I’ve always been a planner, and when I started to become a frequent traveler, the skill served itself well. Whenever I go on vacations with friends I’m often the one to take the lead on planning. As I started to travel more and more, friends would also reach out for tips if I’d been to the place they were going. This is what eventually led to me creating this blog. Even though I enjoy it, I do understand how time-consuming and stressful travel planning can be, especially with the current state of the world. I figured I would share some of my tips on the steps I take when planning a trip to help you.
Step 1: Set your budget
This will have a big influence on where you go and what you do when you’re there. Alternatively, if you have a destination in mind and have something you really want to do there, this can help determine the budget. If you want to visit Croatia and do a boat cruise, you may want to allocate less to the hotels. Or if you visit a spot that’s a big foodie destination you may want to allocate more for your food budget and look for things like free walking tours. While you don’t necessarily need to set an amount for the whole trip, do set max amounts for each area. For example, the cost of the flight, $150 max per night at the hotel, dinners under $60 per night, and all activities under $200 in total.
Step 2: Pick a destination
If you’re like me and love to travel, picking the place alone can be stressful. If you don’t have a spot in mind but do have the dates and budget, I recommend using SkyScanner, putting in your destination and dates, and it will shoot out a list of destinations with prices and flight time. With the current situation, picking spots close to home is also a great option. I recommend looking up “best day trips from…” or “best places to see in…”your area” for ideas close by. Also, don’t forget to check the destination’s tourism page for the latest rules and regulations - even if you’re fully vaccinated, some destinations may still require proof of a negative test, for example.
Step 3: Find a place to stay
For me, it’s all about the location when visiting a city. Always research ahead and see what areas people recommend you stay in; sometimes the downtown area isn’t the most fun to stay in, so by finding the right neighborhood, you can narrow down your choices.
Next, decide on the type of accommodation, AirBnb versus a hotel. These days hotels have such good deals I rarely check AirBnb, but I think it really depends on your personal preference for the trip. When we went to Italy last year we did a mix of hotels and AirBnbs which was nice.
When looking at hotels or areas to stay in, I recommend checking out the location tags on Instagram; this can give you an even better overview and insight than the hotel’s website will, as they’ll only showcase the most polished spots. I also prefer to read blogger reviews of hotels rather than big travel websites, as the bloggers often promote less expensive and more boutique options.
Step 4: Decide what to do
Here’s an area I’ve recently been changing my tune on. When I first started traveling on my own as an adult, I wanted to pack in as much as possible each day. I would literally create timed-out itineraries on some trips. Now, my new tactic is to pick 2-3 things that I definitely want to do, whether it be trying a restaurant, visiting a certain area of the city, or seeing a specific museum, and then let everything else flow around that. Often when you arrive in a place and begin walking around you get ideas for things to do, and can then figure out when you have time outside of your set plans to fill with these other activities. If any major attractions are a must-see, like the coliseum in Rome, make sure you plan and buy tickets ahead - I’ve been scorned by ill planning for big spots a few times before. GetYourGuide and Viator are my favorite places for finding and booking both popular and unique excursions ahead of time.
Step 5: Packing
Everythings planned, now it’s time to pack. I like to pack light, but bring a lot of options. I typically only travel with a carry-on for any type of trip - it’s all about layering and bringing things you can wear for more than one outfit. You can find my full guide to packing here.
Bonus step: Enjoy!
Something I often forget to do is to just go with the flow and enjoy the trip! Things may not go according to plan, but if there’s anything we’ve learned from the last year, it’s that pivot can often reap great rewards.
