As if travel planning wasn’t hard enough, multi-destination trips present their own set of challenges. Here are a few tips to help you navigate multi-city trips with ease.
Less is More
While I realize it seems like you need to see and do it all, in most cases this isn’t feasible in a single trip. Travelling between locations is tiring. Consider paring down the number of destinations on your itinerary as much as possible so that you spend more time at less places.
Consider an Open Jaw Ticket
To help maximize your time and decrease the amount of travel between sites, consider an ‘open jaw’ (also known as a ‘multi-city’) ticket. Fly into one location and out of another. This helps prevent having to backtrack to your arrival destination at the end of your trip just to get back to the airport. (Especially because you should always be in your departure city the night before you leave…just in case!)
Pick Destinations Wisely
If at all possible, pick destinations that are easily linked through transportation. The shorter and easier the travel between locations, the better! For instance, if you were looking for a city to pair with Paris, you might consider one that’s easily reached via high-speed train (both London and Amsterdam are great choices as they’re each a little over 3 hours away). Or look at closely grouped cities. For example, you’ll have a lot more enjoyable trip in Italy if you pair Florence/Rome/Naples rather than Venice/Rome/Sicily. That’s not to say you shouldn’t go somewhere out of the way if you really want to visit, but do consider that the further away or less connected locations are, the greater the travel time and expense.
Don’t Forget to Factor in Travel Time
No matter how you intend to travel between locations (plane, train, car, trek, etc.), travel takes time. More time than you think! It’s not just the duration of the trip. You’ll need to check out of your accommodations, get to the airport/train station/pick up a rental car, check in, possibly go through security/customs/immigration, travel, possibly go through security/customs/immigration again, then find your new accommodations, and check in. Even for short trips, plan to lose at least a half day to travel every time you move. For longer journeys, you may actually lose a whole day!
