How to Plan a Trip: A Month-by-Month Guide

Posted: 4/2/2024 | April 2nd, 2024

Journey planning could be a daunting job. Flights, insurance coverage, gear, itineraries, lodging, and a lot extra all must be thought of and sorted out earlier than you go.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed, particularly while you haven’t completed one thing like this earlier than.

After over near twenty years of touring the world, I’ve deliberate numerous journeys and holidays for myself, buddies, and household, even group excursions. At first, it was trial by fireplace. I learned a lot of lessons the hard way. Nevertheless, that helped me develop an environment friendly guidelines that ensures I don’t miss something essential throughout the trip-planning course of.

One large query I get requested rather a lot is when to start out planning. To reply that query, this put up breaks the planning course of down into month-by-month steps so you may plan your subsequent journey with ease.

Right here’s how you can plan a visit:

12 Months Out: Determine on Your Vacation spot(s)

Lots of people discuss vaguely about journey: they by no means say the place they’re going, simply that they’re going. They may speak about it for years earlier than really departing (in the event that they go in any respect). However it’s a lot simpler to succeed in and plan for the purpose of “I’m going to Paris for 2 weeks this summer season” than “I’m going someplace.”

If you have already got a dream vacation spot in thoughts, nice! If not, listed here are some posts that can assist you get began:

However, this far out, the actual factor you wish to do is begin saving cash and determining your prices. Lodging and flights are the plain ones, however how a lot do eating places, sights, and different actions price? Figuring out these prices will enable you precisely estimate how a lot cash you’ll want. Right here is how you can analysis prices:

1. Purchase a guidebook
2. Try my free travel guides (we break down all prices for every vacation spot)
3. Skim the price of residing on Numbeo.com
4. Google costs for main actions you wish to do, reminiscent of scuba diving, vineyard excursions, and so on. (Get Your Guide is an effective place to start out)
5. Use Skyscanner or Google Flights for flight costs and join alerts to get emails if the worth modifications
6. Use Discover Cars to cost out (and e-book) a rental automotive in the event you want one
7. Use Booking.com and Hostelworld to analysis lodging prices

That will appear to be rather a lot however you simply wish to get a common thought of how a lot it’s essential save. You may head to this page to see all my articles on how to save money for your trip.

12 Months Out: Begin Amassing Factors & Miles

Whilst you’re working to save cash, get a travel credit card so you may earn miles and factors without cost flights and resort stays. It’s what has stored my prices down and me on the highway for therefore a few years.

Nowadays, most playing cards have welcome provides of 60,000-80,000 factors (some may be as excessive as 100,000) while you meet their minimal spending requirement (typically $2,000-5,000 USD inside a 3–6-month timeframe). That’s sufficient miles for a free round-trip financial system flight to Europe from the East Coast of North America.

For extra info on this topic, take a look at these posts:

As well as, get a fee-free ATM card. I exploit Charles Schwab, however there are many different banks that don’t cost ATM charges (don’t neglect to examine your native banks and credit score unions too). Here’s how you can avoid bank fees while traveling.

8 Months Out: Visa Necessities, Passports, and Vaccines

Whilst you doubtless gained’t want a visa to your required vacation spot, it’s best to nonetheless examine to verify. In case you’re a US citizen, use the State Department’s search tool to study your vacation spot’s entry necessities. (Canadians can use this search tool.)

Moreover, be sure that your passport is legitimate for at the very least six months after your journey ends. Many international locations require this for entry. Passport software and renewal wait occasions may be lengthy (the usual is 6-8 weeks within the US), so do that as quickly as doable.

Additionally, analysis in the event you want any vaccines to your journey as many international locations require vaccines to enter (and I don’t imply COVID). You may study extra about nation necessities and proposals on the CDC’s website. They may help you discover a clinic close to you as nicely (in the event you’re within the US).

4-6 Months Out: E book Your Flight

One of the best time to e-book your flight is mostly round 3-4 months earlier than your departure, or 5-6 months earlier than if you’re going throughout a vacation spot’s peak season. This isn’t a hard-and-fast rule, although, so use it as a information.

Listed below are two articles on how you can rating an inexpensive flight:

In case you’ve signed up for a journey bank card and acquired your sign-up bonus, use your miles to e-book your flight and/or resort. The additional out you e-book, the extra availability there shall be. Use instruments like Point.me and Awayz that can assist you discover the perfect redemptions in your factors (for flights and accommodations, respectively).

However even in the event you aren’t utilizing miles or didn’t discover a low cost flight deal, there are nonetheless some ways to keep away from being the particular person on the flight who paid probably the most for his or her ticket. My two favourite websites for locating low cost airfare are Skyscanner and Google Flights.
 

3-4 Months Out: E book Your Lodging

In case you’re touring for below two weeks and have a set schedule, e-book lodging all through your journey. In case you’re visiting throughout the excessive season, it’s additionally a good suggestion to e-book every little thing prematurely. For journeys longer than two weeks, I recommend reserving solely the primary couple of nights of your journey. As soon as there, you could find yourself wanting to vary your plans primarily based on insider recommendation from different vacationers and/or resort/hostel employees. I want having flexibility, so I at all times simply e-book a couple of nights and go from there.

Listed below are my go-to websites on the subject of discovering the perfect offers on lodging:

• Hostelworld – Hostelworld has the most important collection of hostels and is my go-to web site for locating inexpensive hostels.
• Booking.com – Reserving.com is the perfect total platform for locating finances accommodations and guesthouses.
• Agoda – Agoda has the perfect outcomes in the event you’re heading to Asia (although it typically has good US offers too).

I like to recommend checking the cancelation coverage of wherever you e-book. I like having the pliability to cancel if one thing comes up.

In case you’re on a decent finances otherwise you wish to join with extra locals throughout your travels, take into account becoming a member of platforms like Couchsurfing or BeWelcome. These communities enable vacationers to stick with residents without cost as a form of cultural change.

Lengthy-term vacationers may also try housesitting or WWOOFing as nicely, as they each supply free lodging (in change for pet sitting or farm work, respectively).

2 Months Out: Plan Your Actions

Now it’s time for the enjoyable a part of journey planning! Which means studying books about your vacation spot, studying common journey ideas, connecting with on-line communities, and pre-booking any crucial actions.

Pre-booking ensures you don’t miss out on issues that you just actually wish to do in your journey. In case you’re going to a well-liked vacation spot, excursions and actions replenish shortly, and in the event you’re going to a smaller place, actions or excursions may solely run on sure days and have restricted availability.

Both approach, Get Your Guide the perfect place to seek for and pre-book actions, excursions, and tickets. Native tour operators and sights can checklist their choices on this on-line market, so you’ll find tons of stuff right here, from meals excursions to museum tickets with skip-the-line entry.

1 Month Out: Get Journey Insurance coverage

Get travel insurance. That approach, these purchases are protected ought to one thing occur that makes you cancel your journey.

Lots of people suppose, “I’m wholesome. I don’t want journey insurance coverage.” However journey insurance coverage is far more than simply medical safety. It covers you when your digital camera breaks, your flight is canceled, a member of the family dies and you must come dwelling, or one thing will get stolen. (That’s why you’ll additionally wish to familiarize your self with any common travel scams to look out for, in addition to how you can conduct your self with the intention to mix in to keep away from trying like a goal for petty theft.)

Sure, it’s an added expense. However it’s at all times higher to be protected than sorry. I by no means depart dwelling with out it, as a result of I’ve seen firsthand simply what can occur on the highway.

I by no means thought I might pop my eardrum whereas I used to be scuba diving in Thailand, break my digital camera in Italy, or get knifed in Colombia.

Sadly, dangerous issues can occur while you’re touring. True, these occasions are few and much between. However they’ll price tens of hundreds of {dollars}. In case you’re not ready to pay out of pocket, purchase journey insurance coverage.

Listed below are some posts on journey insurance coverage to get you began:

I by no means depart dwelling with out journey insurance coverage. You shouldn’t both.

7 days out: Pack!

Your journey is sort of right here, and it’s time to pack! It may be tempting to wish to deliver every little thing with you “simply in case.” However on the subject of journey, much less is extra. Whereas what you pack will rely upon the place you’re going, do not forget that you don’t must take every little thing you personal. You should purchase stuff you want and do laundry on the highway. On the finish of the day, you must carry every little thing you deliver. So deliver much less!

I journey with a 45L REI bag after which a smaller day bag. Here’s my suggested packing list that can assist you take simply the correct quantity of stuff and keep away from overpacking (here’s a list for female travelers).

Moreover, deliver any prescriptions you want all through your journey. Strive to not depend on filling these overseas (although deliver a prescription and physician’s be aware simply in case).

With every little thing taken care of, it’s time to go in your journey and have enjoyable! Make a listing of last-minute objects it’s essential pack the day of (your toothbrush, glasses, telephone charger, and so on.) and examine in on-line beforehand (you are able to do so 24 hours prematurely). (In case you’ve bought lounge entry via a premium travel rewards card, you may end up trying ahead to attending to the airport early.)

In case you’re feeling nervous, don’t fear. That’s completely regular. Feeling anxious or not sure is one thing each traveler experiences. However you’ve made it this far. Belief your planning and observe your instincts. You’re about to have the journey of a lifetime.