and make note of any new issues (I know this because doing so was a big
part of my positions over the decades) objectively, sharing with the home
office. They provide surveys to their
guests after the tour, finding out what they liked, or didn’t.
In this fashion you can be assured that info presented on
their websites is typically reputable, good information that you can count on.
Look over their itineraries, where they go within the
country, what hotels they stay at, restaurants they dine at.
They typically present best & worse times to travel, “must-see”
experiences that are unique to that region, and much much more very useful
information.
It is easy to find well-known tour operator websites. Lesser known to the general public are tour
operators known as “Destination Management Companies” (or DMC’s).
These are “inbound” tour operators, specializing in a
country, or region. You can simply do a
web search for Destination Management Company for XYZ (name your country) and
get a list of many to choose from.
Review a few of them, paying particular attention to how long they have
been in business (the longer the better) and you will most likely see some info
consistent amongst them all. This is a
good indication that you can trust that info, and that it is noteworthy!
Many smaller tour operators in the North America that do not
have a large staff to scout out international locations and create their own tours use DMC’s.
To recap, be careful about which websites you get info
from. Review large reputable Tour
Operator websites for ideas and recommendations. These two are pretty obvious and common
sense. Unknown to most, Destination
Management Companies abound, and offer excellent, specialized knowledge on
countries / regions you are seeking to visit!
Lastly, there is absolutely nothing wrong with going on an
organized tour, in fact I highly recommend it.
Even to savvy, independent travelers! If you plan on staying somewhere a
long time, taking a short organized tour at the beginning of your stay there
will teach you so much! Local tour
guides are a wealth of knowledge, and can make recommendations that go well
beyond the short time you spend on that tour!
“It is better to travel well than to arrive”…
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