For those who now me, I'm a planner by nature. I'll create lists for everything (more than 1) and I'll pack and repack my bags 5 times before leaving. These are the steps I take while trip planning:
Picking the right destination:
- Think about your bucket list and things you want to try/see! If you are looking for an adventure hit up South America/New Zealand/Australia, looking to deeply explore culture and have some island time go to Asia or Africa and if you are wanting luxury think America/Mexico/Central America.
Building a budget:
- Do your research, read blogs and find the average price of things. Of course different places range like Asia is dirt cheap for everything but say you go to South America and want to hike Machu Picchu that isn't a pretty penny. If you are a liquor drinker/coffee drinker add that to the budget! And if you only have a certain amount of money to spend, be wise with where you choose you still want to enjoy your trip. I under budgeted for a month of my trip and lived off of ramen packs (which wasn't that bad).
Think dollar per day - if you have $2000 and you are travelling for 30 days, that's $60 avg per day!
Figuring out a timeline:
- 2 days per city at an absolute minimum
For major cities (like Paris), double that number
3 days is my sweet spot for most mid-sized cities
Avoid single-night stays…even for small towns. It’s just too much of a hassle with checking in and out of hostels; unless, you fly into a major city and heading to your first destination the next day! Most airport cities in third world countries are quite boring with nothing to do.
Flights:
- If I have flexibility to go somewhere I'll pull up google flights and see the best month to go price wise. After finding the cheapest dates I generally book through flightnetwork/cheapflights/skyscanner or right off of google! Be sure to watch out for extra unneeded taxes as you are clicking through.
Accommodation:
- Hostelworld and Airbnb are my best friends. Normally I'll have a place booked for the first 2/3 nights of my trip then I'll begin booking places two nights before just so I have flexibility if I want to stay longer/shorter. The only time I'll book ways in advance is if i'm staying at a boujee airbnb or hotel.
Transportation:
- Don't book private shuttles, they are a waste of money! When you are ready to go to the next city go to the local bus station the night before/day of and buy a ticket for around $1-5 depending where you are. It may take longer and be slightly uncomfortable but there's no need to stress about transportation ever, plus it's a great way to experience life like a local.
Activities:
- Once you have a city in mind to visit - search up all the possible activities you can do. If they are the type of activities that need to be booked in advance, be sure to book it ASAP don't want you to miss out on the opportunity. Create a master list of things you want to do and check em off as you go! Add activity costs to the budget!
Check: Pinterest, TripAdvisor, Reddit, Lonely Planet etc for some activity inspiration!
Before You Go:
- Check if you need any of these going into a country: Visa, Vaccinations, Travel Insurance (recommended regardless if needed), call your bank and let them know your travel plan and take out some cash as a cushion in case you can't find an accessible ATM!
ENJOY YOUR TRIP! Journal it, remember what restaurants you went to, what you did during the day, what you loved and what you hated!