Subject:

resources

Let's say that you've just bought tickets to London, you picked out a hotel, and even have a few museums you want to see. It's party time, you're going on a trip!
You've got your major sites figured out, but what will you do with the rest of your time there? You might want to stop in a pub or two, compare fish and chips shops, or simply go shopping. But where should you go? The choices are almost endless. Guidebooks won't have many options, so you're stuck doing it yourself. I'll show you how you can use Google Maps to help you solve this problem.

Is it ghetto or not? Will there be anywhere good to eat nearby? One of the most time consuming parts of picking an area to stay, and consequently what hotel to choose, is figuring out what it has to offer. A helpful tool for researching neighborhoods is Walkscore, a site that calculates the walkability of an area based on how many restaurants, grocery stores, libraries, etc are nearby. While it was intended to be used by home buyers, this site is very helpful for travelers, as well.

So, you want to get some shopping on while you're abroad....who do you turn to? Your ever trusting guidebook? Hardly. Who needs advice on where to buy the best t-shirt, when we can spot that for ourselves. Save the occasional cool find in Time Out, we've never relied on guidebooks for our retail therapy. Here's where we turn for shopping advice when we're in a new city.

An Oyster Card? No this is not the secret ticket to an all-you-can-eat buffet, but your ticket onto London's immense transit system. In reality, it is one of the most useful pieces of plastic in London...after your credit card.

If you're traveling to a country that doesn't speak your language, you may likely be overwhelmed by hearing the local language when you first arrive. While it's important to learn some key words and phrases, it is also helpful to get acclimated to hearing the local language at full speed.
So, before you leave, search online for radio stations that are local to your destination. If it is possible to listen online, tune in for a few days and you'll find yourself more prepared for the language, accent, and cadence before you arrive.
I've often used this list of Italian radio stations, but don't overlook iTunes' International radio category, BBC's World Service, or the top-notch Radio Locator Service.

You're tired, overwhelmed, and just want to get to your destination. But, before you set foot out of the airport or train station, scope out the tourist office or stand of flyers in search of a free map. Why don't you already have one? Well, in this internet age, you can do most of your map consultation online before you leave, print out something to help you get by if you need it, and pick up a free map as soon as you arrive.

You're going to destroy it anyway, so why spend $10 on a fancy map beforehand? We haven't found a city or country yet where a map is hard to find, and we save our collection for future trips. They get stashed in a file for future trips alongside transit cards. But, if you haven't amassed a collection yet, we've found a few resources to help you out in the meantime.

Calling folks back home can be a great way to combat homesickness on longer trips, but even with a mobile phone it can be an expensive habit. Skype is a great way to take advantage of a hotel's internet connection to keep in touch, but having to use a computer to do so makes it less useful for travelers who like to pack light.
Netgear's Skype Wi-Fi Phone offers travelers an alternative to the laptop or internet cafe. It's compact, light, and works on both secured and unsecured Wi-Fi Networks. All you'll need to do is setup a Skype account (if you don't already have one) and fund it, and you'll be ready to chat.
You can find them at most major online retailers; Amazon has them for $149.

Why book ahead of time? Have you ever wanted to fly by the seat of your pants and not plan every leg of your trip ahead of time? If you've got the right tools, this flexibility can be yours. At first glance, Venere is just another site that allows you to book hotels in Europe. However, Venere's extensive range of hotels allows you to choose from simple, affordable hotels to lavish, expensive ones, in every European nation.We've used Venere on many of our trips, and its great selection of hotels and ease of use has allowed to book our hotels the night before we arrive in a particular city. On several of our more recent trips to Italy, we've decided to forego booking hotels until we arrive in the country (since we usually have a place to stay for the first couple of nights.)

All aboard! Every week, Amtrak announces a special sale for some of its routes. If you're traveling in August, you can take advantage of some of these deals.

Head here for more details and tickets.

A traveler's best resource when planning a trip is other travelers. Whether you have a friend who lived in London while he was in grad school, or an Internet buddy who lives in Italy, you can get something thats impossible to get from a guide book: personalized recommendations. Your friends probably have similar tastes to yours, so they can help you make the most of your trip.

In order to encourage student travelers to branch out and find similar people all over the world, STA Travel has created a social networking site for student travelers, STA Travel 193. You can blog your travels, find the best cheap places to eat all over the world, or find out where you should avoid. So, next time you're planning a trip, hop on STA Travel 193 and find a new travel buddy.