I am often asked how I research my trips, especially when a destination is being offered for the first time. There are a million ways and pulling the pieces of the puzzle together is all part of the fun of what I do. Truth be told, I could not do what I do in the absence of the internet. Reading reviews, scouring 'best of' lists, comparing guides all require the same level of attention and technique whether the destination is a stone's throw from home or thousands of miles away. The essential thing is to go deep.
In addition, to every review site know to man there is also the delightful and far more personal resource of blogs. Pick a subject and there is a blogger--usually many, many bloggers so do a Google search and you are almost assured of finding a deep bench of local bloggers on any city in this world. Some content is terrific; some indifferent; but when you hit a good one--it's insider gold. Case in point--'Emily’s Munich', from National Geographic's I HEART MY CITY blog series.
My inveterate travel planning partner Kristin Peterson Edwards knows Munich well so when we recently planned a Munich trip for a private group I was already in good hands. In fact, our itinerary was set before I stumbled across Emily's Munich but reading this post is a wonderful reminder of how very rich and 'granular' such these blogs can be.
I urge you to read the original to fully appreciate the breadth and depth of all that is covered and so for that click here. But here's a sample to pique your curiosity:
- The best outdoor market in my city is Viktualienmarkt, although each neighborhood has its own weekly market for a more local glimpse into life.
- The corner bakery is my favorite place to grab a pretzel for breakfast, and Bergwolf at Fraunhoferstr. 17 is the spot for late-night eats.
- To find out what’s going on at night and on the weekends, read muenchen.de, Süddeutsche.de, or ganz-muenchen.
See what I mean? Lots of great stuff--and really and truly that's just a sample and just another example of the thrill of the chase!
Give it a look. I have complete confidence that you will enjoy it and find it as valuable as I did.
Nothing like a local to put you in the know!