We love planning vacations. I mean yes we love it, but we are also quite good at it 😋. Over the years we planned and budgeted so many trips not only for us, but also for family members and acquaintances that we know all the tips and tricks when it comes to vacations. They always start as a great idea full of excitement, but end up being a nightmare to manage. However, once you get the hang of it, everything will run smoothly and it can be quite a pleasure to organize a trip.
With a little research and budgeting, planning a vacation has never been easier. Here are the 3 big tips you should take into consideration when planning a trip:
1. Choose the top places you would like to visit
First things first, where would you like to go? This may seem like the easiest part of your planning, but there are some questions you should ask yourself before:
Some countries can offer more than just one type of trip, but by answering these questions you can then start doing more in depth research. We usually choose a destination based on how many days we want to get away for (some cities like Amsterdam will require more days to visit compared to Budapest) and where can we go that we haven’t been before. We strive to visit almost all the countries in the world, so we can’t afford to lose time by going to the same place twice 😂.
When choosing some destinations, don’t forget to think about the seasons and which country is best to visit in that particular time of the year. High season and low season will show you a huge difference in prices and this might affect your budgeting.
Instagram is an excellent way of finding blogs or photo inspiration for trips. Just search for your destination in the search bar or use the hashtag and you will find a lot of pictures and even hidden gems that otherwise would be hard to find. TikTok is also a great resource when it comes to finding inspiration, because you’ll find thousands of videos of people recommending the right spots. Using travel blogs will also help you find ideas of trips and it’s a great way of reading someone’s experience and deciding if you want to visit a certain country.
Lastly, after taking into consideration all those questions and having a few options to choose from it’s time to take your final decision and choose the destination that fits your needs the most.
2. Research flights and accommodations
After you choose the place you would like to visit the most it’s time to research flights and dates. Keep in mind that certain times of the year are known to be more expensive than others. Do some research, play around with dates (if you have that flexibility) and check if it’s worth to spend the extra buck to go in the high season. For example, we went to Madrid in the low season and we absolutely loved it! Lower tourist crowds, the best prices and the perfect sunny but not too hot weather.
One way to get good prices is by comparing deals on the internet. There are many websites from where you can buy your plane ticket, book your accommodation or rent a car, so here are some great resources to help you:
Remember to use our Vacation Budget Planner to make sure you stay on track with your budgeting!
3. Create an itinerary
After you booked your trip it’s time to create an itinerary. You should organize your days in advance so you have nothing to worry about once you arrive. What excursions, tours or sigh-seeing will you do? Do you need to buy tickets in advance for certain activities? We always book tickets in advance to avoid lines and we use Get Your Guide. If you do lots of visiting in one day, do you want to take it slowly the next morning? Planning ahead will allow you to have the best vacation possible and give you a sense of relief knowing that everything is planned. Now it’s time to go and enjoy!
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