Travel planning can be a breeze and even fun if you follow these 10 steps. Researching for a trip is the foundation of everything. After travelling to 100+ countries, I learned a lot along the way and love sharing this plan of action. So, read on to simplify with these travel planning tips and resources for your next trip.
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links. At no extra cost to you, I earn a small commission from each booking that allows me to keep content up to date and maintain this website.
Travel Planning Tips and Resources
Ten Simple Steps
1. Get Clear on Your Budget
Ok, let’s get the practical stuff over with. For many of us, this is going to be one of the most important factors. We need to be clear about how much money we have for the trip. Now, money isn’t everything. If you are on a tight budget, there are many things you can do to save on travel expenses. However, the costs and budget must be reconciled before moving to the next step.
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2. Decide on Travel Destinations, Duration and Dates
For each person, deciding on a travel destination is a different story. Some people know exactly where they want to go and others may feel it is difficult to choose. The duration and dates of your trip say a lot about the destination and vice versa. If budgeting is a concern, consider going during low or shoulder season to save money.
My resources to help you choose a travel itinerary:
International Travel Destinations
Wellness Travel Trips
Pinterest
Travel Astrology Reading
14 Important Do’s & Don’t for Travel During Mercury Retrograde
Even more, there are great apps for putting all the information together. The Wanderlog app is an incredible travel planning tool. You can invite others through email to be in on the app planning. Wanderlog offers an AI assistant for organizing itinerary, dates, destinations and finances.
3. Book Your Flight
Before booking your flight, there are so many things to consider. If you need to keep costs down, there are budget airlines, such as Ryan Air (Europe), Air Canada Rouge, Jetstar (Australia), Spirit (U.S. & Latin America) and China United Airlines.
Online travel companies provide powerful search engines to find your best flight deals. Here are a couple of my favorites:
CheapOair is a leading provider of airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars and vacation packages through its extensive partnerships with top travel brands. It’s one of the fastest growing online travel companies in US., partnering with more than 500 airlines!
Skyscanner is a flight, car rental and hotel search engine. It scans all the top airlines and travel providers, so you can compare flight fares and other travel costs in one place.
4. Book Accommodations
So many places to stay, so little time. For accommodations, you need to decide on priorities. Is it convenience, luxury or budget, wellness or uniqueness that are important to you. Here are some of my resources:
Related: Treehouse Wellness Retreat at Earth Lodge near Antigua, Guatemala
Hostelworld is for the budget travelers. This global hostel-focused online booking platform, inspires passionate travelers to see the world and meet new people.
Trip.com provides one-stop travel booking services in 20 languages through the website and mobile app. It is one of the world’s leading online travel agencies. Also, it offers accommodations in more than 200 countries and regions. Overall, it connects flights with more than 5,000 cities around the globe.
Booking.com is available in 43 languages and offers more than 28 million reported accommodation listings, including homes, apartments and other unique places to stay. Additionally, it provides 24/7 customer support.
5. Book Tours and Activities
It’s best to book tours beforehand for discounts and availability. There are a plethora of tour types, such as, food, wellness, historical or educational. It’s best to walk yourself through the itinerary and schedule ahead for tours. Here are popular resources for tours and activities:
Viator is the world’s largest experiences marketplace, connecting travelers with tours and activities. Viator offers tours throughout 200 countries, including wine tastings, walking tours, cooking classes, catamaran rides, tickets and passes to popular landmarks, as well as travel and transportation services, such as bus tours and day trips.
Get Your Guide is a booking platform that helps travelers find incredible travel experiences. These experiences include skip-the-line tickets to the world’s most iconic attractions, walking tours by top local experts, immersive food and beverage tours, cooking and craft classes and bucket list experiences.
Tripaneer is the ultimate platform for wellness travel trips. It offers a plethora of retreats, activities and educational trips in all continents, except Antarctica. You can book a health- boosting trip with yoga, meditation, weight-loss, fitness, detox, Ayahauasca and more. Overall, these trips offer a true adventure of life-changing transformation.
6. Book Transportation – Cars, Buses & Trains
Once again, walking yourself through the itinerary beforehand is a must. Then, identify where you may need buses, trains or car rentals for various destinations of your trip. These resources are some of my favorites for booking transportation.
OMIO is a platform offers tickets for trains, buses, flights, and ferries, as well as car rentals and airport transfers. Travelers worldwide can easily explore Europe, the United States, and Canada, while comparing transportation options and finding the right price for their budget.
DiscoverCars is an Award-winning car rental comparison website (World Travel Awards, Financial Times 1000, Inc. 5000). Customers can find, compare and rent a car globally. We have over 1 million user traffic in the high season and a very high customer review on Trustpilot.
Busbud is an online bus-booking platform that has compiled the world’s largest selection of bus tickets. Wherever you’re traveling, you can easily compare bus tickets from different companies and book the best option for your next trip.
7. Buy Travel Insurance
For all travels, it’s super important to get Travel Insurance. Travel always involves the unknown and often some adventure or risks. Travel Insurance is that extra protection that assures you there is a responsible plan if an accident or health problem unfortunately arise.
Safety Wing is my first choice for travel insurance and digital nomads. It offers cheap monthly plans, excellent customer service and an easy-to-use claims process. They provide extensive coverage with a large network and long-term coverage if needed.
8. Stay Safely Connected
Esim and VPN are 2 aspects of safe communication and connection while travelling.
Airalo is the world’s first eSIM store that solves the pain of high roaming bills by giving travelers access to eSIMs (digital SIM cards). More than one million people are already using Airalo’s eSIMs. With eSIMs from Airalo, travelers can download and install a digital data pack for over 200 countries/regions and get connected anywhere in the world as soon as they land.
NordVPN is one of the world’s leading VPN services. A VPN hides your online activity. This is especially important when using public WIFI. Overall, NordVPN is trusted by millions for secure, private, and fast internet access. With servers in over 60 countries, NordVPN ensures online privacy, data protection, and unrestricted browsing.
9. Buy Travel Photography and Video Gear
Photography and video gear can be a very personal thing. If you are unsure or uncommitted to a brand. I love my gear, as I always travel light with my Canon Mirrorless Camera and GoPro for videos. For my gear, shop now on Amazon:
10. Pack and Prepare Travel Planning Tips
Resource Blogs for Packing Checklists and Shopping
In my blogs, I break it down and cover all bases for checklists, packing and shopping by category. You can even shop on Amazon and REI and get packing now!
100+ Ultimate Wellness Travel Essentials and Health Hacks – Amazon Favorites
The Traveler’s Best Luggage, Backpacks and Bags
20 Holiday Gift Ideas for Travelers Less than $50
Women’s Spring Travel Clothes that are Practical and Stylish
Women’s Summer Travel Clothes that are Practical and Stylish
20 Eco-Friendly Travel Products to Lessen Your Carbon Footprint
Helpful Tent Camping Checklist Guide with REI Favorites
Day Hiking Essentials for a Safe Adventure with REI Favorites
The Ultimate Travel Tech Gear Packing Guide
20 Must-Have Travel Safety and Security Accessories for a Safe Journey
Enjoy Travel Planning and Bon Voyage!
If you just break everything down to these 10 simple steps, travel planning doesn’t have to be difficult. I share these tips, so others can hopefully enjoy the planning process. If you have tips or hacks on travel planning, feel free to share them below.