HOW TO PERFECTLY PLAN YOUR NEXT TRIP
If you're like me, you simply looove planning new trips and on the way back from one you're already planning the next. If not, you might think that planning a trip is a pain. But it doesn't have to be like that - especially not with the steps I'm about to show you! 😎
Trip planning can be a daunting task. Where do you begin? What’s step one? What’s step two? What’s step three? It’s easy to get overwhelmed, especially when you haven’t done something like this before. As you plan more trips, of course you gain some experience. But you're lucky, I'm giving you a simple plan to follow step-by-step to plan your perfect trip!
Let's get started!
Step 1: Decide where you want to go
Your first step in how to start planning a trip is to choose a travel destination that meets your interests and travel budget.
Are you planning overseas travel or a domestic trip at home? Either way, the whole idea of taking a trip is to have a memorable time, to have fun and relax, and not to spend your whole vacation time worrying about money.
Defining where you want to go sets a goal to work toward. A lot of people talk vaguely about travel. They never say where they are going, just that they are going. Picking a destination is immensely important, as it gives you a definite goal. It’s a lot easier to mentally get behind “I am going to Paris” than “I’m going to Europe” or “I’m going somewhere.” Not only will your trip become more concrete for you and easier to commit to, but it will make planning easier as well…because you know what to work towards and it determines every aspect of planning.
Your destination depends on various aspects:
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How much time do you have?
If you only have 1 - 2 weeks, don't waste too much time traveling to and from your destination. Plan your trip accordingly.
If you have 3 - 4 weeks or over a month on the other hand, you can look at taking an overseas trip or traveling further within your home country.
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Who are you traveling with?
Your destination choices can be affected by your traveling companions. Will you be traveling solo, as a couple or taking family vacations?
Sit down with other members of your traveling group and discuss your ideas and interests. Memorable trips are those where each member gets to experience something they love. Don’t leave it to one person to make all the decisions. Or, maybe you could take turns in choosing a destination each year! -
What kind of experiences do you like?
You should definitely choose a destination that allows you to have experiences you enjoy.Do you like:
- Relaxation or adventure
- Beaches or mountains
- Summer or winter
- Cities or countryside
- Resorts or road trips
- Festivals and culture
- Shopping or food experience
- Luxury, mid-range, or budget
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When to go? Is your work flexible with when you can leave or do you have a set time frame when you can travel (e.g., a teacher)?
Weather and crowds play an important role when you plan your trip. For your chosen destination, do you know when the high season and low season is?
If you are fortunate enough to be flexible in when you can take your vacation time, good for you! Avoiding peak travel periods is one of our best travel tips for how to plan a vacation. This will not only save you a lot of money as everything is way cheaper out of peak season but also will prevent you from being in huge crowds all the time.
There are three great possibilities to get inspiration for your next vacation spot: social media, recommendations and friends & family.
Step 2: Pick a time and lenght for your trip
When you travel is just as important as where you travel. In fact, your timing can mean the difference of hundreds, possibly thousands of dollars in airfare. For example, the same flight can cost some hundred dollars more or less depending on where you go. So it's important to stay flexible, if possible. Sometimes by changing your date by only a day or two, you might be able to drop the price significantly. Keep in mind that every destination has a peak season, an off-peak season and a shoulder season (= in between peak season and off-peak season). Of course, there are often reasons for a peak/off-peak season so do your research. My favorite time for traveling is the shoulder season - you can combine cheaper flights and accomodations, less people and the benefits of good weather.
For figuring out, how much money you will need, you need to set a lenght. For example say, "I'm going to New York for 7 days". Now you have something you can work with.
Step 3: Research your costs
So you know where you’re going and how long you’ll be there, but to really nail down how much money you need, your next task is to research the costs in your destination at the style of travel you want. Do you want to backpack, or would you rather stay in luxury hotels? How much are hostels, hotels, restaurants, and attractions? Knowing will allow you to estimate how much money you’ll need for your trip. For example, if you are going to Paris for 10 days and need $75 a day (not including your flight), you know you need to save $750 (though round up to $800 since it’s good to have extra) for your trip.
Step 4: Take time off of work
You’re losing time and money by not taking your vacation days. These are benefits ensured to you by your employer. Use them!
Step 5: Start saving money
Write down all your current expenses so you can determine where you are spending money and how you can cut back. People bleed a lot of money every day through small purchases: that bottle of water, the dollar for that snack, that extra coffee. All of that adds up and creating this breakdown can let you know where you need to cut and save.
For example, if you need $2,000 USD for the trip you’re taking in eight months, that means you only have to save $8.33 per day. Couldn’t you find a way to save $8 per day? Heck, your daily coffee is most of that!
Step 6: Find affordable flights
One of the most common misconceptions about traveling is the idea that flying (especially international) has to be expensive. In fact, flying can be one of the most affordable parts of the trip if you know how to leverage the right tools. Two of the most effective tools to find affordable flights are: Travel credit cards and repositioning with error fares.
If you're not in debt, sign up for a travel credit card and you can earn a lot of bonuses. There are a lot of them to choose from, so just do your research which one you like most.
Concerning error fares: Error fares are airline tickets that are, temporarily, a WAY lower price than they’d normally be (typically through technical or human error). These fares often mean travelers can get tickets from mainland U.S. to places like Europe and Asia for a few hundred dollars or less.
To find these errors and deals, there are a number of websites that are dedicated to hunting them out. Here are a few ideas: Secret Flying, The Flight Deal, Scott's Cheap Flights, Next Vacay.
One key thing to remember when purchasing an error fare: Don't call the airline company to book! ou’re taking advantage of their mistake. If you point out how they messed up, they’re going to realize it and not let you have the deal. Stick to booking through the sites above or through third-party sites like Skyscanner instead.
Also don’t ignore an amazing flight deal because it’s departing from a different airport than the one closest to you. Remember how it’s important to be flexible on when you leave? Same goes for where you leave. So sometimes it's cheaper to go for the error fare flight and buy an extra flight to get to that airport than when you leave from the airport closest to you. That's called "repositioning".
If you don't want to do that, there are still many ways to avoid being the person on the flight who paid the most. My favorite sites for finding cheap airfare are Momondo, Skyscanner, Kayak and Google Flights as well as Kiwi for lesser-known routes.
Step 7: Book your accomodations
Do you want to stay in a hotel, hostel or an appartement? They all have their benefits and disadvantages, so decide which one works best for you. For example, I like to stay in hotels or Airbnbs, when you travel as a family, an appartement might be more convenient for you.
Similar to finding a good flight deal, there are a lot of websites that help you get a great deal on accomodations as well. For example, the ones I always use are Booking.com, Airbnb and Hotels.com. If you're looking for a good hostel, HostelBookers.com and HostelWorld might help you.
Step 8: Call your credit card companies
Credit card companies get nervous when they see you make purchases you don’t normally make — especially when those purchases are somewhere you don’t live. That’s why it’s important to give them a heads up before you go. You want to avoid the worst case that they cancel your credit card because they don't know it's you making all these purchases abroad. Give them a quick call and you don't have to worry about your credit cards again. But it's best to be prepared even for the worst case and carry some cash and an ATM/Debit card with you.
Step 9: Plan your activities and how to get around
Outline the major activities you want to enjoy and how much they cost. Make any last-minute adjustments to your savings so you can ensure you have enough money. This will also help you figure out if you need any reservations for your chosen tours or activities.
Keep in mind that popular attractions often are booked out well in advance so it's necessary to plan ahead if you want to do something very popular. Maybe there's something like a city pass that can save you money on attractions.
Also, make a list of free things to do where you want to go.
Will you need to book a rental car or pre-purchase any transportation passes online? Is there a train or bus service? Are there taxis or Uber? Can you simply walk to most places? Maybe you need a special card to get around by public transport.
When you like eating as much as I do, then also prepare ideas for coffee shops, food trucks, famous local dishes, bars, pubs, picnic spots etc.
Step 10: Check your passport, visa and immunizations
If you are planning an overseas trip and don’t have a passport yet, give yourself enough time to apply – at least 6 weeks before departure and preferably as soon as you have booked your flights and accommodation. And if you already have a passport, what is the expiration date? Most countries require that your passport is valid for six months beyond your date of stay and it has enough empty pages for stamps/visas.
Do you know the visa entry requirements for your destination? Do you even need a specific visa and how do you get it?
Each country and nationality will be different, and again, don’t leave this till the last minute as it could take significant time to organize.
Depending on where you plan your trip in a particular country, it’s important to get the right advice for any necessary vaccinations before you travel.
Your safety and health are essential, and in some instances, you can’t travel unless you have proof of having been vaccinated.
Talk to your doctor or health care professional knowledgeable about travel vaccines. Visit them at least 2 months before departure as some vaccinations need to be started six to eight weeks before departure and require more than one shot spread out over time.
Step 11: Make copies of important documents
Sometimes your important documents get misplaced. Companies can lose your booking reservation or there is a communication breakdown between the price you paid and the expected service.
For your peace of mind, make copies of important documents such as:
- Passports
- Visas
- Flight tickets
- Itineraries
- Hotel reservations
- Rental car reservations
- Tour bookings
- Drivers licence
- Credit Cards
- and anything else you booked for your trip.
Hard copies of certain documents are important as you won’t always have access to the internet to search email.
Step 12: Purchase travel insurance
“If you can’t afford travel insurance, then you can’t afford to travel”. It’s that simple.
Not having travel insurance on an overseas trip (or domestic) is not worth the risk. Anything can, will, and sometimes goes wrong. If it does and you are not insured, you can be up for a lot of money AND inconvenience.
When you are planning a trip, don’t shrug off this step. It’s one of the most important vacation planning tips!
What happens if:
- You need to cancel your trip unexpectedly
- A hurricane damages your destination
- There is a terrorist event
- You get sick or injured on your trip
- Your luggage is lost or stolen
- You lose your passport
Travel insurance is designed to cover unexpected medical emergencies and events such as trip cancellation, your personal effects, lost, stolen or damaged luggage by an airline, and other related losses incurred while traveling.
Just do your research on the Internet, which insurance works best for you! A company I've read about multiple times is WorldNomads as you can also buy it when you're already traveling.
Step 13: Pack!
Everything is planned and done, now the only thing that's left is to pack.
Thinking about packing can be stressful when you are planning your trip, but the best thing to do is pack the bare minimum because you can always buy it there! Select versatile, comfortable and loose fitting clothesand neutral colors that can be worn in multiple combinations so if something gets dirty you only have to change part of the outfit.
Packing cells are a lifesaver. In each packing cell, we roll up each item and arrange clothes based on type and season.
Top 5 travel packing tips:
- Know the weather of the destination you are visiting, which helps reduce over-packing.
- When flying take a change of clothes in your carry-on just in case your checked-in luggage doesn’t arrive with you.
- Know the activities you will be doing so you can pack appropriately.
- Know the types of accommodation you will be staying at. If you are staying in hotels you won’t need to take things like towels, hair dryers or linen.
- Charge your electronics and load up all your tablets and portable devices with things to read, play, watch
You don’t need a massive 70L bag stuffed to the top for a trip around Europe or Asia. So collect your items and then remove at least 20%. You’re going to be lugging this bag around for months, so less is definitely more!
That's it, we hope our step-by-step guide could help you to plan your next trip and be perfectly prepared.
Enjoy it, it's going to be a perfect time! 🤩
