How to start planning a trip
I’m often asked for advice on how to plan a trip - but I’m usually planning a trip so don’t have time to walk through the steps I take. Enter pandemic - and now I find myself with time to share how the process goes for me and the resources I utilize. The first thing is to decide where you want to go. That’s never an issue for me. I have an endless list of places to see and explore. I spend time almost every day reading about places online or often reading a book will trigger an interest for me. I remember reading the book “Angels and Demons” by Dan Brown and that sparked an obsession with me getting to Rome. So in 2006 it happened. When I’m taking a longer trip it always begins with a desire to go to a certain city or country, and then I start researching to see what else of interest I can add that makes sense from a logistical standpoint. The main focus of this post will center on traveling to Europe, although many of my recommendations apply to the US and beyond.
If you’ve never been to Europe you might consider taking an organized tour. There’s no shame in that and it will definitely build your confidence. The first time I went to Europe by myself in 1984 that’s what I did. If the internet existed then it wasn’t anything like it is now, so planning a trip myself was more then I was prepared or had time to do. I think I booked it with American Express and it was 18 days and 6 countries. It included Amsterdam, Germany, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg and Belgium. It was a whirlwind and we spent lots of time driving on a bus but we saw a lot and all I had to do was be on the bus with or without my suitcase at the assigned time. There are a ton of tour companies and I will recommend a few that I have used personally, but it’s pretty easy to find reviews online of any that are out there. You not only want to know the countries and cities the tour covers, but what the level of activity will be. If you are looking for a leisurely tour the last thing you would want is one that has a jam packed agenda from early morning till late at night. There are tours where part of the trip is unstructured giving you the opportunity to explore what’s of interest to you or gives you the chance to sit in a cafe and people watch for a few hours. Read everything you can about it and ask lots of questions.
I used Globus for the trip to Italy with my family back in 2006 and had good success. It was a pretty big group and a busy agenda but it worked out fine and got us around Italy smoothly. www.globusjourneys.com
Globus has another division called Monograms which I have also tried. Much smaller groups and very unstructured. They book the hotels and get you from the airport to the hotel and then to your next city and hotel but other then that you are on your own. I used them when Keeley and I went to London, Paris and Amsterdam in 2011. Worked out great for us because we wanted to plan our days the way we wanted. www.monograms.com
For my trip to India in 2018 Cindy and I went with Collette. Cindy and I have both travelled lots but we didn’t feel comfortable going to India on our own - and at least 20 times on the almost 3 week trip we each said how glad we were that we were in a group. It was only 12 people and our guide which was perfect, and we covered a lot of the central and northern part of that very large country with ease. But on our own it would have been much more challenging. Collette was great. Wonderful accommodations and special touches like dinner with a local family. I highly recommend them. www.gocollette.com
You might consider signing up for a couple of third party emails I have found helpful. These companies send out daily or weekly emails with all kinds of deals for tours, hotels or special events at discounted prices. www.travelzoo.com and www.gate1travel.com The prices are often excellent and while I haven’t done any of their tours I have friends that have and had very good experiences. I have gotten good hotel deals from Travel Zoo so I can recommend them.
Now you need to book flights. If doing a tour the tour company will be happy to do it for you, and the advantage of that is that if there is a flight issue it’s their responsibility to get it worked out to get you where you need to be, but it might cost more then if you did it yourself. Typically I book my own flights and a great tip I want to make you aware of is a site called Scotts Cheap Flights. Scott’s doesn’t sell you the flight - it just sends you emails letting you know when their are great deals to places outside the US. Check out their website at www.scottscheapflights.com where you can sign up to get their emails. There is a free membership that will give you one or two emails a day, but for a nominal cost (I paid $39 for the year) you can get the premier membership where you get multiple emails a day with more great deals. If you see one you want to book you need to jump on it because they don’t last long. I booked a round trip flight to Quebec City for $240 which was about a $500 savings. Unfortunately that trip was supposed to happen this last April so I had to cancel - but I will get there someday. I think it’s best to have a couple of places in mind so that if you see a fantastic airfare price you can grab it. Right now they are only sending deals from July forward since they know there is a lot of uncertainty about making travel plans. And these airfares are usually available to book on reputable airlines like United, American, Delta etc months ahead so it’s not that you have to book to go next week. You can also set up alerts on Kayak, Google Flights etc to alert you when there is a good fare for where you want to travel.
There are lots of travel books and websites you can use to help you plan your trip. My number one resource is always Rick Steves. I don’t think I’ve ever gone to Europe without bringing Rick along. He has traveled and written books about every country in Europe for more years then I know - and he has never let me down. I read the book for the areas I’m going from cover to cover and make notes of where I want to spend my time. He recommends where to stay, where to eat, transportation etc. He will never take you to the touristy places outside of major sites, and even then he tells you how to do it to avoid the crowds. When Julie and I were in Paris last May it was her first time so she wanted to go to the Eiffel Tower. All the advance tickets to get in were sold out for the entire month, but it started raining and I remembered reading in Rick’s book that if it rains most people leave and you are more likely to be able to buy a ticket - and sure enough we got right in. Thanks Rick! I bring the book with me but it never makes it back to the states with me. As I leave each day to see the sites I tear those pages from the book and bring them along. Often times his tours of sites from the book are as good or better then what you can get from a live guide so that more then pays the cost of the book. Lonely Planet and Fodor’s are also good books and many of these you can get from your public library. I read all I can from the library and then buy my favorite to take with me on the trip. Usually it’s Rick😊
My most recent purchase. I’ll get there - just not this August as I had planned☹️
Online resources I like to use are Trip Advisor, Trip Savvy and Afar. That can give you lots of ideas about what to do and see when you are in a city or country. I never want to go somewhere and find out after I left that I missed the most important and coolest thing. Trip Advisor has lots of reviews from real people so that is beneficial in so many ways. Just start googling and one thing leads you to another.
Lodging is important to me when I’m planning a trip. I’m pretty organized so I don’t like to get somewhere and hope I can find a place to stay. I’m not looking for the fanciest place since I won’t be spending much time there. Location, cleanliness and safety are my top three. Research helps determine best location and safety, and reviews tell you cleanliness. If I’m in a location at least 2 or 3 nights I will usually try getting an Airbnb. I rarely am somewhere for just one night but if I am I just get a hotel. There are pluses and minuses to both so you decide. Hotels have amenities like storing your luggage, usually includes breakfast, soft towels and toiletries. Airbnb’s are usually cheaper, you have kitchens and living rooms, and you’re in a neighborhood versus more touristy area. The books you read will give descriptions and recommendations. You can use online resources like Booking.com but prices are better if you go to the hotel and book directly.
The last large piece you need to plan is transportation. Research in this area is very important. If you’re flying to Europe from the US you will typically leave in the evening and land in the morning. So you will lose a nights sleep unless you are one of the few people who sleeps great on a plane. You will land and be excited and also very tired. So you should have planned how you will get from the airport to your hotel or Airbnb and not wait until you land to see what your options are. Often times there are shuttles you can pre-arrange, buses, trains, taxi etc. I am always trying to maximize my dollars so a taxi is usually the last resort. For example when landing in Paris you can Uber from Charles de Gaulle airport to the city for about $90 which can take an hour and a half or longer depending on traffic - or take the B Train for 12 Euros and be in the center of Paris in 30 minutes. Then if you’re heading from one city or country to another how will you get there and do you need to book that transportation in advance. If you are flying yes you will want to book that in advance. If you’re in a country with great train service then probably not - you can buy tickets right at the station before you get on the train. Recently when Julie and I were traveling from Lisbon Portugal to Nice France it made more sense to fly. It was cheap - about $72 and a short flight. We could have taken the train but it wouldn’t have been cheaper and would have taken 12 hours. Going from Nice to Avignon, and then to Lyon, and then to Paris we took trains and just bought our tickets the same day of travel. No problems. Maybe I’m weird (yes this is a certainty) but planning the transportation is one of the most fun parts for me. It’s like a puzzle and I need to figure it out. Probable the most challenging trip for me was in 2018 in Italy, Slovenia and Croatia. Italy has fantastic train service. Slovenia and Croatia not so much. Getting from Venice Italy to Ljubljana Slovenia was tricky. Supposedly there was a bus that ran once a day between the two but the reviews on Trip Advisor were scary. It seemed really hit or miss. Lots of people saying the bus never came and there was no one to talk to when you called the company that spoke English. I kept researching and found out about a shuttle service called Go Opti that had good reviews. A 6 person van that you could book for an 8:30 AM pickup in the only parking lot in Venice that would drop you off in Ljubljana in 3 hours. So I booked it and crossed my fingers. Perfect! Traveling in Slovenia and Croatia was amazing but the transportation was challenging and without preplanning would have been a disaster. Having it all go smoothly made me so happy.
Trains, buses, vans, boats and cars! We made it!
Travel Insurance? Yes! I always get it whenever I leave the country and especially with what’s happening in the world due to the pandemic it’s a must. I’m not an expert on it so research your options carefully. I’ve been reading that many travel policies don’t cover pandemics but going forward maybe that will change. Also review your health insurance as many plans - Medicare included don’t cover you outside the United States. I think it’s important to have coverage should you get sick while traveling.
As far as money, currency, credit cards etc. I did a blog post that is still current from July 2019 that you can refer to through the Archive tab on my blog. Now is a great time to research credit card options and getting the most bang for your buck. I found a great article from Money that did the work for you. Try this link or just go to Money.com and google it. https://money.com/best-travel-credit-card/ I also posted the link on my Patti Part Two Facebook page which you can get to from the bottom of my blog. I try and post articles on Facebook that I think are relevant to travel or provide helpful interesting information so feel free to follow my Facebook and Instagram accounts.
I also have a separate blog post on packing light that you can access from the Archive tab dated August 2018. It’s the blog post that gets more clicks then any other😂 Packing and traveling light has been life-changing for me. If you’re jumping on trains and buses the last thing you want is to be hauling a big suitcase. A carryon and personal item. Done! Doesn’t matter if I’m gone for a week or a month it all has to fit. Check it out and be enlightened!
Planning trips and traveling brings me so much joy. Helping other people plan also gives me joy so if I can answer questions or help please feel free to email me at pattiparttwo@gmail.com. I will travel again and I’m spending lots of time figuring out where I will go. Stay tuned!
Now for a pandemic update. I’m still cooking with Green Chef. Here are the latest delicious meals I’ve prepared.
Top right - Italian Herb-Seasoned Barramundi over sautéed kale with white beans and red peppers. Bottom left - Pesto Panko Chicken with Mozzarella and roasted red potatoes. Bottom right - Meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I started stay-at-home a vegetarian and moved on to meat and potatoes. Stay-at-home is a slippery slope😞
And sometimes dinner is just a delicious pie flight! Thank you Upper Crust Pie😋
I finished this book in two days! So great!
Netflix binge! Loved it!
Wear a mask. An easy kindness you can do to protect you and everyone around you. ❤️
Well that’s it for now. Time to get back to more trip planning. Stay safe and be kind. We are all in this together - but not all in the same storm.