Organizing a trip nowadays, with the technology we have at our fingertips, is much easier than in the past. Through the search engines we can compare the different prices of airline flights, face the choice of accommodation in a safe and practical way, in this way we can have an overall picture of the value for money directly in front of our eyes and decide what type of accommodation face holiday without surprises, in this post I want to tell you about mine  Travel Planning Routine and you will have to arm yourself with good will, and a lot of patience.

What is needed

  • Internet connection
  • Notebook and pen  (which will become our travel notebook)
  • Lots of patience

Patience is essential, when planning do-it -yourself holidays , to wait for the right opportunity, the price closest to your budget , you will have to arm yourself with a lot of patience and be constant.

I have never turned to a travel agency, I have always done everything myself, many times having a limited budget is the best solution, a solution that has allowed me to understand even more how other countries work, and how to move within of the cities it was even simpler. I read an infinity  of articles on travel blogs , magazines and I look for information on the forums.   In this phase of reading I try to understand what to see, what are the popular traditions of the place, the food to try, the activities to do, but above all what to exclude from my itinerary.

What role does the Budget play?

Sign an overall hypothetical figure, which will frame the cost of the entire trip. This will help us not to exceed and keep the expenses contained, generally I tend to inflate it by 100/200 Euros more because you never know, the expenses incurred while traveling are always a surprise.

Expense factors to consider:

  • Flights / ship
  • Transportation to and from the airport
  • Hotel / apartment
  • Public transport / day tickets
  • Museum tickets
  • Lunch Dinner
  • Night outings
  • Souvenirs

Let’s start from the first point, Flight.

My searches begin  with the flight search, to understand if a destination is feasible I understand from the cost of the flight, based on what I decide, the vacation days and the final destination. Here you will have to be constant and follow the progress of your route day by day, write down the various changes in the price in the notebook, and above all do not stop only at one search portal but explore different ones, I will put you the link of the portals I use most frequently.

Write down all the price changes in your travel book and when the price convinces you the most, buy it. I don’t buy a place for my luggage, I always leave with a simple backpack but where everything is needed, I keep my Checklist in my travel notebook to avoid forgetting something.Checklist – what to pack.

Acquisition of information

Itinerary -Food – Activities – Nightlife

Once the destination has been decided, I begin to inform myself and read the most varied articles concerning the place. First of all, I am interested in the most important stages that absolutely must not be missed, what activities to do and last but not least, the typical culinary specialties of the place. Also important is the information on how to get to the city from the airport and how to get back there when you return, complete with return fares, in this way I always have the budget under control. I mark on a sheet the admission price of the museums or of the stages that require the payment of a ticket , sometimes they give discounts for those who buy directly online, check carefully.

I start creating my own itinerary to avoid wasting time once I arrive at my destination, of course, once on the spot I let myself be guided by the moment, it is very likely that something else, some other unscheduled stop, attracts attention and most of the time you just don’t follow literally, but it helps us to have a clear pattern in front of our eyes.

I focus on getting to know new places, nice traditional places, but for safety, always in my travel notebook two restaurants recommended online by travelblogger, and two places to go in the evening, in this way I know where I can safely find real restaurants with typical local cuisine and not typical fake restaurants, and nice places to spend the evening.

Where to sleep?

When it comes to looking for accommodation, the factor I take into consideration the most is the neighborhood , based on the information I have gathered, I get an idea of what route to take and in which area it would be logistically practical to sleep, in order to reduce expenses in public transport and precious time. I prefer backpacking trips and walking rather than using public transport ( unless it is really necessary ), which is why most of my itineraries involve walking around the city.

Through the online booking channels we can decide at what distance from the center to stay, what type of room we prefer, what type of activity the manager offers, in short, we are spoiled for choice on where to sleep. The channels I use most often are different, of course I prefer one in particular which is the Booking site, but there is no lack of “just in case” control of the other search engines: Trivago  , Bed-and-Breakfast  ( only for Italy ).

After having written everything down in my travel notebook I am ready for the new departure. Have a good trip to all.

MP Feel Easy Way