How to plan a trip
When you’ve never planned a trip before, it can become very intimidating and overwhelming very quickly. There are a number of things that can be obvious when you plan a trip, like booking your flights, accommodations, what you are going to see, and how long your trip is going to be. But when you get to the smaller details is when your trip planning can get held up with not knowing how to move forward. These things can be: how do I get to the attractions, how long do I stay in each place, how do I plan each day smartly.
Then comes in the things that you didn’t know you should have looked up before arriving in your destination. Things like: what is the best way to get from the airport to my accommodation, how much is public transportation and how do I pay for it, can I walk from my accommodation to the attractions I want to see, where should I eat? Yes, you will still be able to figure all of these things out while you are travelling, but it will add more stress, and more often than not, more money. When you are going to plan your trip, I want you to be able to see what you want with as little stress as possible and knowing how to spend your travel dollars wisely. The first thing you want to do is determine where you want to go, how long you will go for and when you are going to go. Once you have these things decide you can then start breaking down each day. If you have too many places on your list of where you want to go, head to the next step to help you make decisions on where to go. Yes, no one likes to talk about budgets but you want to enjoy being on your trip and be happy when you get home. You want to have a budget so you don’t go into debt and have to repay one trip for the next year or so. This makes it much harder to go on another trip for some time. When you do set up a budget, you want to include the before and after trip things like: new clothes for the trip, extra hair/nail appointments, any travel supplies, getting to and from the airport, travel insurance… Your budget can also help you determine where to go by figuring out how much it will cost to go to each place. You can then decide based on the cost what and where will fit within your budget. Now you want to book your flight and your accommodations. If you are visiting a few different places, you’ll want to have determined how long you’ll be in each place (I strongly recommend that you stay in each place for a minimum of 3 nights). Now that you have the shell of your trip, you want to fill in what you want to do each day and book any tickets that are must do’s on your list. I would suggest that you don’t plan everything down to the minute. You want to leave time to just explore and wander or relaxing in a cafe watching the world go by. The little things are sometimes the things that most people miss. Look to see how you want to get around in your destination, how far away things are, some restaurants to try out, how to get to and from the airport/train stations, and what are common scams to avoid. Before you leave, you want to make sure your passport is up to date, you have both digital and hard copies of all your reservations, tickets, itinerary, copies of your credit cards, bank cards, passport, and emergency numbers (like your travel insurance, who to call in an emergency, your destination’s emergency numbers). You also want to have a second copy that will go to a friend or family member at home so they know where you are and can help if something happens. Now the moment you’ve been planning and waiting for is to get to your destination and start exploring somewhere new, eating delicious food and experiencing a new culture. Having your trip planned out, even just a little, will save you a whirl of stress and headaches and allow you to enjoy your time away more than ever. If you haven’t already, make sure you sign up to get your free “Vacation Blueprint” trip planning kit. It includes a video going through the different steps, along with a workbook so you can keep everything in one place. Plan a trip #1: Decide the basics
Plan a trip #2: Decide your budget
Plan a trip #3: Book the major things
Plan a trip #4: Plan your days
Plan a trip #5: Decide the little things
Plan a trip #6: Have all your documents together
Plan a trip #7: Take Your Trip!