So you want to plan a trip, but aren’t sure where to start. Check out these five tips to help you lock down the details of your next big adventure.
Choose your Destination
First things first, you’ll need to decide where you’re going. However, choosing a destination can be a challenge! You might be traveling with people who all want to visit a different place. Budget and travel time are a couple things that you might want to take into consideration. If your ideal destinations are all comparable in price and travel time, let fate decide. Write down each location on a small slip of paper. Throw them into a hat and pick one. You could also have each person create a presentation in which they have to try to convince the group to choose their destination. Make it fun!
Select a Travel Timeframe
After you’ve selected a destination, you need to choose your travel dates. Before you decide on anything, there are a few things you need to take into consideration. For example, if you’re traveling abroad, you want to determine whether or not it’s peak tourist season. You may or may not want to travel with thousands of other people. When you’ve done a bit of research about the best times to travel, you can make your decision about when you’d like to take your trip.
Purchase Necessary Tickets and Reservations
Once you’ve selected the location and dates for travel, you need to start booking tickets. As a general rule of thumb, it’s always better to plan months in advance vs. last minute. An article written by Pranav Gulati for traveltriangle.com reiterates this by saying, “After the ideation is complete, booking tickets for your flight, train or bus transfer well in advance is an important step in learning how to plan your trip to perfection. Since flight and train tickets are subject to availability and prices rise over time, getting the bookings done a few months in advance will help you avoid additional costs on your initial budget.”
Plan Activities/Excursions
You’ve got the time, place and tickets squared away. Now it’s time to plan the fun stuff! What activities or excursions do you want to do while you’re on vacation? Do some research to find out what is available. There are certain things like water activities, boat rides, adventure sports or safari rides that you might be able to negotiate lower prices for in person. However, some activities needs to be planned out in advance because they sell out quickly or require reservations ahead of time. Don’t forget to schedule down time as well!
Pack Appropriately
Lastly, it’s time to pack your luggage. Take your destination and time of year into account as you plan your outfits/gear. Try to limit the amount of bags you take with you. Pack appropriately so you can enjoy your time away in comfort.
Use these tips to help you plan your next adventure!