Traveling has changed with time and it strives for well-organized trips. Planning is important for a trip to make it successful. If you don’t plan, you might face bad experiences during the trip. But, with these effective steps, you can start planning your next trip early to make it successful.
If you have traveled before then you probably know that planning for a trip is daunting and sometimes a nerve-racking job.
How do you start planning your trip?
Which is the first step you take?
Without prior plans for a trip, you may face unpleasant surprises. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, especially when you are going on a trip for the first time. It requires prior planning about your dates, activities, and accommodation arrangements. This is the guide to help you in planning your next trip without much trouble and make it memorable.
1. Decide the destination where you want to go
It is important to have clarity about the destination where you want to go on vacation. Choose a destination. It helps you to outline the needs and requirements of the trip.
Most of my colleagues talk about going for a vacation with their families but they have no idea of destination where they want to go.
I never plan my trip with the mentality of being “going somewhere”. Start becoming more specific towards your destination like I am going to Delhi. This will help you in planning your trip more effectively.
2.Whether you will travel solo or in group
This is completely on you to decide whether you are planning to go on a solo trip or in a group or with your family. Both have pros and cons.
Solo traveling makes you confident. It allows you to explore more and roam carefreely. Solo trips are less safe than traveling in a group. Don’t get me wrong, any kind of traveling will bring happiness and improvement in life. It’s your plan. Plan what you love doing.
3. Fix the Length of Your Trip
Without knowing the length of your trip, it is difficult to calculate the cost involved in the trip. You can plan for a short trip of 3 days too long term travel trips. It is my suggestion to you to decide the duration of your trip before checking the travel costs. A rough idea of the days you are planning to travel can be helpful too.
4. Start saving money
Now, you have two things fixed. You know your destination and the length of your travel. Now, all you have to do is to sit down with a pen and your travel diary. Make a list of your activities, flight preferences, accommodations required in your stay. Add other things such as renting a car, local transport, or tourist guide expenses.
Looking at your accounts, you can easily know what you are dealing with in terms of money. This is the best possible way to estimate your budget. You will get an idea of the amount you need to save for your trip.
5. Feed your desire to travel – Stay Focused
It is more important to stay focused on your dreams and plans. Planning a trip and executing it is a challenging task. As you have started saving money, keep feeding your desire to go on the trip.
Sometimes people give up on their travel plans. It is a real challenge to save for the trip by cutting expenses from your day to day needs like snacks, bottles, coffee. Make a list of all your expenses and mark those you can cut back and save the cash. Try not to end up with a failed plan – stay focused and inspired.
Visualize your trip and stay enthusiastic about visiting the destination you have planned to go to.
6. Go for No-Fee ATM Card
While spending money with your debit card, don’t forget about the transaction charges. Using your debit for every transaction can be a levy on you huge additional charges. Don’t forget to check with your bank for cards with no additional cost on use. Cards are always safer and cheaper than privileged debit cards.
7. Perfect use of your credit card
When it comes to saving money, it is a wise decision to apply for a credit card providing travel benefits. You can earn sign-up bonuses to redeem points. These redeem points can save a lot of bookings. Most cards provide several offers on flight booking and accommodation.
You don’t need to apply for various cards. Pick one or two and focus on your requirement from these cards. Collecting points on every transaction help in cutting down your cost from the travel budget.
8. Shop for your travel requirements
Traveling makes me truly happy. In the absence of a few items, traveling can be a little stressful. Don’t forget to buy essential travel items as per the requirement of your trip. There are a few essential items that you might need during your trip.
- Consider shopping for items like:
- A travel bag
- Wrinkle-free travel clothes
- Sneakers
- Shoes & Flip-flops that are comfortable for a long walk
- A Lightweight camera
- Universal Adapter and any other electronic gadget
- Water Bottles
- Cosmetic Kit for her
- Add a first aid kit
9. Never miss the Last-minute deals
A good trick to save more comes from flexibility in the travel plan. Plan your next trip with saving more from the last-minute deals. Prefer booking your flight and accommodation separately. A last-minute booking arrangement can benefit you.
In last-minute deals, potential savings can be found in accommodation. Many hotels prefer selling their empty rooms at a much lower discounted rate than to not sell them at all.
10. Book your flight at the right time
I always book my flights at the right time to get my desired flight. Early bookings will benefit from cheaper airfare. There are many ways to book flights at a cheaper price.
11. Book your Accommodation
If you have fixed your schedule, book your accommodation for the period of your trip. If you have planned for a long term travel trip, prefer booking for the first few days. You can extend your booking at a later stage if required. My view is waiting for the last-minute deals may lead you to lose booking at your favorite hotel.
Love great hotels at a cheaper price?
Here are a few booking sites that I use for booking accommodation and save more on booking:
- OYO Rooms: OYO has the largest selection of hotels, townhouses, and villas. It is my first preference for finding affordable hotels online.
- Trivago: Trivago provides me a lot of options for my accommodation. It helps me save money by providing its compare the rate and book facility.
- MakeMy Trip: Makemytrip.com is one of the popular Indian Online Travel Company. It provides great offers for hotel reservations.
12. Make a list of your activities during the trip
Update your calendar with major activities you want to enjoy. Also, do your research and note down the expenses they will cost you. Always be prepared to make any last-minute adjustments in your travel budget. It will also help you in making a prior reservation for those activities if required.
13. Automate your bills
Convenience is the best reason for putting your bills on Auto-pay mode. When I miss paying my bills on the due date, I pay late fees. I started using an automated bill payment method during the period of my travels. This way I never miss a payment and save myself from paying late fees. It will help you save time and money. Plus, you can travel free from constant reminders for bill payments.
14. Inform your bank that you are traveling
It doesn’t matter what is the duration of your traveling. It’s a good idea to inform your banker that you will be traveling to other cities or countries. None of your transactions will be marked as fraudulent. It will save you from getting your card blocked.
15. Secure your credit card
When you are traveling, don’t forget to set up a travel alert. Speak to the customer care and update them that you are traveling.
There are a few other ideas that can secure your card in more protective ways. Consider following these minor guidelines, which I follow too.
- Don’t carry all of your credit cards with you on vacation.
- Pick one to two credit cards for your trip.
- Never let your card out of sight.
- Don’t hand over your credit card to anyone for making
- payment.
- Monitor your card activity frequently.
- In case misplaced, lock it up immediately.
16. Buy Travel Insurance
I am a healthy person. I don’t have any health issues. Yet, I prefer taking travel insurance. If you think that you are healthy and you won’t get sick during your trip. If you feel like you don’t need travel insurance. You need to reconsider your decision. Travel insurance is much more than just medical protection.
It covers you when your flight gets canceled, camera breaks, or any other kind of materialistic loss suffered by you.
17. Vaccination and health awareness
I always consult my physician before traveling and follow any medication advised by him. It is one of the best pre-travel pieces of advice. Make sure that you consult with the doctor and take preventive measures to stay healthy. Proper vaccination and awareness will reduce your risk of exposure to travel-related infections.
18. Get your bag ready for the trip – Pack wisely
I pack my travel by making a list of essential items and clothes required during the trip. If you pack too much, you may end up carrying heavy bags. It is time when you can lighten your bag and enjoy the comfort of traveling. Create a checklist for packing and follow it.
19. Carry your Instagram love!
When I am traveling, my selfie stick becomes my new best friend. I love making memories. Pack your selfie stick to take beautiful pictures. You can share travel moments on Instagram as you experience.
But, remember that there is a time and place for it. Stay safe while clicking.
20. Time to leave your comfort zone
Although most airline and airport authorities request arriving at the airport 2-3 hours ahead of scheduled departure. Finding the right to leave for the airport can be tricky. Chances are you can face traffic jams or your cab gets delayed or canceled. Prepare yourself to leave your comfort to reach early at the airport.
During peak travel times, you must plan to leave from home earlier than normal days.
21. Enjoy your trip
The most important tip is staying careful in your entire journey. Always make a count of luggage you are carrying. Always keep your expensive items with you in your backpack.
Enjoy the flight and the rest of your journey. Leave behind your worries and focus on enjoying every moment of your trip.
When you plan your next trip with these guidelines, the next step is to share your experience with us and your valuable feedback in comments. Feel free to share these tips with your friends or family who is planning for going on vacation.
