Hello, my name is Heather and I am addicted to planning travel. …… There, I said it. I love reading about travel, I love looking at places to go, I love reading other people’s blog posts about travel…basically I love travel.

Courtesy photo

Most days, that isn’t a problem. I am able to compartmentalize the need and want to travel and see every corner of the world right now with the reality that I have a full-time job in news and that we have fun trips planned just a few weeks away.

But sometimes, as in recently, I get this urge to plan as many trips as I possibly can and it is all I can think about. My sister recently called for advice on a trip to Europe. Of course, I jumped into action and started researching as much as I could. I know she appreciated the advice, but I also realize that planning the trip is part of the fun and I shouldn’t take that away from her.

However, if you ever need help planning a trip or finding the best way to get around in a certain place or the best place to eat, I am your gal. The thrill of finding that perfect locals place to eat at or that great apartment on Air BnB that is close enough to the action but yet far enough away so you can sleep is what I live for.

When we were planning our trip to Dublin, I used Twitter a lot to connect with people who live there and who have been there. I connected with French Foodie in Dublin and even planned on doing her tour, but we had to cancel at the last minute because our flights were delayed by an entire day. I was also able to connect with other like-minded travelers who connected us to a delicious restaurant called Il Vicoletto. I mentioned it in my blog post about Dublin and my husband said the calamari there was the best he ever had.

Trying to find that balance between living my life in the now while still doing what I love in planning travel is tricky. I am still learning, but until then, I will keep planning….

Here are a few websites that I like to use to plan our travel:

• www.smartertravel.com
• www.matadornetwork.com
• www.airbnb.com
• www.google.com/flights
• www.thrillist.com
• www.fodors.com
• airfarewatchdog.com
• tripadvisor.com
• www.ricksteves.com
• www.nomadicmatt.com

Here are a few of my favorite twitter people because they often post very helpful information:

• @ThePointsGuy
• @CNTraveler (Conde Nast)
• @Suitcase2 (Suitcase Stories)
• @NomadicMatt
• @MappingMegan
• @HusbandinTow
• @LonelyPlanet
• @PeanutsPretzels
• @TripAdvisor
• @Airfarewatchdog
• @CJMcGinnis
• @SmarterTravel