Plan to Travel

If you are anything like me, you are very likely a person who books a trip and housing, somewhere, and generally just goes with the flow. While this can be a great way to travel, it sometimes ends up in small or big disasters. I know it’s usually due to a lack of planning but I still like to travel like this. But as I am getting older and a bit more comfortable I tend to do some planning ahead of my trip. 

Flights

My younger self really didn’t care all that much about how I got to a destination or how much I could bring with me. Heck, I went to Greece for a week, once, with only a toothbrush and a pair of socks packed. Over the years it’s gotten to be a lot more coming with me to the destination. At present days I check various airlines and their destinations and make sure I can bring at least a carry-on that can be a little more than an overnight bag. The journey itself may not be the cheapest but I still avoid first or business class unless I can get a really good bargain on them. It pays off to do some research into how and when you want to go where. Pushing a flight back or forth for a day can make a huge impact on ones travel budget. I generally never fly on a Saturday since they are the most expensive. I try to fly Mondays or Thursdays since these are the cheapest days to fly, in general. Comparing prices online makes a lot of difference when it comes to the price of your trip. You can and will save a lot of money by doing your research thoroughly. That’s money you can put on where you want to stay at the destination or maybe do some fancy shopping while there. 

Housing

I rarely stay at hotels when I am out in the world but when I do, I try to avoid using booking agencies but find it very nice to scope out the different places on my own. Also, sending a nice email to the hotel asking if there’s anything that can be done on the standard room rate, usually pays off. I’ve gotten between 3 and 42% off the rate by doing this, over the years. But, as said, hotels aren’t really my thing. I tend to use different holiday lettings sites such as AirBnB.  This is not because I am cheap, but generally because I find a lot of joy in cooking locally. One of the biggest, most enjoyable things about traveling is to be able to go to a local market and pick up local products and make my own meal. Of course, I can do this at an apartment hotel but if I fail I am the only one disturbed by the fire alarm, at least. 

Another good thing about private housing is that you get to meet at least one local. If it’s a friendly one, you may even end up as friends and voila, you have your private guide. I don’t endorse you to make your trip an undercover slavetrade but if it happens, it happens and it’s a nice way to explore a new place. 

Mapping

My sense of direction is not good so I sometimes have to rely on various maps. In this modern era, downloading a map to your smartphone, of the place you are about to visit, is very easy. And highly recommendable. Offline maps have saved me more than once. And probably will in the future. And just to be sure, get a physical map to keep in your shoulder bag, just in case you run out of juice in the battery of your phone. Which brings us to the next item;

Power & network

Most modern travelers bring at least one piece of tech with them. A smartphone, tablet, or such. Check if the plugs you have are compatible with where you are going. And it doesn’t hurt to throw a power bank in that shoulder bag. 

Most hotels and private renters have a wifi you can use, either free of charge or for a small fee. It is a good thing to check with your phone company if and how much roaming you can do, where you are going, to avoid nasty surprises when the bill comes. If you stay in a hotel, and they offer free and paid wifi, it’s usually a good idea to check out the free option and after that, decide if you want to pay for faster internet. Private renters wifi usually just use their domestic wifi connections to share with their renters. 

Homecoming

If you’re anything like me, you don’t want to get up and start going home early on the last day. Let’s face it, it’s nice to sleep in when you are on vacation. This, in turn, means you are probably returning home kind of late at night. I am usually pretty tired when I land around or after midnight so I tend to pre-book an uber or taxi to get home. 

This is how to get much more out of a trip but still not over plan anything and still be able to enjoy the destination and vacation time.