Tag: Trip Planning

Travel Research Process: Most people start planning a vacation by looking for flights.

I usually start with a restaurant.

Sometimes it’s a Michelin-starred dining room that’s been on my list for years. Sometimes it’s a cocktail bar tucked away on a quiet side street that only holds a dozen people. Other times it’s a Formula 1 race that gives me the excuse to explore a city I might not have visited otherwise.

Wherever it begins, the process is almost always the same.

I become obsessed.

What starts as a simple weekend getaway slowly transforms into dozens of browser tabs, spreadsheets, reservation alerts, Google Maps pins, YouTube videos, travel forums, restaurant menus, hotel reviews, and enough research to write a small travel guide before I’ve even boarded the plane.

Most people would probably call it overkill.

They’re probably right.

But that’s also why I rarely leave a destination wishing I had done more.

Travel Is More Than a Destination

For me, traveling has never been about checking countries off a list.

I don’t travel simply to say I’ve been somewhere.

I travel to understand why people love a place.

That means learning about its neighborhoods, understanding its food culture, discovering its cocktail scene, finding the hotels that actually live up to their reputation, and talking to the people who spend their lives creating memorable experiences.

The destination is important.

But the experience is everything.

Travel Research Process Step One: Find a Reason to Go

Every trip needs a centerpiece.

Sometimes it’s Formula 1.

Sometimes it’s a restaurant reservation that seemed impossible to get.

Sometimes it’s a city I’ve wanted to explore for years.

That one experience becomes the anchor around which everything else is built.

When I planned my trip to Barcelona, the original goal was the Spanish Grand Prix.

Then came reservations at Disfrutar, Mont Bar, and Kresala.

Suddenly the race weekend wasn’t the only reason I was excited.

The restaurants became just as important as the racing.

When I travel to São Paulo, it starts with Formula 1—but quickly expands into researching Michelin-starred restaurants, hidden cocktail bars, local neighborhoods, and experiences that most visitors never discover.

One great reservation can change the entire direction of a trip.

Travel Research Process Step Two: Ignore the “Top 10 Things to Do”

The internet loves lists.

Top 10 attractions.

Top 20 restaurants.

Five hidden gems.

Those lists are useful—but only as a starting point.

Most of the truly memorable experiences I’ve had weren’t at the top of those articles.

Instead, I dig deeper.

I read chef interviews.

I study restaurant menus months before arriving.

I look at cocktail programs instead of just drink photos.

I search Reddit to see what locals actually recommend.

I browse Google Maps until I find places with hundreds of reviews but almost no social media attention.

I’ll spend hours comparing neighborhoods because staying in the right location can completely change how a city feels.

Research isn’t about finding the most famous place.

It’s about finding the place that’s right for you.

Travel Research Process Step Three: Build the Trip Around Food

Some people eat wherever they happen to be.

I’m the opposite.

Meals often determine my daily schedule.

If dinner is on the opposite side of the city, I’ll spend the afternoon exploring that neighborhood.

If lunch finishes near a famous cocktail bar, I’ll stop in for one drink before continuing the day.

If there’s an incredible bakery nearby, breakfast is already planned.

The best itineraries flow naturally.

You’re not bouncing back and forth across the city.

You’re letting restaurants, museums, parks, and bars complement one another.

Planning this way creates better days—and a lot less time sitting in traffic.

Travel Research Process Step Four: Walk Whenever Possible

One of my favorite discoveries has nothing to do with reservations.

It’s walking.

Some of the best memories I’ve made happened between destinations.

Finding a neighborhood café.

Watching locals gather in a small square.

Discovering a cocktail bar that wasn’t on my list.

Seeing architecture I’d never have noticed from the back seat of a taxi.

Walking slows everything down.

It forces you to notice details.

Those unexpected moments often become the stories you remember years later.

Travel Research Process Step Five: Talk to People

This is probably the most underrated part of travel.

Talk to bartenders.

Talk to servers.

Talk to hotel concierges.

Talk to chefs if they’re available.

Ask what they eat on their day off.

Ask where they send visiting friends.

Ask what everyone else misses.

Those conversations have led me to restaurants that never appeared in any guidebook.

They’ve introduced me to local specialties I wouldn’t have ordered otherwise.

They’ve changed entire afternoons because someone pointed me toward a neighborhood I hadn’t planned to visit.

The people who live there usually know the city better than any influencer ever will.

Travel Research Process Step Six: Leave Room for the Unexpected

Research is important.

Flexibility is just as important.

Not every reservation works out.

Weather changes.

Flights get delayed.

A local recommendation might completely reshape your plans.

That’s okay.

Some of my favorite travel memories happened because something unexpected forced me to change direction.

The goal isn’t to execute the perfect itinerary.

The goal is to create opportunities for unforgettable experiences.

Travel Research Process: Luxury Doesn’t Always Mean Expensive

People often assume luxury travel means spending as much money as possible.

I don’t see it that way.

Luxury is value.

A perfectly made cocktail served by someone passionate about their craft can feel more luxurious than a five-star hotel with mediocre service.

A neighborhood restaurant where the chef personally introduces each course can leave a stronger impression than the world’s most expensive tasting menu.

Price matters.

Quality matters more.

That’s why I don’t recommend places because they’re expensive.

I recommend them because they’re exceptional.

Why I Share These Experiences

People often ask me where they should eat in a city.

Which hotel I’d book.

Which cocktail bar is actually worth visiting.

Or whether a famous restaurant deserves all the attention it gets.

Those questions made me realize I’d already done thousands of hours of research over the years.

Instead of keeping those discoveries to myself, I decided to document them here.

Everything you’ll read comes from firsthand experience.

If I recommend a restaurant, I’ve eaten there.

If I recommend a hotel, I’ve stayed there.

If I tell you to order a particular cocktail, it’s because I’ve probably spent far too much time talking to the bartender about how they made it.

Travel Research Process: The Research Never Stops

Every trip teaches me something new.

A better restaurant.

A hidden cocktail bar.

A neighborhood I’d never considered.

A hotel that exceeded expectations—or one that didn’t.

The list keeps growing.

So does the curiosity.

That’s what this website is about.

Not collecting passport stamps.

Collecting experiences worth remembering.

If these stories help you discover one unforgettable meal, one incredible cocktail, one remarkable hotel, or one destination you might otherwise have overlooked, then every hour of research was worth it.

Usually.

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The Research Never Stops.

By Richard Jarocki · Travel Stories · July 20, 2026 · Updated September 25, 2026

Food-focused trips usually start with a restaurant for me. Most people start planning a vacation by searching for flights; I start by figuring out where I want to eat.

Or maybe it’s a cocktail bar I’ve been reading about for months. Sometimes it’s a Formula 1 race. Other times it’s a hotel I want to experience for myself.

Whatever it is, that’s where the research begins. One reason to go becomes dozens of browser tabs, Google Maps pins, menus, videos, conversations, and questions. By the time I leave, I’ve usually learned enough about a place to write a guide before I’ve packed my suitcase.

Normal? Probably not. Worth it? Usually.

I Start With a Reason to Go

Even my food-focused trips sometimes begin with something other than food. Barcelona started with a race; the restaurants helped shape the rest.

Barcelona started with Formula 1. New York started with restaurants I’d been trying to book for years. São Paulo began with Interlagos, then grew into a much bigger interest in its dining scene, cocktail bars, neighborhoods, and hotels.

I don’t build a trip around a checklist of famous sights. I start with what genuinely interests me, then learn what else is nearby and worth my time.

I Research the Details—and Ask People

When planning food-focused trips, I read menus months before I arrive.. I compare hotels to understand which ones deliver on their promises and which ones simply charge luxury prices. I read reviews for patterns rather than star ratings: What do people consistently love? What disappoints experienced travelers? Is a restaurant exceptional, or just everywhere on Instagram?

I also talk to people. A review can tell me a lot, but a conversation can point me toward a place I would never have found on a list.

São Paulo is a good example of how far I’ll take that research. I read about the hotels and spoke with people while figuring out where to stay. Across three trips, I stayed at different hotels for two or three nights at a time, then moved on to the next. I wanted to experience them myself before deciding which ones were actually worth recommending.

For my own trips, I also use the Marriott Bonvoy app. I tend to prefer Marriott properties because I like the service, though I still want to know how a particular hotel feels in person. In Barcelona, I chose Sir Victor for its location and its connection to Marriott Bonvoy. On my next São Paulo trip, I’m staying at the W. I’ve stayed there before, but I spent so much of that visit out in the city or at the race that I didn’t get much time to explore the hotel itself. This return will give me a better chance to get to know it.

I Pick a Few Restaurants I Don’t Want to Miss

For restaurants, I start with the Michelin Guide and The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Depending on the destination, I can broaden the search with:

Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants when I’m planning São Paulo

La Liste’s Top 1000 Restaurants

Opinionated About Dining’s Europe Top Restaurants for a trip like Barcelona

Those lists give me names to investigate. Then I look at Instagram posts, reviews, and photos to get a better sense of the food and the experience. I narrow it down to two or three places I really want to try.

That approach is behind my Barcelona travel guide and São Paulo restaurants guide, both drawn from food-focused trips I actually took.

Those meals give my food-focused trips a starting point. I build the rest around them, especially more local places I find through research or conversations once I’m there. I want to experience the city, not just eat through a list of awards.

I Build the Days Around the Experiences

My food-focused trips start to take shape once I know which reservations are fixed and how much time I have between them.

A bakery in the morning. A neighborhood or museum to explore. An afternoon cocktail. Dinner somewhere I’ve spent months trying to reserve. Maybe late-night drinks at a place someone recommended along the way.

I think about how the experiences fit together. I’d rather spend three days getting to know one neighborhood than race across a city trying to see everything.

I leave room for the unexpected, too. Food-focused trips need enough flexibility to follow a good recommendation. Some of my favorite memories came from a bartender pointing me to another bar, a chef recommending a restaurant, a concierge sending me somewhere I hadn’t considered, or a walk between two reservations that became the best part of the day.

I can help you plan a trip this way, too. If you’re deciding where to stay, which restaurants are worth reserving, or how to fit everything together without rushing, tell me what you’re planning.

I Judge the Experience for Myself

Luxury isn’t about spending the most. It’s attention to detail: service that feels effortless, a perfectly balanced cocktail, a hotel that lives up to the promise.

Sometimes that means a Michelin-starred tasting menu. Sometimes it means a twelve-seat neighborhood wine bar. Price doesn’t impress me. Quality does.

That’s why I go beyond collecting recommendations. If I tell you a restaurant is worth visiting, I’ve eaten there. If I recommend a hotel, I’ve slept there. My own experience is what turns all that research into an opinion I can stand behind. No sponsored rankings. No recycled lists.

I bring that same firsthand standard to travel and hospitality collaborations. I experience the place myself, and my opinion stays my own.

The Research Never Stops

Friends have always asked me where to eat, which hotel I’d book, and whether a place deserves the hype. This website is where I share what I learn from planning, going, asking questions, and sometimes going back again.

Every trip adds something: a better restaurant, a hotel I’d return to, a hidden cocktail bar, a neighborhood I didn’t expect to love. The list keeps growing. So does the curiosity.

If all those hours of research help you find one unforgettable meal, one perfect cocktail, or one place you might otherwise have missed, they were time well spent.

Usually.

Completely Unnecessary. Absolutely Worth It

Need help planning food-focused trips, a city break, or a Grand Prix weekend? Send me your destination, dates, budget, and what matters most to you. We can talk through the hotels, meals, and experiences that make sense for your trip.

More From My Travels

• Barcelona Travel Guide: Where I Stayed, Ate, and Explored
• My São Paulo Restaurants Guide
• São Paulo: The Trip That Changed Everything
• Why I Love Formula 1: Our Sport. Our Passion. Our People.

Follow me on Instagram @Richard.Jarocki for more food, cocktails, hotels, and Formula 1 from my travels.

Completely Unnecessary. Absolutely Worth It.

Let’s Plan Your Next Trip

Have a destination in mind—or a restaurant worth building a trip around? Tell me where you want to go, your dates, approximate budget, and what you enjoy. Whether it’s food, cocktails, hotels, or a Formula 1 weekend, I can help you work out how it all fits together.

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