Instead of planning a new trip, my husband and I are eagerly awaiting a new cultural experience: Our first foreign exchange student. For five months, our exchange student (a 16-year-old girl from Slovakia) will live with us, go to the local high school and immerse herself in American culture. But something tells me she won’t be the only person who will be rewarded with the benefits that come with an exchange like this one. By the end of the year, I’m sure I’ll be much more versed in Slovakian culture than I ever anticipated … and I’m sure I’ll learn a fair amount about the United States as well.

A lot of people lament the fact that they can’t travel as much as they’d like to, but the fact of the matter is that there are lots of ways to enjoy foreign experiences at home. Hosting a foreign exchange student is one way to immerse yourself in a foreign cultural experience at home. Here are a few others:

> Eat at ethnic restaurants, or hold dinner parties featuring foreign food. Whether you’re craving Indian fare or want to try Ethiopian cuisine, involve other people in your flavorful discovery of foreign food. If you choose to prepare it, you also get to embark on the culturally significant act of cooking the food as well. Drinking your way through beers and wines from abroad is also a fun way to experience a new culture.

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It’s a rare day that people can say there is not enough information about where, when and how to travel. When sifting through all of the information you dig up while planning a trip, the problem, then, is how to make sense of all of it. Information overload can be almost as unbearable as not having enough information during the travel planning stage. With dozens of sources available to read, watch, listen to and digest, how can you make the most of your time and effort while conducting research for your next vacation?

I certainly don’t claim to be a travel planning guru. In fact, I’m not very good at planning my own trips, but I have spent a fair amount of time browsing through the resources available. As you begin preparing for your next trip, I suggest you turn your attention to the following sources:

Documentaries and other movies are a great place to turn for travel inspiration. If I’m interested in getting a brief overview about a new destination, I often find films that have been shot in or are about that place. These rarely go into enough detail to allow for any actual planning, but they do provide a three-dimensional experience by providing either a snapshot or general overview of a place with imagery and sound. I also check out several non-fiction books from the children’s section of the library to get an overview of a destination.

Talking to people who have been to or live in your destination of choice provides a first-hand account of a place. Locals are great for offering up details such as the best places to eat, shop and find live entertainment while travelers tend to be better for logistical issues such as how the cost of things compares to other places, where to stay and how to get around. If you don’t know anyone who has been to your potential vacation destination, hop on a travel forum such as the Lonely Tree Thorn Tree or the travel forum at BootsnAll to find others who might be able to answer your questions.

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