1. Getting Started

1. Think about Your Assignment and Pick a Topic

First Things First - Assignment Requirements

Before you begin work on any research assignment, examine the assignment closely for any requirements.

Q. What information do you need to include on your itinerary?

Make a list of every piece of needed information on the assignment - airplane ticket/flight, hotel reservations, restaurant reservations, fun cultural activity, etc.

Q. How many sources?

How many total sources does your instructor ask for? I believe it's at least 3, but double-check the assignment.

Q. What kind of sources?

Does your instructor specify certain types of sources? Or a particular source, like Culturegrams that you must use?

Q. How do you cite sources?

Does your instructor ask you to use MLA format for your citations? Do you need to turn in a list of Works Cited page along with your itinerary?

Q. What is due?

Along with your itinerary, what other supporting documents are you asked to turn in? For instance, you may need to turn in a Works Cited list, as well as supporting travel documents like maps, directions, etc. Make note of all the parts of the assignment and create a checklist to make sure you don't leave anything out.

Q. When is it due?

How long do you have to work on this itinerary? Is there one due date for everything or are there multiple due dates for different parts of the assignment? Plan out your time, so you don't get stuck doing all the work at the last minute. Plan extra time in case you have problems or get stuck.

Selecting a City

The first thing you need to do before you begin constructing your itinerary is select the city to which your supervisor is going to travel. Consider the following:

Q. Do you have an interest?

Consider a city that you would like to know more about or that you have always wanted to visit. Having a personal interest in research the city and travel details in the city will encourage you to be thorough and make the project more enjoyable.

Q. Large, Business-Oriented Cities?

Before you totally commit to a city, make sure it's a good fit for this assignment. If your supervisor is traveling overseas for business, the location will likely be a major city or a city that's known as a business hub. Either way, you'll want to make sure that there is enough information/resources about the city that you can complete the assignment.

For ideas, browse a list of the world's largest metropolitan areas.