I am constantly doing travel research online. Or perhaps that is what I tell myself when I read the one travel blog after another. But then again, even when I am not travelling, I am a great believer in being prepared and pro-active.
There are two tools I use daily to do my travel research online. These two tools are Feedly and Evernote. The best part of both these tools is that they are FREE! Paid versions exist, but the free versions are sufficient if you are just starting out.
Using Feedly in my travel research process
Feedly is a news aggregator., meaning it provides you with updates on any new content published on blogs or websites you have added to your Feedly account.
To add a blog to Feedly is easy. You copy the URL of the blog, go to Feedly, click on the Discover and follow button on the left and paste the URL in the search box in the middle.
Feedly will then show you a list of feeds from the chosen blog; usually the main blog’s posts or comments on blog posts. I usually just add the blog feed. Once you select the feed, you want to add, choose the category on the left to which you want to add it. These categories are set up by you.
Whenever I come across a blog I like, I add it to my Feedly account.
Over time, I have added quite a few travel blogs to my Feedly account. Using Feedly has been great since it means I never run out of reading (or should I say research) material!
Using Evernote in my travel research online
Daily whenever I have a free minute or five to spare, I go to my Feedly account and start my travel research online. As I scan the feeds in my Feedly account, I may spot a blog post that sounds interesting. I usually like to open the link in a new window to read the blog posts on the source blog, but you may prefer reading it in Feedly by clicking on the title displayed in Feedly.
If I find a post interesting – possibly a destination or sight I would like to visit in my future travels – I use Evernote to save it. I find Evernote useful for travel research and planning.
When I am on the blog with the new post, I click on the Chrome Evernote add-on I installed. This brings a drop-down menu up and allows me to save the article under a category specified by me. Once it is saved, I can close the window since I know the post has been saved in my Evernote account where I will find it when I need to.
Over time, I have built up quite a portfolio of categories relating to travel to different countries in Evernote. By saving posts in Evernote, I ensure that the information does not get lost and forgotten. When I have to plan a trip, I quickly go to the relevant category in Evernote and scan the articles I have saved there for ideas of sights to see or things to do. But more about that in a future post!
Have you ever used Feedly or Evernote for travel research? If not, what apps or products do you use?
[bctt tweet=”Feedly and Evernote are two of the best and totally free tools to use in travel research! ” username=”focustravel”]
Thank you for sharing this information, this makes travel easy. It is get when all of the hassel can be taken out of traveling so you don’t have to get a headache, Thanks a lot for sharing, i am sure that those who come to you site will be happy.
Hi Norman
Thank you for your comment! I think it is useful to try and simplify processes that can normally give us headaches or take enormous amounts of time.
Sabs
Thanks for the heads up. I have never heard or seen this and it looks like real fun. I can now sit with mu wife and research our next vacation for the future. Very easy step by step instructions.to follow.
Thanks John
Hi John
Glad you think it is helpful!
Sabs
Thanks a bunch for revealing a completely new world for me. Amazing article!
I find these tools so useful for many things; not only travel planning.