Before You Leave

Picking a Destination

• Shannon O’Donnell’s list of inspiring travel literature can help set your sights on new wild and wonderful travel destinations.
• Lonely Planet has pages of top ten lists for every type of traveler. Whether you’re in it for the natural beauty, the burgers or the moustaches, there’s a top ten list for you!
• Already got somewhere in mind? Learn more about its history, geography, culture, politics, economy and media through the Canadain Centre for Intercultural Communication Country Insights.

International Volunteer or Internship Opportunities

If you want to volunteer or work abroad there are plenty of opportunities! The challenge of course is finding the right placement to suit your interests, expertise and time limitations. Here are some websites to get you started on your search.

Planning and Packing

• Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree travel forum is a great place for travellers to swap advice and ask questions. The forum is organized by country and interest group and also includes a place where you can connect with other travellers as travel buddies, organize house swaps, search for house sitters or sell your travel gear.
• A Little A Drift has wonderfully comprehensive packing lists and tips.
• MEC also has packing lists for every type of trip.
• Find out if you need a visa with this easy to use interactive map.

Flights

Booking a flight is often the hardest part of planning a trip. The elusive super cheap flight always feels just a few clicks away. I find the best tactic is to keep your eye on multiple flight booking sites and to check back a few times over the course of a few days or weeks to follow price fluctuations. It’s also a good idea to sign up to “watch” flights (so they email you when the prices changes) to monitor the ups and downs of ticket prices to your destination.

• FlyFar.ca
• Skyscanner
• Discount My Flights (Canada)
• Hopper
• Student Universe
• Hipmunk
• Momondo
• Trip Advisor

Safety

On the Road

•  A Little Adrift has great tips on booking accommodation, blogging about your trip and staying healthy & eating healthy on the road.
• Keep track of your spending using A Little Adrift’s budget and expenses spreadsheet. It’s an amazing tool to make sure you stay within your budget and to understand where all your hard earned your money is going. It’s also a wonderful reference for planing and budgeting for subsequent trips or helping your friends to plan their globetrotting experiences.
• Time Out is a useful resource if you find yourself in a city and don’t know what to do or see. They’ve got information on art and entertainment, food and drink, film in cities around the world.
• If you don’t have a guidebook, Lonely Planet has lots basic of information online – from accommodation recommendations to must see sites, it’s a useful resource when you’re on the road.