How I Plan My International Trips

A question that I get ALL THE TIME is how I plan my trips. How do you choose a destination? How far out do book out flights? How do you find unique things to do? How do you build your itinerary? I figured I would put them all together in one post about how I plan my trips!

I will have to say a lot I have a built in travel agent because my mom absolutely loves to plan trips! She is so so good at it, so a lot of these tips are hers – so I have to give her credit for a lot of this!

Planning an international trip can feel overwhelming and even a bit daunting, but taking the time to plan ahead will not only make your trip way less stressful, but it will also help you feel less overwhelmed so you can actually enjoy yourself once you get to your destination! Plus planning a trip is SO FUN!

Step One: Picking Your Destination

A lot of people have big dreams of traveling, and say “one day I want to go to ______.” But until you actually sit down and pick a destination that will only stay in your dreams. Enough of the big talk, and let’s make travel happen!

It’s a lot easier to mentally get behind “I am going to Spain in the summer” then “I’m going to Europe” or “I’m going somewhere.” Not only will your trip become more concrete for you and easier to commit to, but it will make planning easier as well.

I personally have a super long travel bucket list and narrowing it down can be difficult sometimes. I factor in time of year, weather, budget, and just what sounds the most appealing at that time to me. This is the most fun part!

Step Two: Deciding The Length Of Your Trip

How much does it cost to travel? That depends! In order to figure out how much you need to save you’ll need to know how long your trip will be. Different destinations need different amount of days. But you also need to factor in PTO and your schedule.

I try to lump in as many weekends as I can and take holidays into consideration (even though it will probably be pricer to travel during holidays). You also need to factor in travel days. For example, I am going to Southeast Asia this summer and need to plan at least one whole day to get there and get home.

A good rule of thumb to follow:

• Caribbean islands/beach relax trips – 5-7 days
• Latin America – 7 days
• South America – 7-10 days
• Europe – 9-14 days
• Africa/Asia/Australia – at least 14 days

Step 3: Plan and Prepare a Checklist

Go grab a pen and paper (or make a new note in your phone) and start writing everything down that you need to do to plan your trip.

• Passport/visas
• Flights
• Accommodations
• Transportation (are you going to multiple cities/countries?)
• Activities/Tours
• Restaurants
• Packing list

From there take your list into an action plan and start ticking off items one by one. I put this list in order of priority that I use when planning a trip.

Step 4: Finding Deals On Flights

Depending on your destination, flights will be a big expense. The best way to book cheaper flights is to use a travel rewards credit card and cash in miles. I personally have the United Mileage Plus card. Every time I use my travel card, I get miles, and every time I fly I also get miles.

The best way to get free flights is to cash in your miles. I highly recommend a travel credit card if you plan on traveling. It comes with a ton of other perks too like free checked bags, priority boarding, lounge access, etc!

My two favorite sites for finding cheap airfare are:

• Skyscanner – Skyscanner is the best website for searching multiple destinations at the same time.
• Google Flights – Like Skyscanner, Google Flights is great for open searches to multiple destinations.

We like to research flights 6 months in advance, and then wait to see if the prices go down, and then actually book the flights 3 months out.

Step 5: Booking Accommodations

Now onto the fun parts of planning trips! All the details and fun things you get to do. For hotels I use Booking.com and it is really seamless.

When researching where to stay I head to one source: Pinterest. I will spend so much time scrolling through Pinterest looking at different hotels. Reading different blogs, websites, etc is the best way to get a real honest review and recommendations on where to stay.

We usually book hotel/accommodations 2-3 months in advance. Also remember that transportation, rental cars, etc should be booked around this time as well!

Step 6: Create Itinerary and Book Tours

Now we can really talk about the fun stuff when planning a trip! Figuring out what to do and see while you are abroad.

Pinterest is a great place to start for figuring out what to do and see. It can be a little overwhelming because there is SO much to see at every destination. We usually start by picking 2-3 things we really really want to do. For example in Thailand I really want to go to an elephant sanctuary. We also really like doing a cooking class when we travel. Once you have narrowed down a few big ticket items you want to do it is easier to sprinkle in the rest of your activities.

A newer way we have been researching what to do in certain destinations is to head over to Youtube. We log in on the TV and spend hours watching different vlogs and videos on where we will be going. The best way to get a feel for how a country is is through someone else’s experiences. We find vlogs for everything: cities, activities, certain tours, hotels, restaurants, anything! We then make a list of things we want to make sure we fit in.

When building out your itinerary you need to keep in mind how many activities you are trying to fit in in each day vs relaxation time. Personally we are the type of people that need a vacation after our vacation because we are so go go go and want to fit in as much as humanly possible every trip. But some people cannot do that and only like to do one activity a day.

We usually narrow down our itinerary and book tours 1-2 months out. We book any needed restaurant reservations a month in advance (but half of the fun is finding restaurants while you are there and exploring).

Step 7: Packing and Organizing

Once we are a couple weeks out I like to start packing and organizing. I am a little psycho and I plan certain outfits for each day. But that is just me, and that is not a requirement when packing. It just helps me stay organized.

But while packing remember your airplane bag (headphones, hand sanitizer, neck pillow, eye patches, tooth brush, etc) as well as your medical bag (medicine, anti diarrheal, etc).

Planning an international trip can seem daunting, overwhelming or stressful at times. But remember that part of the fun of the trip itself is the planning. Researching what to do, the hidden gems, and the unique things that you will experience in that country are so fun and really helps build up the anticipation of the trip. The best feeling is seeing your itinerary and plans play out to the most amazing trip ever!

What trips do you have planned this year!?

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