Travelling to Oslo, Norway or any other cities worldwide requires planning to get the most out of it. Some go to libraries or shops for guide books – I love to do it on the net. Browsing around and picking up ideas for attractions, museums, entertainment, restaurants and hotels is great fun. Collecting and saving them for your own guide requires a more systematic approach – but it’s worth it. Sometimes, depending on your destination, you are lucky to find a portal with almost all info and ideas you need on one site, like VisitNorway for the whole country or VisitOSLO for a specific city.
A while ago, a good blog friend of mine, Mihaela Lica at Pamil Visions made me aware of Stay.com (actually a Norwegian startup!) where you create a guide crafted to your personal needs, tastes and destinations. Best of all it can be consulted on your computer or smart phone, or printed out as a pocket-sized pdf-file if you prefer. You may also broadcast the itinerary or parts of it to friends via Facebook and Twitter. Each guide that gets created adds to the library of itineraries available to other users and by that builds up a vault of good ideas for a good time wherever you go in the world.
My connections via my account at TripIt are automatically broadcast on Facebook, so most already know that my wife DianeCA and I are going to Lisbon in November. We will meet up with our blog friends, Helena and her husband (to the right in the picture) who participated in the Oslo Blog Gathering in August. They are preparing and planning a lot for us already, but it was still exciting to check out Stay.com for ideas of what to explore in the capital of Portugal. Planning ahead is half the fun you know
:-)
How about you; how do you prepare and plan for a trip? Share your trip planning ideas here in comments, and maybe check out Stay.com for yourself.
Going to visit blog friends is always fun times! I’m sure Lisbon will be a lot of fun!
ps – rss reader is back up and working!!!! Great work sir charles.. ;-)
I want the second generetion of OsloBg !!
Hope the best in Lisboa whit the fantastics friends Helena and Luis.
A send you a big hug
Maria
Ah, yeas I think I remember stay.com too, did check it out briefly, but think I have to check it up again. Too many to keep apart which was which one…. *giggles*
I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time in Lisbon – especially with Helena and Luis, they’re such an awesome couple!
I must check out Stay.com!!! Of course.
What a great plan, a visit in Lisbon By Héléna and Luis!!! They are such nice couple!!! We had so great time with them in Oslo!!! I enjoy to read your future adventures in Portugal!!! When our building project will come at end I hope to continue the meetings between the happy bloggers we are!!!
You have really something to look forward to:
Lisboa was voted the best European City for travellers just newly besides you will have a most wonderful hosts.
We have been there, and it’s just beautiful and very different from Oslo. Don’t forget to eat Sardines. They are delicious.
PS. I remember where this photo was taken;-)
More Photos of the lady to left on my posts from Provence….
sounds like a very handy tool. i’ve got no tips at this point, it’s been too long since i could afford to go anywhere.
Renny, I am so pleased that you enjoyed Stay.com. :) A lot has happened since I told you about it. Among others, you’ll feel very proud to know that a startup from your country was selected as one of the top 5 sites of 2010 by TIME Magazine. Now that’s an accomplishment – and good PR ;)
Thank you so so much for writing about this, my friend. I really appreciate it. Let me know how to return the favor.
reader is back up and working!!!!
I love Lisbon – you will have a fun time there. I’ll check the stay.com site – thanks for mentioning it. I also enjoyed your fall pictures very much. Here the colors have not quite arrived. Then we have had terrible winds and storms – almost tornadoes the last 2 days so the leaves fall before turning. It is also too warm – was 82 today (28 C) which is too hot for this time of year – and that is why we have such storms I think.