Before planning a trip have a current passport. Purchase traveller’s checks. Keep the receipt in a safe place in case of being stolen. Whether for travel or pleasure, schedule some fun.
All trips are intended to be adventurous, relaxing, and full of pleasure. By preparing well, you can ensure you that you and your family or friends can experience a hassle-free trip with only the good kind of surprises to ensue.
- Chose the When, Where & How?
It all probably springs from either some stunning pics gone viral on social media, the scenic setting of a movie, or an alluring story of a friend’s last trip abroad. Touring plans, more often than not, are triggered by external factors.
Things to keep in mind before selecting a destination
- There’s nothing to say when a traveller’s mind yearns to visit the banks, ranges, or a forest. However, picking the right destination according to the season is a key factor in learning how to plan a trip successfully.
- Examine the most suitable time to visit all destinations. Usually, the ideal season to visit beaches and mountains is completely different.
- Consider the cost factor while selecting a destination. Some destinations are more pleasant in a luxury budget than others. Going to a leisure destination during the shoulder season (a few weeks before or after the official ‘busy season’) can result in some good reductions on hotels and flights.
- Safety of tourists is a prime interest people should address before starting on their trip (especially solo female travellers).
- Ease of approachability or lack thereof is also a factor that can divert the decision of visiting a destination or not. Generally, the popular destinations have a lot of daily flights, trains, and good roadway infrastructure to support the tourist inrush.
- Decide the duration of your trip
There is a fine line separating getting bored and savouring every second at a destination. Nevertheless, no destination has a predefined ideal duration.
It usually depends on the touring programs and purpose of the visit of the travellers. Some travellers like to see new cities every day, whereas some travellers fancy taking it slow by testifying and enjoying the subtle nuances of places they visit.
Things to keep in mind before deciding the duration of your trip
- A key aspect of a good trip planner is to precisely evaluate the number of days needed to visit a destination. A road trip planner would prolong the span of a trip whereas, a trip planned with flight tickets could be a little shorter.
- Journeys, where the destination is within 8 hours, can also be done on a weekend granted that the night time is utilized for travelling.
- A trip with a lot of residential destinations will need more time in the excursion, and therefore a longer trip duration. Whereas a trip to a tropical beach town would not involve much sightseeing and hence, the duration can be shorter.
- It is advisable to keep a vacant day in touring plans that exceed 7 days. This gives a buffer to things like flight/train delays, traffic jams, weather hold-ups, or a change-of-heart to prolong one’s stay at a distinct destination.
- Book flights, train, or bus tickets, and accommodation
Following the ideation is complete, reserving tickets for your flight, train or bus transfer well in advance is a significant 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 primary budget.
Things to keep in mind while booking transfers and accommodation
- Only book the cheaper non-refundable flight or train tickets if you are certain of your vacation plans. Otherwise, it is desirable to book refundable tickets if booking well-in-advance.
- Flight prices hesitate a lot, keep a track on flight rates by using Google Flights Tracker.
- Anticipate a surge in prices of flights and accommodations if you are booking tickets for a vacation that falls during the peak season of that particular destination.
- Use credit cards that give frequent flyer miles and points on every dollar spent on reserving flights and hotels to earn great remunerations and cash-backs.
- Plan the day-wise activities and course of action
It evermore seems captivating and adventurous when touring plans are made on an impulse and gut-feel. Nevertheless, the downside of going on such tours is that there could be many days where the scheduling can go haywire because of everything being so last-minute.
Things to keep in mind while planning day-wise activities
- Depending on the resources and time-at-disposal, getting a crude idea of what activities should be done on what day is an essential element in learning how to plan a trip flawlessly.
- Transfers between destinations should be kept as much as feasible during the evening/night. This will provide enough time for touring and activities as most of them are only probable during the day-time.
- Most of the times, it is better to book activities like water sports, adventure sports, boat rides, and safari rides at the destination itself to get a better price and some scope for agreement.
- In the trip planner, keep only one or two activities in a day if the purpose of the trip is to unwind and take it easy during the vacation.
- At some places, popular tourists activities like skiing, boating, scuba diving etc are closed during offseason. Check the availability of activities before going to the destination.
- Pack diligently and make all the necessary adjustments
After the bookings are done, it is always advisable to pack your stuff keeping in mind the destination and the impact of external factors on it.
The unpredictability of weather, socio-political synopsis, or a festive season can adversely affect travel plans. To avoid adjustment of touring plans due to these scenarios, travellers should do a bit of analysis before starting their vacation.
Things to keep in mind while packing for a vacation
- An additional shirt, sweater, pair of jeans, or jumper can always prove handy during trips where the weather is foreseen to be cold or rainy.
- Things like sunscreen, lotion, or mosquito repellent sound like unnecessary items but they are very essential in checking any skin-related diseases
- As a part of cultural sensitivity and responsible tourism, travellers must research about the destination they are visiting. Reading about the do’s and don’ts is advisable in order to circumvent causing any dispute or insolence to the local people of the place to be visited.