Get you’re planning right and sort everything out early on and you can save both time and money. You must research extensively on holiday destinations and which know the price details of each destination.
Planning your travel properly is not that easy and can be a pain in the neck. It consumes a lot of time which many people don’t have. Questions include which transport to use, how much luggage to take, what food to look out for – and at what price and where to find decent accommodation.
However, planning shouldn’t be a negative experience, because you are trying to turn your dreams into reality. Many of us plan everything at the 11th hour, which is not a good idea. Therefore, it is highly recommended to decide on key components early. Also, the advantage of travelling is that it brings freedom, so it will really spoil things if you have to Google everything while you are away.
Planning also saves a lot of money.
Here are some tips to help you plan your travels and manage your time and money.
Make a Comprehensive Plan
A comprehensive plan will save you hundreds, if not thousands of pounds. However, it will cost you a lot if you don’t do it in the right way.
Follow your Inspiration
Once you know which country or region you want to visit, create a vision board, folder, bucket list (or whatever you want to call it) of things you really want to see there. Get the ideas flowing.
Then, make a list of activities you want to do. Gather ideas and share them with your family. You can find inspiration from magazines, travel blogs, websites, friends and social media.
Use Maps
It’s difficult to plan your trip without giving your brain an overview of the travel route.
Depending upon your type of holiday, plot your journey in advance. For example, if you are on a self-catering holiday and book a self-serviced apartment; you may want to search for cheap restaurants and other recreational places nearby. Also, it’s not easy to plan your trip without knowing how you are going to get there.
Use a big fold-out map and lay it on the floor. Take a highlighter pen and plot all the places you are interested in visiting. This will also help you work out if your plans are feasible and to make more informed decisions about transport, routes and timings.
Time and Money Analysis
Work on how much time and money you have. Make a budget to work out how much your daily spending should be. Search price lists for everything in your desired location. Also see how much time you will need to spend travelling and how long you will want, or need, to stay at each place.
Put your Plans into Action
For short-term breaks, plan for 1-4 weeks.
Book your accommodation, flights, transport and any tours which require pre-registering.
For longer-term travel, plan for 4-6 weeks.
Book flights, transport and accommodation for at least the first couple of nights, then consider leaving the rest for sorting out later. Make flexible plans, but have a rough idea of the places you will be visiting and then plan further as your trip progresses.
Regardless of how long your trip lasts, always book your first night accommodation in advance, especially if you are travelling for the first time, are accompanied by children or if you are a solo female traveller.