How to plan a trip

Planning a trip is almost as fun as actually going on the trip. Deciding where to go, deciding how to get there, deciding where to stay and what to do. I’m getting excited just thinking about it!

• Decide where you want to go

  • Scott’s Cheap Flights is a great resource if you can’t decide where to go. They send you cheap flights to various cities around the world. So if you know you just want to go somewhere but not sure where, this is a good start. I received a $371 RT flight alert for Memphis to Berlin, which is what sparked my Europe trip for 2020. Berlin wasn’t on my list, but it was a super cheap flight and just got me to Europe which is the hardest part.

  • Instagram is also great for finding new places. I’ve seen Greenland tourism, small Italian and Swiss towns, hidden beaches in Southeast Asia all from Instagram and I keep a list on my phone

• Flights + Accommodation

  • Book your flight when you find the best price (try to be flexible on dates if cheaper flights are your preference). This is tough because sales do happen… If I know I have a trip planned, like a bachelorette trip or a group trip, then I will look across Google Flights and Momondo. But the dates aren’t flexible usually so I can’t do too much about prices. If I can be flexible about my location and date, I love using Google Flights. I wrote about how to use Google Flights here.

  • Research what you want to do most and find accommodations nearest there

    • For example: if you are going to Berlin and want to see more of the WWII sites, I would suggest staying in West Berlin instead of Alexanderplatz or in East Berlin

  • Book and pay for your hotel in advance so you don’t have to worry about that expense when you show up. This is always so nice when you can just show up at your hotel and not have to worry about them charging your card.

• Plan your must-dos

  • Use whatever tool you like best! Facebook, Pinterest, TripAdvisor, Rick Steve’s Guide to, etc. I personally research using TripAdvisor and just random Google searches.

  • I make a list on my phone of all of the things I want to do first. Then I make an excel spreadsheet, or google sheet if I’m traveling with someone, of my schedule. This is extra, but I love planning and I want to see everything written out. I also make a sidebar of restaurants, bars, and experiences in case there is some extra time (see below).

• Get an idea of the area

  • I look on Google Maps and “walk” through the city (I sometimes do this with Tallinn still just so I can pretend to be there). But this helps me have a basic idea of what is around my hotel at least.

• Make an itinerary

  • I used TripIt for my most recent trip. It kept a record of my flight information, hotel reservation, hiking information, and restaurant reservations. It was super helpful and you’re able to share it with others.

  • Soft vs Hard itinerary

    • I love making an itinerary. It helps me flesh out my ideas and plans. I then map out the locations to make sure I’m not bopping all over town and am staying within the same relative area so I’m not wasting time. I use TripIt for my hard itinerary and an excel spreadsheet for my soft itinerary.

    • Some items on your itinerary are hard items: dinner reservations, excursion reservations, flights, etc., but some can be “soft,” or moveable. I like to make these to have a basic idea of what I’m doing. My biggest pet peeve while traveling is wasting time trying to decide what to do. Even if all we are doing is walking around, I have that in my soft itinerary lol.

    • Share this with your family or friends so they know where you are just in case anything happens.

An example of my itinerary

An example of my extra info