Terri Ramsey Beavers So you want to take a vacation or a trip. Well, that is awesome, but what now? Nowadays, there is almost too much information available—complicated rather than concise, misleading rather than guiding, bloated and confusing. But it doesn’t have to be that stressful, so why don’t we take a few pointers on how to plan your trip without unnecessary hassles and time-consuming obstacles?
Inspiration
This is most likely the most exciting aspect of travel planning. There are varying reasons for choosing when and where to go on a trip, so it is important to identify where you fit in to aid you in staying organized and within your scope. Do you have a weekend, a week, or more to go somewhere but need to choose a destination from scratch? Or are you building your trip around a set itinerary? Are you planning your trip around the cheap flights you have found and booked? Or maybe around a favorite hotel or place to stay, in which case you can check out This Hotel, so you can quickly and easily cross the “where to stay” part off the list. Whatever situation you fit into, you are going to want to organize around it so everything is in harmony and not at odds.
Research
Research is vital, and doubly so when you are going somewhere. First of all, you want to get a sense of your destination across different online platforms. Pinterest is probably the first one you want to consider for this purpose; it is, in essence, a visual search engine full of extensive travel posts and articles by travel bloggers about all the destinations you can imagine, from Germany to Dubai to Singapore—you name it, they’ve got it. Start with a broad search, such as the name of the city or country you are planning to visit, and you will notice Pinterest recommending more categories to help you narrow down your search, gradually getting more and more specific. Use Google for reviews for hotels or restaurants or whatever attractions you want to see, and all the other things you are going to need such as transportation, etc.
Budget
Once you have an overview of your destination and the types of activities you want to do, it is time to think about your budget for the trip. At this point, you should start to get a sense of what things cost and what your budget should be; doing this will help with the rest of your trip planning. For example, transportation. Consider all the costs; whether you are flying to your destination or taking a road trip, there are always extra costs, so plan for them. So if you are flying, you might have to rent a car, take a taxi, use Uber, or something similar. Or you might have to hop on group tours or bus tours, and they all cost different amounts. Maybe you are traveling to a city with a good subway or metro system, in which case it is usually worth buying tickets for the length of your visit. Consider carefully any discrepancies that might pop up, and avoid spending more than you can afford.
Planning a trip need not be all that difficult and overcomplicated, and using these tips as a springboard, so to speak, keep on planning, but take it easy and look for the simplest solution and not the most obtuse one. Make the planning as easy and fun as the trip itself.