Learn Hardcore Japanese: ryokou no mae ni, tosyokan de tizu wo sirabete okimasu. - Before the trip, I will look up the map at the library in advance.

旅行の前 literally means “the time in front of the trip”, i.e. “before the trip.”
So 旅行 is describing 前, just like “trip + before” becomes “before the trip” in English.

You’ll see this pattern a lot:

食事の前 – before the meal
試験の前 – before the exam
仕事の前 – before work

Why do we need に after 前 in 旅行の前に?

に marks a time point or time boundary at which something happens.

旅行の前 = “the time before the trip” (a noun phrase)
旅行の前に = “before the trip, (I do X)” – に attaches the time phrase to the verb as a time expression.

Pattern:

Noun + の + 前に + action
- 出発の前に準備します。 – I prepare before departure.
- 寝る前に本を読みます。 – I read a book before sleeping.

So の links the nouns; に links that whole time phrase to the verb.

What’s the difference between 旅行の前に and 旅行する前に?

Both can often be translated as “before the trip” or “before traveling,” but there’s a slight structural difference:

旅行の前に – uses the noun 旅行
- Focus is on the trip as an event/time: “before the trip (as an event).”
旅行する前に – uses the verb 旅行する
- Literally “before (I) do traveling.”

In everyday speech, in a sentence like yours, they are practically interchangeable:

旅行の前に、図書館で地図を調べておきます。
旅行する前に、図書館で地図を調べておきます。

Both sound natural. 旅行の前に feels slightly more compact and noun-like; 旅行する前に slightly more explicitly “before (I) travel.”

Why is it 図書館で and not 図書館に?

で marks the place where an action happens.

図書館で地図を調べておきます。
= I will check the maps at the library (the checking happens there).

In contrast, に is mainly for:

Destination / goal of movement
- 図書館に行きます。 – I go to the library.
Location of existence
- 図書館に本があります。 – There are books in the library.

Since 調べる is an action that is performed at the library, で is the correct particle.

What exactly does 調べる mean here? How is it different from 見る or 探す?

調べる means “to look up / to check / to investigate (information).”

In this sentence, it suggests:

looking at maps carefully,
possibly using resources (books, computers),
to get useful information for the trip.

Comparisons:

見る – to see/look/watch
- Just looking at a map, not necessarily studying it in detail.
探す – to look for/search for something you don’t know where it is
- E.g. 地図を探す – to look for a map (because you don’t have one yet).
調べる – to check/investigate information in some source
- 地図を調べる – to study/check the information on the map.

So here, 地図を調べる is like “to study/check the maps (for routes, locations, etc.).”

What does 〜ておきます (in 調べておきます) mean?

Verb‑て + おく has the idea of “do something in advance / do it and leave it that way for later benefit.”

In this sentence:

調べておきます ≈ “I will go ahead and check (the maps) in advance (so we’re prepared).”

Common uses of 〜ておく:

旅行の前にホテルを予約しておきます。
– I’ll book the hotel in advance.
会議の資料をコピーしておきました。
– I’ve copied the meeting materials (ahead of time).

So 〜ておきます adds a preparatory / for-future-convenience nuance that plain 〜ます doesn’t have.

Does 調べておきます refer to the future? There’s no future tense form here.

Japanese doesn’t have a separate future tense like English. The non‑past polite form (〜ます) can mean:

present habit: 毎日日本語を勉強します。 – I study Japanese every day.
general statement: 水は100度で沸きます。 – Water boils at 100°C.
future/intention: 明日映画を見ます。 – I’ll watch a movie tomorrow.

In your sentence:

旅行の前に – “before the trip” (clearly a future time)
調べておきます – “will check (in advance)”

So the context makes it clearly future / planned action, even though the verb form itself is just “non‑past polite.”

Can I just say 調べます instead of 調べておきます? What’s the nuance difference?

You can say 調べます, and it’s grammatically fine:

旅行の前に、図書館で地図を調べます。

This means simply “I (will) check the maps at the library before the trip.”

However, 調べておきます adds:

the idea of preparation,
doing it on purpose, in advance, so things go smoothly later.

Nuance comparison:

調べます – I (will) check the maps. (neutral)
調べておきます – I’ll make sure to get the maps checked ahead of time (so we’re ready).

In conversation, 〜ておきます often sounds more helpful / proactive, especially when talking about shared plans.

Can the word order be different, or must it be exactly 旅行の前に、図書館で地図を調べておきます。?

Japanese word order is somewhat flexible as long as the particles stay attached to the right words. The natural order here is:

Time: 旅行の前に
Place: 図書館で
Object: 地図を
Verb: 調べておきます

You could say, for example:

図書館で、旅行の前に地図を調べておきます。 – Emphasizes “at the library” a bit more.

However, you wouldn’t normally split 地図を away from 調べておきます, and the verb still has to come at the end. The original order is the most neutral and typical: time → place → object → verb.

What parts of this sentence could be omitted in natural Japanese?

Several things can be omitted when the meaning is clear:

The subject (I/we, 私は)
- Usually understood from context:
  (私は) 旅行の前に、図書館で地図を調べておきます。
In casual speech, you might also hear:
- 旅行の前に、図書館で地図調べておく。
  - Drop を and use the plain form 〜ておく (not polite).
  - Omitting を like this is common in casual conversation.
You can also shorten the 旅行の前に part slightly:
- 旅行前に、図書館で地図を調べておきます。
  - 旅行前 works like a compound noun meaning “pre‑trip.”
  - Both 旅行の前に and 旅行前に are natural; 旅行の前に sounds a bit more neutral/plain.

You generally cannot drop に after 前 in this usage; 前に as a unit is needed to mean “before (something).”