How to plan your trip

My life in between trips is simple: it’s spent planning and saving for the next one. After 8 years, of traveling, I think I got the planning part down.

I often receive questions from readers of the blog, asking help in preparing for their trips. As much as I like helping people, it’s quite off putting when they want to have you practically planning their entire trip for them. Unless you’re so busy that you don’t have time to plan, with the Internet, it’s not hard to research about your destination. Google is your best friend.

Here’s a simple guide to get you started:

Pick your destination. So you want to travel. If you already have a destination in mind, good for you! If you’re still lost, think about the places you want to visit. Where does your interest lie? Knowing that can help you narrow down the choices of where to go.

Look at the map. Seriously, look at it. Mark the place where you’re residing, and then mark the places you want to visit. Doing so will help you understand how you’ll be traveling to that place, and what other nearby places you can extend your trip to.

Find flights, buses, trains, or ships. After looking at the map, you’ll get the idea whether you’d need to fly, travel overland or by sea. List down all your options. You can compare the cheapest flights if you’re on a budget, or compare which option takes you to your destination quicker, if you’re pressed for time.

Choose your accommodation. Once you have your flights booked, it’s time to look for places to stay. Would you prefer to stay in a place that’s right in the center of town, or in the outskirts where it’s cheaper and quieter? A good rule to have is to pick a place that is near a bus or train station, so it’s easy and cheap for you to get around the city.

Research your activities. You don’t have to plan every hour of your trip, but it’s good to have a list of places to go and activities to do. If you have the time and inclination, map the location of the places you’re visiting, so that you can group them together when you draft your daily itinerary.

I hope this helps! If you really need help planning your trip because you don’t have the time, consider paying somebody to do the planning for you. That’s what travel agents are for. Or me.