Plan A Trip - 7 Steps!
There is no right or wrong way to plan a trip. Some are meticulous planners while others are more go with the flow. Perhaps you're somewhere in between? No matter your travel style, there is one undeniable truth, we all travel because we are inquisitive. Perhaps you travel to experience the breath taking landscapes, or you're more of the shopping enthusiast, and you over there the history buff! Perhaps you just want a few rounds with the locals to get the "feel" of the place. So let's indulge our curiosity and travel!
Travel is implicit with the involvement of a journey from one set of coordinates to another. This is how it is differentiated from remaining. In this sense our travels are always limited by time, unless or until we choose to remain.
Knowing your time is limited, is where planning comes in. Is your plan to just show up and ask a local for recommendations? Do you have an hour to hour break down of your days? Whatever your style you have a plan, and good on your for it.
If you have not yet found your own travel style, I figured I'd pass along my own approach to planning a trip, and since lists are easy to navigate in case you don't feel like reading all these paragraphs, here are my 7 steps to planning a trip!
1. BUY a TICKET!
This one is pretty straight forward. Know your schedule, your budget, and where you aim to go! So get to it! Find the ticket that fits you and book it!
2. Research and Make a List
Why are you going and what do you want to see? Most of us have a rough idea of one or two things we expect to see when we arrive but that's just the beginning. Think of all the other sites you have to discover!
Put your destination into your search engine and see what you find! What tickles your fancy? Historic locations, shopping, food, museums? Between top 10 lists, personal itineraries, travel blogs/guides, and hostel reviews you'll start to get an idea of what you want to see and do.
Keep track of your findings by making lists of what you are interested in and save/bookmark them or as I like to do, actually physically marking them in the book. I was a public school kid, so the pleasure I get from marking up my very own book is very satisfying! You do not have to return this book at the end of the year!
*This is also when you need to find out if tourist visas are needed or doctor's visits for shots of any sort are necessary.
3. Book Lodgings and Transportation
Now that you've done some research you might have realized you don't want to stay in one place. You want to get out of the city and see some other sites. Take out your calendar and figure out how much time you want in each place.
What to think about when booking your lodgings:
4. Map It Out and Group by Neighborhood
You've got the where and when! Nice work! Now it's time to plan the what. You've book marked pages, you've read travel books and blogs--you know what you want to see, eat, and do. So map it out! Put your locations into goggle maps and figure out what is close to what. This will help you figure out what you will be capable of seeing during your trip.
Use your mapping to create groups. You will likely start to see that certain neighborhoods have a number of the sites you are aiming to see (think historic district, hipster art neighborhood, museum cultural center etc.) and thus you can break up your sites now based on where they fall on the map.
For example, after I mapped things out for Oslo, I noticed most of the things I wanted to see fell into three areas.
5. Order Your Days
Are you going to the hip fashion neighborhood on the first day of your trip followed by a second day of cultural sites in the historic district? Maybe there's a third day outside of the city filled with hiking and picnicking?
Your groups allow you to know that you won't waste your days shipping yourself back and forth across the city. Knowing what each neighborhood has to offer allows you to get the most out of it.
6. Begin Count Down and Pack
Now the only thing left is to build the anticipation! Use this time to think of what you will wear and use when you are there. What climates are you planning for, what sorts of weather can you expect? Is your passport up to date? Have you printed/saved any and all tickets you have booked? I always like to have a photo of my passport and ID in case you loose it (this makes it easier to replace). There are plenty of details that could use your attention now, so get to it.
7. Bon Voyage!
You are planned, packed, and preened! Safe travels!
Travel is implicit with the involvement of a journey from one set of coordinates to another. This is how it is differentiated from remaining. In this sense our travels are always limited by time, unless or until we choose to remain.
Knowing your time is limited, is where planning comes in. Is your plan to just show up and ask a local for recommendations? Do you have an hour to hour break down of your days? Whatever your style you have a plan, and good on your for it.
If you have not yet found your own travel style, I figured I'd pass along my own approach to planning a trip, and since lists are easy to navigate in case you don't feel like reading all these paragraphs, here are my 7 steps to planning a trip!
1. BUY a TICKET!
This one is pretty straight forward. Know your schedule, your budget, and where you aim to go! So get to it! Find the ticket that fits you and book it!
2. Research and Make a List
 |
| Mark it up! |
Why are you going and what do you want to see? Most of us have a rough idea of one or two things we expect to see when we arrive but that's just the beginning. Think of all the other sites you have to discover!
Put your destination into your search engine and see what you find! What tickles your fancy? Historic locations, shopping, food, museums? Between top 10 lists, personal itineraries, travel blogs/guides, and hostel reviews you'll start to get an idea of what you want to see and do.
Keep track of your findings by making lists of what you are interested in and save/bookmark them or as I like to do, actually physically marking them in the book. I was a public school kid, so the pleasure I get from marking up my very own book is very satisfying! You do not have to return this book at the end of the year!
*This is also when you need to find out if tourist visas are needed or doctor's visits for shots of any sort are necessary.
3. Book Lodgings and Transportation
 |
| I haven't stayed here...yet! But man do I want to! |
Now that you've done some research you might have realized you don't want to stay in one place. You want to get out of the city and see some other sites. Take out your calendar and figure out how much time you want in each place.
What to think about when booking your lodgings:
- What neighborhood do I want to stay in?
- Hostel, hotel, or Airbnb? (Do you want to have your own bathroom? A helpful front desk? or a functioning kitchen?)
- How will I get I around? Walking, buses, subway? What is available?
- How will I travel? Plane, train, automobile (rental/driver), hiking? (There might just be a city pass that covers costs!)
- What are my dates and times for arrivals and departures?
- Will my check in/out times be affected by my arrival or departure times? (Will you need to consider storing your things somewhere if there is an over lap of your arrival/departure with these times?)
4. Map It Out and Group by Neighborhood
 |
| Bergen Bike Tour |
You've got the where and when! Nice work! Now it's time to plan the what. You've book marked pages, you've read travel books and blogs--you know what you want to see, eat, and do. So map it out! Put your locations into goggle maps and figure out what is close to what. This will help you figure out what you will be capable of seeing during your trip.
Use your mapping to create groups. You will likely start to see that certain neighborhoods have a number of the sites you are aiming to see (think historic district, hipster art neighborhood, museum cultural center etc.) and thus you can break up your sites now based on where they fall on the map.
For example, after I mapped things out for Oslo, I noticed most of the things I wanted to see fell into three areas.
 |
| Grouping up the sites of Oslo into neighborhoods! |
5. Order Your Days
Are you going to the hip fashion neighborhood on the first day of your trip followed by a second day of cultural sites in the historic district? Maybe there's a third day outside of the city filled with hiking and picnicking?
Your groups allow you to know that you won't waste your days shipping yourself back and forth across the city. Knowing what each neighborhood has to offer allows you to get the most out of it.
6. Begin Count Down and Pack
Now the only thing left is to build the anticipation! Use this time to think of what you will wear and use when you are there. What climates are you planning for, what sorts of weather can you expect? Is your passport up to date? Have you printed/saved any and all tickets you have booked? I always like to have a photo of my passport and ID in case you loose it (this makes it easier to replace). There are plenty of details that could use your attention now, so get to it.
7. Bon Voyage!
 | |||||||
You are planned, packed, and preened! Safe travels!
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