No idea where to start when planning your own vacation? That’s okay! This post is here to help you and provides some great travel planning tips. It can be overwhelming planning a trip, especially to a place you have never been to before. I know I always spend hours researching where to go on vacation and then later spend more time figuring out fun things to do on my vacation. These travel planning tips will help make the process less overwhelming and easier.
Table of Contents
Step 1: What is your budget?
The most important thing to figure out first is how much money you have and are willing to spend on a vacation. I have a set vacation budget for the year and try to make it stretch as far as possible. On average for my vacations, I spend around $100 a day for things like airfare, hotel, transportation, and activities. Food is a part of a separate budget since no matter where I am in the world I have to budget for food. It is possible to do it for less money or more money, it just depends on what you personally feel comfortable with. Want free travel? I recommend checking out some of the best credit cards for travel.
Step 2: Choose how long you would like to be gone.
Is this a weekend trip? A one week vacation? Three-week vacation? For me, this is usually an easy part as my schedule is dictated with my school breaks. This also coincides with your budget as you can also use the budget to dictate how many days you can afford. Although I love being gone for as long as possible, usually many of my trips end up being 10 to 14 days or long weekend trips.
Step 3: Choose your destination(s).
Next, you will need to narrow down the place(s) you would like to go to. If you are not sure where to go that fits your budget, you can do what I like to call “flight roulette.” I use Skyscanner to search “everywhere” to find the best airfare deal. This is how I found $425 airfare to South Korea and $200 airfare to Boston from Los Angeles. For more information on how to find flights like these, check out my video here.
If you are completely set on a location, be flexible on dates to find the best price. That is how I was able to find $775 airfare to New Zealand when normally it runs over $1000!
Another option to save some money when booking flights is to book what is called an open-jaw flight. This means you fly into one city and out of another. For example, one flight I found flew into Edinburgh and back home from London. This flight was $500, the same price as a round trip London flight. However, we wanted to see Scotland, so this saved us a flight in the long run.
Step 4: Check Visa and Travel Requirements
It is important before you get too far into your planning process that you make sure you are aware of any travel requirements to visit a country. For example, countries such as Russia, China, and India require a visa for you to visit from the United States. I always check the US State Department Website for the most current information. If you need a visa, keep in mind that is an added cost you will need to budget for.
Step 5: Decide which cities to visit.
Once you have decided what country or area to visit, you now must decide if you want to stay in one city, or venture to other cities. This is all personal preference. For a weekend trip, I recommend staying in one place. When taking a little bit longer of a trip, Choose 1-2 different places if you would like a more relaxing trip. If you have a little more time and do not mind moving places every couple of days, choose more. I have done trips where I move every day and I have also done trips where I stayed in one city the entire time. For example, during my Eastern Europe trip, I moved every three days. However, when I visited China, I spent over a week just in Beijing. It is up to you to decide what kind of vacation you would like. Remember you can always take day trips from whatever city you base yourself in, as I did in Bogota and Quito. Also, make sure to keep in mind your budget as traveling to more places means more expenses for transportation.
Step 6: Research transportation between cities
You only need to complete this step if you are traveling to more than one city. Make sure to compare train, plane, bus, and rental car prices. Sometimes you may realize it is too hard or too expensive to journey between two cities, so you can always change your itinerary.
A few websites that may help you plan your journey
General Transportation: Rome to Rio
Train: Man in Seat 61
Rental Car: Autoslash
Step 7: Book Accommodations
After solidifying your itinerary, you will want to book accommodations as soon as possible to get the best deal. I like to book accomodations before planning what sites to visit, so that way I know how much of my budget I have left to do fun activities. There are so many options for booking accommodations. My favorite way to book a hotel is through Priceline due to the option of finding a Priceline Express Deal. I also have a Hilton Credit Card and will often book directly through the Hilton website for some extra benefits. Another option is to book an Aribnb. New to Airbnb? Sign up here to get $55 off your first stay. Airbnbs are a great option if you want more space, a kitchen, or have a larger group. One of my favorite Airbnbs is the one I stayed at in Tuscany, Italy. I always compare all options to see where I can find the best deal.
Other helpful hotel sites
Step 8: Decide what sites you want to see in each place
The final step of planning a vacation is figuring out what you want to do! Although sometimes you can play it by ear, there are some tours where you MUST book tickets ahead of time or you will not be able to get in. In Rome, you will want to visit tickets for the Scavi Tour ahead of time. Other sites, it is recommended to book ahead of time in order to skip the line and not have to wait for hours. Sometimes, you even save money by booking ahead, like at the Blarney Castle in Ireland!
Planning a trip is easier than you may think! Hopefully, these travel planning tips helped you plan an amazing trip! Drop a comment below with any travel planning tips you have!
