5 Steps for Planning the Perfect Trip

Does a trip really need to be planned? I think so. Not every tiny aspect, no. You’re going to want some surprises. I like planning a rough route at the very least. Where’s the sense in wasting time and money going back on yourself? In this post, I’m going to share my tips on planning the perfect trip (for free!). Whether it’s 3 days, 10 days, 3 months or even longer. Planning lets you get the absolute most out of your time and helps you budget. Plus, if you’re like me you’ll find it fun and it will get you super excited about your upcoming trip! (Not to mention it makes packing about a million times easier!)

Why wouldn’t you plan?! OK I get that nomadic types love to rock up knowing nothing, meet some friends and totally wing it. Don’t get me wrong, that can be exciting and fun. But, it can also be stressful. Do you know how many people we have met that have gone from South to North and North to South because of a lack of planning? Save your pennies and your time and do it right the first time. Spend the cash you’ve saved from being efficient on something fun.

I’m not trying to advocate that you make a plan and completely stick to it, maybe you’ll meet people and want to go back to somewhere you’ve already been. That’s cool.At least it’s your decision and not an initial oversight. I’m just saying, if you don’t have a rough idea of what you want to see before you leave, you might end up following a crowd and missing out on stuff you would have loved to see. Be the leader. Know what you want and people will likely want to come and see things with you.

Yes! You should plan even more for this reason. Your time is precious, you can’t afford to be darting about all over the place. If you want to see the most of a country rather than laze by a pool all day, this is for you.

I’m glad you asked. I never thought about what I was doing when I started planning, but every time I plan a trip I follow the same procedure. It starts off rough and gets more finely tuned with each step. So, follow along until you think you’ve had enough. I would recommend steps 1 to 3 at a minimum.

You can do as much or as little of this as you like but I would recommend keeping this at an attractions level only. If you start delving into the best restaurants & hotels etc. at this point you will feel overwhelmed and likely want to give up.

How you choose this is up to you, in the past, I have used guidebooks. Now I’m travelling I use the internet only. Top 10 things to do in [insert dream holiday location here] will bring you a plethora of posts full of advice. Find one you resonate with, written by someone you think would be into the same things as you. It could be a luxury traveller, a budget traveller, an adventurous traveller or a party traveller. Whatever floats your boat. This is your trip – don’t let anyone else dictate it. Go for what you want to do and tailor it to suit you.

Ask yourself, why did you choose this destination? Did you see a photo that made you want to go to a specific beach? Did you read an article about an amazing museum you’ve been dying to visit? Make sure the things that drove you to book that flight are on this list.

This is my favourite part! You can get as creative as you want with this step. Plot on a map every item from your list in Step 1. (Thank you Google Maps). Now that I’m laptop bound, I like to print screen on Google Maps and paste it into PowerPoint where I will add emoji’s or text to remind me what is where. I find it much easier to gauge a route seeing it visually. If you’re planning for other people too, it’s a perfect way to demonstrate the trip and get them excited too.

Before we left for South East Asia I did this for Toby. I got a side of cardboard from a box, printed out a map of SE Asia and stuck it to the cardboard. I drew on our rough route starting in Thailand and finishing in Indonesia. Get some pins and stickers to pimp it up and make it fun.

Depending on the nature of your trip, this will differ. Let’s say you’re planning a short city break… With the map you’ve made, you can now gauge where the perfect base is. Choose an area that is central or close to all the activities you want to do.

If you’re planning on moving from place to place, you can now choose a route that will get you from a to b in the most efficient way. During this process, you’ll also learn the names of all the cities and towns that host the things you want to see most. This is useful info to have for when you’re on the ground and trying to book a bus or train. You’ll already be familiar with ‘what’s next’. Or where to get back too if you decide to stray from your original route.

I would suggest doing this if you’re off on a shorter trip. Get it nailed and make it the best trip possible. I’m sure most of you have experienced returning from a trip & getting into a conversation with someone who’s already been. They’re excited to talk about their favourite location and throw a hundred questions at you – did you go here? Did you see that? It was amazing! You didn’t and now you feel like you missed out. Don’t be that person.

Check out whether tours take half a day or a full day. See how long it takes to get from a to b. Jiggle it all around until you can fit in everything you want to do – without being left exhausted by the end of the day. Schedule in some downtime.

Ask around! If you know anyone that’s been already and you value their opinion, ask them what you shouldn’t miss. Ask for restaurant & hotel recommendations. Look online at booking sites for hotels – this will be way easier now you’ve narrowed down a specific location.

By this point, you’ll know if you want to continue fine-tuning your trip so that it runs like a well-oiled machine. Maybe you have your checklist of places to see, where to eat and your hotel(s) are booked… If you’re happy with that then fabulous! Sit back and be the most excited person in the world. You’re armed with all the knowledge to make your trip unforgettable.

If you want to take things a step further, make a written itinerary. I loved doing this when I was planning holidays. I wasn’t bringing a laptop for reference with me so when I planned my 2 week trip to Bali a few years ago, I wrote an itinerary that included basic level info such as… ‘Night 12 & 13 -Canggu: Check into Koa D Surfer at 2 PM. Head to Batu Bolong beach and drink at Old Mans’. With a sheet of paper to hand, I had all my hotel names and any noteworthy restaurants and bars to visit as a reference. I knew when it was time to move on and if there was a busy day coming up. It helped me structure an adventurous yet relaxing holiday where I stayed in 7 different locations across 2 weeks.

And that’s it! You’ve put the work in and now you can enjoy the fruits of your labour. Gross. I can’t believe I just used that. Just, get excited ok?. Now you know exactly what you’re doing you can pack efficiently too!

I feel compelled to write a disclaimer here. Planning has its pros and cons. I love planning and it has yet to fail me but it’s important to remember to just go with the flow sometimes. If you wake one morning hungover or just straight up tired, have a day off. Chill by the pool. Read a book. Give yourself some recuperation time. Anticipate that even though you’ve put in all the work – sometimes things just don’t go to plan. It could be a delayed flight, or maybe when you get to where you’re going, people tell you it’s not worth the money. You may not want to go after all. It’s OK to change your mind once your there. The most important thing is to have the best time!