How to Plan Travel

When I am in the depths of travel planning I have a stack of books next to the couch ready to peruse at my leisure, I have 20 tabs open in my browser, a map lays open on the dining table, I have a notebook full of illegible scribbles, sketches of maps with arrows swishing across the landscape in different configurations, and a Pinterest folder full of amazing images of places to see. In the morning you will find coffee cup rings on my notes as I battle to stay alert after staying up all night looking at accommodation options. I have butterflies in my tummy from the excitement of it all. I have to constantly remind myself that we only have x days and that even though y is so close to z we cannot squeeze it in, not this trip anyway.

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Before I get back on home land after a holiday I am already planning and dreaming about the next trip, riding on the travel high. I find that this is the best time to collect inspiring pictures in a wanderlust file – Pinterest again is great for this. I find this time great because at that moment, having just travelled somewhere, no doubt wonderful, you realise that the world is yours and you can do anything, go anywhere, the sky is the limit.

READ MORE >> Fuel your Passion to Travel

When you come back down to earth, and it is actually time to get serious about planning your next trip I have three words of advice -

Research, Plan & Budget!

That’s it, sounds simple right. All you need to know to plan travel like an expert is how to do these three things when considering each of the points below. Budget can often be a sticking point for some but it is important that you set a limit and stick to it. I know it’s hard, but you either need to have your savings already and plan according to what you have or plan for what you want and then set a savings goal. I don’t agree with travelling on credit but that’s just me.

READ MORE >> My Tips on Saving for Travel

The advice I offer below is useful even if you are stuck in the wanderlust stage and not quite ready to plan. I really enjoy reading and researching places I want to go and I find it highly motivating to start planning a trip I want to do, it gives me something to aim for, a realistic goal and reignites my passion for it. If you aren’t planning just yet, maybe pin or bookmark this for later on.

READ MORE >> Travel Excuses - Can’t or Won’t?

My last piece of advice before we get stuck into it is to remember, at some point you will have to cross things off your list. You cannot do it all. Not all at once anyway, you will need to save some things for next time, the ultimate excuse to return.

Destination

The first and most obvious things to decide upon is your travel destination. Once you have scoured your wanderlust list and decided on somewhere start your planning with your heart, write down everything you want to do and see in that destination, then start researching like crazy, find out the best time of year to go (including weather, festivals, pricing, and your schedule), check if it is safe to go there and register with smart traveller (a government travel registry).

While you are preparing for your trip, learn some of the language and customs. Read lots of books and blogs by people who have been there done that, ask your friends and collect up all of your advice and tips and info in one place (in a Manila folder, on Evernote, a Pinterest board, whatever works for you). If you are lucky you will get to plan out everything you want to do and how long it will take you to do it all, but most people have a set period of time to work with (i.e. only 2 weeks off work), so make sure you take this into consideration up front. Some destinations can take 4 days off your adventures just in getting to and from them, hardly worth it if you only have a week!

READ MORE >> Join in my weekly #wednesdaywanderlust for travel inspiration

Insurance

If you cannot afford insurance you cannot afford to travel. Simple as that, no questions asked. Shop around for a good deal but make sure you look at the inclusions not just the dollar value. I also include in this the cost of medical needs such as vaccinations and medications you need. Be sure to have a recent copy of any relevant medical paperwork with you. And count travel visas and paperwork in here too. Then be sure that you have an electronic scanned copy of your important documents accessible by you (email them to yourself or use dropbox or something similar) and your emergency contact should keep a copy too. Anyone have a great insurance story?

Flights

Spend some time considering all of the options for flight schedules (think outside the square with this and don’t forget to look at both flight length and take-off/ landing times); compare prices and inclusions, not forgetting to look at the airlines baggage rules. If you need to have a stopover, look at the airport website and find out what you can do if you have lots of time there. Remember rules on what you can take on board (especially the pesky liquid limits). Unless you are avoiding baggage costs and not checking in any bags, my advice is to take as little as possible on board with you. Space is limited and you don’t want to be struggling with a bulky bag in confined spaces. Ever been hit in the head with someone elses overstuffed bag as they sway down the aisle? Take everything precious (digital goods and jewellery), medications and some comfort items (moisturiser, entertainment, eye mask, socks, whatever helps you get through the flight), leave the rest in your checked in luggage.

Accommodation

I know that there are some people who like to fly by the seat of their pants and wait until they arrive somewhere to book accommodation but I have heard one too many stories of people left stranded, or sleeping in bed bugs, or making themselves comfy in their car. Or perhaps just as bad, paying a premium. Has this ever happened to you? So I like to book ahead. You can then easily plan your holiday knowing how many days you are in that area, you get a better rate, your budget is fixed and there is no on-the-ground stress. The Internet has made it really easy to shop around for lots of different accommodation options (think beyond hotels!) and easily compare prices. Remember the longer you stay in one place, the cheaper it will be. You can always directly ask the accommodation if you can get a better price, free upgrade or inclusions. Once you have picked which city you are staying in, try to consider the following when selecting your accommodation:

• Location – this is my number one priority. I want to be central so I can walk most places and close to transport (metro, taxi rank, bus stop etc) or availability of car parking if self driving. I also want close proximity to food (including supermarket or corner stores, coffee fixes, restaurants, cafes etc);
• Wi-Fi access, preferably in room and free, nothing worse than having to trek down to the common area in your pjs to send an email or book a ticket then to top it all off you have to pay for the privilege;
• Amenities are especially important if travelling with a family. Do you have a private bathroom, do you need a kitchen or washing machine, or just a bed? Do they have additional bedding for children available and is there space to set it up;
• Facilities & Services aren’t so important to me because I travel for the destination, not the accommodation but you need to think about if you want a pool to cool off in, a gym to work off the extra treats, a restaurant or bar attached? Find out if they have (free) transport including airport transfers or drop offs into the city centre. Is breakfast included? This last one can be tricky, I hate hotel breakfasts and much prefer to head out and eat some real, authentic local food, but in some destinations the local establishments don’t open until late and I can be starving by the time I find some food to eat, the upside is that hotels usually open breakfast fairly early. You need to decide what you prefer, and if you feel it is good value (it usually isn’t).
• Reviews – I will read these, usually on Trip Advisor, though I take them with a grain of salt unless the overwhelming majority is negative.
• Other Stuff – it is up to you to decide what your accommodation check list is but you might want to include an in room safe, air conditioning, early check in or late check out, 24 hour reception, room service, in house spa treatments, disabled access, pet friendly, non-smoking or smoking …

Meals

Food is a big part of my love for travel so I am always quick to look into what specialties a destination has and what I might be eating on a regular day. If you cannot stand to eat the food you might want to reconsider your destination or look into what other options you have for meals. I for one am hesitant to travel in China due to my severe reaction to MSG (sad face!).

When budgeting, remember to include with your meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) all of your drinks & snacks which often get overlooked when planning but can make a significant difference. Count meals in airports differently as they are often inflated prices, and figure out which meals are already included in flights, accommodation or day trip/tours.

My general advice on eating when travelling is to keep safe but be daring. Eat where the locals eat to be fairly certain it is both yummy and hygienic. Remember to think about the culture you are in and what times they usually eat meals, I have often found myself starving and looking for breakfast and no one is open yet or the kids are ready for dinner but no where is serving dinner that early. Use some common sense – if it looks unsafe it probably is, if the locals are used to hot foods it might be too spicy for you. And be prepared to pay tourist prices in tourist areas, I like to try and go a street or two back and find somewhere more authentic and more reasonably priced.

Activities & Sights

Figure out your must see sights, but also have some back up plans in case things are unexpectedly closed or its raining (or whatever). Look into what days and times they are open. Look into city passes where you can get multiple entries to sights for a lower price. You don’t have to pre-schedule every day with activities. I like to have a list of options but remain flexible because you never know what might happen and what else you might get distracted with.

Some things are best pre-booked though or you will miss out, know what these are and decide before hand if it is something you want to do without exception. I know many people get caught out wanting to go to Robben Island in Cape Town but they sell out weeks if not months in advance. You can skip enormous line ups for popular things like the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam by pre-booking your tickets online. Have you ever missed out on something you really wanted to see?

This is where you will have to make some hard decisions, you cannot possibly fit everything in and you have to decide what you want to do the most. To figure this out I ask myself ‘will I regret not seeing this’? If travelling in a group you will also need to make some compromises and take into consideration everyone’s interests, especially if travelling with kids. Mix up your itinerary to include alternate interests I.e. a morning at the museum and the afternoon at the playground.

Transport

I list this separate from flights because to me flights are the major connection between home and your destination. Transport are all of the in-between bits including local flights, trains, buses, car hire, ferries and such; as well as transport around the city you are in like metro, buses, taxis, tuk-tuks and so on. This is often an overlooked area when people budget, you book the flights and stop at that. But remember you need to get to and from the airport, even at home, pay for parking at the airport or catch a taxi, perhaps cash in a favour and enlist a friend to drop you off.

Once you are at your destination you will need to think about how you will get around – walk everywhere (look into how easy this will be), public transport (look into passes), hire a car (do you need an international license?), get a driver/tour guide – whatever it is you need to plan for it. If you are staying in one central destination and planning on doing day trips, find out the best way to do this (tour group, train, drive yourself …) and how far away things are (don’t rely on distance in kilometers, find out how long it takes to actually drive it as it may be a long windy dirt road up a mountain; or the train might stop every five minutes or never run on time …).

Consider your options carefully. If you aren’t a confident driver I wouldn’t recommend hiring a car in Italy where they drive on the opposite side of the road three times faster than you normally do, or in Vietnam where there are no road rules, or at least any you understand. If you like to stop and take lots of photos don’t go in a tour group. If you get travel sick, don’t take the cramped local bus up the windy hillsides in Thailand. If you get a Europe Rail pass be aware that you may need to pre-book seats on popular trains and that limited seats are allocated to these passes. If you are staying in Paris get a copy of the Metro map and familiarise yourself with it before you go. If you hate flying reconsider your need to see the Okavango Delta in Botswana where you take a small 5 seater plane to get there. This is where the stories of people who have been there before you are priceless.

Shopping

If you want to do some shopping budget for it so you don’t impulse spend too much. Include in this your souvenirs and general other stuff. Research what the area specialises in, how to choose good quality and what a reasonable price might be for items. Depending where you go, know when you can bargain and when you shouldn’t insult them. Find out about tax back on expensive purchases. Think about how you will get it back home – leave room (and weight allowance) in your luggage, will you get it through customs, can you post or freight it home (this can add significantly to the cost so look into this early), if it is fragile think about how you will carry it around with you for the rest of the trip without it breaking.

Shopping can be fun but just be prepared for everything that surrounds it and ask yourself if you really want or need it before you commit to the purchase. I have hauled two massive Thai lounge cushions around the world, I have trekked across Africa with a spindly wooden giraffe, I have had everything in my luggage smelling of Rendang curry paste, I have not eaten anything for 36 hours because I used the last of my budget on shopping and I have had carefully purchased shopping confiscated at customs. Research, Plan and Budget!

Other

This is the unforeseen, extra splurges, emergencies – either have some extra cash available or a credit card easily accessible. You cannot really plan for this stuff, but you can simply be prepared for the unexpected. No one intends for their luggage to go missing or break mid trip, no one wants to spend time in hospital for a motorbike burn, no one expects their sunglasses to fall overboard on the yacht, no one knows that you are going to have the last minute opportunity to eat at a three star Michelin star restaurant in Paris … you never know. What ‘other’ costs have come up for you?

Don’t forget to include in this anything you may need to purchase to make your holiday possible – new luggage, a warm jacket, hiking boots, passport renewal, whatever it is.

Packing

This probably deserves a post all on its own but essentially, keep in mind the baggage limits and allow space and weight if you plan to shop at your destination, make sure your luggage is easily identified by you on the carousel and has contact info on it somewhere should someone else pick it up. Be sure you can secure it with TSA approved locks so you don’t have them cut at airport security. Decide if you want to have your luggage wrapped at the airport. Make sure you can easily carry or wheel your luggage yourself.

Think about how you will be getting around with all your luggage – do you need to catch a train with it all, do you have to juggle a sleeping baby and a toddler at the same time, will there be bumpy cobblestones to navigate, long flights of stairs …? Try and pack as little as possible, you cannot and should not pack for every scenario. Yes, take a light jumper if heading somewhere hot but stop at that. In worst case scenarios you can always buy what you need there. You don’t need your whole toiletries drawer, just take the essentials and use double duty items. Mix and match your wardrobe, double up on items. As people say, lay everything out on the bed, then halve it.

Consider carefully before buying things to take with you – for instance, if snow jackets aren’t in season where you are and you have to buy a new one, consider waiting and buying it there. Not only will you save on luggage space, but you will have a bigger variety to choose from at your destination and they will likely be much cheaper where they are in season.

After all that wonderful planning just try and take it as it comes once you are actually on your holiday. Enjoy every moment, good and bad, they are all memories of your holiday that you will look back on and reminisce with fondness.

Do you plan your own holidays or get someone else to do it?
Is there a point in the planning process you get stuck at?