plan ahead

Keep Making Plans

Travel

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by life. We live in a culture that celebrates being constantly busy. We find ourselves overloaded with clubs and projects and cleaning that it’s hard to feel like it’s worthwhile to think about next week let alone next year.

Yet, in the planning of life and goals, if one does not plan ahead, one often misses the boat on being able to do all the things on dreams of.

I have found time and time again that if I actually plan for something, it will happen. It isn’t just penciling in a vacation or tentatively agreeing to something, it’s committing to a promise you made yourself! It’s a promise that is easier to keep when you begin laying the framework to make it happen.

While it’s not always easy to keep plans going, it is easier to work on plans when you know what needs to be done. Here are my tips for a successful plan framework, when committing to travel.

Life is unbelievably short, but you can pack more into your short ride on earth if you work hard, research, and plan out your fun for maximum benefit!

Steps for Successful Trip Planning

  1. Research where you what you want the most
    1. Some places may be fiscally out of reach unless you save for 20 years, which makes it an unrealistic goal, at least for right now.
    1. Prioritize what is most important. Is it more important to see such and such place, or stay in a nice hotel.
    1. Think about the “I can’t do that anywhere else”. Meaning if you REALLY want to have Giraffes eat breakfast with you, plan and budget for it. No where else in the world does Giraffe Manor quite match for drama and finesse.
    1. Think about what you can ACTUALLY save, not what you hope to save.
  6. Figure out what is needed for the trip
    1. Find out what the cost will be for EVERYTHING on the trip, then figure out your total, add some padding to that budget, then figure out how to make it work.
    1. Plan out a monthly amount you need to sock away to make it happen. Maybe it’s $50 or $500, but make sure you can make it work within your means. Put away more if you can, then you may have more mad money for the journey.
    1. Prioritize your “musts” and then cut what is unnecessary. This may mean no more morning coffees or less shopping trips, but the payoff is well worth it.
  10. Consider “cheap” travel
    1. Never has there been as easy of a time to research and plan travel. That is true for saving money on everything but the necessities. Budget airlines allow you to customize your needs (checked bags, seat selection, carry ons etc.) so if you know you don’t need much for a week away, leave it behind and skip the fees.
    1. Instead of hotels, which can eat up a lot of budget, consider bed and breakfasts, hostels, and even Airbnb-type accommodations. If safety is a worry, read reviews, check into location specifics, and ask questions.
  13. Visit friends and family
    1. If you are lucky to have friends and family living around your nation, state, or the globe consider knocking on their door. Many times my trips were only accomplished because good friends and family offered me a bed to sleep in.
    1. Visiting “locals” often means a richer journey to a place, it’s there that you make new friends and connections, experience local cuisine, and see hidden gems you would have otherwise missed.
    1. Naturally, it’s best to check in with your loved ones far ahead of time to make sure it’s okay if you take over their couch.
  17. Keep it simple
    1. It can be tempting to want to pack in “everything” on a trip, but the truth is that you miss a lot running from place to place. If you are limited on travel time due to poor vacation time allowances, this is especially true.
    1. It’s inevitable some plans will get derailed due to weather, train strikes, illness etc. so while it’s good to plan, have some wiggle room in your time abroad.
    1. Research places or things you want to see and make a list of opening times and priority locations. For example: you can walk York in the morning before places open, or in between sightseeing stops. For Venice, the canals don’t close at 5 so make sure you see museums before this time and enjoy evening splendors that are always there.
  21. Timeline It
    1. If you are limited on time off make a timeline on how long it will take you to save up enough vacation days and/or money. Add an extra month or two in case of a sick day, but this should let you figure out a good time to go.
  23. Be open to change
    1. There will be life things that mess up your plans. Your best friend may do a destination wedding. Your house may need a new roof. Be open to this possibility and be flexible with your planning. Sometimes pushing an adventure back a year is ideal over just giving up.
  25. Invite a friend
    1. One way to reduce lodging costs is to share with someone. If you have a friend, or a spouse, or niece etc. that would also be down for an adventure then have them come along. If you split a hotel room in most countries it makes a nice room much more attainable.
    1. For cruises, tours, and all-inclusive trips having a second person is almost a necessity for cost savings. Many times the single supplement almost pays for an extra person, so you might as well bring a pal!

What are your tips to making things happen?