How to plan a trip

CONGRATULATIONS! You have decided to go on a trip!!

Do not start by booking your flights!

Now the planning process can begin. Stressful? Nooo not at all, if you know how to plan properly. In this article I will give you guidelines for planning that perfect trip. Because honestly for me, travel planning is almost more fun than the actual trip!

Unlike what most people think, you SHOULD NOT start by booking your flights. Instead, follow these steps....

Step 1: Get the basics down.

Ask yourself (yes, in this particular order):

• With who are you going to travel?

A solo vacation will look different than a family getaway.

• What's your budget?

• What is the main goal of your trip?

For example: relax/ adventure/ learn about history and culture.

• What country do you want to travel?

For this one, think about your answers of the previous three questions.

Some countries have a lower cost of living and are therefore less expensive to travel than others (any country in Asia and the Balkan for example). Some destinations are known for their culture and traditions, others are judged to have "no culture" but have the best nature ever (lol, no name calling here, but I bet most of you already know what country I am talking about). For that relax holiday your Greek island might be the best destination and for that trip with the children you might want to choose a quieter area over a busy city.

• Any practical things you need to take care off before you can travel? Like renew your passport, apply for a visa?

Step 2: When do you want to travel?

Depending on step 1, you can now decide when you want to travel. Narrow it down to a period of months, so for example "I want to go around the end September/ October".

To decide your perfect time period you need to consider:

Spring in Karijini, Western Australia

-weather;

-holidays;

-special events like cultural celebrations or festivals. It is a personal choice if you want to avoid these events or want to be around for them. Personally, I like to attend as many cultural celebrations as possible (if of course that is acceptable, research this and make sure you are not interfering and stay respectful). Big concerts and music festivals I try to avoid. Anyways, whatever you choose, make sure to secure your tickets and accommodation in advance, if you want to be around for a big event.

For an extensive rundown of best travel times for certain parts of Australia check out my other post "Australia: West coast vs East coast".

Step 3: Places and activities.

You have arrived to one of the BEST PART OF TRAVEL PLANNING!

For this step, research what particular places you want to see and what (unique) activities you want to do. For example: visit a castle, take an island tour, relax on a boat, take a surf lesson. Write down what you definitely want to see/do and some optional activities.

From there, you can decide how long you want to stay in each place. This very important step will function as the " backbone", for your trip!

To get inspiration, you can use the following resources:

-Websites and travel blogs (exploriris.com, really good one😉);

-Youtube videos (I loooove watching backpacking bananas and Molly Thompson);

-Tiktok and instagram reels (take into account that these are sometimes a bit romanticized though).

Step 4: transportation.

So, now it is time to decide how you want to travel from point A to point B. Purchase a bus pass, take flights or hire a car? Compare costs, convenience and personal preference.

To help you with this hard choice, here are some pros and cons for public transportation vs vehicle hire:

Public transportation

• Pros:

+Cheaper for solo travelers;

+Ability to relax during the travel. Look out of the window, watch a movie or read a book;

+Easy way to meet new people;

+No responsibility to take care of a vehicle.

• Cons:

-Dependence on a set route. Not all areas will be easily accessible by public transport;

-Dependence on a certain time schedule;

-Risk of delays, change of route or cancellations, out of your control;

-More planning (and often) pre bookings required.

Scenic train rides in Zwitserland (swipe)

Vehicle hire

• Pros:

+FLEXIBILITY. You can decide where to go, no area is off limits;

+Ability to travel whenever you want! Not depended on a time schedule;

+Less likely to experience delays or certain changes out of your control;

+Almost no planning required, so again very flexible to change and make plans as you go.

• Cons

-For solo travellers or couples it is often more expensive.

-Less time to relax during the travels.

-Less opportunity to socialize. Especially if you're also sleeping in your vehicle, it will require a lot more effort to meet people.

-Extra work and responsibility to take care of your vehicle.

BONUS TIP: "vehicle allocation", a convenient way to get you from point A to point B. You often even get paid for it. Basicly you just have to move a car or campervan from destination to destination, within a certain time limit. Convenient if you want to save (even earn) some money and only need a transportation method. Less convenient if you really want to explore, since allocations have to be done on a strict time limit.

So, WHAT TO CHOOSE now??

Especially in the more remote areas, being depended on that set time schedule and route is not ideal. I experienced this when travelling Western Australia. Only one bus travels the coast line two times a week, which also makes it very prone to sell out far in advance. This required a lot of planning and pre booking. Obviously, it took away some flexibility of travelling.

On the East Coast of Australia I've had a totally different experience. The Greyhound runs typically 2 times a day (alongside the main cities). Bookings are still recommended but you are able to change 24 hours in advance, which gives you a bit of flexibility. You can purchase certain passes, for example unlimited travel between Sydney and Cairns in 1 month or an unlimited travel pass. For all options and prices click here.

In Europe on the other hand, public transportation is very convenient everywhere Trains and busses depart multiple times a day and main tourist attractions are easily accessible via public transport. I travelled Switzerland, Germany and Italy by train and it was really convenient. Only in Germany we experienced a lot of delays and route changes.

For train travel in Europe, you can purchase a train pass which gives you opportunity to travel x amount of days in 1/2/3/6 months in a certain area (or all over europe!). For our Europeans, this is called " interrail" for non Europeans this is called "Eurail". Click here for more information and prices.

Train rides in Zwitserland😍

If you are really worried about money and just need a transportation method, a vehicle allocation might be the best option for you. This is especially popular in Australia.

Now, once you have determined your mode of transportation you can start filling in the blanks. Because, how will you actually get to this " point A"?? This is the time to start looking at flights if necessary.

Tips for booking flights:

Rule number one: always use incognito mode when looking up flights. Google will show your more expensive advertisements and prices go up once the cookies got a sense you want to go somewhere.. 😮

Google flights

So I already mentioned.. Google. Google flights is a easy tool to search for flights. It has the option to choose flexible dates and destinations. You can see in the graphs how the prices vary. You even have the option to "watch" prices for a bit and let google send you an email once it is cheapest to book.

Hopper

'Hopper' is also a great app which can tell you when to book your flights. You can even 'set' a price for some certainty. Quite convenient if the prices eventually go up.

Skyscanner

MY FAVORITE website to use is actually Skyscanner. This because of the option to choose flexible dates, destinations and even departure airports. Sometimes an airport a little bit further will have way cheaper flights. I always like to research departures from Brussel, Amsterdam and the less popular airports Rotterdam and Eindhoven, it gives surprising results sometimes! It also easy to see the prices vary through the month at skyscanner with the colorful callander (red = expensive, orange = mediocre , green = cheap). When you press "entire month" in your settings it will show you a more detailed callander with prices on each day., with the cheapest prices in a green font.

I also research for separate (split up) flights, sometimes it is cheaper to stay for a night/day in another city and than head to your end destination. And as a bonus, you get a extra travel destination!

Found some options? Make sure to look up baggage allowance rules and prices as well. Ryanair is well know for it's cheap flights, but will let you pay 30 euros per flight for a carry on for example. Sometimes it is even better to fly with another airline in that case. ALso I look at price vs convenience when choosing flights. Is it worth the 10 hr layover with self transfer or will you just pay the extra 200 euro for a direct flight? Of course, it depends on personal preference & budget.

Step 5: bookings!

This is an example of my final plan in 2022!

Plan is made, time to start finalizing things. You have your specific plan, now see if all your options line up: is that tour really available on the date you're there? Is your accommodation still available? What flights do you want to take?

Time to start booking tours, flights, transport and accomodation.

Note: I would always recommend booking flights through the official airlines' website (to avoid scams)!

Step 6: research other VERY IMPORTANT things.

Money

Imagine you are at the supermarket. You smile at the cashier and say " with card please", you stick your card in, ' please wait...'.....

' DECLINED'

Shit, what now???

"prevention is better than cure".

It is wise to research your payment methods and have at least 3 options to pay. I prefer to have a little bit of emergency cash, a debit card and my normal bank card.

Make sure to check if your bank allows you to make payments outside of your country/continent. A lot of banks have this blocked for safety reasons and require you to give permission 24 hours in advance.

Travel insurance

For some countries you may have to change/add modules to your current travel insurance. Choose one that suits your travel plans and needs. If your struggling with this feel free to reach out and I can help you research (yes, for free).

Sim card

When travelling to a different continent, it is pretty common to not have access to your mobile provider. So in order to call, text and use data you have to purchase a sim card.

You can buy a sim card at the airport (although it can be an expensive ripoff!) but you can also purchase one online. I did both and absolutely preferred the last option. I used Airloo  (lol,no spon unfortunately😜) to purchase my online sim. Very easy to compare different cards and once purchased it was set up within minutes. It is also easy to add extra data if necessary. And one of the biggest pros: it saves you the hassle from physically having to go somewhere and visit different stores to compare options. Oh and as cherry on top, Airloo provided great coverage since it has access to Optus network -the second best coverage network in Australia, after Telstra. With Airloo, I even had service in the Australian outback.

Tipping culture

In some cultures tips are a very big part of the salary, in other countries it is more considered an " extra". Of course when and how much you tip, is still entirely up to you. But I like to know what is considered reasonable and respectful in different cultures.

Social scene

Regardless of if you will travel with friends, significant other or alone, it is always fun to meet new people! Coming from the biggest introvert of the planet lol😬😜. Being introverted is probably the main reason I always research the social scene before I go. Is small talk common? (just to mentally prepare, LOL) and how can I meet people in the area? A big help I use for answering these questions is facebook groups. This is an easy way to connect with fellow travellers.

Dress code

Just to be sure to dress respectful and culture appropriate, I would recommend to research the dress code for each country you visit. Like how in temples and churches you have to cover your knees and shoulders, there are certain other unwritten rules per country. In India and South-Korea for example it is very much frowned upon to wear revealing clothes. Just to not draw any unwanted attention to yourself (stay safe friends!) I would abide by these kind off unwritten rules.

How I walk around travelling, lol.

Ps: In Australia it is an unwritten rule to walk barefoot, mAte! 😜

Okay, I think you have all the tools you need to plan the perfect holiday! If you have any questions or need help with planning your travels feel free to reach out! :)

HAVE A NICE TRIP!!! 🙂