Travel should be a fun activity. You can explore beautiful places, stop and try new local food, meet new people if possible, learn new cultures and languages and even discover new and interesting things along the journey.
Plan a trip
Travel should be a fun activity. You can explore beautiful places, stop and try new local food, meet new people if possible, learn new cultures and languages and even discover new and interesting things along the journey. As for myself, travel is one of most pleasurable things to do after working many months and when I need a break from workloads and the typical office environment. The excitement starts when I book the flight tickets and the hotel room and also when I decide on the things to do and see when I arrive at the destination.
However, travelling or a vacation can often start off as great ideas and then end up as nightmares for a lot of people. A lot of thought and preparation needs to go into organising your touring plans. The lack of know-how on how to plan a trip is often reflected by unseen hurdles on a vacation, especially if you travel independently. I think it would be different if you are in a group tour where everything is already prepared and organised and you just make yourself ready for your day. If you are travelling independently, I suggest that you should go through certain steps to prepare yourself and to plan your travel.
"Travel can give you wonderful experiences that may change you for good by seeing things differently and from different perspectives. New horizons, I suppose. I believe that the basic planning of a trip can help you to enjoy your adventure from start to finish."
Here are some useful tips on how to plan a trip. Hopefully these tips will help you to overcome difficulties you may face during your trip and make things easy from the start.
Step 1 | Your Budget
What is your budget?
I always put my budget first before I decide the destination. Once I know my financial situation then I can make a decision for my next trip. If you know your financial standing, you can calculate approximately how long your trip will be.
If you have the time before you go, follow these simple steps to save money for your travels.
Step 2 | Who's Coming with you?
Is it a solo trip, a couple trip, a trip with friends/family or with a tour group? This question needs to be answered before making your trip plans. Once you decide and answer the questions above, it is easy to make a plan and helps you to shape your trip a bit.
The choice of travel destination depends on the person(s) who is joining you. Let's say you are travelling solo, probably the honeymoon destination is not an ideal or first choice; if you are travelling with your family may be you are looking for a family friendly destination especially if you are travelling with children.
Who ever travels with you, the group has to sit down and discuss what are the interests of each of the members and agree with the decisions being made. Make sure everyone shares their opinions and don't let one person make all the decisions. The purpose of group travelling is to make sure each group member is happy with the decisions and so make the trip a good one in the end.
If you travel solo, the decision is based on your own needs and you are free to decide where and when you want to have your trip. That's the beauty of travelling solo.
In comparison, with a tour group the decisions are easy because everything is already prepared by the the travel agency and there should be no problems as long as you pay the money to them.
Step 3 | Pick your favourite destination
Decided where you want to go?
This is the first step to take when planning your holiday. Obviously for some, they may know already the exact destination. Make sure the choice of destination meets your interests and budget. The choice of destination could be derived from photos that you see on social media, e.g. Instagram and Facebook, or from family and friends just back from travelling abroad or even from TV programmes.
The choice of destination could be in your home country or abroad. Trips abroad must be planned well because they involve time checking visa requirements, inoculations etc. Whichever destination you look for, the main purpose of the trip is to have a good time, to enjoy it, to have some fun, relaxing and getting to know the places and their culture and at the same time to make memories along the way.
Step 4 | Duration of your trip
Plan the length of your trip according to your preferences and time limits. No destination has a predefined ideal duration.
If you have a short annual leave and have other commitments you might consider travelling to a destination that is not far from your home country. It is still depends on whether you want to use your entire yearly holiday at once or you want to have two to three, possibly shorter, holidays in a year. If you choose the second option you might think to have a trip not far from home country because it takes less time to travel to and from your destination.
It all depends on which country you are starting out from. Are you already living in Europe or are you perhaps living in Asia or America? Intercontinental travel is time consuming and potentially costly.
One way I have tried to plan and maximise the length of my holiday is to fix it so that it coincides with a public holiday or long weekend. That way I have been able to extend my time away without eating in to all of my annual leave.
Let's say you have more than two weeks holiday in a year, you might think to have a trip further away from your home country. As I explained above, it still depends on the number of holidays you want to have in a year. I suggest you try to estimate the duration required for your trip. From my own experience, I've found that although city breaks are often advertised as short breaks compared with beach holidays, I actually need more time when visiting a city because there are more things to see and enjoy.
Ultimately it all depends on your personal circumstances and wishes. Are you mainly a city tourist or a beach tourist? Or do you want a bit of both?
Finally, remember the different time zones because it often requires a bit of time to adjust yourself. Better still do some research before you make your final destination decision and work out what the time difference will be and do you have a flexible enough time frame to travel.
Step 5 | What travel experience are you looking for?
What are the experiences are you looking for on your travels?
To have the best experience when travelling you have to decide in advance what are your interests and how to enjoy these to the maximum without overloading yourself. Imagine yourself in the destination that you are thinking about, what do you visualise? Do you see yourself in a city filled with galleries, museums, parks and cafes? Or rather sunbathing on golden sands? Or even maybe in the mountains or countryside?
Are you looking to explore the culture or looking for something that you haven't done before? Or just stay at your hotel and enjoy reading by the pool all day. Here are some of the ideas you may like:
• When can you travel? Countries in the northern hemisphere usually have four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter travel - do some research to find out for example what attractions are open, how busy they will be. Tropical countries in the southern hemisphere will give you very different experiences.
• Food (street food in Hanoi, Night Market in Malaysia, floating market in Thailand etc.) or shopping experience (New York, London, Milan, Singapore, Paris, etc.)
• Beaches (e.g. Koh Samui, Thailand, Bali, Indonesia, Langkawi Island, Malaysia, Maldives, Bora Bora Island etc.) or cities (London, Prague, Bangkok, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur etc.)
Knowing and answering these questions will help you to find the perfect destination for your trip.
Step 6 | When will you be going?
What will the weather look like?
The weather at your destination will impact on your vacation plan. Some countries may experience extreme weather at different times of the year; this is the main factor that you need to consider.
There is no ideal time to visit cities, beaches, countryside or mountains because different months and seasons of the year or whether you are visiting a tropical or northern country will give you different opportunities and experiences. For example, if you want to experience London in the summer you should come June to September or if you think about skiing in Japan, you should visit in December to April when it has the best amount of snow for skiing.
Another consideration is if there are any specific events or festivals in the country or destination that you want to go to. Perhaps you want to avoid the school holiday season when the number of tourists is increasing.
Step 7 | The best time to travel
Is it peak travelling season? Or low travelling season?
Weather, the possibility of crowds and when you are going to take time off work are just some of the factors that you need to consider when planning your trip.
You have to find out what the season will be in terms of tourists at the destination that you want to go. Will it be high season or low season or maybe in between? Depending on the season, it might be difficult to get a hotel room or there might be long queues at the attractions. Tickets to travel are also likely to cost more during the peak season.
The advantage of visiting a location in high season is that all of the attractions will be open. And some people enjoy the crowds associated with the peak season. On the other hand, maybe you prefer the quiet that comes during the low season. The downside here is that some attractions might be closed, including restaurants and bars.
What kind of holiday do you want? And equally important, what type of person are you? Understanding your own needs should help you to decide during which season to travel.
Tip | The best time to visit European countries is probably either late Spring or September: the peak travelling season hasn't started in late Spring and by September it is coming to an end. During either period, the weather should be just nice. In addition, children will be in school at these times.
Of course, for many people the time of travel is dictated by when they can take time off work. For some, traveling and holidaying during the school holidays and in peak season is unavoidable. But if you can plan ahead it might be better if you avoid the peak season when you have to face hundreds of people if not thousand of them. I usually find that avoiding the peak of travel period is best to enjoy the destination that I'm going to.
Step 8 | Book flights, trains or bus ticket
First, you’ll need to answer these questions: What airport will you fly into? Are you going to make a round trip and fly out of the same airport? Or are you departing out of a new place?
After deciding your trip destination, next is to book your flight or train tickets. Remember, transportations are the most expensive costs of your travel especially if purchasing a flight ticket. If you can find a reasonable flight ticket this will reduce the cost of travel significantly, especially if you travel far from your home country, e.g. Kuala Lumpur to Paris or London to Sydney.
A lot depends on your budget: if you want to experience some comfort it's better to book with premium airlines and fly direct if possible. If you are travelling with family on a long haul flight, better to plan your travel as early as you can. Since flight and train tickets are subject to availability, their price will usually increase the closer you get to your date of departure. Getting the booking done a few months in advance could save you a lot.
Searching for Flights
What are the best sites for searching flights online?
Finding the best deal for flight tickets can be stressful. I always compare the flight tickets through Google Flights and Skyscanner. I find these are the best comparison flight booking sites to use when looking for the best deal. Both sites give you a long list of options to choose from, such as airline operators, direct or indirect flights, times etc. Once you have found your preferred flight, you are then taken to the airline website or third party website to make a booking. In addition to these websites you could use Expedia, Travelzoo and Kayak. Remember that some third party websites might charge fees or earn a commission for the booking. I always check the chosen airline's own website to see if the cheapest option can be price matched - see below.
Booking Flight Ticket Direct From the Airline Website
Many airlines offer lower fares direct on their website. You should check the fare on their own site before making the final booking. Emirates Airline for example price match their competitor's prices and as a Frequent Flyer member I can earn the points too. It's a good idea to check out and join an airline's loyalty club, especially if you are a frequent flyer. Membership of some clubs allows you to choose your seats earlier too.
Step 9 | Get travel insurance
It might sound like an unnecessary expense but travel insurance helps to cover unexpected incidents or emergencies and events during your travels. These could include the cancellation of the travel, lost, stolen, or damaged luggage by the airline and other related measures while you are travelling.
Get international travel insurance to cover yourself and people who travel with you. This is important in case anything happens while you are on the road or travelling, so you can cover the costs with the insurance when you need it. Not having insurance while travelling is a high risk, whether travelling domestically or abroad.
Step 10 | Book accommodation
How long do you want to stay in the destination that you have chosen? The number of days or length of stay helps you to identify whether to stay in the hotel or Airbnb.
Accommodation is another fixed travel expense for everyone. Choose the best accommodation with the best price based on your needs.
It's not about finding the cheapest accommodation but getting the best value for money. The choice of accommodation can range from hostel to luxury resort, whichever type of accommodation that fits your budget.
Depending on the length of your trip, if you plan to stay for a longer period probably you'll choose an apartment, especially if travelling with family and children. If your travel is for a short trip, probably a hotel is the best option.
Search for accommodation deals
It's highly recommended to book your accommodation in advance. It might also help you to find the best deals. Most of the time we use booking.com for our accommodation booking for both our Europe and Asia trips. If you are planning a trip to Asia, Agoda.com is another good site that you can use to find the best hotel deals.
In booking.com you can find hotels, apartments, resorts, guesthouses and more. The best things about this site are that you can usually do a free cancellation on most of rooms and that it offers a best price guarantee.
Tip | Some hotels have special sales on their websites; it is a good idea to check the hotel's website before you make a final booking.
Airbnb
You may consider Airbnb in planning for your trip. We have not often used Airbnb but if there are good bargains then we go for Airbnb.
Airbnb is now available around most of the world. You can book an entire apartment, house or room. The website allows you to make a choice either to have the space for yourself or with the owner; if the latter, you have the option to talk with her/him to find out more about local places. Check out my Airbnb booking tips.
Step 11 | Plan how to get around
Do you explore the sights on foot or bicycle or train or rent a car? When exploring don't forget to have a map with you either on your mobile or using Google map offline/online. We prefer using a physical map because it is handy and there's no need to hold the phone while finding the places, especially in the crowded area. The map is useful to see your chosen list of sights and how far they are from each other.
One of the things to consider when you plan for your trip is to find out options of transportation. Remember, are there any bus or train services available to the sights that you want to go to? Are there taxi or UBER or other types of transport or can you simply walk to most of the places? For example, when we were in Prague, most of the time we explored the city on foot. But we still gathered a lot of information to get around the city in case we needed it and also to experience it. We found that most of the attractions in the city were within walking distance. Unless you are travelling with children or the elderly, you are free to consider the best transport to use.
Most of big cities like London, Sydney or even Kuala Lumpur have a special transport pass for tourists. For example, Oyster Card in London, Tourist Card in Kuala Lumpur and Prague Card in Prague. You need to check out in advance what types of transport are included in the travel pass and if there are any time limits, e.g. it can only be used between certain hours.
Early planning to find the transportation available in the destination will help and save time when travelling. If you travel in Europe, their train systems are excellent especially if you are travel conscious. I recommend checking out the Interrail website for trains in Europe.
Renting a car is depends on where you are staying, if public or other means of transport are available, and how far away are the places that you want to explore. If you decide to rent a car make sure to do research on the rules and regulations of the country or what companies are available for renting a car. When we were in Yogjakarta, we hired a car with a driver that drove us to Borobudur temple and Prambanan temple. Hiring a car with a driver is another alternative to consider.
Step 12 | Decide what to do and see
What is your style when it comes to travelling? Do you want to travel slow or do as much as possible? Or do you want to choose a few places and really get to explore them? This all depends on the amount of time you have and your budget. Check out my article on travel fast or travel slow.
When you plan a trip, you may want to know the must-visit attractions and the best things to do.
Do some research, decide what you want to see and then organise these places that you plan to visit to make the most of your time. If you travel during peak season, you have to consider the entrance fees to each of the places that you have agreed to visit once you arrive in your destination. For example, tickets to museums, zoos, historical monuments and many more. Escape the queue to most of the places by buying a tourist card e.g. Prague Card which allows you to visit most of the best things to do and sometimes includes transportation too.
Plan ahead and make a list of any necessary places you might want to visit and experience e.g. free things to do, city tours, day trips, parks, best walks, places to eat and other activities. I suggest keeping to two or three activities in a day if you plan to have some relaxation time and make it an easier trip. Don't forget to check the availability of activities before going to your destination. For example, some museums and galleries might be closed on certain days.
Travel blogs, Tourism boards, friends and family, Facebook/Instagram, Guide Books and TripAdvisor are the practical information guides that you can refer to when looking for information on things to do and see.
Step 13 | Places to eat and drink
Food! My favourite thing to do while travelling to new places. I would like to try the different foods available in each destination that I visit.
Some say that you can learn about the country or the destination that you visit through its food and drink. For some people, this is the most favourite thing to do and explore.
I love to discover new food and new places to eat during my travels. Like everyone else I like to try authentic local food, delicacies, coffee and restaurants or even their very own craft beers.
Step 14 | Check your passport
Check your passport expiry date before you set off on your travels. It can be a big thing if you are unaware of you passport's expiry date. Six months and more validity is usually the minimum requirement for staying in most countries. If this is your first time travelling abroad make sure to plan to get your passport sorted out as early as you can. Before you book your flight ticket and accommodation check that your passport is all in order; don't leave doing it to the last minute.
Find out your visa requirements
Do some research about if you need to obtain a visa for the country that you are thinking of travelling to. Visa is a crucial factor if you need one. Questions: can you get a visa online, visa on arrival, or do you need to get it in your home country? Make sure get to know whether your passport requires a visa to destination that you want to go to.
Different countries and nationalities have different visa requirements. Apply early if you need one, so that you have enough time and can make it a smooth process. Double check on the embassy website or call to confirm it.
Step 15 | Get your travel vaccination
See your doctor before you travel and seek any advice as necessary.
You may need a vaccination before going on your travels, especially if you travel to a high risk country. It is important to seek the necessary advice as early as possible from your doctor before you travel.
Safety and health are essential; you shouldn't travel until you have the appropriate vaccinations. Visit your General Practice a few months before you depart and inform your doctor where is your travel destination. The vaccine usually needs to have six or eight weeks to work before your date of departure. This duration gives you better protection from diseases or infections during your travels.
Bring along your vaccination record with you and the previous record in case you need it during immigration checking. The common vaccinations for travellers include Hepatitis A & B, TB, yellow fever, rabies, tetanus, typhoid and Japanese encephalitis.
Step 16 | Make copies of your documents
To help reduce any difficulties from lost data, make sure to make copies of your important documents that you need such as flight tickets, visas, hotel reservations and other related travel documents. Update your your latest contacts with family and friends. Some people even take a copy of their passport's data page in case their original is lost or stolen.
The document copies can be in soft or hard copy. Some documents could in hard copies in case an immigration officer asks for it. Put them in a folder so that when the officer asks for the information you can hand it over easily. The reason that you need to have copies of the documents is in case the companies or you misplace the original documents or may be there is a communication breakdown etc.
Step 17 | Phone and internet access
Most of people travel with their mobile phones and other gadgets that may use during travelling. Before flying make sure to do some research on internet access and telco service providers in the destination you want to go. May be you want to connect with your family and friends at home or may be to update your social media.
Research on data plans and sim cards for your destination. The cost of data and a sim card depends on the number of days of your travel; if less than 5 days it may not be worth the investment. If your trip is for 1 or 2 weeks or more may be it is worth your money.
What I do when I travel:
• Use free Wifi in the hotel room or at cafes/restaurants. I try not to use the internet while walking around as I prefer to enjoy the scenery.
• Some UK sim cards offer free roaming in Europe at the moment, so there is no need to buy a SIM card. Check beforehand with your provider.
Don't forget to check on the type of travel plug used in your destination or you can buy an international travel plug adaptor which is useful to charge your gadgets and phones.
Step 18 | Accessing your money
When you are travelling abroad, easy access to your money is important. You need to decide how much money you will need and how you plan to access your funds while away. For example, will you take cash, or traveller's cheques, will you use a credit card as much as possible or will you rely on getting local currency from a cash dispensing machine?
Taking cash in either £, € or $ might be the easiest option but it is also the most risky. What will you do if all your cash is stolen?
Traveller's cheques are popular but you will need to exchange them once at your destination and this can involve hidden fees through currency exchange rates.
Using a credit card is a good way forward but if you do not plan well you may end up paying high transaction fees. The international transaction charge can be exorbitant for credit cards. Also, depending on where you travel to, some places may not have access to credit card facilities. You need to do your research in advance.
Finally you could consider using a debit card to withdraw money in the local currency from a cash dispensing machine. But remember, not all towns and villages will have such a facility so you need to plan ahead. The other things to be aware of are the exchange rate and fees charged either by your bank, the bank on the local country or both for using a cash dispensing machine.
Before you travel, check your account first before and talk to your bank. When travelling we tend to use a combination of credit card, cash and debit card. We spread the cost - and the risks - across these three methods. Then if one of them fails we can still have access to funds with the other two.
Credit and debit cards usually come with either the Master Card and Visa logo. Both of these logos should mean that you are able to use your card anywhere in the world. Not everyone has a credit card but most have a debit card. There is no risk of over-spending with a debit card because it's your money in the account. Make sure you have enough money in your current account to cover your needs.
Check if you need to tell your bank that you plan to use your debit or credit card abroad. Not all banks require this information but some do. A worst case scenario is that your card is blocked while abroad because the bank doesn't know of your plans.
Lastly, make a note of the emergency contact numbers for any credit or debit cards that you take with you. If your cards are stolen, you will need to alert your bank as soon as possible to put a stop on them being used.
Notify your bank
Before your depart approximately a week to contact your bank and credit card companies to inform them that you will travelling, where to and when. This is to stop them putting a freeze on your card if they see unusual transactions from overseas.
Step 19 | Pack diligently
What’s next? Figuring out what to pack!
After the booking is done, it is always advisable to think what to pack. The things that you pack depends on your destination and your trip duration. Packing can be as stressful as when planning your trip. For me, I pack as minimum as I can. Usually, I have one carry-on bag and one hold luggage. If the destination is not far from the country I'm staying in, I usually just take a carry-on bag only.
When you are packing select something that is comfortable to wear, loose fitting clothes, comfortable shoes, toiletries etc. Things you bring with totally depend on the location where you are going. If you travel during winter, may be you need thick clothes with you and vice versa for summer travel. Keep your luggage within its weight allowance when you are packing.
Travel packing list tips:
• Know the weather of your destination you are visiting.
• Know the activities you will be doing.
• Know the types of accommodation you will staying at.
• Allow separately for your laptop, tablet or other electronic device and any leads or cables.
• Fix Transport Security Administration (TSA) - this is an approved lock that certain countries require luggage stored in the airplane's hold to have. Customs officials have a master key that allows them to open and close such locks. Check in advance if you will need one of these specially approved locks on your luggage.
Step 20 | Confirm your flight and online check-in
One of the last things you should do is to confirm your flight time and arrange your transport to the airport, especially if you travel early in the morning when the trains or buses may not yet have started operating. May be make arrangements with the taxi company in advance or nowadays you can book online for the day of your travel.
Checking in online is an easy step to do and makes your arrival in the airport less stressful as you can queue at the online check-in lane.
Now you know where to start to plan your trip and the planning travel process. Have a safe journey.
Happy planning, happy travelling.
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