{"id":2275,"date":"2022-04-17T22:02:32","date_gmt":"2022-04-17T22:02:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emilyronehome.com\/?p=2275"},"modified":"2023-07-24T14:05:12","modified_gmt":"2023-07-24T14:05:12","slug":"how-to-plan-international-travel-like-a-pro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emilyronehome.com\/?p=2275","title":{"rendered":"How to Plan Travel Like a Pro: DIY Your Next Trip"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Let me share my DIY process for planning travel so you can set off to your dream destination confidently, safely, and efficiently. Learn how to plan travel like a pro!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ever wanted to travel internationally, but didn’t know where to start? Traveling can definitely push you out of your comfort zone, especially if there is a language barrier and you lose cellular service that you are used to relying on for day to day transit, communication and entertainment. I’m excited to share my 6 step tried and true travel planning process with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without much thought or reservations (oh, to be young), I spent four weeks traveling Europe. One of us was well traveled, and her skills and confidence definitely helped our trip go smoothly while teaching me a lot about how to travel internationally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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London, England<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Rome, Italy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Versailles, France<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A few years later, I spent two weeks traveling Thailand. Once the travel bug bites, it’s hard to ignore it! Travel is so important to expand your worldview, soften your heart to other cultures and ways of life, and instill a sense of gratitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chiang Mai, Thailand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Bangkok, Thailand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Pai, Thailand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Most recently my husband and I spent two weeks backpacking in the UK,<\/a><\/em> seeing highlights of England, Wales and Scotland by plane, train and car. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, you have these big travel dreams, but need to know where to begin the planning process. Here’s where I come in. I’m generalizing my trip planning process to be applicable to any destination. Let’s jump in and learn how to plan travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not looking to travel out of the US? Scroll to the end of this post to find my list of 15+ city guides all across the United States!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t have time to read the whole post now? Pin it here<\/a><\/em> to safely save it for later \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n

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Let’s DIY Your Trip!<\/em><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

How to Plan Travel Step 1: Research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It’s time to start streamlining your travel goals, and start narrowing down possible destinations. Things you should keep in mind are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

-Time of year<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-Budget<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-Trip duration<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-Vibe (active & fast paced, or slow and relaxing)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-Number of travel companions<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-Self guided vs. tour<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you have considered the variables above and visualized the details of your trip, it’s time to start planning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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STEP 2: Outline a General Itinerary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Put pen to paper and write out a general idea of your itinerary. My favorite way to make sure my travel route makes sense is to look up routes tour companies take in countries I am interested in visiting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, when I went to Europe for the first time I spent the first 2 weeks on a tour with Contiki<\/a><\/em>. Their route through western Europe started in Paris, then Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, and Rome. This route was accommodated with a mix of bus rides, trains and planes. Using a tour company’s itinerary can help you optimize efficiency!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Edam, Netherlands<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Bath, England<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While you are outlining your route, be sure you are also keeping a map close by to make your trip efficient geographically as well. We made a mistake during our Thailand trip where we traveled from Pai to Krabi, only to cross back over to the other coastline via bus to load a ferry to Koh Samui. Had we been looking at a map, we would not have chosen to travel out of our way to Krabi for just one night. But even in hindsight knowing we had made a mistake, it’s ok! We got to see a new place.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Bangkok, Thailand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

And while we are on the topic of perceived travel “mistakes”, I’m going to mention a bit on the topic of mindset. Unless you are heading to a resort to stay and lounge for a week, you will probably be spending quite a bit of time traveling from location to location. Enjoy this time too! Like in DIY when I say “enjoy the process”, it’s important during travel that you enjoy the journey, and not just the destination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back to planning your itinerary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You also want to think about flights there and back. Flying into a large hub is typically cheaper and more accessible with less stops than a smaller airport. For most of my major international trips, I booked a multi-city itinerary. For example, I’ve flown into London then left through Edinburgh. Believe it or not, this multi-city route was actually a bit cheaper than round trip in and out of London! This also meant we didn’t have to waste time retracing our steps back to London just to catch a flight home. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Edinburgh, Scotland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Geographically, we started our recent UK backpacking trip<\/a><\/em> in London and decided to work our way north. I wrote out a general itinerary of key cities and places I wanted to see, then tried to divvy up the days and nights to make sure it was reasonable in the 2 week duration we had to travel. <\/p>\n\n\n