Does planning an entire trip seem daunting to you right now? What if I can break the trip planning process into six simple steps? Trip planning is actually one of my favorite parts about traveling! Your entire itinerary is in your hands, so you get to decide exactly what you do! Plus, planning the trip yourself saves so much money. If you hire a trip planner or travel with a tour group, you would be paying a premium. I’ve single-handedly planned most of my trips. I really enjoy planning, and I want to share the steps I take each time I plan a new trip. Follow along for the 6 steps to plan any trip!
1. Book That Plane Ticket
That’s right, the first step is to book your plane ticket! I know booking a plane ticket might sound strange being the first step, but trust me on this. I know there is a destination you’ve been eyeing or a place you’ve been dreaming about. Well, here is a sign…BOOK THAT FLIGHT! (P.S: If your trip does not involve a flight…please do not book a plane ticket :)) Even if you see a flight deal pop up to a place you’ve never thought about visiting, book it!
For me, I don’t start planning the details of my trip until a ticket is purchased. So many things could change between me looking at plane tickets for certain destinations to when I actually book them, and I don’t want to start laying out the details of my trip until I am certain of when I will be there.
However, it is important to note that prior to me booking any flights, I do have a rough idea of how many days my trip should last. The duration of my trip is based on what I want to see and do in a new place.
2. Build the Foundation for Your Itinerary
As soon as I have my flight details finalized, I add those details into my trip itinerary to build the foundation of my travel plan. If you don’t have a set travel template, I highly recommend creating one for ease of planning purposes. I keep my travel itinerary on Google Sheets so I can easily share it with friends and family. If you don’t have a travel planning template, fear not – I have the one I use in the screenshot below.
3. Research, Research, Research!
Next, read up on everything about your destination. Look up what all there is to do in the places you’re visiting.
Make sure to spend adequate time looking up things to do, places to eat, and sights to see. Once you have finished researching, try and group them by location and estimate realistically how much time you’ll spend at each place. If you’re visiting multiple cities or countries on your trip, you’ll need to decide how many days you want to stay at each place. Add these estimates onto your travel itinerary with the dates, locations, and things to see filled out, and play around with the itinerary until you are happy with it.
4. Figure Out Your Transportation
If you are staying in one place on your trip, then you can skip this step. However if you are traveling to multiple destinations, then I would go ahead and book transportation. I don’t like leaving things up to chance, and I book ahead of time, especially if I am traveling to less developed countries where there aren’t as many options.
Using your travel template, look at the routes where you’re going to need a plane, bus, train, or private car. Research the options that will get you from point A to point B.
Remember that your itinerary is not yet set at this point (other than your original departure and return flight), so if you find a ridiculously cheap transport option a day before or a day after you had planned on the travel itinerary, ask yourself if the price difference is worth adjusting your itinerary to that price (I’ve done this plenty of times when I am trip planning).
5. Secure Your Accommodations
You’re almost there! Now that you have your itinerary set and transportation booked, it is time for you to decide where you will be staying during your trip! Using your itinerary as a guide, look for places in a safe and central area of where you’ll be.
I’ve stayed in a variety of accommodations including hotels, Airbnbs, and hostels. I take into consideration the number of people I am traveling with, public transport infrastructure, and affordability to decide which option I will take.
For example, if I am traveling to Europe where there is great public transport, then I will be looking for an affordable Airbnb or hostel that might be a little outside of the city center with easy access to public transportation. Meanwhile, when I was in Southeast Asia, the hotels were fairly cheap so I stayed in nicer accommodations in central areas.
6. Add On Those Extras
Finally, it is time to book anything extra that you are planning to do during your trip. Typically this includes tours, guides, attraction tickets, entrance fees, and/or photo sessions. Now that everything is pretty much set – your flight is booked, you know what you want to do, your transportation is arranged, and you know exactly where you’re staying – go ahead and add on these extra items and finalize them. At this point you should be feeling good about your trip. You can finally relax and countdown the days before your trip begins!
The most important thing to remember in trip planning is that this is a process, and you shouldn’t try and do it all at once. You don’t have to do it all in a day. Take breaks from trip planning and give yourself time to think through logistics before fully committing. Embrace this process. I hope that one day trip planning becomes one of your favorite parts about traveling!
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