By Alice Orlova, project manager at Smart Trip Platform
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How do you feel about doing research for a trip? Do you feel excited once you make up your mind to go somewhere and start googling “what to see in ….”? Or do you view research as a burden, something that just steals your time and should better be left to professional tour organizers?
I am passionate about travel research. I devote dozens of hours to it before each trip, using books, websites in different language, forums and reviews — and yes, it is hard work, but it is worth it. For me, it is not about checking the boxes in a list of “10 things not to miss in X” — oh no, I want to cram as much as possible into every day, even if it means sleeping on night buses or trains most nights. And believe me, such a hardcore itinerary takes tons of time to build. First, you have to understand what there is to see; and different sources might have differing opinions.
A guidebook will often tell you that some place is enchanting, but online reviews might suggest that it is simply nice. Some travelers may call an attraction unmissable, while for others it is a tourist trap. And of course, we all have our specific interests; mine is UNESCO World Heritage sites, for someone else it can be great food, or birdwatching, or nightlife…
I have already written about being thorough when traveling — that I believe it is better to study a smaller area in depth rather than try to cover all the main sights of a large country in one go, especially if it is not your first and only visit there. Well, when the destination is not too large, it may indeed be possible to cover it all (or half of it) in one trip, if you are ready to do some really hardcore sightseeing — it just means that planning will get much, much harder.
Let me cite my recent trip to Peru as an example. We covered just the south part this time, spent three weeks there, and saw much more, perhaps twice more, than an average tourist would do in the same amount of time. We saw penguins and macaws, condors and capibaras, climbed mountains and trekked in the jungle, spent time in the desert and in colonial cities, flew over Nasca lines, participated in a huge celebration on Lake Titicaca… And let me tell you how the trip began: almost 72 hours passed from the moment we left home till the next time we slept in a bed. That was grueling, but it was also very precise planning.
First, best-priced flights had to be found — and remember my advice, don’t just search for flights leaving from your city, try other cities within easy reach, too! I live in Milan, but the best option I found was a weird combination of a train out of Brussels to the airport in Amsterdam and then a flight with a change in Panama. Upon arrival in Lima around 10 pm, normal people went straight to their hotels. We, on the other hand, headed straight for a bus station in central Lima and took the first available bus going to the town of Pisco (home of the famous pisco sour cocktail). It was still pitch-dark when we got out of the bus, having hardly slept. By 5 am, we were in Paracas, famous for its wildlife-filled islands of Ballestas and the magnificent Paracas natural reserve.
After a quick and very early breakfast, we arranged a boat trip to the islands — an amazing place to visit, sometimes called poor man’s Galapagos, with penguins (yes, yes, I know, it’s close to the equator, but those penguins thrive on the cold Humboldt current) and then… headed straight for the natural reserve! Finally, after a hike of at least 15 km, we hitchhiked to Pisco for our well-deserved cocktail. It was the pisco sour that did it — suddenly all strength left us. Were exhausted? Of course. But also saved a whole day compared to all those people who went to bed upon arrival in Lima.
Now think of all the research that went even into this short initial leg of the trip: flights, bus schedules, boat trips, hiking routes… I literally invested hours into that, using dozens of sources. That’s the only way you can do it right now, and I can understand why many people feel frustrated and give up. However, we at Smart Trip Platform want to change that.
Our platform will have a fantastic Discovery section — a true travel guide compiled and edited by users themselves, with separate pages dedicated to various countries, cities and attractions. What’s more, Smart Trip Platform users will be able to share the itineraries they’ve tested with others and ask for advice in chat rooms. Finally, travel blogs, reviews, and photos our users post will make research even easier.
Mind you, I am not saying that someone will do all the work for travelers. On the contrary, I firmly believe that it’s better to do your own research: this way the trip will truly be your own creation. We simply want to make research less of a daunting task and more of a pleasure. We have already written about our chat rooms, and in our next post we will talk more about our travel guide section.
Meanwhile, remember that the Smart Trip Platform token presale is in progress — join now at smarttripplatform.io and get a fantastic 20% discount. For all questions on our ICO, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/STplatform/ and Telegram t.me/st_platform!