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Planning a trip can be both exciting and overwhelming, especially if you are new to the process.
You may feel as though there is an overwhelming amount of material to process and tasks to complete.
But it doesn’t have to be that way!
This blog post will provide you with all the steps to guide you in planning your next trip.
As someone who is naturally a planner, I’ve planned most of our trips.
I’m a huge fan of planning!
So I thought I’d share the steps I take to organise and plan a new trip with you so you can relax and start planning your travels!
How to Plan a Trip in 10 Simple Steps in (2023)
Step #1: Determine your Travel Budget
Naturally, you’ll need money to take a holiday or trip.
This may be the most important step in the process of travel planning, depending on the purpose or goal of the trip.
Before you even start planning your trip, you should know why you’re going.
Essentially, what you want to get out of it in the end.
Everyone has various needs. There are numerous reasons to take a holiday or simply travel.
Because every holiday is different, it can be difficult (at least for us) to determine a budget for every little travel expense for a specific trip.
In addition, there is always some unexpected cost that I would suggest you budget for as you make your budget.
For instance, in our case, even though we don’t have a “fixed travel budget,” we still budget for most of our trips (we typically have an estimate of how much a trip may cost, which we don’t exceed).
In short, you can’t just take a random trip! Unless money is not a problem for you, you come from a wealthy family, or you are on a sponsored trip.
If so, no worries!
Finally, your travel budget will determine what you can do next, such as where you can go, how long you can stay there, and how you want to travel.
Do you tend to travel in style? Do you care more about the experience than where you stay?
These are essential things to think about when making your travel budget.
Step #2: Choose a Travel Companion/style (s)
Once you’ve roughly determined your travel budget, consider your options.
Are you going on a quick getaway, a three-week trip abroad, or are you considering a more extended trip? …And who is travelling with you?
For instance, my travel companion is my husband ( Alex), who is usually behind the scenes or the camera, taking most of my travel photos and videos.
Whenever someone asks me for travel planning advice, my first question is, “Who are you travelling with?”
Because the people you travel with will have a big impact on how you plan, where you go, what you do, how your schedule is made, etc.
There is a wide range of travellers out there, from those who carefully schedule every detail of their trip (like myself, lol) to those who simply show up at their destination without any idea of where they will stay or what they will do.
I’m curious, how would you describe your travel style? As someone who naturally carefully plans everything, I am not a fan of any random, unplanned, and disorganized trips.
I’m that person who usually jots down everything; yes, seriously! Those who know me know that if something is not on my calendar, I will probably forget about it, or it will not happen!
However, everyone’s travel preference is different depending on personal needs, and if you’re worried about not knowing who to travel with, I have some suggestions to think about:
Travel sole & learn to live it live
There is no harm in going on a trip by yourself. If you don’t have anyone to travel with, don’t let that stop you—seriously! If you’re waiting for someone to come along and convince you to start travelling and exploring the world, I’m sorry to inform you that NO ONE IS COMING!
I frequently travel, mainly with Alex, because we both enjoy it, but I know there are many solo travellers out there as well.
So please do it alone! Take one trip by yourself. Do something you enjoy, look after yourself, and look within. Prepare in advance so that you can learn and grow during your trip.
Before you go, take a cooking class, research a work of art you’ll be seeing, and learn about cultural traditions.
Quick Tip on solo travel:
If you’re afraid of travelling by yourself and don’t know how to get ready for one.I recommend jojoscupofmocha’s guide to solo trip preparation if you’re afraid of going alone and don’t know how.
Group Travel: Family & Friends
Another option to help you choose who to travel with is for you to consider going on a group trip. I’m not an expert in group travel planning, but I know many travel agency companies offer group travel. Intrepid Travel and last minute are among the few.
I must say that planning a trip for you and your significant other is usually pretty easy because you probably like the same things.
It might not be too hard to make plans for your immediate family if you know what everyone likes either. However, planning for larger group travel is a much bigger task!
Even though I’m a huge fan of planning, you will likely find several colour-coded Google Sheets for all our travel plans and other stuff I enjoy making.
However, let us not pretend and assume that everyone has that personality type, and most friendship groups do not consist of them.
I don’t always enjoy travelling with large groups for obvious reasons. Even though travelling with friends or strangers is always a fun experience, whether you have detailed plans or not.
But the actual planning is frequently much more stressful than planning a trip with incredibly adventurous people.
So, here are some ideas for planning a trip with friends or a large group that will reduce stress while increasing the fun.
Tips on How to Travel with a Group without getting on one’s last nerve
Choose Amazing Individuals
Choosing like-minded people who are easygoing and flexible is essential. I won’t sugarcoat anything, but if you spend money on a trip, you must protect your peace of mind and enjoy it! So, if possible, do not invite The Needy Friend, The Drama-Making Friend, or The Easily Upset Friend.
The best co-travellers are friendly, adventurous, self-entertaining, and tolerant. Even if they’re none of the above, they should be able to do things on their own.
So that if you want to do something they don’t like, they can do something else on their own and vice versa without taking things personally.
Make a Private Group
Plenty of social platforms nowadays offer group chats. Ensure you all agree on just one so you can easily access everyone.
When planning for a large group, keeping track of all the details can be hard, and email chains are even worse. So I would suggest you create a private group to make everything easier.
You can also see who has and hasn’t seen a post, so you can email or text them if they missed something important.
Assign one or two people to Organise the Trip
From my experience, it’s easier if one or two people oversee the big purchases. After the trip, you can post the final bill on your private group, and friends can send you the money via PayPal or EFT (Electronic Fund Transfer) as your payment method.
(This is not always the case, it can be the other way round- like paying before the trip) For example, on our last year’s (2022) end-of-year trip, Alex’s friends were in charge of lodging and transportation, and we helped plan the itinerary, which was very flexible.
Create a (very loose) Itinerary.
I strongly believe in having an open-ended travel itinerary. I’m honestly not a person who likes having to accommodate someone else’s schedule instead of my own.
Planning should be just enough to ensure you don’t miss anything important but not so much that you feel restricted or unable to make changes.
It’s critical to plan when you’ll see the important stuff together, but leave plenty of time for alone time and exploring.
Have a Nap & Snack—person/friend.
What do you think makes people so annoying? Being hungry or exhausted. I will be honest; I’m the most annoying when I’m hungry, tired, or forced to do things I don’t want; even my face will show you, lol. I find it so hard to pretend and fake chit-chat, especially when I’m hungry or tired.
I know it is giving African moms vibes, but bring snacks and water to share and give yourself plenty of time to relax. It’s strangely exhausting to walk around a new city in the sun.
I recommend getting yourself a Collapsable Water Bottle for water when you travel; very good for refilling water. You can easily carry it even in a small bag because it is easily foldable, and it also saves you money on buying water.
Make time for unscheduled &/or alone time.
Do you know what else irritates people? Having to be with the same people for 16 hours (or maybe that’s just me?).
Make sure you all have time to do what you want and don’t feel bad if you just want to read in the park by yourself or simply rest in your room.
Confession: There were times when we travelled as a group when I felt restricted from having time for myself without appearing or being labelled ‘difficult or unfriendly’.
But that is what different travel experiences do to you (at least for me); you start to learn something about yourself and slowly adjust to what travel style works best for you.
Step #3: Choose a Destination
After determining your budget and who you are going with, the next step in trip planning is to choose your destination. I will be honest, even though I enjoy making our travel plans in advance, it can be difficult to plan a trip, let alone decide where to go.
Inspiration is a big part of travelling these days. Ignoring tube posters, inspiring Instagram photos and videos, or your friends’ travel stories is difficult.
Even though it’s good to be inspired sometimes, you shouldn’t travel to a place just because it’s popular now. That would be a terrible decision!
For instance, if I say that Bali is the most beautiful place on Earth and you must visit there next year, remember that this is merely my opinion.
So, you should find a place that fits your interests, where you can do your favourite things and learn something new.
You might already have a place in mind. Maybe it’s one of the places bloggers (myself included) made famous, like Italy or Seychelles. Maybe you want to go off the beaten path and visit places like Zambia that are less visited.
I have been there, and deciding where to go can be confusing. This is why I want to give you some ideas that might help you decide where to go on your next vacation. Decide by answering these simple questions:
Why do you Want to Travel?
Some people may think this is obvious, but Seriously you need to think about WHY you want to travel. It is important to consider your current situation and ask yourself why you want to travel.
Is it simply that, since you have two weeks off from work, the location won’t matter in the end (in which case you should search for the best deals)? Do you need rest?
Are you tired and looking for exciting adventures to get your energy back? Do you want to stray from the norm and try something new? Do you work in an office all day and need to get outside?
For example, for our travels this year (2023), we intend to visit less-visited European cities in the summer to give ourselves a break from busy cities.
There’s more to travel than just crossing items off a list (well, at least for me).
Yes, getting that photo in front of the Eiffel Tower and posting it on Instagram to brag to your friends is fun, but is there something deeper you want to accomplish? I don’t recommend you travel just for the sake of travelling.
Especially now, with the current global economic issues and so much uncertainty for our society (I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks the world has gone wild!) You would be surprised at how much your current situation and mindset affect where you decide to go.
Take time to sit & think about (WHY) you want to Travel.
This internal research is the only thing that will help narrow down the list. Have you put in many overtime hours and had demanding work in your first or second quarter of the year? Do you simply feel worn out?
When are you going to Travel?
Okay, let’s agree not to disagree; not every country can be visited at any time of year. Even countries that can be visited at any time usually have different seasons, with some being better for travelling than others.
Your trip’s timing may also be affected by several factors, for example:
Peak or Low season?
You should also think about where you are going and if it is a busy time for tourists. You should also look into the country’s high and low seasons to determine the best time to visit.
Determine the objective of your trip.
For example, you can visit Bali when the rice fields are at their most thriving if you’re interested in seeing them.
Think about public holidays and festivals. Another thing to think about when choosing when to go on a holiday is special events or festivals that will happen during that time. This could be an important part of the motivation for your trip.
Step #4: Do some research
If you’re going on a trip or planning one for 2023 or later, and you’re excited but don’t know where to start, I’ve got you! Nowadays, there is a lot of information available.
With Pinterest, Instagram, travel blogs, YouTube, and review sites, it can be hard to plan a trip. It’s great to have access to a lot of valuable pieces of information, but sometimes it’s too much.
Planning a trip can quickly become too much to handle if you don’t have a way to stay organized and keep yourself going. (Unless, of course, your trip is planned for you.) I usually watch a lot of YouTube videos or read blogs to find out what’s out there.
Do this one thing to help you get started planning your trip, whether it is a weekend getaway or a six-week holiday.
Before you even start collecting your travel inspiration, it is essential you first know if you can travel to a specific country with or without a visa. Many travellers skip this part, especially those from visa-free countries (Europe, North America and Australia).
As someone who still travels with an African passport, this is the first thing I look at before making any travel plans. I always easily check my visa requirements here, and you can also check yours within a minute; just search for your country.
After you know that you can travel with/without a visa or have gotten one, it’s time to find your travel inspiration. Here are a few of the top places where I find inspiration for our travels:
Get Inspiration
Pinterest can help you find all kinds of ideas. I like Pinterest for travel planning, organizing, and home decor ideas, among other things, and especially for finding inspiration because it’s simple to create different boards to organize ideas and specific Pins.
Plus, it’s very visual, so all those beautiful photos (and now even videos) are the perfect way to make you want to travel.
Social Media
In addition to Pinterest, which is also technically a social media tool, many of us use social media frequently. So it only makes sense that this is a great place to get travel ideas.
I often look for travel content on YouTube, and I love talking to people on social media sites like (Instagram) about their trips and looking at their photos. They can serve as a wonderful source of travel inspiration.
Travel Blogs: Like mine here!
It is easy to get the majority of travel inspiration and knowledge from blogs and websites nowadays, including the one you’re reading right now!
That’s one of the best things about modern technology—it allows so many people to share their experiences with others and inform us of their travel destinations, activities, and favourite parts.
Here at Adventures with Jane, I intend to post frequently in the hopes that you will find plenty of ideas for your travels and that I will inspire others to do the same.
Lonely Planet & other Travel guide books
You can also get fantastic travel inspiration from travel magazines and books like Lonely Planet. The good thing about Lonely Planets travel guides is that you can research any country, and it is the ideal guidebook for the most current, up-to-date information on what to see and skip, as well as what undiscovered gems are waiting for you.
I’ll admit that I didn’t know much about this until a friend from my travel community told me about it. Since then, I’ve enjoyed browsing through Lonely Planet books—sometimes, it’s more fun than reading online, and I can make notes.
Review sites like TripAdvisor
When I’m looking for trip inspiration or information about a specific location or activity, I often find relevant content and reviews on TripAdvisor.
These are useful for first-hand reviews of a place or activity. As opposed to the professionally taken photos on some of the more official promotional websites, I like to scroll through some of the pictures because they might provide a more “real” perspective of the situation.
Friends & Family
If you are anything like me, who doesn’t get jealous or enviously bitter seeing friends and family’s travels and share their experiences but instead get inspired? Of course, getting inspiration for your trip can also come from your friends and family.
When someone I know goes on a trip, I always look forward to hearing about it and seeing pictures. They are reliable, especially if I’ve never been to the destination before, because you can expect to hear the whole truth from them.
Remember that sometimes friends and family may have had a bad experience, but that should not discourage you from travelling to that specific destination.
Everyone’s travel experience is different, and you should try to experience things for yourself too! Unless for obvious exceptions.
Step #5: Make the Decision
Once you’ve found your inspiration, you must decide where to go. You should ask yourself these questions:
Do you prefer to visit many places quickly, or do you prefer to pick a few places and take your time exploring them?
Do you want to take your time and immerse yourself in the local way of life as you travel? For example, we did this on our trip to Venice and Barcelona; we ate in restaurants where the locals eat and did our grocery shopping in the local markets.
Or do you prefer to travel from city to city, taking in as much as possible as you cross places off your list? Maybe a nice mix of fast and slow?
This completely depends on the amount of time you have available and the money you have available. From past travel experience, I find overstuffing one trip with so many activities or countries exhausting.
This limits your options. Allow yourself some time to unwind and enjoy the best of what each destination offers.
Step #6: Book your flight (s)
Most people always wonder how we manage to travel so frequently, like twice a month, and the most common question I get is about booking flights for a trip!
Everyone appears to be interested in learning how to get the best deal or at least how to make it happen.
And I’ll be honest with you, even though there are some ways that you can find good deals, there is not a big secret or a magic rule for getting the best flight deals most of the time.
What I find works for us is always booking in advance, like three to six months if possible. Of course, this depends on where and when you want to travel.
I have been there, spending countless hours on search engines and websites trying to find the cheapest flight deal possible for our upcoming trips.
I will be honest; searching for affordable flights now takes a lot of time and energy because there are so many websites to browse through, and prices can change within minutes.
And yes, you can still find cheap flights to any destination.
Here are some tips on how to find cheap flights everywhere and save a lot of money. After travelling often for more than a year now, I made a list of all the things you can do to find the cheapest flights, no matter where in the world you are.
How to find cheap flights to anywhere
Use the best search tools
All search engines make money by charging a commission on top of the ticket price. Therefore, beware of the less greedy. It’s also wise to check a few search engines and comparison websites since not all airlines are listed on every one of them.
Unfortunately, there isn’t one search engine that outperforms them all; for those of us who love to travel, that would be far too simple.
However, these two are my personal favourites Skyscanner; is undoubtedly the first one we use when searching and, of course, Google Flights, a simple-to-use calendar that allows you to find the cheapest days to fly. After finding the cheapest date, book flights on another site.
Set up price alerts
There are many search engines that let you sign up for alerts between locations. You’ll receive email notifications when the fare drops so you can take advantage of it!
Sign up for ‘error fares’ deals.
Okay! Let’s not pretend everyone knows the hack error fares deals!? So basically, error fares are when due to computer glitches, human error, or currency conversion errors, airlines occasionally make mistakes that result in extremely cheap flights.
These are mistake fares. With so many flights, mistakes in the prices of flight tickets are inevitable. Airlines frequently honour such bookings because it would be too time-consuming for them to reverse any “price with a mistake.”Finding error fares can take time.
Some deals expire after the airline discovers the “mistake.” The easiest way to find “error fares” is to sign up for hot-deal companies like Jack Flight Club, it’s my favourite, and you can read more about it here.
Step #7: Book your Accommodation
When it comes to booking your accommodations for your trip, I would always advise you to book in advance for obvious reasons.
However, whether you pre-book all of your lodgings in advance or not at all will depend on how long your trip will last, and to figure out where to stay, you need to think about what kind of atmosphere appeals to you the most.
There are a variety of places to stay, and what is offered will depend on where you go, what you like, and your budget. For example, Alex and I work completely remotely (yes, we always work on most of our trips, especially European ones).
So when planning a trip, we think a lot about where to stay.
Tips for things to think about when booking Accommodation
Location
Before you even consider the location. Before this step, you might want to reflect on your goals for the trip, remind yourself of them, and start looking up things to do in the destination to understand better where you plan to go and the best location for you.
For example, we always prefer a location close to the city centre as this is where the main city attractions are located in most cities, but sometimes you might not always love the city centre because it’s usually quite busy and expensive.
If you’re a first-time visitor to Istanbul, the city centre is the best area to stay in because most of the city’s attractions are located here. In contrast, if you are visiting Amsterdam, you don’t necessarily have to stay right in the heart of the city centre.
Because of the city’s great transport network, you can stay somewhere further out and still get to the centre easily and fast.
Transportation
Consider the city’s transportation options once you’ve chosen the location. For example, Bali is a great example of a city where staying in the centre or not makes no difference because the city is not very walkable and lacks a good public transportation network (no trains or trams), so you’ll have to rely on taxis, motorbikes, or ferries to get from one area to another.
On the other hand, if ridesharing services like Uber or public transportation are easily accessible, you might consider staying further away from the city centre to save money. I think you should research how to get around and how much it will cost before deciding on a place to stay.
Duration of stay
No matter how long we stay somewhere, we always prefer a place that feels more like a “home” than a traditional hotel. This is very important to us as remote workers because it lets us work quickly and privately.
We also love to cook, so a place with a kitchen lets us do what we love while saving money on eating out. We find apartment-style lodging in new cities using Airbnb, Agoda and Booking.com.
However, depending on where we go, we don’t always find great and reasonably priced ‘home-like’ Airbnbs. In this case, we may choose to stay there if a hotel is within our price range and has a larger room or a kitchen.
Step #8: Check out Things to do
Now that you know where you want to go, you have booked your transportation and maybe even your lodging. Now you have to figure out what you will do with yourself while you’re there.
After travelling frequently for a year and a half now, I know how important it is to plan your itinerary. As a very detail-oriented person (you know, the kind of person who makes lists for everything), this method of planning an itinerary might not be of interest to the traveller who goes with the flow.
If you’re not as organised as I am, you can easily adapt this method to your preferred mode of travel. It’s the best way to plan an itinerary logically.
Here I’m going to share some advice on creating a travel schedule, including specifics on organising your schedule of attractions, museums, and activities.
So, let’s get planning.
Starting to make plans for your trip
Before finalising a travel itinerary, we go through five phases.
- Initial brainstorming
- Destination research
- Adding to your wish list
- Site/activity review
- Creating your itinerary
I know this seems like a lot, but trust me when I say you’ll want to know you’ve thought of everything before embarking on your adventure.
You’ll be grateful later.
Initial Brainstorming
Making a wish list is the first step in planning an itinerary. You’ve made your travel arrangements, but your itinerary is empty.
You can go wherever you want, but where and how do you begin? Your first step should be to do some initial brainstorming.
If you’re going to a popular tourist destination, you probably already have an idea of which sites you want to see. (e.g., Bali Swing, Eiffel Tower, Tower Bridge etc.).
If you’re going somewhere completely new, your brainstorming phase may be short but less specific. (e.g., important historical sites, whatever the most important art museum is, popular beach, etc.).
Asking yourself the following questions can help you with your brainstorming:
- What are the most famous/popular sites in my destination?
- What are the must-see attractions or activities that I already know I want to do on this trip?
- Why are my spouse’s/travel partner’s must-see destinations or activities on this trip?
- If you’re travelling with children, why not include them in the brainstorming? They’ll enjoy the feeling of having contributed to the trip’s planning.
- What kinds of activities do we most enjoy doing while travelling in general?
Great! Make a list of everything. Don’t be concerned. Nothing is decided yet.
Destination research
Here is where my research starts to drive my blood boil. I always ensure that I learn as much as I can about where I’m going. I can better plan my route when I have more useful information at my disposal.
And don’t assume you know enough about where you’re going. Before we began researching Venice, we never imagined it was possible to stay in Mestre and easily manage to do almost all of your must-sees or do in Venice. (which is the best way to save money in Venice, by the way) On our trip, we ended up staying in Mestre.
Here are some questions to consider as you conduct your research:
- What is my destination famous for? Is it art, nature, history, architecture, or something else?
- Which season will it be when I arrive? Are there anything popular seasonal activities I should try while I’m there?
- Are there any unique holiday events or festivals I might be interested in attending?
- At what time of year and month is the weather usually like there? In other words, will I be happy spending long periods outside, or will I want to stay inside more?
- How can I get to my destination using public transportation? Does the area have a reliable metro or public transportation system, or will I have to rely on taxis, ride-sharing, or walking to get around?
- In what proximity am I staying to the most important destination on my itinerary?
- Is there a city or museum pass available at my destination?
Where to find information
- Find current information about your destination by performing some basic Google searches and exploring the various results.
- Explore Pinterest to see what travel bloggers (like the one you’re reading now) have to say.
- Purchase some good travel guidebooks and begin reading.
- Watch YouTube videos related to your travel destination.
- Sign up for a travel activities app or site like Get Your Guide to help with what kind of activities you can do in a specific destination.
- With this new information in hand, you’ll return to your list.
- Adding to your wish list: As you read about your destination, you probably noticed that some suggestions for things to see or do kept coming up repeatedly.
- Suppose they’re already on your list; great! Just leave them there.
- If you haven’t thought of them before, but they sound intriguing, you should include them.
- If you’ve changed your mind about something, you can take it off your list if you want to. If not, leave it there. You can always get rid of it later.
- At this point, it’s fine if your list has many more ideas than you can do on your trip. Later, you’ll work on narrowing it down.
- Site/Activity Research: Let’s say you have a lovely list of things you want to see and do while travelling that is probably quite long. Now you can research each of these things separately. Start by dividing your wish list into four categories.
Must-do sites
These are the places that people travel the world to see…Bali swings, the Eiffel Tower, Arc De Triomphe, and an African safari. You get it. These are the ones that aren’t up for discussion. They are always included in the itinerary.
Want-to-see sites
These are the second-best places to visit on your trip, the ones you’d like to see but won’t cry over if you don’t get to. Examples from my travels include the Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italy), which we had planned to visit when we visited Florence, but we were on a multi-city trip that began in Venice and ended in Florence.
We were exhausted by the time we arrived in Florence, so our itinerary was altered. It is always important to plan a flexible itinerary.
Nice-to-do sites
These minor attractions and activities will fill in the gaps in your itinerary. These include things like “setting up a picnic on the beach and just relaxing.
Less important places /activities.
These are the places/activities that will be cut first when we start making the real schedule. Or perhaps you’ve already cut them after researching your destination.
After you’ve organised your sites, it’s time to dive into the research. At least for your must-do and want-to-do sites, you need to know.
- When is it open each weekday, and when does it stay open?
- What is the admission fee (if any)?
- What is the best time of the week to go?
- Do you need to purchase tickets or make a reservation in advance? If so, when should you book and how far in advance?
- What is its location, and how do I get there? I’m particularly interested in how far it is from my lodgings and how far it is from the other major sites on my itinerary.
Creating your Itinerary
Okay, you now know even more details about where you’re going. It is at this point that you begin to modify your list. I may move sites from one wish list section to another at this point.
For instance, if I learn that something is free to visit or that it is close to one of my must-dos, it might move up the list. If we find out that something is extremely far away or would require more money than our specific travel budget can accommodate, it might drop down the list or be removed entirely.
9. Get Travel Insurance & Reduce Travel risks
You may be safer in another country than your own, but even if that’s the case, you still need to ensure you’re protected on your trip. I’ll admit that the (African in me) lol didn’t see the point of buying travel insurance until it was a requirement for a specific trip.
Travel Insurance options to consider
Since then, we’ve made it a point to have it with us whenever we travel (just in case something happens), and I recommend you do the same. The most popular travel insurance company is World Nomads. They are very simple to use and offer coverage to everyone in the world.
Organizing important paperwork is an important part of planning a trip to reduce travel risks. Remember: You can take many steps to reduce your risk of something going wrong before you even step foot in a country.
Get all the vaccinations you need in advance. Suppose you’re visiting a disease-prone country. This is something that is not fun but is essential. You should take precautions against contracting a disease while travelling to a foreign country. Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website to learn about potential vaccine and medication requirements at your destination(s).
- Scan your documents and email them to yourself. Scan and email yourself a copy of your passport and any credit cards you bring. Keep the paperwork for your valuables and travel insurance in a safe place. You will have a digital copy if these are lost or stolen while you are away.
- Keep an extra set of credit cards on hand. If you’re travelling with a group or a partner like me, you won’t have as much trouble with this. (assuming you each bring at least one credit card). This is a solo traveller tip. For example, I usually bring Revolt or Monzo cards every time we travel. These types of cards will not charge any fees for international cash withdrawals. In addition, this protects the money you’re spending because, even if your card is stolen, the thief will not have access to the main bank account.
Step #10: Start Packing
Packing is a stressful part of travelling, and most of us (women) are guilty. I, too, was once a part of that group. I reduced my anxiety about packing by bringing everything I needed.
Not so long ago, I was a self-proclaimed over-packer who always used only half of the things in their suitcase whenever they went on holiday.
I was that traveller who found it impossible to travel with one carry-on or backpack for a short trip.
We once went to Spain for less than a week. I packed five pairs of shoes, and one month’s worth of clothes and wore the same pair of jeans for the entire trip.
I don’t know. What was I thinking? I can now pack enough clothes and travel essentials to fit in a carry-on bag. If you like to travel and want to see the world with less luggage (which saves money), here are some of my packing tips:
Travel Packing tips
Don’t overpack: Consider what you will need for three or four days if you are gone for a week. Don’t be afraid to wear the same thing twice! In everyday life, few give a second thought to what you’re wearing. While you’re away, it’s highly unlikely that anyone will notice or care.
It’s hard to carry your bags, and if you exceed the weight limit, you may have to pay high fees. Pack your bag usually, but leave out half of the items you plan to bring.
Consider Making a packing list.
Make a packing list: You’ll find this useful if you travel a lot. Create a packing list of all your belongings before your next trip. When you’ve used something, mark it off the list.
You can leave behind anything that wasn’t checked off your list at the end of that kind of trip. Save your packing list, including destination and season notes, for your next trip like the previous one.
Learn about your laundry options. Do you plan to stay somewhere with access to a washing machine? If Airbnb has a washing machine, we’ll rent it.
We do this, especially when we have a multi-city or multi-country trip on one itinerary. There are laundry facilities in some hotels. You can do some basic laundry in the sink in your bathroom and dry some items on a clothes hanger.
Learn when & how to fold your clothes.
Before I bought packing cubes, I tried rolling, stacking, and folding my clothes to save space, but it didn’t work.
Must-Have Packing Essential item
They are the quickest and easiest way to ensure that your clothes are neatly packed and ready for your trip. You won’t even have to unpack when you get there! Take the cubes out, unzip them, and use them as if they were drawers in a suitcase.
Additionally, I notice that I can fit more in my bag and that my clothes end up being less wrinkled.
Make a travel-day outfit: Choose one outfit to wear on the day you travel. Then, you can relax about what to wear on the aeroplane, train, or other mode of transportation.
The same outfit can serve as your “travel uniform” for any destination. My usual outfit is my black leggings, a tank top or short-sleeved shirt, and a black or neutral sweatshirt with a denim jacket in my backpack.
I always feel cold on planes, even when heading to a warm destination.
Focus on what matters.
When planning a trip, it’s easy to get caught up in packing (I was obsessed with what to pack) and forget about the people and places you’ll see.
Don’t lose sight of yourself; this is essential. Be mindful of your well-being on the road. Take the bare minimum with you and plenty of patience and time to relax and enjoy yourself.
BONUS STEP: Arrival Planning
Congratulations, you’re at the last stage! Your trip is almost here; you must do some last-minute planning and research. It’s nerve-wracking to get off a long train or plane ride and not know where you’re going. Remember these things when making travel plans:
Internet/data access: Find out how you can connect to the Internet or data while you are there. This should be fine if you’re travelling domestically. However, a prepaid local SIM card can be purchased upon arrival in your destination country.
This will be the most affordable option for accessing your data while travelling. Additionally, you can get a data plan from your local network provider before travelling.
Pre-plan:
I’ll admit that not pre-planning your arrival can be scary, especially if it’s midnight.
It’s important to plan how to get to your hotel and how to get help if you get lost. For a fee, Airbnb hosts can pick you up from the airport before arrival.
Practically, you should already know what airport transfer is available at your destination from your destination research step.
Install some useful apps.
Google Maps
Before visiting a new place, many people use Google Maps to get an offline map. If your GPS is on, the app will display a blue dot even without data or WiFi. If you’re lost in a big city or on a long bus ride, this can help you find your way.
Google Translate
This app is helpful if you visit a country where English is not widely spoken. It can translate almost any language ( except most African languages, which I find very discriminatory as an African). Even if the menu is in a foreign language like German, it will translate it. That’s incredible!
Food & Transportation Apps
Most modern countries and continents (Europe, America, Canada, Australia, etc.) have Uber Eats, Deliveroo, Uber, and Bolt. Unfortunately, not all countries have these apps. However, they may have the equivalent of the above-mentioned apps, which you can research on and download if possible.
Get some local currency.
Many countries require local currency for public transportation and taxi rides, so bringing cash when travelling is important. You can withdraw money at the ATM ( be careful, though, as some ATMs have very high rates). Overall you get a better rate at ATMs than currency exchangers (be cautious not to get scammed).
Learn some language phrases
I’m not saying that you must be fluent in the language of the country you’re visiting to enjoy yourself there. However, making an effort to learn a few essential phrases will be appreciated by the locals.
I try to learn “hello” and “thank you,” and I’m proud of myself if I can learn a sentence. Lol
Now you know how to plan a trip to any place anywhere in just ten simple steps. These steps will make trip planning easier, but remember that even the best plans often fail. This is especially true when you travel because so many things can happen, and you can’t control them.
But that’s fine, too. To some extent, that is the whole point! This makes exploring the world a rewarding learning experience and keeps us exploring and returning for more.
Thanks for Reading!
Jane x
I hope my guide on How to Plan a Trip in 10 Easy Steps for 2023 was helpful to you! Let me know what steps you take when planning your trip on Instagram!
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