Where do get your destination information?

[LimaVictor]

After our first two trips, I've been spending a lot of time thinking about the resources available for information while traveling and am curious to hear from those of you who have been doing this for a while.

On our trips, we tended to default to Yelp for some things like places to eat and shop, but I realized that I ended up going off recommendations from the locals we talked to more often than by what I read on reviews.

For other things, like activities, I found the resources pretty limited, or difficult to find unless you already knew where to look...

So this brings me to my question:

What resources do you use to find information about a place you are visiting, and if there was a service (or app) that allowed you to connect to locals and ask questions based on food interests or activities (hiking, biking, fishing, photography, for example), would you be inclined to use it over the more traditional resources (review sites, forums/discussion boards), or is there a similar service already out there that I just haven't come across?

Thanks for your input, I'm interested for future trip planning, as well as gauging interest level in something like this within the traveling community.

[Rock_Wells]

We use a loose combination of Tha AAA guides, this forum, and the internet.

[jplante4]

Veebyes wrote:
Travelling must have been a real adventure before Al Gore gave us the internet. Now if we get out of cell phone coverage we panic.

I was always a "winging it" type. I think that's part of the fun.

I also like to have my lifelong traveling companion with me, and she follows along with her finger on the map and watching TomTom for time to go after planning the route for 2 days prior to leaving.

[clikrf8]

I have a loose itinerary in mind know that serendipity can lead us in a different direction. First, I study my Benchmark atlases of each state for POIs, BLM, USFS and State campgrounds and roads. Then, I look to a few books based on our interests like Rockhounding and photography like Laurent Martre’s series on photographing the western states. I also check out scenic places on Flickr and professional photogs websites along with photo tours.

I probably have every Campground app, gps and Topo map apps and other travel apps there are. They help to plan our trips, too. On the Avenza app, I download the state map then add a waymark, info and a photo. On the road, I add my own comments and photos.

And, ask the locals, rangers, ranchers, hunters, fishers, other folks out there. And, we stop at every historic marker and info kiosk.

[bikendan]

I still have AAA state books and campground books, along with their maps.

[Veebyes]

Travelling must have been a real adventure before Al Gore gave us the internet. Now if we get out of cell phone coverage we panic.

[Fizz]

Hard to believe but I remember a time when the yellow pages was a good source of local information. The hard part was finding a phone booth that still had a book.
The good old days when hitting the road was a real adventure, made it up as you went.
Then we discovered the Triptik from AAA.

[2gypsies1]

We used the local Chamber of Commerce/Visitor Centers, especially in the small towns. We also talked to the locals and campground owners/workers. We looked for more nature-types of things - hikes, four-wheeling places, old mines/ghost towns. We also traveled secondary roads, not interstates.

[drsteve]

DutchmenSport wrote:


Here's another one from Indiana - the Pink Elephant.


And for an FYI.... here it is:

We have one in Mio, Michigan...

[ncrowley]

rvparkreviews has been asking people for good things to do in the area. I find good stuff there. I also Google "Things to do in X" and get a lot of good info. If I am looking for a good restaurant, Google "restaurants in X".

[Veebyes]

If feeling lazy use Trip Advisor. That should cover the well known stuff. The little gems take some further digging. Sometimes the only way to find them is through local knowledge & referral.

As a former very small tour operator for 18 years marketing was always a tough one. I had a good product, think private limo tour on the water, but one cannot survive on repeats & referrals, advertising was the highest overhead. It was more than boat fuel & maintenance combined.

So, for the little guy, do some digging. They are out there.

[rr2254545]

We find TripAdvisor to be the best source of restaurant, things to do and also campground reviews.

[link30240]

Often when going to a new area I will check https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions

will show lots of things to do in a area your unfamiliar with plus reviews to see if worth the time and cost to go.

[prichardson]

State and county departments of tourism publications and websites are good sources of things in various areas. I always make a point to stop at state tourist info centers when they are available at state lines as they are a good source of up to date maps and other information.

[docsouce]

When planning my trip. I figure out a rough daily destination then " google" campgrounds, and things to do near that location. RV Parks Reviews is a big help too. Posting here is by far one of the most used tools in this toolbox. The folks here have so much knowledge and have guided my wife and I to what we think are some of the "coolest" spots on our trips. Don't forget to ask around the campground. Fellow campers love to share their experiences. Finally though it's fun just to pick out a place and roll the dice. If you don't like it there is always another campground...