How to Plan a Trip: Efficient and Stress-Free Travel Planning
In this step-by-step guide on how to plan a trip I share my personal tips and recommendations for optimised travel planning. Over the last few years, especially during my three semesters abroad, I’ve developed my passion for travel and the joy of planning adventures. For me, planning trips—exploring details about what to do, where to eat, and how to maximize my time—is almost as fun as the journey itself. In the past 10 years, I’ve visited over 19 countries while being a full-time student and later on working full-time. I hope you enjoy my tips on travel planning —let’s dive in.
Disclaimer: This blog post contains unpaid promotional links. I only recommend products and services that I’ve personally used and genuinely like.
Bucket List
Whenever I come across pictures, articles, or blogs about places I want to visit, I add them to my bucket list. When planning a trip, I review the list, choose a few destination options (to stay flexible), and start planning. If you do not have a personal bucket list yet – start now! 🙂
Where I get my inspiration from:
- Family & Friends
- Instagram & Tik Tok
- Travel Blogs
- Travel Magazines
Decide on the Essentials
Let’s think about the following aspects to get started with your travel planning:
What is my Budget?
How much money would you like to, or can afford to spend on the next trip? Having a rough idea of your budget will influence your destination, trip length, and the type of experience you choose. Thinking about this beforehand will allow you to plan a perfect trip that aligns with your budget.
Who am I going with?
Your partner? Family? Friends? Or by yourself? Keep in mind, that this might have an impact on all further aspects of your travel planning like budget, type of travel, preferred destinations and so on. If you feel like there is no one who can be travelling with you, don’t be afraid to go by yourself! I am sure you will appreciate the experience and end up happy you didn’t miss out on the opportunity.
How long do I want to go?
Think about how much time you will have to go on your trip. Do you have only a long weekend or maybe 2 weeks? This will also narrow down the options of where to go for your next trip.
What type of travel am I looking at?
What are you feeling like? Would you like to relax on the beach or rather go on some adventures in the mountains or in a jungle? Do you want to go on a road trip or a city trip? Maybe a combination? There are just so many options on how to design your trip.
Now the fun part: Pick some possible destinations
You can use your personal bucket list to choose possible destinations from. Alternatively, you can start looking at travel pages, blogs, magazines etc. for inspiration.
Come up with a short list on possible destinations. Try to be open minded at this stage, focusing on more than just one option. Why? Find out in the next section “Research flights”.
Research Flights
Usually the flight to the destination is one of the most expensive aspects, so I recommend checking out different destination to see what fits best. However, also consider the costs there. For example, the flight to London might be cheap, but London as such is not a cheap travel destination.
I usually use Skyscanner to get an overview of flight times and prices. It’s an easy tool to adjust preferred flight times and also allows you to do an open search. If you’re flexible with your destination or travel times, try using the “Explore Everywhere” function in the app or on the website. Just enter your home airport and it will show you many great deals if you’re open to various destinations. You can also make a more specific search focusing on a particular destination and timeframe.
Here you can find some examples using the “Explore everywhere” option on the skyscanner app.
However, at this stage I usually still refrain from booking my flights, as I first like to get an overview on the destination to further decide on the length of the trip.
Get an overview of the destination & must-dos
At this phase, I suggest to do a bit of Google research on travel sites and blogs to find things to see and do in your chosen destination. This helps to create an initial plan of your trip. This is usually quite straightforward in case of a “one-destination” trip. However, if you plan to have multiple stops this step is a crucial one. Take your time, to create a loose itinerary, so you allow enough time at each destination and can align possible transfer times in-between.
My personal tip: At this point, I start creating a list on Google Maps and save all must-dos/sees as well as restaurants. This helps me create my itinerary later on.
In this phase, I recommend you to double-check and think about the following aspects:
- Best time to visit – specifically consider rain seasons, or if there are any holidays, festivals to avoid etc.
- Do I need a visa or are there any other entry requirements?
- Do I need any vaccinations? – sometimes multiple shots are needed, that might need to be spaced apart
- Length of the trip – latest at this stage I recommend to set a length for the trip, ideally you are still flexible +/- 1 or 2 days. This will definitely help you when booking your flights.
Research accommodations
I also use travel blogs to look at different neighborhoods/areas and what they offer, as well as logistical aspects. Based on the location, things to do and general vibe of an area, I then decide on the area where I would like to stay. Additionally, I sometimes browse TikTok for recommendations on areas or specific hotels.
For most of my travels, I use booking.com to find good accommodations. I always use the review score filter “very good 8+”—anything below, I don’t even look at. I also usually filter for “free cancellation.” There’s often an option to filter by location, or you can use the map view to look at specific areas.
I often end up with a list of 10-20 “saved” accommodations and then narrow down my options based on look, price, location, and review score. In my relationship, I am obviously the one who loves to plan, and we all know the better half usually does not. So, I only show my top 2 options to my boyfriend before booking. 😉
My personal tip: I recommend double-checking if it makes sense to book directly through the hotel. Sometimes it’s cheaper, but in many cases, the trade-off is free cancellation. This is up to you to decide based on your personal preferences.
Book your flights/transport and accommodation
By now, I am sure you’ve gotten a good overview of your destination, flights, accommodations and any other aspects to consider. Go ahead and book your flights and accommodation.
Yeahhh – you are going on the next trip! 😀
My personal preferences for booking:
Accommodation: Usually, I book my accommodation via booking.com or AirBnb, in some cases I book directly at the hotel, depending on cancellation policies and price
Flights: In most cases, I book directly via the airlines’ websites. As it is usually safer concerning any delays or cancellations.
Logistics, Transport & Other Essentials
Depending on the destination, I also check logistical aspects. Do I need a rental car or scooter? Do I need to pre-book any further transportation, like a ferry? I usually look for this information and recommendations on tourism sites and travel blogs.
Rental car: I usually book rental cars via booking.com. I don’t have car insurance covered by my credit card, so I add it directly from booking.com. In most cases, this is actually cheaper than going through car rental companies.
Visa: Keep in mind that some destinations require a visa. Make sure to check all prerequisites and organize accordingly and in time.
Travel insurance: Safety first! I strongly recommend you to get a travel insurance that covers you in case of sickness, accidents on one hand, but also cancellations, lost baggage etc. on the other hand. There are various providers available, so have a look at your local providers. If you go on numerous trips each year, it might also make sense to get a yearly coverage. I personally have a yearly travel insurance from HanseMerkur.
SimCard: Do you need an international SimCard? There are now options to get your e-sim even before travelling to your destination. This way, you don’t have to worry about the Airport Wifi working, and are ready to go as soon as you exit the plane.
In-depth research on must-sees and places to eat
Based on the information and tips you gathered earlier, you can now dig deeper into the details of must-sees and dos. In my case, I really enjoy this phase of doing some in-depth research and finding out everything about my place to go. My go-to for keeping an overview of all details is my personal list on Google Maps, as well as the Notes app on my iPhoneas. In some cases, I also create an excel sheet.
Build your itinerary
As a next step in your travel planning, I suggest to group activities, attractions, and food spots by their location to create efficient daily plans. Also, check the opening times of attractions to see if any specific considerations are needed. Are there any activities that need to be pre-booked? Put those specific days in your itinerary. On the remaining days, you can keep it flexible and mix and match based on the remaining plans.
Keep in mind: In some destinations, it makes sense to pre-book restaurants. Personally, I really enjoy experiencing different cuisines, so I consider food an essential part of my travels. I prefer knowing where to go and when, rather than wandering the streets to find a good place to eat. However, some people like to be spontaneous and don’t mind looking around. My recommendation is to go for a mix of both worlds.
You are now set for your next trip! Enjoy! 🙂
I hope this guide helps you upgrade your travel planning and makes it more effortless. I’d love to hear your feedback and any personal strategies you use that might differ from these tips. Please share your thoughts and experiences – I look forward to learning from your insights!
