Travel planning is something that should be taken very seriously. Whether you’re looking to take a quick mini-trip over a short weekend, or you’re taking a month off to travel the world, taking the time to plan can truly make or break your experience.

They say that the best classrooms are the ones without four walls. There is so much in the world to be explored and experienced. So many places and people to see, meet and learn from.

Investing in travel could be one of the most investments one can make in themselves. Which is why proper planning is essential to ensure you spend your time efficiently and have a great time on your trip.

Best Travel Planning Tips:

1. Decide Where You’re Going

The obvious first step to good travel planning is to do research. Decide where you want to go, when you want to go, and even why you want to go. Some people may be looking for a short, romantic weekend getaway, others might be looking to trek the mountains for a week and camp out.

Everyone has different travel interests, and when it comes to travel planning, it’s important to take into account what you and the people you’re traveling with are all looking to get out of the experience.

My best advice?

Do a ton of research. Ask yourself questions like:

• Where have I always wanted to go?
• How much do I have to spend on this trip?
• Where have I never been before, but love seeing pictures of?
• What type of experience am I looking for with this trip?
• What time of year am I looking to travel?
• How long do I have to travel? How much time can I take off work?

These are all very important questions to ask yourself. You might know you want to travel but just aren’t fully sure where yet. That’s okay, but as far as actually planning your next trip, you’ll definitely need to know where you’re going, when and for how long, before anything else.

2. Plan Your Heart Out

There are SO MANY things you should consider when travel planning. You’ll want to consider things like how you’re getting there and how you’re getting home. Who’s going to watch your dogs and water your plants when you’re away? Where you’ll stay, what things you’ll see, what the best restaurants in town are, how much you’ll have to spend each day, and so on.

Failing to plan is planning to fail. The absolute WORST thing you can do is simply buy your ticket and full-on just wing it. That will set you up for disaster. Not only will it completely stress you out and ruin your trip, but you’ll likely miss out on all of the good stuff. You’ll want to find good accommodations in advance, and read reviews! You’ll want to book tickets for excursions in advance so they don’t sell out. And you’ll want to research good restaurants so you know where to go and which diverse foods you must try.

Here’s a list of some important parts of your trip you’ll need to plan:

• The dates of your trip
• The overall budget for your trip
• How you’ll get to the airport
• How you’ll get to your accomodatio
• Where you’ll stay
• What sights you’ll see on which days
• When you’ll have free time to explore
• Where you’ll eat your meals
• How much hotels, excursions, meals and travel will cost
• How you’ll get around to each activity and meal
• A budgeted amount for how much money you’ll have to shop
• Who will watch your dogs and take care of your home while you’re away
• How you’ll get things done at work ahead of time so you can enjoy your vacation
• What you’ll pack for your trip
• What you need to buy for your trip

The more you plan ahead, the more relaxing and enjoyable your trip will be. It’s just the way it works. You can download this extremely helpful tool, completely free, to help you get started with planning your next trip!

DOWNLOAD NOW – FREE TRIP PLANNER

3. Relax and Enjoy

As I mentioned previously, the more you plan, the more likely your trip will be a success. If your days are laid out, and everything is researched and done in advance, you’ll actually be able to relax and enjoy your trip. You’ll be able to be fully present and attentive to your surroundings and fully experience your destination.

One of the most important things to remember is that you do all the work ahead of time, so you can truly relax and unwind on your trip, and soak in the beauty of the destination.

You won’t have saved so much money, taken off work, and traveled so far to go on a trip and it be completely miserable and stressful. You’ll want to prepare fully in advance so you can set yourself up for success and show up to your trip ready to rejuvenate and slow down.

The free trip planner below will guide you to planning the most amazing trip, so you can be organized and have everything written down on paper to bring with you wherever you go, even if there isn’t any wifi!

DOWNLOAD NOW – FREE TRIP PLANNER