Dreaming of an overseas getaway (or even a long weekend away) but feeling overwhelmed by the planning? The idea of planning your next adventure can seem fun until you need to navigate that labyrinth of trip planning and turn your vacation dreams from a wild idea into reality.
From figuring out how to conquer Machu Picchu, to navigating the entrance fee for Venice, we’re here to lead you step-by-step through the various stages of planning your dream trip.
We’ll share expert tips and tricks to make your journey as smooth as a hot air balloon ride in the calm early morning air. From choosing the perfect destination to navigating logistics, here’s how to make sure your trip ticks every box.
If you love to travel but hate the stress of planning a trip, you can put your adventure in the hands of local experts by going guided with a Trafalgar tour. We unlock the best of the world stress-free with 303 trips to 72 countries.
How do I plan a trip for the first time?
Whether it’s your first time or 12th time planning a trip, here are the steps you can work through to plan a stress-free vacation.
First, determine your destination
This should be the easy step – unless you don’t know where you want to go. Consider your budget, interests, available vacation time, and travel style. If you only have a weekend and $500, then a trip to the Maldives probably isn’t on the cards.
You could create a travel bucket list and write down every destination you’d like to visit. Or if you have no idea, why not research popular destinations based on your interests. Foodies will love Italian cities, while hikers will prefer US National Parks. If you’re really lost, go to Pinterest and search “travel inspiration” or visit Trafalgar.com and browse the site.
Once you’ve decided where to go or narrowed your list down to a few options you should check the visa requirements and travel advice for the destination. If you’re reading a travel blog about things to see in a destination, then it’s unlikely you will read about political unrest or any dangers.
Second, set a budget
The cost of transportation, accommodation, food, activities, and souvenirs all add up. When you’re planning a vacation you need to factor all of this in. Those that love spreadsheets and numbers will feel right at home, while others will want to shut their laptop and do anything else.
Ask yourself:
- How much can you afford to spend?
- Are your dates flexible to take advantage of deals?
- Can you access discounts through any memberships or credit cards?
- Will that destination be enjoyable on a budget, or should you wait and save up more?
Once you have your budget, it’s time to start with the real planning!
Then, research flights
There’s nothing worse than planning your whole itinerary, getting excited about specific restaurants or activities, and then learning that the flights are out of budget or the route includes five stops. From experience, we suggest looking at flight prices and routes before diving into the details.
Of course, flights will fluctuate in price and depending on the season. It’s worth checking out the prices for one week versus another to see when you can get the best deal. Looking for good deals on flights has the potential to save you hundreds, particularly if you’re open to budget airlines or longer layovers.
How to build a trip itinerary? Do research and draft your days
Once you’ve determined that your dream destination is in budget, it’s time to plan! The next step is to do research on the destination of choice. You have to decide how many days you will go for – this might be determined by a few factors, such as how much time you can take off work, which days had the cheapest flights, or what the ideal amount of time is for that location. You can Google “how many days XXX” to help you decide.
Make notes as you do your research and read about things to do, cute villages, and cool restaurants. You should start to draft a rough itinerary to help you work out how many days here, how many days there and how fast you can move around. Sometimes it takes a whole day to travel somewhere, so don’t underestimate distances otherwise you won’t see anything!
If this sounds like a lot of work, it is. You could spend days or weeks watching YouTube videos and trawling through blogs trying to plan the ideal itinerary for your trip. It’s why many passionate travelers choose to go guided with Trafalgar. While having a guide might seem like a luxury, it’s often cheaper than going solo as we have partnerships with hotels and can move from A to B more efficiently and quickly, saving you time, money and a headache.
Book flights, accommodation and transfers
Once you have a draft itinerary, return to look at flights and pray the prices haven’t gone up! Now is the time to lock in your airfares. Compare prices and route lengths, and remember that the 6am flight might not be cheaper if you have to pay for a taxi!
Once flights are locked in, adjust your itinerary (if needed) and start booking accommodation based on your budget and preferences. Obviously your money will go a lot further if you stay at hostels or guesthouses over four- or five-star hotels. You could also save by skipping the hotel breakfast – in Europe there are cafés and bakeries everywhere where locals stop for a morning coffee and sweet.
Finally, consider how you’ll get from one accommodation to the other. You might need to research and book trains, internal flights, or pay for a private transfer. The earlier you lock these in, the better.
Organize any experiences or tours
Flights, accommodation, and logistics are just the bones of your itinerary. Any vacation is brought to life by the activities you do, people you meet, and restaurants you visit. On Trafalgar tours it’s the Be My Guest lunches, Make Travel Matter experiences, and Dive Into Culture afternoons that make every trip special and unique.
When planning activities in advance, consider the speed that you like to travel. Planning activities morning and afternoon will leave you too tired to go out at night. If there is something popular that you want to see or do – like visit the Alhambra in Spain – then you’ll need to secure tickets well in advance.
Prepare for emergencies
The final layer of planning for a stress-free itinerary is making sure you have travel insurance! Don’t travel without it as you never know when or why you might need it. It’s obviously there incase you need to access healthcare while overseas, but it also have benefits for canceled flights or lost luggage.
Before you travel, consider making copies of important documents – like your passport or credit crads. While we can get away with digital copies of flight tickets etc in 2024, you might like to print a copy of your flight details incase you run out of battery.
Another thing to do before you go is share your trip itinerary with loved ones back home. It’s always good to have someone who knows where you will be and when.
Packing time
As your leaving date creeps up, you want to start thinking about packing! Do you have a large suitcase to check or just hand luggage? Do you need to buy any special clothing or gear, like a travel adapter or bag lock? Do you have a light towel and all the medicines you need? Often there is a bit to think about and organize, so packing the night before is not advised!
There are loads of blogs and tips covering great packing for a trip, so we’ll keep it surface level here. You could consider:
- Using packing cubes to compress your clothes or roll them
- Packing things to a limited color scheme, so you can mix and match tops and bottoms
- Pack versatile items that you can layer for different weather
- Limiting the numbers of shoes you pack, as they take a lot of space
- Bring a small first-aid kit
- Create a packing list to tick off so you don’t forget your camera charger as you rush out the door
Then you’ll want to look at the weather in your destination and depending on where you’re going, pack a swimsuit or rain jacket.
Read about local customs
Every country has a unique culture, and with that culture comes local customs and unwritten rules. Responsible travelers know to read about local customs so they can be respectful to the communities they visit.
This could include things like how much to tip, how modestly to dress, and even how to shop. For example, in Morocco it is customary to barter for things at the markets – this is part of the game! In Portugal, they will put snacks on the table at the start of the meal, but you will pay for the bread if you eat it – while other parts of Europe the bread is free.
Are you feeling ready to jet off overseas? Let us know how your planning goes in the comments….