Travel planning can sometimes be overwhelming. I get it. Where to start from? What to do next? How to make the best of your budget? What to think of? What not to forget? First, breathe. Second, this guide will help you get started and hopefully provide some clarity and direction for your next trip. Make sure to bookmark and reference regularly.
Travel Planning Websites You Should Have in Your Back Pocket
Book flights – skyscanner.com
Book accommodation – booking.com
Book shuttles – supershuttle.com
Research the country – lonelyplanet.com
Figure out accurate currency exchange – XE currency
Book tours and activities – getyourguide.com
The biggest things to think about when planning a trip
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The first thing most people want to figure out is what their budget is. You want to either think about how much you have NOW or what you are willing to spend in the future. Say you have $1000 to spend on a trip, you have to find a destination where $1000 will be enough. Say you determine you want to spend $2000 in future but you don’t have that now, pick a date, determine how much you need to start saving now and how many months to save by. Always save until at least two months of your trip so you can get the best deals.
Now that you have figured out your budget, you need to think about the best time to visit certain places. In the travel world, there’s a thing called high season and low season. High season is usually summer or sunny months. This also means there are more tourists than usual and it is typically more expensive to go during this time. There’s the low season where the weather isn’t really the best but it is generally cheaper to visit. Figure out the best times to travel. Check this site to know.
Another thing you want to think about is the kind of experience you are looking for. This is not always top of mind for people but it helps to consider what you want to get out of the destination. Are you looking for a city break? So, a fast paced environment like New York or Shanghai. Are you looking for a serene and zen location to unplug and unwind? Locations like Costa Rica and Bali may be good options. Do you want some adventure? ATV riding in Jamaica may be your choice. So figure out what experience you want and narrow your search with that in mind.
1.) Establish a travel budget
When planning for a trip, most people want to know how much it will cost them to do everything they need to do and if they can actually afford a trip. The five major costs are: Cost of flight and transportation, cost of accommodation, cost of tours and activities, cost of visas, if needed, daily travel expenses. Your budget is unique to you and you can go as high and as low as your finances allow.
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The major cost of your travel will more than likely be the flight cost. You can check websites like skyscanner.com, kayak.com or Google Flights to determine how much it will cost you to go from your city to your destination country. Flight prices differ and the farther away you buy it, the cheaper it will be usually. More tips on scoring good flight deals here.
How much will it cost you to stay for the duration of your trip. Are you sharing with friends, hence able to split the cost or are you bearing the cost alone? You can check airbnb.com or my favorite site booking.com to see how much it will cost you. Always read the reviews first before booking to make sure you are doing it the right way. Also, check how close the accommodation is to the airport and if your hotel offers shuttle services. If you have to pay for Uber or shuttles or buses, make sure to add this expense to the travel budget.
If you fancy doing something new in the place you are visiting, you want to add in a budget for tours and activities. I always check places like getyourguide.com and viator.com for tours but most times, I wait until I get to the country to get a better deal from the hotel or by just walking up to a tourism shop.
Another thing you want to keep in mind is whether or not you need a visa to your country of choice. As a Nigerian passport holder, I often need to apply for visas and this means I have to add this line item to my travel expense. How do you know if you need a visa and how much it cost? I’d usually just type in the country I want to visit and the city I live in, to find the consulate or any information. For example, “Thailand visa in Toronto” and read through the website. Sometimes it isn’t always clear so I pick up the phone and call. That’s also very effective.
Apart from the usual cost of accommodation, tours and flights, you want to set a daily travel expense for the duration of your travels. One way I try to figure out the cost of living in a particular country is by browsing through some restaurants and finding the menu to see how much food costs because this will be a big part of your travel expense. If food costs average, the cost of living is average. Food is a very good indicator of how high or how low the cost of living is. When you figure out your daily travel expense, make sure to add a bit more for extras that may come unexpectedly. You don’t want to be caught off guard.
2.) Get your documents right
It goes without saying that you should have a valid passport and visas (if needed). Some countries wouldn’t let you visit if you have less than 6 months of validity in your passport. One thing I always do is to put in a reminder in my calendar at least two months before my passport and visas are expiring so I do not forget.
3.) Pick a destination
With so many beautiful places and options available, it can get overwhelming deciding on a destination. When I want to pick a destination, I ask myself the following questions:
Can I afford it? I know whether or not I can, because I have already established my budget (in step one)
Is it safe to go? i.e. Is there political unrest, active protests, etc going on there? I’m not talking about what the media does to paint places as unsafe. Unsafe to me means there is war and are ongoing protests going on. I will check out this site to help guide my decisions.
Is it a good time to go? You can go in high or low season. Is the weather okay at the time of your departure? You can check out the best time to go here.
4.) All clear? Book your flights and accommodation in advance
After checking you are good to go to your destination, the budget is sorted, it is safe to go and it is indeed the best time to go, go ahead and book your flights and accommodation. I may also book some tours but some tours are better booked in person as they end up being more value for your money.
While there is no proven best time to book a flight ticket, I always advice to at least book two months in advance. Most people are last minute people and so the demand will go up closer to the date and you know what that means. Price goes up too.
5.) Draw up an itinerary
Now to the fun part – my personal favorite part. After sorting out your bookings, then it is time to start drafting an itinerary. I always advice not to overfill your itinerary but make sure to have some fun things to look forward to on your travels. Read blogs for ideas. Check Instagram for inspiration. Google ‘top things to do in the country’ and pick the ones that speak to you. Try to add something you haven’t done before to your itinerary as well as it will make your travels more memorable – nobody forgets their first anything.
6.) Book travel insurance
I always advice to book travel insurance for all your travels in case of unpleasant occurrences. We can hope nothing goes wrong on vacation but we can also plan in case they do. I always use World Nomads and I have partnered with them to give you affordable travel insurance. You can find it here.
Your travel planning strategy
The above mentioned are the biggest things. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Tackle these first, take a breather and go from there.