Travel planning resources

Choosing a destination for your next BIG trip is a difficult decision to make, says Wanderlust blogger Alastair Humphreys...

6 mins

I love the website Flickr. Not only is it an excellent way to store your hi-res pictures as back-up, a valuable tool for embedding images in your blogs, a brilliant tool for learning how other people take better pictures than you do, and even a way to make some cash through selling your images or getting them used by Getty. If that was not enough, it is also a vital tool for planning your adventures.

My plans usually begin with a world map. I see some obscure spot far from anywhere and my curiosity is spiked.

Next I look at my big, old Atlas for another level of detail. And, if I’m still curious, I will then turn to Flickr. It is extraordinary where in the world you can find photographs of. A picture is, of course, worth a thousand words, so you really can get a feel for where you may be headed to.

To test my theory I just typed in the names of the most northerly, easterly, southerly and westerly towns I have ever been to. And sure enough pictures appear: memories for me, exciting new ideas if you haven’t been there.

It is also helpful for giving you photographic inspiration and showing interesting places you would like to visit. There are also loads of groups on the website who can offer advice. When I visited Chennai I joined the Chennai Flickr Photo Group for a day, walking the streets and taking pictures. To do this with local Indian photographers was a fantastic experience.

Do you have any other suggestions of using websites not designed for travellers in innovative ways?

The most extreme places I have visited

Researching places on Flickr got me to thinking... I typed in the names of the most northerly, easterly, southerly and westerly towns I have ever been to. I thought it might make for a fun thread for people to show off the extreme places they’ve been to. Add a Flickr or myWanderlust link too if you can.

Just copy and paste this into the comments:

Most northerly place:
Most southerly place:
Most easterly place:
Most westerly place:

Most northerly place: Resolute Bay, Canada (I’ve actually been a long way north of there, but there was no town!)

Most southerly place: Ushuaia, Argentina.

Most easterly place: Surfers’ Paradise, Australia not counting the Pacific Ocean (I crossed the East/West date line by boat)

Most westerly place: Alaksa

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