Alain de Botton the Swiss/Brit philosopher has written a lovely little book called The Art of Travel. (Actually, several of his works touch on travel, including especially A Week at the Airport, and I recommend all of them.) He makes the observation that for some people, maybe many, the anticipation of the journey is a hugely important and rewarding part of the travel experience: the dreaming of what it will be like, the look-and-feel, even the experiences themselves. In that light, time spent researching might not be time spent, let alone time wasted; it might be an integral part of the experience.