Many coincide the terms “trip-planning” and “stressful,” but planning a vacation should be anything but stressful! It should be a fun, exciting process where you learn new things about places while simultaneously giving yourself a loose agenda to ensure your holiday remains stress-free.
Whether you’re planning a trip for the first time or you’re a more experienced traveler looking for travel itinerary tips, know that there are ways to further simplify how you research, plan, and organize your upcoming travels.
With that said, let’s dive into best practices for planning a trip with the ultimate goal of making a perfect travel itinerary.
1. Create and Organize a Spreadsheet for Your Trip
If you’re traveling to more than one place, it’s really helpful to build a spreadsheet. I rarely look at or use my spreadsheet when I’m on the actual trip, but it’s critical for planning purposes to stay organized.
I use Google Sheets, but it’s up to personal preference. Microsoft Excel, or even Google Docs or Microsoft Word can do the job equally well if you just need all the information in one place.
2. Determine Must-See Places in the Area
You don’t need to find everything worth seeing before you go. However, it’s useful to identify some high-priority activities, landmarks, or areas prior to booking anything. This research will help give you an idea of how long you need to stay in a certain place, what might be the most convenient area to stay in, and how you should prioritize your agenda.
3. Research Events in the Area During Your Time of Travel
This is one of my biggest travel tips: look into what events are happening in the places you’re visiting while there! Attending concerts, sporting events, or shows are great ways to blend in with the locals.
You can use resources like Songkick, EventSeeker, and EventBrite to find out what fun things are happening while you’re there.
I went to a Coldplay concert in Budapest, and it was an amazing experience. In addition to the great show they put on, I felt less like an outsider and more like a local who was immersed in the city’s scene.
4. Determine How Many Nights You Need in Each Location
If you’re visiting a single place, this doesn’t apply. If you’re headed to more than one city or country, however, it’s vital to perform ample research to determine how many days and nights each destination warrants.
For instance, say you’re interested in visiting Belgium for the first time. You might assume that you need to spend the majority of your trip in Brussels. But many believe that the best places to visit in Belgium are actually the smaller cities rather than the capital (me included). It’s worth spending one full day in Brussels, but 24 hours in Bruges could prove more rewarding if you’re weighing your options.
If you’re visiting Belgium and the Netherlands for one week and only visit Amsterdam and Brussels for 3-4 days each, you’re really missing out on the gems of the region that are the smaller cities and quaint riverside towns.
This is why it’s so important to allot the proper amount of time to each destination, so you make the most of your vacation.
5. Iron Out Transportation-Related Logistics Between Locations
When organizing your travels, it’s really helpful to figure out transportation between your locations before you go.
If you’re a first-time traveler, buy your train, bus, or ferry tickets in advance. Get that rental car months ahead of time. Then, keep all these receipts or order numbers in one place so you can easily access them.
Also when trip planning, you don’t want to overdo it by stuffing your itinerary with activities. Leave ample room for time to roam without an agenda. But transportation is a different story. Having these key travel logistics ironed out will save you SO much worry.
7. Book Flights
One of my biggest travel tips is to wait to book your flights until you’ve laid the groundwork for your trip. If you book flights before doing adequate research, you’ll be pigeonholed if you later realize that you want to spend more time elsewhere, want your stay to fall on certain days of the week (like a weekend), or go during a prominent event happening where you’re going.
For example, when devising my most recent itinerary to Romania, I initially planned on spending my first weekend going hiking in Retezat National Park. However, upon further consideration, I realized that the park would be incredibly crowded on a July weekend. Instead, I decided to spend the first weekend in the city of Timisoara to make the most out of its nightlife before venturing onto the national park on Monday.
When booking flights for a trip, I recommend booking directly through the airline’s website. It can save you if you later decide to change or cancel your flight. To find cheap flights, try apps like Hopper and Skyscanner.
7. Book Accommodations
Now that you’ve booked your flights and pinpointed where you want to go and for how long, you can get to booking your stays.
If you’re organizing a trip that includes remote locations, I would recommend exploring accommodations in said areas before finalizing your itinerary and booking flights. You should make sure that there are reasonable places to stay where you want to go that are up to your standards.
8. Prioritize Specific Activities, Explore Day Trips, and Finalize All Details
By this point, you’ve got all of your major details mapped out.
Some travelers like leaving a completely open itinerary for flexibility purposes. Others like to find things to do every day beforehand. Depending on the type of traveler you are, you can fill in gaps on your itinerary as necessary. Maybe check out some nearby day trips if time allows it. Buy tickets or book reservations for must-dos in advance so you don’t miss out.
One of my favorite activities that required some pre-planning was biking the Danube Bend.
9. Organize All Trip Details in Your Spreadsheet, Including Confirmation Emails, Receipts, and Other Booking Info
Organization is key when building a trip itinerary. Keep everything you’ve booked ahead of time in one place. You can do this in your spreadsheet. Copy and paste the link to every confirmation email you’ve received for your trips or activities. This removes any and all possibility that you can’t find your proof of purchase once at your destination.
Other Tips for Planning a Trip
Be Prepared, But Leave Room for Spontaneity
Finding the right balance between activities and improvisation can be the secret formula for planning a perfect trip. Is a vacation really a vacation if you’re constantly stressed about staying on schedule? It’s good to make a few concrete plans but remember that some of the fondest memories from your travels can come when you least expect it.
If Visiting Large Cities, Spend Time Outside the “Touristy” Neighborhoods
For me, the best part of traveling is experiencing how others live, if only for a bit. And you’re not going to get that authentic experience by strictly visiting the neighborhoods where only the tourists go.
The most popular areas of big cities are usually popular for a reason. In Budapest, for example, District I, District V, and District VII are considered the best neighborhoods by some distance. That’s because they offer some of the most spectacular architectural displays in the world. However, you’re probably not going to get a holistic “Hungarian” experience by only spending your time here. Venture out to a couple other districts if time permits.
Utilize Resources Like Reddit, YouTube Videos and Rick Steves’ Travel Forum
I don’t know how I’d travel like I do without the help of people on forums such as Reddit, Fodor’s Travel, and Rick Steves.
One trick is by Googling niche questions, such as, “What are the best neighborhoods to stay in Budapest reddit,” so you can be directed to a Reddit thread where the same question was posed in the past. Usually, the most upvoted suggestions on the Reddit thread will provide you the answer (plus, if asked in the Budapest or Hungary “subreddit,” it will typically be knowledgeable locals answering the question). If you have a question that you can’t find an answer to, head to a relevant subreddit and ask yourself.
YouTube is another great source for first-person accounts of experiences in different places.
Be Flexible
Rarely will a vacation go without its hiccups. Expect for at least one or two things to not go according to plan. That’s OK. Remind yourself that unsettled moments when traveling can eventually become lasting memories. Take developments, delays, and detours in stride.
