Successful trip planning can be a complex and involved process. Check out this four part guide on how to put together an excellent vacation!
A note about travel planning…
In the writing world, there are people known as ‘planners’ (who outline every detail) and those known as ‘pantsers’ (who have a tendency to ‘fly by the seat of their pants’ and let things evolve naturally). I feel like this concept translates to travel styles as well. There seems to be an extreme on either end…those that plan down to a minute by minute schedule (believe me, you couldn’t imagine some of the detailed itineraries I’ve seen from people…especially at Disney!)…and those that just show up with no plan at all. With plenty of us somewhere between the two.
In general, I’m a planner. I like to plan. Especially trips. Learning about my destination and anticipating the trip is half the fun! And since I travel solo a lot of the time, being able to educate myself in advance about tricky details helps mitigate any anxiety over things that could go wrong. (Check out 5 Tips for Planning Your First Solo Trip and The Importance of Being Scared…and Doing it Anyway for perspectives on how planning can help calm fears.) But I try not to take it to the extreme (Be on the lookout for Part 4: Planning for Spontaneity). After all, sometimes the Universe has other plans (Don’t miss A (travel) lesson in letting go…).
This series is an insight into how I go about researching and planning a trip. Depending on your travel style, it may or may not work for you. Adjust as needed.
Deciding on a Destination
First thing’s first. You need to decide where you’re headed. Though this seems simple…for me, it’s one of the hardest parts. There are so many places I want to go…so many things I want to do…. How do I pick the right one?!?!?!
I usually cycle through a few ideas for each trip. Weighing each one and deciding which will be the perfect fit. This probably drives the people around me nuts (“Africa?! I thought you were headed to Paris?!”). But it’s all part of the process. There are a lot of variables that go into picking a destination that we’ll discuss in further detail below. But it all starts with…
*The* List
The List is simply a collection of all the places I’d like to go. This is a living document…it grows, mutates, and adjusts over time. It contains things as detailed as ‘seeing the Lipizzaner stallions perform in Vienna’ to more broad categories such as ‘Utah’s National Parks.’ Some entries are a world away (‘riding safari in Africa’) and some are right here close to home (‘Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, OK’).
If you don’t have a list of your own…I highly recommend starting one. Every time you see something and think ‘I’d like to go there’…add it to your list. There are no right or wrong answers here. You’re not committing to anything. This list is just for you. And don’t feel confined by the term ‘list.’ While I am a list person…you don’t have to be! Add pictures…sounds…whatever to your ‘list.’ Anything that inspires you! (Pinterest boards can be perfect for this.)
When I start planning a trip, the first thing I do is pull out my list. This serves as inspiration for the next steps of the process.
Considerations
Now for the practical considerations. Unless you’re very lucky, chances are you don’t have unlimited time and money to travel. Which means you have to take into consideration the amount of time you have available, the time of year, and the overall cost of a destination when making a decision. And each trip is likely to be different!
Amount of time: How much time do you have for your vacation? Is this a long weekend? Or can you be gone for two weeks? Destinations that require extensive travel to get there require a longer duration…otherwise you’ll spend all your time in transit. Some locations offer so many activities that they need multiple days to fully explore. Consider how much time you have available and which destinations on your list might be reasonable. Don’t panic if you only have a short time to travel! A quick vacation doesn’t mean you necessarily have to stay close to home. Consider locations that have direct flights from your airport, especially ones that leave early in the morning and return late in the afternoon (so that you have two partial days at your destination).
Time of year: When are you travelling? Some places are just more enjoyable during certain times of the year. Whether that’s because of weather, special events, or crowd levels. Personally, I dislike cold weather and large crowds. Which means I’m less likely to head to places such as Disney during the summer when kids are out of school…or Chicago in December. That being said, some deals are just too good to pass up (see the next point of consideration)…which is how I ended up Paris for a week in January ($250 round trip plane ticket?!?! Bring on the cold!)…and at Universal Orlando in the peak of the summer season (Extra discounted rooms for a new hotel property’s soft open? Sure, sign me up!).
Price: For most of us, budget is always a consideration. Some trips are just inherently more expensive than others. A week at Disney for a family of four is a whole different budget than a week of camping at a National Park. And the price of a particular trip can often vary depending on a variety of factors including time of year, special events, travel deals, time of booking, etc. While there are lots of ways to stretch your travel dollars (stay tuned for a future blog post!), keep your general budget in mind when choosing a destination.
Next Steps
Once I have a general idea of the practical considerations of my trip (e.g. I can probably get 5 days off in the fall for a mid-budget trip)…I compare this to my list of travel inspirations. Ideally, I like to pick out a couple different options that might fit.
Then I consider if I’m looking for something in particular. Do I want to lounge on the beach and not have any responsibility whatsoever? Do I want an action-packed, adventurous trip? Does one of the possible destinations on this short list call to me right now? Oftentimes, the answers to these types of questions end with a decision. If they don’t, I’ll sometimes take a couple destinations into the next phase of planning and let that help make the final decision.
Travel Planning (Part 2): Where to Stay and What to Do
