Money Saving Tip: Use the Tourism Office

When looking for travel information you’ll want to take advantage of all the FREE resources that are available.  A good starting point is the tourism office of the country, state, or city that you’re planning to visit.

The tourism office will be full of information about places to stay, cultural events, special packages, maps, restaurants, history, and odds and ends of local color.  If you’re researching an international destination, you’ll find information about visa requirements, language, and currency information.

Tourism offices offer tons of information on their website, and most will be happy to mail you out information as well.  Keep in mind, though, that the job of the tourism office is to “sell” themselves to potential travelers.  While information will be accurate, it will be “spun” in a positive light and will not necessarily be unbiased.

Many sites offer newsletters, so you can sign up for regular delivery of news, current events, and lots of happenings going on in your vacation location.

You can locate a tourism office by looking up your destination in the Tourism Offices Worldwide Directory.  The directory list countries and states, and you can then narrow down your search to larger cities as needed.

Photo credit: SXC