Itinerary Planning

Whether you're planning a short weekend getaway, a two-week vacation, or a multi-month long-term adventure, some travel planning is always on the agenda.

But where should you start your travel planning process? After all, many factors need to be incorporated. Who's going? What's the budget? What activities do you want to participate in? What type of experience do you want to have?

Choose a Destination, Obviously!

The first step is usually to decide where you want to go. Some travelers like to have detailed itineraries that break down their travel plans by the day. Others are more flexible with their plans and put little thought into their next destination until it is time to move on. Regardless of your travel style, choosing an itinerary can be both extremely fun and quite frustrating, all at the same time. With the whole world ahead of you, how do you choose where to go? Many people have dreamed about certain destinations for their entire lives: an African safari, the Pyramids of Egypt, romantic Paris, the Incan ruins of Machu Pichu in Peru, the stunning beaches of Thailand, the Australian Outback, New York City... the list goes on and on.

Where do you start? Consider the following when planning your destinations and route. While the task may seem daunting, itinerary planning can actually be surprisingly fun!

Travel Styles

When narrowing down your list of options, consider what you enjoy doing at home or think about your travel bucket list. Think about your past trips and which parts you liked the most. If you don't like museums, then this likely won't change during your next trip. Enjoy hiking? Look for countries with great trails or national parks. While a trip around the world will definitely change you and your perspective on things, don't assume that you'll enjoy activities that never interested you in the past. While this may sound like obvious advice, it's easy to lose yourself when you're picking from a world of locations. But at the same time, don’t be afraid to try something new. Cooking classes, wildlife safaris, or even scuba diving are common activities available abroad that many people have not tried while at home.

Money & Budget

Consider your budget. Perhaps the biggest influence on how much money you spend is not only where you go, but how many places you visit. If you plan to visit a large number of countries and cities, then you will have more transportation connections. Regardless of how you travel, by bus, plane or train, these connections can become expensive. If you're on a tight budget, then you may enjoy your trip more by choosing less destinations and spending more time getting to know only a few places. By traveling slowly, you'll truly get a feel for the countries you visit. Once you decide how fast you want to travel, then you can think about exactly where you want to go. Furthermore, travelers who have taken "the slow route" often claim that it is more enjoyable than jetting to a new city every other day. So it’s not only cheaper, but you’ll spend more quality time in a location instead of in an airplane.


Research

Do some research. There are great resources available for travelers on the internet, in the bookstores, and even on television. A guide book will help you enormously with itinerary planning (more info on choosing a good guide book will come later). By doing some research, you can find out not only what the interesting things are to see in a city, but also the transportation connections, hotel costs, border crossings, and other need-to-know information. LonelyPlanet.com is the first go to resource many independent travelers think of when they start planning their trip, but don't overlook others. Consider searching for fellow traveler's blogs. Their writing can often provide insight into specific locations. Blogs are particularly helpful if you're traveling off the beaten path to a destination that is not as popular for travel.

Don't Overplan

But don't research too much. We don't want to sound inconsistent, but over planning can lock you into a route or schedule that you may want to change when you arrive. Or other factors might change the plan, and this would leave you with problems that could ruin a good trip. This leads us directly into the most important piece of advice in long term travel...

Stay Flexible

The following statements may scare you a little, but it is imperative that you understand the key points and reasons behind this very important concept.

Depending on your travel style and the length of your trip, it's best to not book any activities, hotels, flights, or tours too far ahead. Of course, this all depends on what type of trip you're taking.

If you're planning a weekend trip, then you only have a few days. So yes, it makes sense to book everything in advance. But even then, the weather could change and ruin that outdoor activity. Have backup plans and don't hesitate to cancel if something goes wrong.

However, for those people that are planning a multi-month adventure... how on earth could anyone make reservations for hotels, flights, trains, and everything else for an entire year? We cover this (and lots more) in our guide to long term and "around the world trip" planning.

Stay Protected

Travel insurance is important, but it can sometimes also be a little confusing. We have put together a guide to travel insurance that explains everything, and also features some affordable options such as Heymondo and others.

Budget Your Trip
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. On this website you can also find travel advice, tour information, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions for thousands of destinations around the world.
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