Planning a trip, while often time consuming, is incredibly rewarding and fun. This post outlines the right way to plan a trip successfully, and shows you in 18 easy steps how to achieve a tailor-made itinerary.
18 EASY STEPS TO PLAN A TRIP
There can be a myriad of questions that arise regarding what to do and in which order, stemming from how to juggle bookings and where to even start.
But the beauty is, that once you have designed your first trip, you can use the same method for subsequent trips. When travel planning is done right, the whole process is smooth and seamless.
The secret to a successful trip itinerary, lies in careful methodical planning which anyone can achieve, however daunting the prospect may seem at first.
1 – CHOOSE YOUR DESTINATION
Before leaping head first into planning a trip, booking flights, accommodation and spending your money, it is essential to understand what the ideal trip you are trying to plan, actually looks like.
Strip away society expectations, family or friends kind suggestions, and instagram posts telling you what is “THE” amazing place you must visit.
This is your time away, your hard earned money, your chance to make lasting memories and your trip.
It will be unique and intuitively the type of trip that is right for you!
So grab a notebook and get your thinking cap on.
THINGS TO CONSIDER :
1. WHAT IS THE MAIN REASON FOR YOUR TRIP?
This may seem obvious, but pinning down ‘why’ you want to travel, will make both choosing a destination and planning your itinerary easier.
- Visiting family or friends
- Relaxation
- Sight-seeing
- Adventure activities
- Special occasion
- Festivals
- Other reason
2. WHO WILL YOU BE TRAVELLING WITH?
Unless you are travelling solo and can please yourself, it is important to take the wishes and needs of your travel companions into consideration to ensure everyone is happy.
Some compromises may be required, for example, young or elderly members may need accessible destinations, more rest time, less adventurous activities or particular food choices.
These considerations may shape your choice of destination. Sit down together and find out what everyone wants from their trip, what their budget is and what they would like to do.
Try and cater to each person’s wishes as much as possible. Communicate honestly and openly so that everyone has their ‘ideal trip’ to look forward to. Thankfully, we enjoy similar places and activities but you should always be prepared to compromise.
3. WHAT IS THE LENGTH/DATE OF YOUR TRIP?
These factors will impact on your choice of destination and ultimately, the cost of your trip. You may be restricted by school holidays, annual leave or have total flexibility.
Either way, decide the number of days you will be away for and the date you will be travelling. If you only have a week, it may be best to travel domestically or to a short-haul destination.
If you can only travel in July/August, certain places may be too hot/too cold, too expensive or out of the equation for your reason to go, such as a skiing holiday.
The bonus of having total flexibility, is being able to avoid peak travel periods, high/low seasons and to be able to stay away longer. If unsure, use AcuWeather to check things like monsoon season.
Remember also, to allow for days spent flying and take into the time differences in your country of destination. These things can erode into your overall holiday time.
4. WHAT IS YOUR STYLE OF TRAVEL?
How do you like to spend your time when away on a trip? Do you prefer the luxury route all the way, staying in top end hotels and eating at Michelin starred restaurants?
Do you like to sit on a beach or by the pool, or do you prefer budget hotels where you can be up early and fit as much as possible into your time?.
5. WHAT ARE YOUR INTERESTS?
I personally do not like sunbathing, sitting by the pool all day or adventure pursuits such as bungee jumping (not that I have tried it!) These activities would not constitute my ideal trip.
Beautiful natural landscapes, road trips, culture, sight-seeing and local tours all hold an interest for me and would be what I would look for in a holiday.
We are all unique and have different interests and requirements, so consider what yours are.
6. WHAT IS YOUR BUDGET?
It can be both counter productive and disheartening to choose a destination, start the planning process and then discover that the trip is outside of your budget. To avoid this, ask yourself the following questions :
- How much is your total budget
- How much do you already have saved
- How much can you realistically save before your planned trip date
If you can’t afford your ‘ultimate’ choice of destination, ask yourself if it is a priority such, that you would be prepared to wait and save for 12+ months in order to be able to afford to go.
At this point, start to make a list of 1-3 possible destinations that interest you and feel a good fit for what you are looking for from your trip.
CHECK OUT THESE POSTS FOR INSPIRATION
- How To Easily Choose Your Travel Destination
- 30 Credible Reasons Why You Should Visit Singapore This Year
7. RESEARCH THE COSTS IN YOUR CHOSEN DESTINATION
The purpose of this research, is to help you narrow down your destination choices based on your budget. You do not have to be specific with costs as this will come later, but it is a useful tool to provide general costs now that you have determined your travel style.
Use the website Budget Your Trip to check average prices for accommodation, food etc. and a flight search engine such as Google Flights to check flight costs.
Check currency exchange rates which may or may not put you in an advantageous position.
Lonely planet guidebooks also have a handy essential information section detailing costs. You should now be in a favourable position to choose your destination.
Now having answered all the above questions, you will know where you are travelling to, when, how long for, what your budget is and how much you think the trip will cost.
2 – START SAVING FOR YOUR TRIP
Having done your research, you will have a figure to work towards in order to be able to afford your trip.
If we have birthdays coming up before trips we often ask for currency as an alternative to a bought gift.
Ultimately, if your trip is important enough to you, you have to choose to prioritise saving over spending on other things. But it will be worth it!
3 – START INITIAL PLANNING
1. CONSIDER LOYALTY PROGRAMS
Now you know your destination, it may be worth signing up to an airline frequent flyer program, especially if you have a preferred carrier. Free to join, if used regularly, they can provide you with benefits such as free upgrades and access to departure lounges.
Similarly, if you have a preferred hotel chain, showing loyalty can result in free room upgrades, club lounge access and early room access. Some good ones to join are Hilton Honors, IHG Rewards, Club Carlson, Hyatt and Starwood Preferred Guest.
2. APPLY FOR A SPECIALIST TRAVEL CREDIT CARD
Specialist travel cards do not charge fees that your everyday credit cards impose, making them an ideal solution to use when you are on holiday or buying from overseas websites.
We have a Halifax Clarity Mastercard which offers low rates, no fees on spending or withdrawing cash abroad and typically offers better rates than ones from other issuers.
3. CHECK YOUR PASSPORT EXPIRY DATE
The majority of countries stipulate that your passport must be valid for 6 months after the date of your stay and that there are sufficient free empty pages for any visa and entry/exit stamps. An obvious point also, is that the passport is in good condition.
If you need to apply for a passport, ensure you allow enough time for application procedures (6-8 weeks) especially at peak travel times, and don’t forget to factor in the cost.
4. RESEARCH VISA AND VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS
Always check any visa and vaccination requirements straight away, because depending on your destination, this can have a hefty price implication that has to be factored into your budget.
Check online with the country’s embassy to determine which nationalities need a visa to enter the country, and how long you are permitted to stay. With some countries, you can obtain your visa on arrival at immigration.
Some require an eVisitor which you can arrange online whilst others require you sending your passport away for the visa to be inserted.
Don’t make any assumptions, but check thoroughly and allow plenty of time to sort out. Depending on the destination you are visiting, you may need specific vaccinations before travelling.
Visit your GP or pharmacist, who will be able to provide accurate information. Again, leave plenty of time to arrange, especially if you need to take anti-malaria medication or require several vaccinations.
5. SET UP A SPREADSHEET
At this stage in the planning process, I suggest you set up a word or excel document and start writing things down so you have all your findings in one place.
4 – CREATE A FIRST DRAFT
Using Google Maps, print out a copy of your destination country. Mark on it, the main airport and any regional airports. For example, in the UK you would write London Heathrow, but also include London Gatwick, Luton and Stansted.
Sometimes you can save money by flying into a regional or less central airport.
Using a different coloured pen, mark on any cities, regions, neighbourhoods, main sights and places of interest that you already know you want to see.
The purpose of this rough draft, is to see how far around the country you may decide to travel, which in turn will help you with accommodation and transport choices. It will also help you determine how feasible it would be to consider a nearby airport as your entry point.
Sites such as Trip Advisor, Pinterest and WikiVoyage are useful sources of information on things to do and where to visit.
18 EASY STEPS TO PLAN A TRIP : START THE MAIN PLANNING STAGE
5 – BOOK FLIGHTS
One of your major expenses will be flying to your destination, so being able to find affordable flights will help keep your budget in check.
Flexibility will be your friend here, as being able to move your dates around or flying mid-week usually results in cheaper fares.
Use flight search engines to find cheap airfares. Our favourites are :
I always obtain comparable quotes from Trailfinders and direct from the airline, which often produces cheaper prices.
ALWAYS compare like for like with any quotes and ensure that taxes are included in the price.
6 – RESEARCH AND PLAN ACTIVITIES / SIGHTS
I always carry out this step before booking accommodation, as there is no point booking a great hotel if it is miles away from places and sights you want to see.
I find it useful to have a printed copy of your destination and plot onto it, all the sights/activities that interest you and any costs attributed to them.
Use tourism board websites and guide books to discover ‘highly rated’ sights, free things to do, city or day tours, walks, shows, festivals, cafes and restaurants.
We always prefer to research activities and sights before we leave, as some popular attractions need to be booked well in advance.
7 – DECIDE ON YOUR MODE OF TRANSPORT
You have decided how to arrive at your destination, but how do you plan to get around whilst you are there? Depending on your style of holiday, you may already have decided on your mode of transport for getting around. You may want to hire a car or motorhome for the entire trip, or it may be more feasible and cost effective to travel around by train.
If you are staying in a city, such as London, you will be using public transport, so researching things like Oyster Cards, Uber and taxis will be useful.
It is usually cheaper to book rental cars in advance, plus it is easy, quick, saves time and you know beforehand how much it will cost.
Motorhomes need to be booked quite far in advance to make sure you can acquire the model of choice and pin down a good deal.
Download public transport system apps onto your phone for ease of reference.
Research how you will get from the airport on arrival at your destination, to your first hotel/airbnb etc. as you may arrive late at night.
8 – CREATE A SECOND DRAFT
Your itinerary should be coming together and looking more tangible at this stage, and the next step is to start plotting what you will see, where you will stay and how you will get around on a daily basis. This is the fun part I think!
Use your map as reference and have your list of sights/activities ready. It can be easy at this point, to pack a number of activities into one day, however you need to determine how far they are from each other and how long it will take to get there.
We use Google Maps and TravelMath to determine how long it will take to get from one location to another and the distance involved.
This will help you decide where to stay and for what duration, which sights can be seen together in the same day and which sights can be seen enroute to your next stop.
Using this method, we decide which sights are feasible and how to reach them by transport. A great tool for this is Rome2Rio, which informs you of the options of getting from one location to another and the incurred costs.
Try and group sights/activities by area and then consider your best accommodation choices. We tend to move around every 2-4 days, so our itinerary usually involves staying in a relevant area to have time to see a group of sights, but also facilitates fitting in various sights on the way.
This is especially important if you only have 2 weeks, as it saves money and makes best use of your time.
Always ensure that you allow plenty of time for road journeys, changes of trains and traffic conditions.
As you start filling in each day of your itinerary, really pin down ALL costs, putting in figures for accommodation, national park fees, road tolls, activities, entrance fees etc. If you want, you can even put in an estimated daily cost for food.
When we go on a road trip, we use TravelMath’s fuel cost calculator to estimate the cost of fuel for the entire trip, as this can add up to quite a large expense, especially if you miscalculate the figure, as Richard did for our New Zealand trip!
9 – BUY TRAVEL INSURANCE
In my view, if you cannot afford travel insurance, you cannot afford your trip and should NEVER travel without insurance.
Accidents can and do happen and you need to ensure that you have adequate travel insurance in these eventualities.
It is not just while you are away that you need to consider. If you were to become unable to actually leave for your trip, you need cover for cancellation.
Travel insurance covers such things as flight cancellations, loss, theft or stolen personal effects, loss of luggage and medical emergencies.
We use Trailfinders multiple trip insurance, as each trip can be 70 days in duration. Another popular Company is World Nomads which covers residents from 150 countries.
10 – BOOK ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation costs are another large expense from your travel budget, so getting value for money is vital.
If you are on your annual 2 week holiday then you will want to book your accommodation in advance.
With regards the type of establishment, there are numerous options to consider and it comes down to your travel style and budget.
If you are staying in a city, a good option is an apartment or Airbnb, as you have more room, can cook several of your own meals and do some laundry. We have stayed in Airbnb’s in Prague, Budapest, Darwin and the Canadian Rockies, where we also had great accommodation through HomeAway.
How To Find Great Accommodation Options:
- If you are looking for hotels, use Booking.Com. This site gives you a mammoth number of properties to search, including hotels, apartments, rentals, bnb’s and quirky options such as tree houses. The interface is easy to use and navigate and it is great for last minute cancellation options.
- If you are heading to Asia and looking for hotels, use Agoda. Another site with a great selection of properties, easy to use and offering great value in Asia.
- Interested in a house or apartment, rather than a hotel? Browse AirBnB and Vrbo. They have great options in local neighborhoods, off-beat, remote and unique places.
- If you are loyal to a particular hotel brand, you could make use of loyalty points to get upgrades.
11 – BOOK ANY ACTIVITIES / TOURS / RESTAURANTS ETC
If your trip is during peak travel times or to a popular destination it can be advisable to make certain bookings before you arrive, such as :
- Main tourist site attractions e.g Houses of Parliament in London.
- Michelin star restaurant
- City Tourist passes
- Rail passes
- Internal flights
This will provide peace of mind whist ensuring that you are able to see and do the things that are important to you on your trip.
In addition, you are often able to secure a slight discount for booking passes/activities on line.
12 – UPDATE YOUR SPREADSHEET
Now that you have come towards the end of the planning stage, update your spreadsheet to include details of all bookings, activities, accommodation, transport and flights.
At this stage you should also have a clear idea of the majority of your costs. Putting all the relevant information and details of your itinerary in one place makes it easier to keep track of before and during your trip.
Don’t forget to allow for costs such as pet boarding, taxi to the airport/car park fees and toiletries as these smaller costs still add up.
Download the spreadsheet to your mobile devices so you have a record of everything while you are on the go.
A useful app is TripIt, which enables you to forward all your hotel, flight, car rental, and restaurant confirmation emails for them to be transformed into a master itinerary so all your plans are in one place and can be accessed on any device — even when you’re offline.
13 – STAY CONNECTED
Whilst it is great to get ‘off the grid’ when you are away, it is important for many people, to have some means of communication. When you are going abroad, it pays to research available data plans for your phone and how you will access the internet.
You have several options which include :
- Having your phone unlocked by your phone company prior to departure (leave plenty of time to arrange this) and using a local SIM card, which can be purchased at the airport on arrival.
- Purchasing an overseas plan from your phone provider before travel.
- Using free wifi provided in hotels and public places such as cafes.
- Using a mobile data device.
14 – PREPARE COPIES OF ALL PAPERWORK
It is a good idea to have hard copies of all documentation with you in case you cannot get internet access. Things to include are :
- Completed itinerary
- Passport, visas, boarding pass
- Travel insurance, drivers license, car rental reservation, train reservation
- Accommodation, tours and restaurant reservations
- Credit cards
- Vaccination records, medication prescriptions
- Any other bookings/reservations that you have made
Make sure you have all emails regarding your trip in one place so you can easily access the information.
In addition, we always leave a copy of our day to day itinerary including flight details with family.
Download a copy of your itinerary to your phone, laptop, iPad etc
15 – ORDER CURRENCY
For near-perfect exchange rates worldwide, use a specialist credit card such as the Halifax Clarity Mastercard (UK) and avoid a typical 3% non-sterling transaction fee.
Set up a money tracker as soon as you know your destination, so that you can be alerted when rates improve in your favour, meaning more currency for your money.
We order our currency using the card, then pay off the balance in full, so have no charges. We then use the card for all transactions, secure in the knowledge that a standing order is set up to pay off the balance each month.
- Don’t leave getting currency till the last minute otherwise you will have no choice but accept the quoted rate.
- Don’t buy currency at the airport or you will receive appalling exchange rates.
Always choose to pay a bill in the local currency as your card does the exchange and it’s unbeatable.
16 – PACK
Airlines have their own strict regulations regarding luggage size and weight allowance, so check these out online before you start packing.
Be methodical with your packing and consider your travel style, any cultural requirements, the weather at your destination and activities planned.
Choose clothes that are versatile, comfortable and coordinate, to minimize over-packing. Make a packing list at least a week before you depart and don’t leave packing to the last minute.
We roll our clothes and pack them in groups within packing cells which enables you to have all tops together, all underwear together etc, saving the hassle of ploughing through your whole case/bag to locate a certain item of clothing.
If travelling abroad, don’t forget to take a travel plug adapter. We have a great article detailing the best way to pack your suitcase.
Keep your passports and paperwork together in a wallet or folder and store in your hand luggage.
Don’t forget your camera for all those memorable photos!
17 – OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
You now have your trip planned but there are a few incidental things to consider and deal with which include :
- Arranging boarding in cattery/kennels for pets (Book 3 months in advance during peak times)
- Booking transport to airport or car parking
- Advising your bank and credit card company that you will be overseas, so a transaction isn’t highlighted as suspicious and your card blocked.
18 – CONFIRM FLIGHTS AND CHECK IN
Check with your airline when you are able to check-in online, print off your boarding pass and put them in your wallet with your passport.
You now have a solid itinerary for your trip and in-depth information regarding every aspect of your holiday. Being organised takes the stress out of travelling and will enable you to relax and enjoy the trip you have planned for yourself.
Set off with an open mind and remain flexible to whatever may happen, as every memory adds a different dimension to a trip. Embrace the unexpected, the undiscovered, enjoy yourself and make happy memories.
Hopefully, you will now feel confident to start planning your own trip. Just follow the steps and you will soon have a successful trip planned!
Found this guide useful? Don’t forget to bookmark it and share with your friends. Are you on Pinterest? Pin these images.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you, if you make a purchase through this link. This income goes towards the sites running costs and enables us to provide our readers with free content. Read our Disclosure.
It was really helpful..thank u
You are welcome Mariam
Your guidance has made a substantial difference in my usa study trip preparations, alleviating stress and uncertainty along the way. Your support and encouragement have been invaluable, and I’m truly grateful for the guidance you’ve provided.
Hi James,
Thanks for your kind words, and I’m glad the article was so helpful.