With so much information and so many travel destinations, how do you even begin to decide where to travel and plan a trip? With technology at our fingertips, booking travel is super easy and you no longer need to plan a year or even months in advance.
Follow my steps to plan an awesome trip and get the most out of your vacation.
Step 1) Budget & Time: The first question to consider is, what is your budget, & how much time do you have to travel? Based on this information this will help you narrow down how far you can travel. As well as whether you will you be traveling by plane or car.
Step 2) Research Destinations: Have a general idea of the type of trip you want by doing some research. Is it outdoorsy, cultural, historical, or tropical? I am always doing research to find underrated, under-visited, and cheap travel. I get lot's of ideas but I don't pick a spot until I look at airline tickets.
Step 3) Book travel: I generally keep an open mind up to this point. Only once ever, I've purchased a plane ticket saying, "This is where I want to go (Italy) and I am making it happen, regardless of cost." We all have those places that are non-negotiable and we NEED to visit in life, and that's okay too!
Before booking a flight, I use the handy google flights tool to help me find the best deal. You can search particular cities and use the calendar tool to pick the best price. You can even
search general areas like, "Caribbean" or use the map tool to help you decide where you want to travel based on price.
I love this tool to mix and match dates and locations to find the best deal.
I just found a non-stop flight from San Francisco to London for $450. It's not the best price in the world but it is still pretty good for a non-stop flight! I have never heard of the first two booking options boasting $368 flights so I would be weary of booking travel with them. Do your research before using travel companies you have not heard of. I personally think the $450 roundtrip flight is an awesome deal and it's a reputable company.
HOLD UP! Before hitting the buy button on a plane ticket do a quick search for hotels to make sure availability and prices look good. Don't book hotels until after you have purchased your flight. Also, if you are traveling for a longer period of time, consider how many cities you would like to see on your trip. Maybe you would consider purchasing multi-city flights (For ex. SF>ROME>LISBON>SF)
Step 4) Research your destination: Figure out what you want to do on your trip. Do you love history, art, hiking, or insta-worthy views? I would also challenge you to do things that go outside of your comfort zone, don't only go to the main attractions but find something unique about where you are traveling to. Also, I would challenge you to learn about the history, culture, traditions of your destination and maybe you will find something intriguing that you would like to check out while traveling.
My google searches tend to go like this:
- Historical/cultural sights in Lisbon
- Must see in Barcelona
- Free Museums in London
- Off the beaten path in Rome
- Best waterfalls/hikes in Maui
- And the list goes on....
HOLD UP! Don't book any attractions just yet, just write down the most important things you want to do while on your trip.
Step 5) Accommodation: Look for accommodation that is central to the attractions that you would like to see. In cities where I will be using the public transportation, I always make sure that I am staying walking distance to the main city transportation. Do your research on the neighborhood that you are staying in, you don't want to end up in the Tenderloin in San Francisco without knowing first.
I typically only stay at hotels, so I am not your best guide if you want to camp, couch surf, etc. I prefer to use Hotels.com since they allow you to collect rewards, every 10 nights you book, you get 1 night free* (equal to the average amount of you spent on the 10 nights). I have stayed at Airbnbs in a few instances, but always do your due diligence wherever you stay and make sure it is a safe situation, especially if you are traveling alone.
Step 6) Book it: After you have booked your hotel now comes the fun part! This is the time to book any major activities that you wish to do on your trip.
Only book the major attractions and reservations, such as a car rental, tickets to popular museums, or any other activities that may sell out.
Step 7) Fill in Itinerary: Think of this as your unofficial schedule. You want to leave room for spontaneity. Maybe you want to switch things up while you are traveling.
1) Make a list of the days you are traveling
2) Enter the time you are arriving and leaving
3) Add the reservations you made
4) Fill the rest of the open time with the attractions you want to see
5) Fill in with MUST- TRY restaurants and local treats
Step 8) Packing List: I typically like to pack as light as possible. Why? Girls, hear me out... The less you bring, the less you gotta lug around. You have more room on your luggage to bring home some local wine or treats for yourself & friends (I obviously only care about food lol).
The more you start to travel with less stuff, the more you realize that you don't really need all that extra shit.
Tips for packing clothes and shoes:
Dresses can be really light options if it is warm!
Shoes: Bring 1 pair of comfy sneakers. If it's warm you can add 1 pair of comfy sandals . For outdoorsy trips you can add a pair of hiking boots or sturdy sneakers.
Bathing suits: You can pack less by washing them in the shower after you use them. Hang them to dry and re-use.
Jackets: Bring ONE, if it's cold bring a heavy one, if it's warm bring a light one.
Bring outfits you will use more than once but are interchangeable pieces to make different outfits.
Bring layers, and honestly when it's COLD you won't even care what you're wearing you will just want to be warm!
Check out my "Almost Minimalist" personal packing list here.
Step 9) Shop: It's time to buy anything that you are missing from your packing list. Buying one or two new vacation clothing pieces are okay, but please don't buy a whole new wardrobe for a trip. Textile waste is a serious problem and damaging to the environment. (Learn more about textile waste)
Step 10) Keep Learning: If you are traveling to a location where a foreign language is spoken, learn some important phrases (hello, thank you, please, bye, beer and more). Every city or little town has some interesting history behind it!
Learn the ways that you can respect the customs and traditions of the place you're visiting.
While on your trip, talk to your Uber drivers, bartenders, and waiters. Locals will tell you about some awesome spots. For ex. in Boise our waiter told us about Kirkham Hot Springs and it changed my life forever! LOL!
Now that you are ready for your trip... Girl, Vámonos!
What are ways that you plan for your trips? Let me know in the comments below.
Thanks for reading.
Hasta la proxima!
Andrea
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