There’s nothing I love more than planning trips, apart from going on them, of course. Some of my colleagues at Getaway Magazine don’t like to plan their assignments – they just hit the road and work things out as they go along. I can appreciate this kind of travel – you’re unhindered, not tied down and you can go anywhere that looks cool. Nevertheless, I am a planner. When I go on an assignment for the magazine, or a holiday, I like to plan everything. I think it’s because I love researching travel – I really should be a travel agent.
I’m currently planning a trip to Namibia in August to research stories for Getaway, and I’m at that stage where I’ve got a rough itinerary worked out. Now the fun starts – I’m doing loads of research on the internet, using guide books and asking for suggestions and tips on our social media networks. Yesterday we asked our 30 000+ fans on the Getaway Magazine Facebook page what their suggestions for my trip are, and we got some awesome recommendations (check them out here). There’s nothing like immediate, current feedback.
I’m all for peer-review websites to help plan trips. When I went on a three-month trip to southeast Asia a couple of years ago, I almost exclusively used peer-review websites to book accommodation. Of all the places my boyfriend and I stayed at on the trip, the only ones we were disappointed with were the ones we found in Lonely Planet. All the ones we’d booked on the recommendation of people on websites like TripAdvisor and TravelFish (a kind of TripAdvisor for southeast Asia).
I’m lucky because I work with some of the most well-travelled people I’ve ever met. Justin Fox, our editor-at-large has been pretty much everywhere, including Timbuktu. Whenever I need travel advice or inspiration (‘Justin, where in Africa should I go on holiday this year?’) he comes up with great ideas.
I thought I’d put my Namibia trip idea out there and see if any of you have suggestions for me! I’m going for 10 days and my story angle is ‘Budget southern Namibia road trip‘. I’m planning on driving up to Luderitz from Cape Town, spending two nights there (doing a ghost town tour), then heading to NamibRand Nature Reserve for a night, and then Sossusvlei/Sesriem for two nights. Then it’s Swakopmund for two nights, one night in Ais-Ais and back to Cape Town. Phew! It’s going to be A LOT of driving…
Any tips, suggesions, recommendations? I’m going to be camping for most of the trip so great campsite recommendations would be much appreciated!
Do you enjoy the research aspect of travel or do you prefer to just get out on the road and wing it? What resources do you use when you book your trips?
Image credit: Alison Westwood
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