Choosing a destination

Finding specific travel information on the internet

While sites such as YouTube, social media, and Google Earth can show you lots of general information, there are some other sites that let you choose specific destinations, events, or even let you plan a virtual trip.

Using TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet

TripAdvisor is a website with a huge collection of information about accommodation, destinations, events, and much more. You can see trips and package tours, and read reviews from other travellers. The website address is https://tripadvisor.com.au.

A similar site called Lonely Planet focuses on longer articles about trips and destinations. If you want to get a feel for a destination from a professional writer, it’s a good resource. You can also see reviews from other travellers here. The website address is https://lonelyplanet.com.

Visit airline websites

Many airlines have a similar service to TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet, where you can search for destinations. For example, you can visit Qantas at https://www.qantas.com and choose Destinations from the top menu to see ideas and reviews.

eSafety tip

Airline sites, and others such as government tourism sites, also prioritise safe travel, and usually include important information at the top of the screen.

For example, if you search by destination for France, you will see information about Coronavirus updates and Government travel requirements.

Searching for more than destinations

Most travel sites organise results by destination, but if you explore their pages you can find lots more information about things like seasonal events, the best times of year to travel, and what to look out for.

These sites can also help you figure out when the off season is for your destination, so you can travel when there are fewer crowds and accommodation is cheaper.

Finding out what you need to travel

Sites such as TripAdvisor can also give you information about things you need to travel safely. This can include medical information, health warnings, and of course information about visas and other travel requirements.

You can find out more about this in the upcoming Finding important information activity.

Finding out about time-sensitive events

Some of the best destinations are of interest because of events that occur at only specific times of the year. These might include cultural festivals, sporting events or natural occurrences such as wildflower blooms or bird migrations.

Sites such as Lonely Planet have lots of information on what makes a destination special. Explore the available articles to see what you might not want to miss!

Reviews from other travellers

One of the best features of travel research sites is that other users are allowed to post reviews of destinations, tours, accommodation... just about everything!

By creating a free account, users can write a few words and rate a destination or tour, usually out of five stars.

Information about scams

Unfortunately, when it comes to tourism and travel, scams are a risk that you need to be aware of. Government tourism sites and sites such as TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet can include information on common scams and how to avoid them.

You can learn about everything from fake tours (that just take your money) to how to deal with beggars and touts, just by using the search function on these sites.

You can find out more about this in the upcoming Avoiding common travel scams activity.

Well done!

This is the end of the Choosing a destination activity. You’ve learned how to use sites such as TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet to narrow down your options and pick a destination.

Up next, you’ll learn how to access government sites and other sources that help you in the Finding important information activity.