Travel planning can be a tedious and time-consuming process. Whether you're planning a weekend trip to the city, a two-week vacation in a beach town or a two-month backpacking trip, you want to see as much as possible without wasting time or money. Over the years, we've developed strategies to create the perfect itinerary and plan your trip as efficiently and quickly as possible. With these 9 steps, planning your next trip will be a breeze and you won't find yourself missing any sights. If you typically have a hard time creating effective itineraries or find yourself wishing you could do more while traveling, then this is the article for you. Continue reading or read the step-by-step travel planning guide to learn how you can change the way you plan your trips.
Why Travel Planning is Important
Even if you don't like spreadsheets and precise travel itineraries, some planning can really help you get the best out of your travel experience. Most people either find themselves over-planning and never completing their itinerary or not doing any research at all, missing out on the best things to do and see. Have you ever sat in your hotel room and wasted your time Googling what you can do in the city you're visiting, only to end up disappointed because you didn't have time to see all the sights? While you can definitely find fun things to do on your trip, you shouldn't rely solely on exercise. Just a few hours of planning can really take your trip to the next level.
Another reason we encourage travelers to do their research before departure is to avoid disappointment. If you fly to Bali hoping that it will look like "food, prayer, love", it probably won't be. If you've carefully organized your itinerary and done some planning, you'll know that Bali is actually a tourist destination, and that you should go to specific areas to find the peace and quiet you may be looking for.
Read part one of the Travel Paradox series here.Learn more about how we idealize what places look like.
Do these steps work for every trip?
While we love travel planning (we think it's almost as much fun as actually traveling), we do realize that it's not everyone's cup of tea. Plus, over-planning can actually make your experience worse, which is something you certainly want to avoid. If your itinerary is so packed that you don't have time for spontaneous activities, you may miss out on the best parts of the trip. Also, the purpose of traveling is to inspire you to experience new places. A person can't really enjoy the moment if they're constantly checking their schedule.
This guide on how to set up a travel itinerary is mainly for trips where you want to see a lot of sights in a short period of time. If you're taking a two-week beach vacation just to relax and enjoy yourself, then too much planning won't help. If the primary goal of your trip is to get away for a while, then by all means, ignore everything in this article and skip the trip. However, it may still be helpful to do some research before you go. Even if you're just going to lay by the pool or go to the beach all the time, you may find the sights and activities around you interesting in case you get bored.
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9 Steps to a Perfect Itinerary
Here are 9 steps we like to use to plan and set up our trips.
1. Select your destination
The first step in travel planning is of course choosing a destination. If you have already booked your flights or know where you want to go, this is usually a simple step. If you're not sure where you want to go, you should do some research online to find interesting new destinations to try. If you are having trouble with this step, check out this article.
Your choice of destination can have a big impact on your trip. For example, planning a trip to a big city usually requires more work than planning a beach vacation. If you're planning to visit multiple locations on one trip, it's time to think about how long you want to spend at each location.
2. Decide on your time frame
If you are planning a long trip, your available time is likely to be limited. When planning your trip, be sure to keep in mind how much time you need to spend visiting certain locations. It's no use planning a big trip when you only have a few days, so organize your itinerary wisely.
3. consider where you live
Booking accommodation and researching what you want to do in a particular place should go hand in hand. You don't want to blindly book a hotel or guesthouse in a new city without knowing where the main attractions are. Consider your budget and always check that your chosen accommodation is close to public transportation.
If you are not too worried about your budget, you may be able to stay in a very nice hotel or condo. For resort style trips, you need to keep in mind that you may be spending quite a bit of time in a hotel. This is important when planning your trip so that you don't miss out on the amazing amenities that you are paying for.
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4. conduct research and view examples
Now that you know where you're going, where you're staying, and how long you're staying, it's time to do some research on the destinations you've seen. This is where travel blogs can be very helpful. The beauty of online travel research and planning is that you can always find the most up-to-date information and take advantage of reviews from people who have already been there. It's all free!
A Google search for 'what to do' or 'what to see' is really helpful and will show you tons of fun activities and must see places. Checking out sample itineraries can also really help you get an idea of what you can see in a day.
5. Inventory
Next, we like to make a big list of all the things we were interested in during our trip. This may be a very rough list of places you have encountered during your research. You can always add to it. This list is very helpful in organizing yourself and making sure you don't miss anything. If you wish, you can create a section on places to eat, which will be very helpful if you are trying to find a place for lunch or dinner.
6. Production of maps
A list can help you get a general idea of what you want to see, but it's not the best way to plan your trip. You want to avoid wasting too much time traveling unnecessarily from place to place, so it's important to organize your trip efficiently. This way you can avoid moving from area to area or forgetting to check out a place nearby.
We usually make a list of things to do in a particular place and then transfer it to Google Maps. You can use "My map." Functions as a travel planning tool, ensuring that you always have a map with you wherever you go and can use it as a reference for the future.Our Aa Travel MapThe itinerary usually includes such an interactive map that can be easily added to your phone. This way you can skip all the previous steps and save time with a ready-made map that includes all the important sights.
After adding all the items in the list to the map, you should have a good idea of where all the places of interest are. This is probably the most important step in this list and will really help you to create an organized and efficient itinerary.
7. Look at the transportation
Your next task is to look at the map and find out how far apart all the locations are and how you can get from point A to point B. You can also find out how far the locations are from each other. Some distances you may be able to walk, while for other distances you may need public transportation or a public bus. Don't forget about places that are farther away and may require a day trip. If this is the case and you will be spending the whole day at one attraction, you may want to see other attractions nearby. This way you can see more things at once and enjoy your trip to the fullest.
8. setting priorities
Unfortunately, travelers rarely have enough time to see everything they want to see. Your list of things to do may be too long and you have to prioritize some things. At this point, it's useful to color-code your list (and map) so that you know what you don't want to miss and what you might have missed. You can still keep these ideas on your list for the next trip.
9. Planning your itinerary
Finally, you have all the tools you need to set up your itinerary. Gather the points on the map into groups of things you want to accomplish in a day. Research approximately how long you'll spend on each item and what you'll actually do during the day. Start by planning the things that are important to you and then add other things around them. Plan a day for the big attractions, and don't plan to visit the most important ones on the last day in case you can't for some reason. Most importantly, don't put too much pressure on yourself to avoid over-planning. Here are some tips to keep in mind when planning your trip.
Tips and tricks for planning your trip
preserve conservatism
Don't schedule your time too tightly. If you start at 7:00 a.m. and plan your day in 30-minute blocks, you're probably doing something wrong. If you're running from place to place just to see everything, you won't have much time to enjoy any of it. If you don't think you have enough time, go back to step 8 and delete something from your list.
Make room for spontaneous activities
The best parts of traveling are often the things you don't plan. Use these steps to plan a rough itinerary, but avoid making a fixed schedule. You'll want to use maps and lists to get a rough idea of which sights are closer, but don't plan your day minute by minute. Be sure to leave room for spontaneous activities and unplanned exploration.
transportation factor
Keep in mind how long it takes you to get from one place to another. This is especially important for day trips. Again, it's not a good idea to over-schedule, especially if you spend most of your day on a bus or taxi.
If you are considering renting a car, you canClick here for reference
Downtime Factors
Sightseeing is exhausting. You're likely to be overly ambitious when planning your trip and end up feeling tired and unmotivated to go out and see more. Everyone knows that when you're on the road, all you want to do is lie in bed in your hotel room and do nothing for a few hours. Setting aside some time in the afternoon to rest for a couple of hours can really help to rejuvenate you.
Adverse weather conditions
It's useful to remember which attractions you can and can't visit in bad weather. As you get closer to your trip, you can check the weather forecast and take some time to adjust your itinerary if it's raining.
Waiting time factor
If you are visiting a large attraction such as a famous landmark or museum, you will most likely have to wait for some time. This may last several hours and may disrupt your plans and itinerary for the day. Keep in mind that you may have to wait a while to see a certain place.
Business Hours and Peak Hour Factors
Opening hours are another thing people tend to forget when planning a trip. Some places close in the early afternoon or are only open on certain days of the week. Be sure to research this before you go. Another thing to remember is that every tourist wants to visit the main attractions at the same time of day. To avoid long waits and crowds, you should make sure that you visit the popular attractions early in the morning.
View workdays and special events
Finally, research public holidays or special events before you go. The opening hours on those days may vary and it's a good idea to keep that in mind. Generally, places are busier on the weekends, so try to visit the attractions that are important to you during the week. However, if you are planning to experience the local nightlife, you should make sure that you have a more interesting experience on the weekend.
