The right way to Plan a Journey: A Month-by-Month Information

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

Journey planning generally is a daunting job. Flights, insurance coverage, gear, itineraries, lodging, and a lot extra all should be thought-about and sorted out earlier than you go.

It’s straightforward to get overwhelmed, particularly once you haven’t accomplished 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. To start with, it was trial by hearth. I discovered loads of classes the laborious approach. Nevertheless, that helped me develop an environment friendly guidelines that ensures I don’t miss something vital in the course of the trip-planning course of.

One huge query I get requested so much is when to begin planning. To reply that query, this publish breaks the planning course of down into month-by-month steps so you possibly can plan your subsequent journey with ease.

Right here’s the best way to 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 discuss it for years earlier than really departing (in the event that they go in any respect). But it surely’s a lot simpler to achieve 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 will help 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, points of interest, and different actions price? Understanding these prices will permit you precisely estimate how a lot cash you’ll want. Right here is the best way to analysis prices:

1. Purchase a guidebook
2. Take a look at my free journey 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, corresponding to scuba diving, vineyard excursions, and so on. (Get Your Information is an efficient place to begin)
5. Use Skyscanner or Google Flights for flight costs and join alerts to get emails if the worth adjustments
6. Use Uncover Vehicles to cost out (and e-book) a rental automobile if you happen to want one
7. Use Reserving.com and Hostelworld to analysis lodging prices

That will look like so much however you simply wish to get a normal concept of how a lot you have to save. You’ll be able to head to this web page to see all my articles on how to save cash to your journey.

12 Months Out: Begin Amassing Factors & Miles

Whilst you’re working to save cash, get a journey bank card so you possibly can earn miles and factors free of charge flights and lodge stays. It’s what has stored my prices down and me on the highway for therefore a few years.

Lately, most playing cards have welcome affords of 60,000-80,000 factors (some might be as excessive as 100,000) once you meet their minimal spending requirement (usually $2,000-5,000 USD inside a 3–6-month time-frame). That’s sufficient miles for a free round-trip economic system flight to Europe from the East Coast of North America.

For extra data 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 overlook to verify your native banks and credit score unions too). Right here’s how one can keep away from financial institution charges whereas touring.

8 Months Out: Visa Necessities, Passports, and Vaccines

Whilst you possible received’t want a visa to your required vacation spot, it’s best to nonetheless verify to ensure. When you’re a US citizen, use the State Division’s search device to find out about your vacation spot’s entry necessities. (Canadians can use this search device.)

Moreover, be sure that your passport is legitimate for a minimum of six months after your journey ends. Many nations require this for entry. Passport software and renewal wait instances might be lengthy (the usual is 6-8 weeks within the US), so do that as quickly as potential.

Additionally, analysis if you happen to want any vaccines to your journey as many nations require vaccines to enter (and I don’t imply COVID). You’ll be able to be taught extra about nation necessities and suggestions on the CDC’s web site. They might help you discover a clinic close to you as nicely (if you happen to’re within the US).

4-6 Months Out: Guide 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 the best way to rating an inexpensive flight:

When 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 lodge. The additional out you e-book, the extra availability there shall be. Use instruments like Level.me and Awayz that will help you discover the most effective redemptions in your factors (for flights and accommodations, respectively).

However even if you happen to 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 essentially 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: Guide Your Lodging

When you’re touring for below two weeks and have a set schedule, e-book lodging during your journey. When you’re visiting in the course of 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, chances are you’ll find yourself wanting to alter your plans based mostly on insider recommendation from different vacationers and/or lodge/hostel employees. I desire having flexibility, so I all the time simply e-book just a few nights and go from there.

Listed below are my go-to websites relating to discovering the most effective offers on lodging:

• Hostelworld – Hostelworld has the biggest choice of hostels and is my go-to web site for locating reasonably priced hostels.
• Reserving.com – Reserving.com is the most effective total platform for locating finances accommodations and guesthouses.
• Agoda – Agoda has the most effective outcomes if you happen to’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 flexibleness to cancel if one thing comes up.

When you’re on a good finances otherwise you wish to join with extra locals throughout your travels, contemplate becoming a member of platforms like Couchsurfing or BeWelcome. These communities permit vacationers to stick with residents free of charge as a type of cultural alternate.

Lengthy-term vacationers may also strive housesitting or WWOOFing as nicely, as they each supply free lodging (in alternate 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! Meaning studying books about your vacation spot, studying normal journey suggestions, 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. When you’re going to a well-liked vacation spot, excursions and actions refill rapidly, and if you happen to’re going to a smaller place, actions or excursions would possibly solely run on sure days and have restricted availability.

Both approach, Get Your Information the most effective place to seek for and pre-book actions, excursions, and tickets. Native tour operators and points of interest can checklist their choices on this on-line market, so yow will discover tons of stuff right here, from meals excursions to museum tickets with skip-the-line entry.

1 Month Out: Get Journey Insurance coverage

Get journey insurance coverage. 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 rather more than simply medical safety. It covers you when your digicam breaks, your flight is canceled, a member of the family dies and you must come house, or one thing will get stolen. (That’s why you’ll additionally wish to familiarize your self with any frequent journey scams to look out for, in addition to the best way to conduct your self with a view to mix in to keep away from trying like a goal for petty theft.)

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

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

Sadly, unhealthy issues can occur once you’re touring. True, these occasions are few and much between. However they’ll price tens of hundreds of {dollars}. When 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 house with out journey insurance coverage. You shouldn’t both.

7 days out: Pack!

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

I journey with a 45L REI bag after which a smaller day bag. Right here’s my advised packing checklist that will help you take simply the correct amount of stuff and keep away from overpacking (right here’s a listing for feminine vacationers).

Moreover, carry any prescriptions you want during your journey. Attempt to not depend on filling these overseas (although carry a prescription and physician’s notice 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 gadgets you have to pack the day of (your toothbrush, glasses, telephone charger, and so on.) and verify in on-line beforehand (you are able to do so 24 hours prematurely). (When you’ve obtained lounge entry via a premium journey rewards card, you would possibly end up trying ahead to attending to the airport early.)

When 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 comply with your instincts. You’re about to have the journey of a lifetime.