My niece is planning a trip to New York City. It will be her first USA trip so I told her I would write this step-by-step travel planning guide for her, and YOU, on how to plan a trip to anywhere!
We know that travel planning can be overwhelming and time-consuming, especially for overseas travel, and especially if you are traveling with kids.
So if you don’t have a travel plan or know how to plan a trip, this guide is for you!
In this post I’m sharing the best travel websites on how to plan a vacation when booking flights, hotels, tours, and attractions.
Plus our best travel tips on how to access your money on the road, buying travel insurance, travel packing tips, finding places to eat, getting visas and immunizations, and much more.
Whether you are traveling alone or planning a family vacation, you deserve to go away and create priceless memories without stress in the trip planning process.
Also down below are our best vacation planning tips and the steps I would take to plan your dream trip. Call it our vacation checklist if you will.
Don’t know what to consider when planning a trip? Hopefully, this guide will save you some time, money, and your sanity.
Tips for Planning a Trip
Step 1 – Choose Your Destination
Where do you want to go?
Your first step in how to plan a vacation is to choose a travel destination that meets your interests and travel budget.
Are you planning overseas travel or a domestic trip at home? Either way, the whole idea of taking a trip is to have a memorable time, to have fun and relax, and not to spend your whole vacation time worrying about money.
How much time do you have?
If you only have 1-2 weeks of vacation time per year, don’t waste too much of that time traveling to and from your destination. Plan your trip accordingly.
But if you have 2-4 weeks or over a month you can look at taking an overseas trip or traveling further away within your home country.
Who are you traveling with?
When you plan your trip, your destination choices can be affected by your traveling companions.
Sit down with other members of your traveling group and discuss your ideas and interests. Memorable trips are those where each member gets to experience something they love.
Don’t leave it to one person to make all the decisions. Or, maybe you could take turns in choosing a destination each year.
Are you the type of person who likes to sit by the pool all day with a book? Or would this bore you to death?
By answering these types of questions you can narrow down your list of where you want to go for your dream trip!
And keep an open mind. Many people questioned us when we announced we were going to Mardi Gras in New Orleans with kids. We were a little unsure also, but ended up have a blast!
When to Travel?
Weather and crowds play an important role when you plan your trip. For your chosen destination, do you know when the high season and low season is?
If you are fortunate enough to be flexible in when you can take your vacation time, good for you! Avoiding peak travel periods is one of our best travel tips for how to plan a vacation.
Step 2 – Book Flights For Your Trip
Once you have chosen your destination, step two in planning a trip is to book your flights. And learning how to find cheap flights will help you to reduce one of your biggest travel expenses.
As a traveling family, if it’s an overseas trip and a long haul flight I like to plan my trip so we get to our destination as quickly as possible, with the most amount of comfort and facilities our budget allows.
