Okay, so trip planning can be super daunting. Even more so if you haven’t really done it before. Whether it’s the affordability aspect or simply the unknown, there’s lots of decisions that can leave you feeling overwhelmed and second guessing yourself. But honestly, try your best not to worry. Taking the leap and deciding you are in need of a trip or new experience is the biggest step.
When I travel, I’m all about creating a balance of all the things and nothing at all. I like to allow some room for my experiences to organically fall together as much as I can. The memories that always tend to stick with me are the ones I didn’t plan- so leave room for spontaneity. This doesn’t mean you should plan less however. I always have plans for the day and lists of what I’m trying to see and do- I just may wake up one morning and decide I’d rather sit in a cafe all day instead. And that’s what I’ll do. Without any guilt whatsoever. All about the options in my opinion and the more you have prepared and thought out, the more options you get to choose from. So plan the trip and then let your heart decide if you want to follow it.
But let’s get you there first. When to visit, where to stay, how to get around.. these are all things that can cost us precious time and money. So I’ve compiled my top tips to help you navigate through the tricky decision making. If you have questions or comments, reach out! If you need some help putting together a trip, hollerrrrr- I love a good trip planning project. And most of all- follow through and go!
Where you going
Where and When?
Don’t let the climate kill your good vacay vibes. Once you have a destination in mind, know what to expect weather-wise. Traveling during Summer is typically more expensive for obvious reasons. So if you’re on a budget but desperate for a trip, look at flying in the fall months- and if you’re really brave- winter is always a good option. But make sure you can still enjoy your vacation- don’t head to Barcelona in February if sitting outside with your coat and a blanket on sounds horrible. Likewise, Scotland tends to be rainy.. well.. always.. but slightly less in summer. So know what to expect during the time of year you’re planning on visiting.
How Easy Is It To Get There?
Depending on your time restrictions, you may not want to add too many stops. Same goes for choosing a destination that has you on multiple trains, a ferry, and then a 2 hour bus ride to your location. Keep in mind that adding too many cities or different hotels/airbnbs to check in and out of will suck up precious time. I know it’s tempting to squeeze in as many places as you can, especially when making a far trip, but sometimes you don’t get that much more out of the experience. A entire day can be spent just moving around- and that’s cool if you’re okay with that. Just make sure you’re accounting for the time.
Is Your Flight Too Expensive?
If you have your sight on a specific location, but those flight prices just won’t come down, there are two things you can look into and try. First, be flexible with your dates. Not only does the time of year play a key role in pricing, but prices also fluctuate day to day. If you can tweek your dates even just slightly, you can sometimes save money. It can literally be as easy as changing your flight to Wednesday versus your original Tuesday plan and there you have it- saved 200$. There are quite a few sites that help you compare prices day to day. Google flights is one of my personal favorites, but Skyscanner and Momondo are great too! Secondly, remember that flights throughout Europe are A LOT cheaper than flights throughout the USA. If your destination is looking a little pricey, I recommend checking out a European hub- Amsterdam and Paris (among others) are good ones to start looking into. Then you would take a European airline to your destination from there. Yes, you’ll have to connect, but you can potentially save hundreds of dollars. I once purchased a flight from Paris to London for only 60$ and Dublin to Glasgow for 38$. It’s crazy. You can do this for Asia as well, but it’s not always a big saver like Europe typically is. And South America- don’t even bother. Flights between South American countries are usually pretty high.
Where you staying
Hotel or Airbnb?
There are loads more options- hostels, couchsurfing, housesitting, the list goes on- more in another post about this. But! Typically, the main decision is- do you want to stay in a hotel with amenities probably located in city center or beach front orrrr do you want more of a local experience staying in a neighborhood WITH A KITCHEN (usually) and pretending you aren’t the tourist that you totally are. I think you know my vote.. a kitchen always gets me. But you do you!
Read Descriptions Carefully.
Once you decide on which direction youre leaning towards with accommodation, make sure you read the decription carefully. Hotels tend to range in more than just comfort level overseas. Some may have shared bathroom options similar to a hostel, some don’t have tvs.. just make sure youre getting what you want/need and don’t assume all hotels are the same. Bathrooms are definitely something to scope out wherever you’re staying however. They can be a bit different by American standards. And by different, I mean small. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but something to be aware of. One of my personal requirements is finding a shower that does not have a handheld showerhead. You’ll discover that these are quite common in Europe. Again, not a bad thing, but you’ll have to become skilled in lathering your body and hair with one hand and spraying yourself down with the other.. All while not spraying water all over the bathroom floor. It’s fun. Or not at all. During one visit to France, I stood on top of the toilet and held the showerhead above Ben while he was in the shower.
Book Near Public Transportaion.
If you’re staying in a city center, it’s always a bonus to book a place near a subway or train line. When staying in a new area, I always try to walk everywhere and get a feel for the neighborhood, but after a few days, having public transit zip you around is pretty nice and saves on time- especially that first day trying to find your accommodation. I’ve spent many hours over the years walking for what felt like miles with a giant backpack looking for where I’m staying and it’s exhausting. Some places are worth the trek, others, not so much. Either way, having public transit nearby is really nice.
What Else is Near Your Accommodation?
If you can, an area with a couple restaurants and possibly a grocery store or bodega is a plus too. This will be helpful on those late nights when you’re tired, but still up for a glass of wine or picking up quick food near home. As much as you want to think you’ll have energy every minute of the day, it sadly doesn’t always happen. This tip may sound a little unneccessary to mention, but sometimes we find the cutest place to stay and completely forget to check out if the location is ideal. So whatever you think you may want nearby, just remember to scope it out before booking.
What to Do
Sights and Activities.
Start with lists! What do you want to see and do? Museums? Vineyards? Walking tours? Cooking class? Whatever it is, write it down. Don’t feel obligated to see everything either. Only write down the things that truly interest you. Just because something is well known does not mean you have to see it. Unless it’s the Eiffel Tower in Paris or something. You should probably see that. But seriously, it’s your time, your trip, you can decipher between the must see and the not so must. After you have a list of what you want to do and see, start looking at a map and your calendar. Which places are located in the same area? Group nearby sights together and you’ll be able to efficiently get through your to-do list. Don’t forget to consider how much time you want to give these places. Is this a half day plan of just a few hours? If I’m visiting a couple places in a certain area, I will also look into what else is cool or worth seeing while I’m in that specific neighborhood. You may discover that an out of this world bakery is right around the corner from the museum you were planning on visiting.
Food.
When it comes to food, I start similarly with my lists. What is this country or city known for? What am I dying to try? And then where do I find those dishes. I usually look for hole in the wall places that locals frequent. In my opinion, you’ll find the best stuff. Certain restaurants/cafes will stand out more than others, and those, keep them at the top of your list. But I take every place that interested me (even just slightly) and save them in my google maps as “want to visit”. The App will work even when you don’t have wifi. And so this way, wherever you end up exploring, if you realize you’re hungry you just pull up your map and see what’s nearby. A lot easier than getting back to the hotel and realizing you skipped over one of your saved spots because you didn’t know where it was. I like to keep my lists in a notebook as well and will have it with me while I explore. This way, when I don't have wifi I can still reference my notes and see why I saved certain places. Nothing like swinging by a place for lunch and realizing it’s a gelato stand.
Day Trips.
Are there nearby cities or places you were hoping to see? And do you have the time to squeeze them in? Try to avoid cramming in too much, but if you have a free day without plans yet, consider adding a day trip here and there. Preferably somewhere that’s an easy train ride, no more than an hour away. When you’re restricted with time and only plan on visiting a place for a day or so, I find it’s easier to keep your initial accommodation as your home base instead of lugging your things from place to place.
Tourist Cards.
Check out if tourist cards are available in the city that you’re visiting. They’re super beneficial if you plan on doing a lot of sightseeing. Many of them even cover bus or train rides as well. If you already have your list of what you want to do and see, look online and see if any of your list is covered on the local tourist card. Sometimes it’s huge savings, but make sure it’s worth it for you. Don’t just buy it hoping you’ll use it.
Getting ArounD
Public Transportation.
Using the local bus and train system will not only save you money, but it will also provide its own experience and have you zipping around like a local. A lot of cities have their own card that you can put money on and tap yourself through every time you want to ride. Some destinations have public transit day cards geared towards tourists for unlimited rides for a certain amount of days. It’s usually a good deal and they will save you money if you plan on doing a bunch of exploring. If you plan on just using it once or twice a day though, you may be better off paying as you go. Make sure you pick up a map of the train and/or bus lines while in the station. I usually make sure to take a screenshot of this map from their website as well. This way, you always have access to the system map and can track your ride.
Ride Share.
If you’re an avid Uber or Lyft user, you may just opt for using ride share for your transportation. A lot of countries have the same app, but look into the local ride share as well in case it’s different. For instance, Thailand has the app GRAB and you can actually pay cash instead of it charging a card on file.
Tourist Cards.
Again, some Tourist Cards cover transportation- so before buying a train card or booking a bunch of Ubers, and thennnn realizing you may want the Tourist Card, look into what makes the most sense for you.
Additional Quick Tips
Download APPs.
You probably already have Google Maps on your phone. But if you don’t, go ahead and download that now. Look into what other apps are available for your destination. Local public transit and ride share apps, some places have free walking tour apps, Viator is good for tours, a currency converter is always handy, and a good ole translator app doesn’t hurt as well.
Portable Charger.
With all the apps, navigating, and picture taking, its always good to have your charger with you. I usually take a midday coffee shop break to recharge myself andddd my phone. But for the times that you’re amped and not looking to slow down, it’s always nice to have a portable charger. It took me years to finally buy one and it really has changed my life. There’s all different kinds to choose from, but I went with the Anker PowerCore on Amazon. It’s small and doesn’t weigh my bag down.
Stop at the Grocery Store.
This is more of a personal preference, but I find it really helpful to have a few grocery items in the house. I usually *try* to cook one meal a day at my airbnb, which cuts down on my spending and usually turns into my downtime for the day. I’ll go to the closest grocery store, load up on water, coffee, fruit, cheese, eggs, and a baguette. I mean, what else do you need? Oh, a bottle of wine and maybe a chocolate bar. Cadbury if you’re in the UK. Having the fixings for breakfast will help you get out of the house and start your day a lot earlier than heading over to a restaurant. The cheese and baguette.. well that’s good for your house snack. On nights when Ben and I have specific dinner plans, we’ll head back to the airbnb, relax with a cheese plate and wine, and then get ready for dinner.