Top Tips for Efficient Planning
- Karishma Patel
- Jan 10, 2019
- 5 min read
This post is inspired by my friend Anu!
I have never really stopped and thought about my thought process behind planning trips. I tend to just start with a small idea; before I know it, it has turned into the framework for the entire trip. So through this post I will try and create a guide of steps to plan quickly and efficiently!
The below guide reading from the start is designed if you don't know where you want to go! If you already know where you want to go then maybe skip down to 'type of break' or 'expanding the trip'
Pick some dates
The most important part: Knowing when you want to go away!
This will impact how far you can travel: Having a weekend or having two weeks+ greatly changes the options
The time of year impacts the sort of weather you want while away
Also will help you with the next points below
Budget
This tends to be the most important factor!
Everyone has a budget in mind when planning a holiday whether its a quick weekend break or luxury all out adventure
Having a few options of places to go when you are narrowing the choices will also tailor to your budget - if you want a beach break, have far and near options (e.g. Florida and Portugal) and see what deals you can find
There is an app I use called Lucky Trip in which you put your budget and it finds you a destination with flights, accommodation and an activity! I sometimes just use this for inspiration to see what other destinations are out there.
Pick your ideal weather
If you are going away in summer - do you want hotter weather than where you live?
Or are you looking for some winter sun?
This helps narrow down your choice of location
The type of break
Is it a city break? Exploring a new city, focussing on sightseeing, architecture, museums and being a tourist e.g. Prague
Is it going to be a beach break? Looking for more of a relaxing trip, sun bathing and swimming e.g Miami
Is it a nature break? Wanting to go hiking, visit national parks and embrace the great outdoors e.g. Switzerland
Or even a combination of a few different things?
Narrow down the choices
Usually by this point I have narrowed down some locations
Next I would note down each place on my phone with any attractions or things I have heard about it, temperatures, ease of getting flights there. E.g if I were to be looking at Naples I would note down Pompeii and Mt Vesuvius
If this step alone has got me leaning more towards one destination, then I would research further
Search terms such as '3 days in Naples' on Google would give me a good idea if my short break plan is do-able
I usually keep hold of the other notes I have made ready for future trips!
Expanding the trip (optional)
This will be dependent on the type of trip you want, how much time you have and the trip budget!
After you have chosen a base for your holiday, open up a map and look for other cities nearby (or Google search e.g. Day trips from Dubrovnik)
Sometimes you can even day trip to another country if you are near the border e.g. Day trip from Dubrovnik to Bosnia & Herzegovina
Search online how long the travel time would be either by train or bus for a day trip or flight if there is more to see
See my Italy blog post for an example of a trip with a base location with many day trips and see my future Croatia post for an example of flying between locations
Booking
Again this depends on what sort of break you went for
Package deal via Expedia or other sites is a good option if you plan to stay in one place
Otherwise some countries have very cheap (but very nice!) Air B&Bs such as Zagreb and Prague. It can often work out cheaper to book an Air B&B and then flights separately directly through the airline. Skyscanner is a good site to use to check flight prices from many different websites (keep a watch out for flight price changes)
If you are moving around then booking everything separately is usually easier but sometimes daunting!
I usually try and pre-book as much as possible from here, including domestic flights and any train tickets (trainline.eu for Europe trains, cheaper in advance for faster services)
Attractions
This is the fun part once you have a place and stay and flights!
I usually do a quick search on Google first for 'top attractions in Prague' and 'secret spots in Prague'
Use Tripadvisor reviews to shape your plans, may give you an idea of how long you'll spend there
Check out Tiqets for tickets, skip the line passes and some tours
I used Viator when I went to Croatia for out Plitvice Lakes tour, very handy for areas which aren't easily accessible by public transport and to have an expert guide with you
Look into attraction passes as well. These tend to be great value for money for a few packed out days including all the top attractions and some extras you probably wouldn't consider otherwise (I am planning to use one of these for 3/8 days in Dubai this year)
Once you have a list of attractions, use maps to see whats close in distance and group them together on the same day
I don't usually overplan a day, often we run out of things to do that day but most of the time you can just bring forward something from the next day or put your feet up and relax!
Transport
Definitely look into public transport before you head off, policies vary country to country and a lot of it you wouldn't know unless you've read about it! Many countries have a tourist transport pass which you can pre-buy covering train/metro/tram/bus valid for a varying number of days (very useful in cities such as Barcelona with an extensive metro system)
Decide whether taxis/uber could be an option (we used uber a few times in Croatia) or even hiring a car
Look into airport shuttles, especially if you are staying near the main bus/train stations
Resources
Offline maps are very useful when low on data or in an area with poor signal - I use an app called maps.me where you download the relevant map in advance ready to use offline whilst away. The maps can provide you with directions and search for anything you are looking for! You are also able to save locations e.g. your hotel for ease to find. I would usually go onto the map and pre save any places we are visiting. This can also help plan days out to see what's nearby.
Timetables - Pre download any transport timetables/maps that are accessible online
Groupon - I have heard you can get some great deals by changing the location but I am yet to try this (available in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, UAE, UK and USA)
That is everything I can think of at the moment! It may seem like a lot but everyone develops their own system which you then just do automatically. I will keep adding to this as I think of more tips!
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