Getting inspired

Using the internet for inspiration

In normal times, you can travel almost anywhere. With so many options available, it can be difficult to make a choice.

You can start with a simple idea, such as, riverboats in South East Asia, and use the internet to find out more.

How YouTube can give you inspiration

YouTube is a video website that gives you access to millions of free videos. To visit YouTube, type https://www.youtube.com into the search bar of your browser.

You can search for anything, from cities to specific ideas. Try typing in riverboat South East Asia and see what comes up!

After you choose a video to watch, you will also see a list of recommended videos to the right. These will be other videos similar to the one you’ve watched, or related in some way.

You can watch some of these to get more ideas.

How Google Earth can give you inspiration

Remember the old idea of throwing a dart at a world map and going there? Google Earth is a bit like the internet equivalent, except you have a lot more options!

To visit Google Earth, type https://earth.google.com into your browser’s search bar. When the page loads, click the Launch Earth button in the top right and a virtual globe will appear.

Discovery with Google Earth Search and Voyager

From the menu options on the left of the screen, click the Search icon, which looks like a magnifying glass. A panel with some options will appear.

Under the Featured in Google Earth section you can see some suggestions. You can see more ideas by clicking the blue text that says More in Voyager.

Google Earth is very powerful, and you can find out more about how to use its many features in the Exploring Google Earth course.

Getting ideas from official tourism websites

There are also official tourism sites, usually one or more per country. For example, you can visit New Zealand’s official tourism site at https://newzealand.com/au. This is a special version of the site for Australian visitors.

eSafety tip

An advantage of official government tourism sites is that they prioritise safe travel and will have important information and alerts for visitors, usually at the top of screen.

Using social media to see where others have been

Don’t forget to check your social media to see where your friends and family have been – you might get some great new ideas from the pics and videos they may have posted.

You can search for official social media pages for destinations or tourism companies, too.

You can also see reviews and recommendations from other travellers, on sites such as TripAdvisor. Find out more about these in the upcoming Choosing a destination activity.

Well done!

You’ve completed the Getting Inspired activity and discovered some of the ways you can use the internet to get motivated for your next trip, including YouTube, Google Earth, official government tourism sites, and social media.

Up next is the Choosing a Destination activity.