Tuesday's Travel Tip - *Click* And now we see Martha...

K. I survived the Fringe Festival, had a week’s rest (??? Rest is for the wicked!) and now I’m back at it. In fact I was taking my own advice before even writing about this week’s topic. Research… how cool is that! Haha

So this week’s tip is more of a DIY kind of thing. It’s simple. We all watch the travel shows, we all surf the net looking for info on places we want to go, or places we’ve never heard of. I propose something more intimate (no, not more sleeping with travellers, although you have to admit that was pretty cool!).

The return to the slideshow! Or perhaps an updated version thereof. Let me explain.

Somewhere, today, in your very own city, quite possibly, someone might be giving a talk about a trip they did. Showing some photos. Blah blah’ing about how cool they are, and how that lion/bear/kangaroo/whatever almost ate them. It’s usually free, or for a nominal charge. Most importantly, you are able to ask questions. Interact. Although, if you keep interrupting, and start getting the evil-eye from the presenter, then maybe rethink your people skills. Be courteous, someday the person up there could be you.

I attended a “conference voyage” this week hosted by the Boutique Tourisme Jeunesse (French site only). It “cost” me $5, for which I was given a $5 gift certificate for the store. The topic was on travelling to South East Asia. Now, this presentation was for novice travellers, giving tips and info on how to get your trip to Thailand and co. organized, and what to expect when you got there, but it was still really interesting. Especially interesting was how everyone’s perception is different. For example, we have our beloved cities, and those towns that just didn’t like us. (I’d still pick Ho Chi Minh over Hanoi any day! Haha But I encourage anyone who’s been to Vietnam to comment).

So here’s how this becomes DIY. You need to go out and FIND this event. Good places to start are travel agencies, youth hostels (there’s at LEAST one in your city, Hostelling International is a good start), local and community newspapers, your city’s main webpage, and the list goes on and on.

Seek and ye shall find!