So if you’re anything like us, you are constantly making lists of potential destinations to visit. But what do you do when it’s time to actually plan a trip? How do you narrow down your list of amazing possible destinations, and put them into a manageable itinerary?
Here are five simple tips to help you start planning your next trip:
1. Figure out who will be traveling: This may sound obvious, but it’s an important factor when figuring out what type of trip you want to take. So think about if you will be solo, or with friends (wait are these Friends With Suitcases?!) and possibly even family. Second to that, think about what the overall physical ability of the group is. Both the number of people traveling and the physical ability of those on the trip, dictate some things upfront. If someone just had knee replacement surgery-ouch! they may not be up for a four day Inca trek, but could be super excited for a cruise.
2. Length of time: Once you’ve figured out who is going on the adventure, it’s important to figure out how long you want to be gone. We are HUGE proponents of taking two consecutive weeks off every year (or really close to it) due to the rigors of corporate America. But not all of our trips are that long. And a lot of time the length is dictated by a PTO policy and or budget. Pro Tip: To maximize your trips throughout the year, bookend weekends or holidays as you can, to stretch those PTO days and explore more places. If you leave on a Friday night and return the following Sunday, that’s nine days away with only a week of time-off used! Or add a day or two to any Saturday/Sunday to make a long weekend, that’s one of our favorite ways to travel. You can fit a lot in with three days!
3. Geography: Grab a map, grab a globe, or get online. A map is one of the most essential itinerary planning tools around! Damn we love maps! Once you have your map, take a couple of potential destinations and check out where they are in relation to each other. If four are in Eastern Europe, and one is in South America, think about splitting those destinations into two trips. It is also important to know that what may look like the best itinerary on a map, might not logistically work out. Sometimes there just aren’t easy, quick, or cost effective ways to travel between two close destinations. Pro Tip:there is a super helpful tool called Rome to Rio (website and app) that can help you easily explore routes between two destinations.
4. Time of year: We could argue that this is almost the most important thing to think about when planning a trip. But we don’t want to argue, you? No, we didn’t think so. Time of year can affect all of the things listed within our first three tips. Depending on when you travel, it might make a difference on who can join, where you go and how long you are gone. If you are trying to ski in Switzerland, it won’t work to go during the summer! Also if possible try to not visit places during the height of tourist season (looking at you Amsterdam during tulip season).
5. Research: AHHH this one could be our favorite! We are suckers for some research.This is probably the main reason we plan all of our own trips (for the most part). Anyway, once you’ve narrowed your list down a little bit, do some research! Get some books (do they even make these anymore?), look online, and write down things that seem interesting or fun to do in each destination. If you get into it and find out there’s nothing fun in that place, probably you shouldn’t go there. Unless you’re no fun.
As you plan, keep in mind that there is no such thing as a truly perfect itinerary; perfect doesn’t exist when it comes to travel. No trip ever works out 100% how you planned it and most likely you’ll wish you had done at least one thing differently when you get home. But that’s okay, it’s all part of the adventure! What are your favorite planning tips?
