blog de turismo: Lonely Planet Comet - The dreaming and planning issue

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Lonely Planet Comet
The dreaming and planning issue

The pleasures of travel don't begin and end on the plane. Dreaming and planning, hitting the road, and the mingled joy and sadness of coming back home - it's all part of the deal. So come with us on the whole sweet journey, from that first castle in the air to the snow dome on the mantelpiece.

Inspiration Point - where to get your ideas from

Sounds Like a Plan - mapping out your travels

Get Moving - hitting the road and charting your journey

There's No Place Like Home - navigating the travel comedown

Bluelist 2008 - FREE with minimum spend. Find out what's best in travel in 2008!

Inspiration Point

It's that picture of a Tibetan mountain taped above your office computer. It's your friend's story of tiger-spotting in Sumatra. It's the Portuguese music in your local café. It's inspiration - all the things that get us sniffing the wind, surfing the net and finally, packing our bags.

Where do you get your travel inspiration from? Brochures? Blogs? Thorn Tree users have some good suggestions on how to plant those ideas.

If throwing a dart at a world map isn't your thing, check out potential destinations online. You can find all those details from where to go, when to go and what to see when you're there.

Still not sure where to aim your boots next? Get inspired by videos of Brazil, Istanbul and Bolivia.

Turkey

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Hot Off the Press >

Staff Tip:

When I'm trying to decide where to go next, I watch travel videos. It gives me a taste of what it might be like and if it's going to suit me. I'm going to upload the clips of my next trip so I can do the same for travellers.
- John B.

Sounds Like a Plan

Ok, so the cherry festival in Italy clashes with the air guitar championships in Finland, you don't have a phrase book for Borneo and you haven't packed a jacket. Hmmm, perhaps it's time for a bit of planning...

The idea of a trip makes you feel all wind-in-the-hair, but you've gotta tick all those boring boxes - visas, insurance, budgets, yada yada yada - before you leave. The Travel Checklist puts the pen in your hand. You could also win a US$2500 STA travel voucher by telling us your best travel tip.

Ever dreamt of travel planning software or a cheap flight wishlist Or do you prefer to fly by the seat of your pants

If you can't decide when to go to where you want to go, timing your trip to coincide with a festival will make your mind up. Spend a European summer soaking up the music festivals - you've always wanted to see what Roskilde's really like, right? - or hit Antipodean music sprees like Golden Plains and V Festival. Keep track with our 2008 festivals calendar - super cheap and super shiny.

Think before you lock that final zip and avoid the nightmare of packing disasters. Instead, become a lean, mean packing machine.

Keep it light - buy your guide books by the individual chapter. Perfect for those times plans change whilst on the road. Choose the chapters you need, then download and print them. Check out our expanded range - you can even download them before the new books have hit the shelves.

Watch it!
Going solo in the wilderness, USA

Traveller Tip:
Deciding whether to travel solo or duo?
'Your best buddy at home may not be the ideal travelling companion - you're going to be together all day every day for a long time. Before committing to going, try a long weekend away together to see if you're compatible.'
-Hamayan Ahmad, traveller

Get Moving

And at last, you're on the move...remembering how to make a clothes line out of dental floss, learning how to get a toddler round Beijing. Hanging out of a balloon basket to get that perfect snap or hanging out in a café with your journal and a gin. Ah, this is the life...

Don't be daunted by the thought of hitting the road with your Mini-Mes. Read up on real life experiences of travelling with kids in India and the Middle East.

Tacky-bad or kitschy-good? Get a list of the best cheap world souvenirs.

Bamboozled by multiple flash options? Get some photography advice from the Thorn Tree or see the results of travelling around Australia with a Super 8. Lost your camera while out and about? We found this great site for found cameras that may help you get it back.

Don't leave home without a purpose-built travel journal. Go full-colour cover or moody black for those Sylvia Plath moments. Prefer a mouse to a pen? Create your journal online.

Staff Tip:

I don't like pulling out a camera on the road so instead I use my MP3 player to record eagle cries, temple bells, busy markets...it's much less intrusive than taking a photograph and sound is often more evocative than pictures.
- Chris H.

Hot Shots

First impressions last. See how Lonely Planet author Robert Reid's first 24 hours in Mexico shaped up. Bucket included.

Waiting, cold and lonely, at the Greyhound Station? Live your own black-and-white road movie.

There's No Place Like Home

Home, strange home. Everything feels a little weird, huh? But you also get to see your city with fresh eyes...catch up with friends...and find a place for that wayang puppet. And soon enough, that travel radar starts twitchin' - hmmm, maybe cycling to Kathmandu? - and you're in dreamland all over again.

How do you cope with the post-travel comedown? The doctor is IN on the Thorn Tree's homecoming blues thread.

You might've had a twinge of homesickness while you were away, but ever thought of what you'll miss when you come home?

Now, what to do with all you learnt on the road now you're home?

Staff Tip:

Music can paint a soundtrack to your travels. Keep doing this when you get back to your hometown so you'll observe your city more atmospherically. I like to use the Dandy Warhols' aptly named album, The Dandy Warhols Come Down.
- Jane

Traveller Tip:

'If being at home is starting to feel like the worst thing ever, do something you missed when on the road - wander down to your local for a game of pool, take a hot bath when you want to, hop on your beloved bicycle for a spin. Home comforts can compete with on-the-road thrills in subtle ways.'
- Mal Southwick, traveller