Favorite Travel Reseach (non-RS) book, website, etc.

I like Trip Advisor for reviews and ideas for off beat tours-food tours, photography, bike tours, etc. I also use Lonely Planet books for research but the RS tour books (or at least parts of them) go with me. I also have used and like Matt Barrett's site for Greece travels http://www.greektravel.com

http://europeforvisitors.com/ is very useful, especially for Venice, but they cover lots of other popular destinations as well.

www.seat61.com is very good for researching European trains.

www.bahn.com for researching European rail schedules as well as buying German train tickets.

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/ for researching flights. Especially best price for round trip flights of a span of days (7 day spread) for an entire 30 day period. Open jaw is limited to +/- 2 days. Fine tune to limit searches to non-stops or maximum one change. Also eliminate out of the way airports like Moscow or Instanbul from searches.

I use TripAdvisor for hotels. While I know some of the reviews might be bogus, the site does have a very comprehensive collection of travelers photos. I'll also use TripAdvisor for determining flight route options, but for the most part, I already have idea of which air carriers I prefer to use and which ones I stay away from, so there's not much research to do on pricing. For example, if I'm going to Amsterdam, I fly their flag carrier KLM.

I rely on SeatGuru for seat selection on planes. For forums/discussions on all types of travel I use bootsnall.com.

Amazon, eBags, REI, Zappos all come in handy for shopping for travel gear and shoes.

One site that is often overlooked is the US Dept. of State (http://www.state.gov/travel/), I check here for travel warning and advisories and to also register my trip. I'd like to believe that if there's some kind of disaster or emergency that the local embassy/consulate knows I'm there, and if they don't or don't do anything about it, well, it doesn't cost anything to register anyway.

Hi,

I use and consult a variety of sources: for all sorts of train info... bahn.de, also SNCF; book info I get from mainly Rough Guide, Let's Go, a town's/city's website regarding accommodations and restaurants, booking.com or the hotel's website to place reservations, and other pertinent info on the hotel. I don't use Trip Advisor for anything.

KC, the state department will indeed contact you if your trip is registered with them, and they feel there is something you should know. A few years ago, we were in Istanbul. I received a text message from them letting me know there were some protests planned, when they were planned for and which areas of the city would most likely be affected. Not a warning exactly but more a "heads up and be aware-you might want to stay out of those areas for the day". It was the first time we had registered a trip with the site and now I do it all the time.

Thanks andi. I've been registering my trips with the State Dept. for years but never knew how it worked if something were to happen because nothing's ever happened in the places I've been to while I was there. However, when we hear on the news about some crisis or disaster in a foreign place and how many American visitors there were in that particular place during that time, I guess that's where they get the numbers from.

Yes. This is one time I am ok with the knowledge that my government knows where I am. In many trips to Europe (all registered with them), it's the only time I had any notification from them. They, of course, say as they know where you are, they can "get you out" in an emergency if need be. Sounds a lot scarier than it really is! Then if I should lose my passport......they got that covered, too, from what I understand. And I am just fine with that!

I use several of the above. In addition, YouTube and Google Maps are handy. I've found helpful YouTube videos showing, among other things, how to "work" a train station or how to get transportation from the airport. Google Maps are great for locating your hotel and what's around it (e.g., there's a pizza place across from your hotel; you can quickly get Google reviews or go to Yelp to find out if the place is any good/still in existence); using StreetView to "walk" from the nearest bus/metro stop to your ultimate destination; figuring out the best route to a particular site; etc.

I also like TravelPod to see if anyone has recently blogged about a destination.

All of the above plus Frommers and Fodors guidebooks. For London plays & musicals, highly recommend TheatreMonkey website!

That's right, forgot about Google Maps Street View. That feature has become invaluable in getting a real life visual of where you're going to be, especially when researching hotels.

Also, TSA (https://www.tsa.gov/), so you know the latest regarding what you can/cannot bring on a plane.

I use many of the above. Personal favorites include:

-Google street view! I can "walk" around my destination, see what is near my hotel, get a feel for the area before I get there. Helps with getting oriented and is just fun

-Michelin green guidebooks for some interesting places RS doesn't cover and for good history. Very in-depth

-a google search for travel blogs about my destination. Usually there's some random blogger who has posted their experiences, along with photos, that help me learn about the place and things to do/avoid doing.

-Trip Advisor, reviews and forums. Reviews cover all sorts of places, which is very helpful. Forums are very site specific and many have great, detailed information

-seat 61.com for train logistics

-TV shows. Burt Wolf, Samantha Brown, Rudy Maxa, Anthony Bourdain, all on amazon. Also the Great Continental Railways series, available on YouTube.

-I always look for historical books on my destination. Usually there are some good, interesting ones - I'm not one for the driest academic history. Portraits of a city, biographies of notable artists or cultural figures are more my speed.

-Fiction important to the area. IE Cervantes for a trip to Castille, Shakespeare if I'm planning on the Globe Theatre in London. Also contemporary fiction

-Films from the place.

-travelfashiongirl.com and herpackinglist.com for packing tips with a somewhat style-concerned woman's viewpoint

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/ for flight research
Lesser known airlines - Turkish Air, Iceland Air, WOW, BerlinAir, etc. for international flights
Southwest, Spirit, Jetblue, etc. for domestic flights
www.Booking.com for domestic and international hotels (and reviews)
Tripadvisor for all kinds of reviews
www.Hotwire.com for domestic hotels or cars
www.Carrentals.com for domestic car rental
Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, National Geographic, and Bradt Travel Guides
Distant Lands bookstore - Pasadena, CA http://www.distantlands.com/
Wikitravel
New York Times travel articles
Country/ city tourism websites
Google earth/ street view/ images
Blogs
YouTube videos

The blue guides are – by far – the most comprehensive sources of information on art, architecture, and history. I'm referring to the full blue guides, not the abbreviated series they recently introduced. Happily, many are now available in electronic format, since they can weigh a ton in paper.

The websites I invariably use are

• Trip Advisor for hotels (reviews) and travel forums (advice), sometimes for sight reviews.
• Frommers "destinations" There's a wealth of information and they list most of the sights for each location with a description and they rate them. Their itineraries are a good place to start detailed planning and the walking tours are usually good.
• Wikipedia for specific sights. One trick I've learned it that if the sight has an official website, Wiki has a link to it at the bottom of the page. It's often easier to go to straight to Wiki than to figure out which is the official site from search engine results.

I don't have access to a lot of travel books. I've found Rick's books to be very helpful for practical advice and self-guided tours, but they aren't sold here. I often buy DK Eyewitness guides. I've found them very helpful in choosing places and sights to visit. The larger city guides (not the Top 10 series) are organized by neighborhood, very convenient. I've also used their Back Roads France, Spain and Sicily for travel by car.

Whenever I see an interesting website on a place that I think I would like to visit, I bookmark it. I also bookmark any sites I come across while I'm doing research for a trip. I organize the bookmarks in folders by destination.

WWW.joinusinfrance.com

A France travel podcast.

Ditto to many of the other posts above (TripAdvisor, Google maps/street view, State Department). I also use for planning:

• Rome2Rio for multiple options to get from one place to another (with time estimates)
• Google Flights I've been loving the new search feature on Google, especially the "map view"
• Weather Underground Check the historical weather patterns for your destinations

And when you settle on where you're going, a couple of other preparatory websites:

• TripIt Organize your plans in one place
• OANDA Make your own currency cheat sheets
• USPS Don't forget to hold your mail when on the road!
• Vivienne Files Wardrobe planning

Lonely Planet guides for more details. I used to like the Rough Guides, but don't see them around that often anymore. In Your Pocket Guides (download and interactive website) for cities they cover. I loved the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetables which besides total detail on trains, had info on airports, connections, ferries, and more. `

Forgot...

DBahn for schedules and times: http://www.bahn.com/i/view/index.shtml
Rail Europe: http://www.raileurope.com/index.html
Kayak (just for looking up options--I book direct with airline): http://www.kayak.com/

@David - I found a slew of copies of Appreciating Italy on bookfinder.com
Many in the $20 range ( probably not for long though) - note: price in blue next to book INCLUDES shipping.

I like to read Wanderlust Marriage. The couple who write this site have lived in Europe and been to a lot of places. The stories are entertaining, and they offer great practical advice on destinations, sites to see, and general travel tips.

http://wanderlustmarriage.com/

TimeOut, Rough Guide, Atlas Obscura, Yelp/TripAdvisor/Booking.com reviews, Lonely Planet, National Geographic Traveler website and magazines, New York Times Travel articles online, MakeupAlley's Cafe Board or Travel Board (they have members from all over the world who will tell you best neighborhoods to stay, off the beaten path sights, recommend shopping/dining/nightlife spots).

You are welcome David - I ordered one and am excited for it's arrival! There are still many in the $100 dollar range though.....
I love bookbinder.com They don't, usually, let me down.

I use Trip Advisor extensively, not only the review section for tours, hotels and restaurants, but the forums too. The Destination Experts have been more than helpful with my trip planning. Fodors I use a bit for some of the farther reaches like Iceland and I enjoy their forums. Frommers is deadsville. Virtual Tourist can be interesting. Ron in Rome has a fantastic website, really helpful.

Google Street View is invaluable for learning your way around a city, as is You Tube to watch films of train stations, etc. Surprisingly, Facebook can be very useful too to find things like vegetarian restaurants in a city, secret spots of interest, etc. People don't often think of using it, but it is a great tool for planning.

If you can read some French, Routard guides are, in my experience, unbeatable for lodging/eating recommendations in French-speaking countries.

Even though I use TripAdvisor extensively, I've heard criticisms and warnings about some of the reviews being fake. So just be careful when going through the reviews.

I downloaded this pdf from Interail, and keep it on my computer tool bar. Best Europe wide rail map showing major routes. http://www.interrail.eu/sites/interrail.eu/files/documents/interrail_map_2015.pdf

I prefer VirtualTourist to TripAdvisor. They often have a "top 10 things to do..." in your destination and seem less focused on selling me something.

Kaye

I have used tripadivsor for over 10 years now.. super helpful forums.. and I like the hotel reviews section.. by carefully reading reviews I have successfully booked and stayed in at least 2 dozen hotels abroad and never had a "surprise". I do not use restaurant reviews.. too subjective.

I sometimes look at Fodars and Lonely Planet.

I would however say tripadvisor and RS forums are my favorites.

I book inter europeon flights and trains on their own websites.. ie SNCF for French rail.. Eurostar for Eurostar train.. Thalys , etc.. I have used Ryanair, Tuifly, Easyjet, Vueling and Air Berliner.. all booked direct.

National Geo. Travel magazine
1001 Places to See Before You Die

I started using ITA/Matrix after Kayak wouldn't load on my tablet
I use the RS guides, Lonely Planet, Fodors, Frommers and anything else I can find to read.

My first introduction to TripAdvisor was when I planned my first trip to Paris, Prague and Lille. After finding it so handy, especially the independent travelers' photos, I started posting reviews. I try to do it whenever I can as a way of paying back. Some of their destination experts have been very helpful with last minute issues. I am not totally sure about the accuracy of their restaurant reviews as far was locations and what is still open for business. Also, there is so much transition in that business that a great chef that was there last week may be gone by this week. However, on our last trip to Lisbon, sporting one of the TA stickers cemented our decision to try a restaurant and we loved it.

spottedbylocals is a website I like to read for places the locals know about and sometimes have interesting ideas that are off the tourist-beaten path.

I use googlemaps (street view, google earth) to look at neighborhoods near where I'll be staying before I go (if available, like in cities).

If you're a AAA member sometimes they have resources (like travel books) but I felt like they are not as strong in the European travel sector; they emphasize domestic travel. They sometimes have tour books (a combination of AAA tours and other companies they work with) that are interesting to check out for itineraries and price comparison.

Don't forget Wikitravel and Wikivoyage. (not the same as Wikipedia). Be able to read when it's written with intent to steer tourists vs. it's a real local nugget of info, but I found some excellent eating suggestions where locals frequent.

another vote for DK guides.....they include cross sections of museums, subway stations, etc, which please me no end, and any other book I can check out of the library ahead of time and peruse. I carried the DK bag to Italy proudly in my black roller bag!
http://www.dk.com/us/travel/