Ok, Maybe not ACTUALLY the galaxy but it is definitely a guide for all the green-leaf adventurers who want to see the world -AND on a budget. In today's economy, it's the only smart way of traveling!
This is THE post for all your planning needs. I will guide you on how to find the best accommodations and activities in the locations you need and how to budget it all. There will be checklists for you to reference and things to watch out for! Let's start with the basics of planning a trip...
Start the Planning: Budgeting
My boyfriend and I just went on a trip to Italy for two weeks and it was his first time ever leaving the country. As for me, it felt like the first time since I haven't been anywhere since 2017. One thing I wish we had done differently was to give us more time to plan even though the trip turned out amazing anyway- but you don't want to stress yourself out trying to book and plan everything last minute before leaving for your vacation. A good rule of thumb is to plan 6 months ahead! I was in need of a change of pace and saved up for a bit to travel somewhere. Now I'm a student, not living at home, working part-time at 15$ an hour- so I know how much of a privilege it can be to travel. I do think that if you make this a priority, do your research, and save up over time- it is definitely achievable!
Now the first thing to start with is budgeting the trip.
There are a few things to take into consideration:
1. Where are you going?
At this stage, you probably haven't settled on a country, or maybe you have. But going with the assumption that you haven't... that's okay! You don't have to settle on one at this stage but figure out the area where you want to go. For example, Asia, Europe, Oceanic countries, etc. This is important in budgeting as you will get a feel of what to expect and maybe help you decide where to end up. Each area of the world sells things at different price points: i.e. European accommodations in many places are going to be much more expensive than a stay in a Southeast Asian country. Even produce is priced differently. Ex: Japan's fruits are exceedingly costlier than the average price of fruits in most other countries in Asia.
2. What is the comfort level you are aiming for on this trip?
3. For how long?
4."Safety Money"
5. A good amount to start with...
6. Budget for food, transportation, and shopping
My Fave Part of Planning: Accommodations
So maybe I don't have anything better to do but I LOVE SCOURING AIRBNBS. When I have free time and I don't feel like getting sucked into Youtube, Airbnb is one of my favorite past times. At this stage of the planning journey, you should already have a country or an area you are thinking of or at least a few options. As mentioned before, deciding how long you will stay will determine if you want to travel around or just explore one area. This is a HUGE factor in searching for accommodations. I will mostly use Airbnb in the discussions for accommodations but it is similar to any other similar accommodation search such as Vrbo.
So here is how I set up my Airbnb search:
When I get into my search I know almost exactly what I am looking for. This includes knowing how much I'm willing to spend on an accommodation (or several depending on how many places I will go to).
When you open up Airbnb or Vrbo, you will be prompted to put in the location for your stay, the length of time you will be staying, and the number of guests (including yourself).
Once it opens up all the options the first thing I recommend doing is turning on the tab that says "display total price". It's best to know what the full price for the duration of the stay will be upfront and it saves time knowing what will be in your budget and what is not.
The next thing I want you to turn your attention to is the most fun part to play around with- the filters. Here you can select if you want the whole place to yourself, if you want your own bathroom, what kind of amenities you are looking for, and what is included in the stay. The amenities part is SO SO IMPORTANT! Especially if you are going in the dead of winter to a frosty location or a burning hot location in the middle of summer- be sure to check that your accommodation has AC or Heating. Also make sure to check if you are sharing amenities as well and if there are additional costs not included in the pricing.
Play around with the filters and what you other things you would like in your accommodation. Keep in mind the locations of the Airbnb of the city or town you are looking at. Prices vary from town to town and as you do your search you will start to zero in on the spots you want to stay at.
*IMPORTANT*- I HIGHLY recommend starting a document and starting to map your adventure. By now you should have a place or a few picked out to travel during your stay. If you are going to a few places list them out in categories. Under each category making a subcategory for accommodations is recommended. Put the links of the listings in this subcategory as well as the prices of each and how big and what is included. Try to look for places with kitchens to save money cooking some meals.
You can use this template I've created as a start for your document. Feel free to adjust it to your trip!
Finally, you (and whoever you are traveling with) should sit together and look at all the accommodations and start booking. Don't forget to do your cost calculations before booking. Knowing what the total spending on just accommodations will be will help visualize the rest of the budget that's left.
The Not-so-Fun part: Finding Plane Tickets
Don't worry, I'm just being dramatic. Finding plane tickets can be tricky though. It is definitely recommended, however, to start tracking those ticket prices months in advance. The best days to check prices are typically in the middle of the week. Ticket prices change daily and have a track record of being higher on the weekends. The process can definitely be a little daunting especially if this is your first time but a great thing about most of these websites is that they will show you the average rates for different dates on a calendar when prompted to choose the trip dates.
A list of websites I recommend to start with are:
Airline Websites
This list may have a lot of familiar names-these websites are the best place to start when comparing prices and don't forget to keep refreshing because prices change by the hour as well.
Some things to be on the lookout for are:
1. How many stops do the departing and return journeys have?
Of course we want a decent price for a plane ticket but also consider how many stops or airport transfers are listed. Flying internationally can be really exhausting and could end up being a multiple-day affair. If you are not keen on spending most of those vacation days getting to the destination rather than spending time at the destination then I recommend checking the number of stops and the overall travel time.
2. Flight rewards
3. Baggage
4. Meal options and seat selections
Buying tickets can be done before, after, or during picking out your accommodations. Keep in mind your budget and you can use the document above to do some cost evaluations and pick a reasonable range for how much your flight tickets will be. The important part is doing this all in advance so you are not sweating it right before your trip!
Back to some fun: Activity Planning
This is another favorite for me but to be fair who doesn't like finding cool and exciting new experiences to try on vacation? There are so many ways to go about this I could honestly make a whole other post for this (maybe I will).
This part of the planning is arguably the most personalized one. What are your intentions or goals for this trip? To relax? To explore the local side of things? Maybe to check off some bucket list items? Depending on what you want to do- there are options for everyone in most places.
Another question to ask yourself is how many people are going in your group? Will it be hard to do activities dependent on that number? What is the average energy level? I recommend a good balance as always- sent activities for every other day at most. You will perhaps come to realize like I have in the past that I can get a little overzealous with the activities.
Keep in mind:
What is the weather like at the location during your stay?
What is provided in the activities?
How long are the activities?
How far is it from the accommodation and how will you get there?
The two sites I use for activities are:
Trip Advisor
Airbnb (experience tab)
The only other thing I have to say about planning your activities is to read the comments. The comments will keep you well-prepared on what to expect.
Transportation:
One of the tough lessons I had learned was I should have looked up the transportation in the location I was visiting. To be honest though, it can be hard to get information or know how the transit works in a different place until you are there. My advice is to just ask the locals. They are not going to be mad at you for asking for directions.
Get a good feel for how much the transit will cost, what public transit is available, and average prices for taxis and autorickshaws so you don't get scammed.
If you plan to rent a vehicle, please make sure to :
Know how to drive the vehicle before your trip
Have a license and other documentations or you can't rent
Look up the local driving laws and road signs (do your homework)
Only drive if absolutely necessary
Make sure you have money for a deposit- more likely than not you will be putting down a pretty penny for a safety deposit in case anything happens to the vehicle
Take pictures of the vehicle inside and out immediately after you get the keys.
If this is your first major trip, I don't recommend renting a vehicle and driving just for safety. Looking up the local transit system will save you so much stress GUARANTEED and don't be afraid to ask for help!
Packing
Lists are your best friends here. Make a list of essentials. Count how many days you will be there- how many outfits for each day? any activewear? Anything you use on the daily? Medications? Activity things ( like books or cards), extra coats, etc.
It's ok to overpack a little bit but not too much- you have to account for the things you will bring back for yourself and family/friends. You may even be better off under-packing a little bit if you foresee buying clothes at the location.
Don't wait until the last minute- listen up my fellow procrastinators! I know you will be thinking "Oh it's ok I can just do it the night before" but unless you have traveled before and are used to it I would advise not to. If you are used to traveling and packing then by all means go for it. Then again I am assuming you haven't done this by yourself before if you are reading this post so give yourself a little extra time.
Keep an eye on those luggage requirements! As mentioned before in the flight tickets section, there are specific baggage requirements specified for each flight. Make sure to check that your check-in luggage will be transferred through all the way otherwise, you will have to pick up and re-check in your luggage.
Buy locks for the luggage- there are too many stories of people getting their stuff stolen to justify not getting a lock.
Have identifying features on your luggage. When it is time to pick up your bags from the luggage terminals, there will be a lot of the same-looking bags. Growing up when my family and I would travel, we would get some different ribbons and tie them securely around the handles of our check-in so when pick-up time came- it was fast and simple.
Last tip: Learn some of the Language
You don't have to do this- but let's be honest- it makes things so much easier for everyone. Besides, learning a new language is good for cognition! As you are planning your big trip months in advance (right?) go ahead and look up some free Youtube language courses. You could even download Duolingo to help you get started. I will also be making a whole section for tips on learning a new language! (Linguistics is exciting to me if you can't tell).
Now I'm not saying you have to go and try to learn the whole language before going on your trip, instead a good place to start would be to write down a list of common phrases and questions you may use on the daily.
Where is the...? questions
Directions
Food ordering
Manners (please, thank you, excuse me)
Adjectives so you can have fractured conversations (beautiful, delicious, hungry, hot, cold, etc.)
Introductions (my name is, I'm from, etc.)
The best way to learn a language is to engage in the culture, my cheat code is music! I have entire playlists from different continents and regions. I learned Japanese in middle and high school and it definitely helped that I was very engaged in the music and entertainment scene of Japan. Even after Italy, I decided I wanted to keep learning Italian and now I have a European playlist- half of which contains Italian music.
These are the fundamentals to lay down the foundation of your trip- the rest is up to you to have fun! Stay safe and have fun out there- remember the world is your oyster!
Comments