I have planned a lot of trips in my life and really enjoy it. I get excited when finding new activities, that perfect accommodation and organizing the days to fit our travel style. Every time a new vacation is on the horizon, I follow these 10 easy steps to planning a trip.
Below is the simplified version of the trip planning guide, but keep reading for plenty of additional tips and tricks I use that will make planning your trip a breeze. I have even included a free travel planning checklist to keep you organized.
Step 1 – Pick A Location
Step 2 – Do the research
Step 3 – Book flights
Step 4 – Reserve your lodging
Step 5 – Book rental car (if needed)
Step 6 – Create detailed-ish itinerary
Step 7 – Make reservations
Step 8 – Request time off work
Step 9 – Make home arrangements
Step 10 – Create a packing list
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Travel Planning Checklist
I don’t know about you, but I love being able to have something tangible to print out and physically check items off when I am planning something. I am sure I’m not the only one.
So using my 20 years of travel experience, I created a one page document that includes everything you need to do before a trip. This travel planning checklist includes international travel considerations too, as there are a few extra steps to consider when traveling abroad.
Click here to download yours for free today!
If you haven’t read my earlier blog about making a travel goal, that is a good place to start your trip planning. It goes into knowing what you and your family truly wants to get out of a vacation.
When you have a clear idea of the goal it will make the trip extra special and one you will remember for years to come. It is a step that many don’t do, but I really think it is important to remember, especially in this day and age of travel trends and Tiktok. It is just too easy to get caught up in the hype that might not measure up in reality.
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10 Steps To Plan A Trip
Now let’s dive into more details for each step of this trip planning guide. I’ll give you important tips and tricks that I use during my travel planning process. I hope this keeps you organized while planning and makes the process less overwhelming.
Step 1 – Pick A Location
The first of these essential steps to planning a trip is choosing your destination. Picking a destination could be as easy as looking at your bucket list and choosing the spot you want to visit next. However, if your travel goal is more broad, say a relaxing beach vacation, you have some options.
Consider Your Budget While Researching Locations
How much do you want to spend on your vacation? The biggest factors to consider are flights, lodging, meals and activities.
Not every destination is equal either. For example, it might cost a big chunk of your budget to fly to Sri Lanka, but once you are there, your money will go a long way.
OR maybe you can fly to Norway fairly inexpensively but everything else will be much more than you are willing to spend.
Alternatively, you might be able to drive to Disney World, but the park will not be cheap!
Tips for saving money:
- Use credit card miles or points to fly or stay in a hotel! If you don’t have a travel credit card, consider one looking into a few options. We like Chase Sapphire and Capital One Venture X.
- If you don’t have airline points and you want to find a cheap flight, do a search on Momondo or Skyscanner. If you are flexible on location, a fun tip is to put “anywhere” in the destination box. See what cheapest flight options pop up and if they meet your travel goal.
- Another way to save on flights is by considering a premium membership to Going.com. If you know you are going to travel in the coming year, you could save hundreds on flights with the premium membership. NOTE: this is really only a good program for those who live in the United States as all of the flight deals are from American airports. Since I have been living in the Netherlands I haven’t had a membership, but recently Going.com gave me one for free and let me tell you. It is much better than it used to be a few years ago. I get sent multiple flight deals daily and even mistake fares fairly regularly. It is definitely worth the $49 dollars a year.
Step 2 – Do Your Research
Before booking flights, hotels and activities, I like to do a little research first. Starting your travel planning process with thorough research saves time and headaches later.
There are a few reasons for this. I want to make sure the vacation destination has what we are looking for, that it is safe, and that we can afford it.
At this stage you don’t have to go into many specifics, but it is a good idea to get a rough idea of things you would like to do, where these activities are, if you need to rent a car or if you can get around with public transportation, etc…
First I would start with what you want to do and then how to get there.
Research Activities
Looking for what you want to do will help tremendously in the travel planning process.
I usually like to plan the vacation by myself, so I will research the best activities to do in ___ (insert city or country). Then, I prefer to look at a few different travel blogs, as everyone has different ideas and interests.
I write down a few that sound interesting to me or would be fun for my kids or my husband. After I have a list, I like to put these on a map (more on this below) and prioritize the list.
Alternatives To Planning Activities Yourself
There are other ways to travel too. If you want to save some time on planning you can consider these options. Be more hands off by going on tours or get pampered at an all-inclusive resort.
For me, I am usually not a an all-inclusive person. Although there are some attractive features to traveling this way. For me, I like to wander and explore off the beaten path locations. However, tours and all-inclusive resorts can save you a lot of travel planning time.
I do like to take tours in some places. When I do choose tours, I prefer a private tour or small group tour. Getting crammed into a bus with 50 other tourists is not my idea of a fun vacation. However with a private or small group tour, you can gain more historical and cultural knowledge about a destination from your tour guide.
And no – not all private tours are expensive. You might be surprised.
Also, another bonus to a tour is that it can provide transportation. For example, when we were in Quito, we wanted to visit a few places outside of the city, Quilotoa Crater and Cotopaxi. (Read about our adventures by clicking the links.)
We didn’t have a car and didn’t really want to drive at the time, so we booked a small group tour. It was great because it wasn’t too crowded, they drove us everywhere and we learned so much. Also, the price was right!
Here’s a link to the Quilotoa Tour and the Cotopaxi Tour if you are interested!
Research How To Get There
You don’t need to go into specifics here, but it is a good idea to make sure you have a rough idea on how you will be getting to your planned activities.
If you have booked a tour, make sure transportation is included. If you are scheduling a hike, make sure there is public transportation that takes you to the trailhead and if not, note that you will need to rent a car.
Once you know what is required, you can plan your days much easier, and you will know what needs to be booked in advance.
For example, if you only have one or two activities that need a car, consider only renting the car for a day or two. That will save you money on the rental and parking.
Google Maps For Travel Planning
If you are planning it all on your own, I would suggest using Google Maps to organize yourself. Find the attractions you want to see and save them on Google maps. This gives you a clearer picture of where things are located and helps you plan your days.
I like to plan my days around attractions that are in the same area of the city. I also can figure out how many days I would need to stay in a city depending on what there is to do there.
Bonus Tip: Make separate categories and choose a different emoji for each category. That way when you look at the map you can clearly see the difference between a restaurant or a tourist attraction.
As you can see from the map above, there were a lot of places I wanted to visit in Montenegro on our trip in the summer of 2024. We had only one week to explore the country, so I opted for the Kotor Bay area as there was a higher concentration of attractions in that location.
Google maps also helps with finding a hotel. To reduce the amount of time spent commuting, pick a hotel that is centrally located to all of the fun things you have planned! It will make your life so much easier!
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Step 3, 4 And 5 – Book Flights, Hotel And Rental Car
After you have picked your location and done your research, you should have a fairly good idea of where you want to go, for how long, and how you are going to get there and around.
The next step in the travel planning process is the exciting part. Book the trip!
I usually book flights first, lodging and then lastly a rental car (if needed).
Flight Tips For Travel Planning
You will have less options for flights, so buying the one that works best is essential to do first.
Find flights that work with your schedule. If traveling with little kids that nap, consider a flight during their nap time or an overnight flight.
If you are traveling with older kids, don’t make the flight too early. Remember you have to be at the airport a couple hours in advance. Older kids get cranky when they don’t have enough sleep and they won’t nap (unless they are teenagers 🙂). I know this from personal experience!
Bonus Tip: Consider a long layover in a city you haven’t explored or a stopover flight. With a stopover flight, you can explore a new city without adding additional fees to your flight.
Pro Tip: If possible, a direct flight is almost always worth the extra cost. The headache of layovers and possible delays is not worth saving a hundred dollars.
Hotel And Airbnb Tips
When booking your lodging, there are a few things to keep in mind. If you are unsure if you should book a hotel or an Airbnb, check out my post on choosing between the two. Hotels vs Vacation Rentals: Choose The Best Place To Stay
Pick a hotel or vacation rental that is within walking distance of all the major attractions or near public transportation if you don’t have a car. If you do have a car, double check that there is a parking option.
Another thing to consider is the cancellation policy. Of course you never WANT to cancel a trip, but sometimes life happens. It’s nice to know you can cancel without penalties up to a certain point.
Rental Car Travel Planning Tips
When booking a rental car, we check for a few different important features.
One, we haven’t driven (and when I say we, it’s Mike that drives our rental cars 😀) a manual in a while and he prefers an automatic. In many countries you can save money if you select a manual transmission, but if you can’t or don’t want to drive one, be sure you choose the automatic option.
Space! Cars are not as big if you are renting them outside of the U.S. Even the smaller American car options are big in comparison to some over here in Europe. On the rental car site, check the amount of luggage and people that can fit in the car to be sure it will be comfortable for you and your family.
Be sure that you are also looking at the cancellation policy for the rental car.
Bonus Tip: Check the pricing in the weeks leading up to your trip. You might save some money if the price drops. Book your new rental car and cancel the old one if the price is less!
Step 6 and 7 – Travel Planning For Activities And Reservations
This stage of the travel planning process focuses on the details.
Be Flexible
Now that you have the important parts booked, it’s time to make your detailed-ish itinerary. When you are traveling with kids, it’s important to keep things flexible and to not overbook! Factor in getting snacks at the store, taking naps, going to the playground, resting tired legs, ice cream breaks etc…
I usually break up my travel days by planning activities that are nearby each other. If everything is close together, you can just have a wish list of activities that you’d like to do while you are there and see how everyone is feeling on that day.
Book Tours
The exception to having a flexible schedule would be if you need to book a tour or if attractions are only open on certain days and times. Always be sure to check times and dates! Especially if you are traveling off peak season.
If you need a ticket for a popular attraction, make that reservation in advance online.
For example, The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam releases tickets 6 weeks in advance and they are timed entry. During the busy season, you need to book these tickets early to get a time slot you want. You won’t be able to show up and buy a ticket at the door.
If you are looking into tours, I would suggest looking at Viator or Get Your Guide. I like Viator and Get Your Guide because they have many interesting options and most of their tours you can cancel up to 48 hours in advance for free. They are very similar but I like to check both since they offer different options. You can also filter their tours by private or small group tours.
Another option that I like for tours is to book through Airbnb Experiences. The tours we have taken here have been with locals in the communities. It is one of my favorite things to learn about a culture or city from those who live there.
Reserve A Table
Other reservations to consider are restaurants. If you are looking to eat at a nice restaurant for lunch or dinner, I would recommend booking a table.
Not only are you guaranteed a spot at that restaurant but it also makes it less stressful when everyone is hungry, and you are frantically trying to search up a place to eat.
Step 8 And 9 – Home And Work Considerations
There are a few things to remember to arrange when you are going on a trip that are closer to home. First one is making sure you request time off at your job! Other important considerations are:
- Arranging a sitter for your pets (or your kids! – Couple trips are great too!)
- Snow removal
- Mowing your lawn
- Watering your plants
- etc…
Many of these factors depend on where you live and for how long you will be gone.
International Trip Considerations
- Call your bank or credit card company and tell them if you are leaving the country. Some banks or credit cards don’t require it, but you should double check. You don’t want them to shut down your access to money!
- Check your passport and make sure it isn’t expired or won’t be expiring within 6 months of your trip. If it is, you will most likely need to renew it before you go.
- Check if the country you are visiting requires a visa. Learn more about what countries are visa-free for Americans here and how to find out what to do if a country does require a visa.
- Research cultural differences: tipping, a few phrases in the language, dress codes, currency exchange rate and other customs
- Get travel health insurance – Check out Visitors Coverage.
- Make sure your cell phone data will work. You can either get an international plan through your cell phone company or for a much cheaper option, you can get an e-sim. I would recommend using Airlo. You can purchase as much data as you need and it is much more affordable than what Verizon is going to offer you. Need to make a call? Use wifi or data by calling through Whatsapp or Facetime.
Don’t forget to download the travel planning checklist to stay on track and don’t forget a thing!
Step 10 – Make A Packing List
When making a packing list, I look at the amount of days we are traveling, access to laundry, and factor in space. We normally like to travel with carry-ons only. That limits the amount of items we can bring.
Bonus Tip: Don’t pack things you can buy in other countries if you are running out of space! Plan a little time to go to the store upon arrival and pick up diapers, laundry sheets, shampoo, etc…
Packing App For Travel Planning
Another tip I just recently learned about is that there are tons of apps that help you make your packing list. I looked through a few of the options, and I prefer PackPoint.
Here’s why:
- Easy to Use – The interface is really easy to navigate and it walks you through the questions in a simple way.
- It’s smart – When creating a packing list, you add in where you are going, when, for how long, and if it is for business or leisure. Then you select your activities. You will need different items if you are going swimming versus skiing. This makes it easy for the app to figure out what accessories to recommend. It even asks if you will have access to laundry or not. Genius!
- It factors in the weather – After selecting your activities, your list is created. Easy peasy. At the top is the basic info about your trip and the average weather for when you will be there.
- Different categories and easily customizable – The list is separated into different categories based on the activities you selected. Sometimes this means that there are repeated items or accessories that you might not need to bring. You can delete items on the list easily or make a note that you want to bring more than one.
It’s available on Android and IOS.
Steps To Planning A Trip Conclusion
Following these steps to planning a trip will ensure you’re well-prepared for your next big adventure.
AND don’t forget to download a simplified version of this blog post as a printable travel planning checklist.
I hope this trip planning guide has given you the confidence to plan your next adventure!
