To plan your trip is essential for a great vacation. But planning a trip could also be stressy, exhausting and a nightmare if you don’t know what you do. It’s about setting a budget, find a destination, buy the right tickets and make sure al the paper are in order. However if you follow this 7 steps to plan your trip it will be so much easier for you.
Decide your budget
We al have different opportunities and sizes of our wallets. But the first thing you need to do is to decide how much money you are prepared to use for your next adventure. The amount of money will make a grind for your opportunities. Depending on your budget you need to decide if you take a long vacation in a cheap country like Bulgaria or a shorter in lets say Norway. You also need to decide if you should put more money on the flight or the hotel. Maybe you want to visit Thailand and put most of the money on the plane and stays a month at a hostel. While others fly Ryan Air to Portugal and stays a few nights on a luxurious hotel. Its al about your budget and how you choice to prioritize it.
Decide your destination
The next step when you plan your trip is to decide your destination. Different destination fits people with different interest. If you like kite surfing, then maybe Slovakia aint your perfect destination. But it could be if you like wooden churches. So when you decide your destination you need to think what you want to do there. Are you looking for action, food, culture or maybe just some relaxation. Nothing here is wrong but you need to know what you want to get out of it.
When you decided what you want to get out of your journey you most consider what time of the year are you traveling. Is it off season or at its highest peak? Will it be cold or warm there and is there any national holidays you need to consider? And lastly, do you need a visa and whats the cost to get it?
Make some research about your destination
You can and should use Tripadvisor when you plan your trip. But this is not the only source you should use. Make sure to use Pinterest and Instagram as well. Use the hashtags of your destination or maybe you should narrow them down even more. Search for different blogs who have been writing about the destination, make a search on Youtube and use Google Street view to get an impression what it looks like. Google maps can also be a good alternative for Tripadvisor. But the best research is to ask someone you know have been there.
Make a day to day plan
Now you know where and when you should go. You also have a brief ide about what you want to see and experience. But you need to make a day to day plan. Making sure you get time too see everything. So when you plan your trip, make sure that you
- have checked the distance and if there is public transportation
- have some air in between the activities. Traffic jam aint uncommon or you want to stay a little longer at some place
- made sure the attraction you want to see is open. Check the opening hours!
- have some days off to just relax and be you. Traveling can be a challenge and we want you to enjoy it.
Book your trip
Now its time to book your trip. If you will use points to get a flight I recommend Award Fares to find your tickets. But if you fly on a paid ticker check out Google Flights to get a great overview of possible flights. If you have status on a hotel chain, check what options they have. Is there any good hotels for you? If not is it worth to make a matchmaking or is hotels.com an option? If you choice the later, remember that they will change their bonus program sone. Also remember to book transfer from the airport if your hotel aint close to a train station or bus stop.
Prepare your arrival
Now you are almost there and its time to prepare your arrival. Make sure you have some cash in the local currency. There is always this small kiosks that want take cards and when you arrive, well there is a better way then running around to find an ATM.
Make sure you have free roaming on your phone. If not, buy a sim or e-simcard at the airport to avoid expensive phone bills. You will also get it much easier if you learned at least some phrases in the local languages and have downloaded a map into your phone.
The paper work
If you travel abroad you will maybe need to make some extra paperwork. Some is easy as making sure your passport is valid al the time + 6 months. But you maybe also need to apply for visa or an e-approval like ESTA. Its also a good idea to see if you need some special vaccinations for your journey. Some countries in Africa and South America demands vaccination against Yellow Fever as an example.
Its also good to have taken some photo of your passport, visa and travel insurance. If you don’t have a travel insurance make sure you get one. If you pay with a credit card there is usually a travel insurance connected to it. But is it good enough? Finally before you go, make sure you have a small first aid kit in your hand luggage.
And of you go…
Now when you have planned your trip you are al set and ready for a magic vacation. Make sure that you will have a fun safe and caring vacation. Remember that you are a guest in another country so respect local laws and tradition. If you have plans to visit a religious place, make sure you can cover your legs and shoulder and look and act like the locals and you will have a great vaction.