Key Takeaways

  • A few years back, I went to Sri Lanka and, outside a few facts I’d picked up by reading the news and talking to friends over the years, I realized I k
  • I knew it was once ruled by the British, there was a long conflict between the Tamils and Sinhalese, the country produces a lot of tea, it has beyond-
  • But, beyond that superficial understanding, I knew nothing.
Sunrise over an expansive lush landscape with Sigiriya rock, a large rock formation, rising above the trees in Sri Lanka

Last Updated: 9/14/23 | September 14th, 2023

A few years back, I went to Sri Lanka and, outside a few facts I’d picked up by reading the news and talking to friends over the years, I realized I knew shockingly little about the country.

I knew it was once ruled by the British, there was a long conflict between the Tamils and Sinhalese, the country produces a lot of tea, it has beyond-delicious food, its capital is Colombo, and there are some amazing jungles and beaches to explore.

But, beyond that superficial understanding, I knew nothing.

I couldn’t tell you if the country was cheap or inexpensive, what to see, one famous ruin, safety issues, where in the country is popular to visit, how to get around, what their currency or culture is, or anything in between.

Sri Lanka was a blank slate to me.

I never like to go somewhere new blind — it’s a sure-fire way to get ripped off, eat the wrong thing, get sick, make a cultural faux pas, and, generally, have something go badly.

Knowledge is power and, given that so much information is available online, I feel like going somewhere without any understanding of that place shows a laziness in your planning and a sign that you’re an unskilled traveler.

So, when planning my trip there, I needed to do some preparation. Normally, if I have enough of a basic understanding of a place, I just wing it — I’ve been to neighboring countries, know people, or have read enough to have an idea. Sri Lanka required some work.

Faced with a knowledge gap, here’s what I did — and you should do — when you travel somewhere you’ve never been before:

1. Buy a Travel Guide

I think guidebooks are still important for travelers. Even though their practical information is often out of date, I love flipping through them to get an overview of how to get around, form ideas on what to see and do, develop itineraries, and look at the maps and featured places.

Reading guidebooks helps me put together the foundation of my planning. Besides, there’s just something enjoyable about holding a book and highlighting places that reading a blog doesn’t offer.

For this trip, I bought the Rough Guide to Sri Lanka. In addition to Rough Guides, I love Lonely Planet. I like the the guides’ look, organization, light weight, and emphasis on budget travel.

2. Read Travel Blogs

Next, I went searching for travel blogs. Guidebooks are a good foundation, but blogs can fill in a lot of gaps as you can find more up-to-date information and off-the-beaten-path destinations, and ask questions of the bloggers. I searched, read, and searched some more for content and stories that gave me a sense of the destination. Here are a few blogs worth checking out:

Simply doing some Googling will get you great results, but if you want to go straight to some tried-and-trusted sources, here’s my list of favorite travel blogs.

3. Ask Friends/Family for Advice

Once I had my guide and read over some blogs, I asked friends and family for their advice (or if they knew anyone who could give me advice). It turned out I had a few friends who had been there recently and a few with family there. They gave me advice, tips, and suggestions on hotels and restaurants, and connected me to family members.

Then, when I landed, I had some people to stay with, show me around, and help me get situated. Nothing beats a local host.

4. Ask Other Travelers

Now I know that not everyone has a friend group that travels as avidly as mine. But everyone (that’s reading this blog at least) can use the internet to find new friends and connections. I suggest using networks like Couchsurfing, joining Facebook groups, and even posting to your personal social media accounts. You never know who might know someone that’s been where you’re going!

For me, with so many people reading this blog, I figured there must be some readers who had been there. The tweets, Facebook posts, and blog posts that I wrote produced a flurry of messages with tips and advice, and even some locals looking to meet up.

It was incredibly helpful, and then I already had some people to hang out with right when I got there!

5. Read Some Books

As I’ve said in the past, you can’t know a place if you don’t know its history. With a long flight ahead, I bought a few books about Sri Lanka’s history so I could get a better understanding of the country’s rich history.