With the myriads of pre-planned tours, experiences and package deals available online, holiday planning has never been easier. However, for those who prefer creating their own itineraries, the process can be a little more arduous. With that in mind, here are 5 tips for planning your next holiday:
1. Know Your Limits
One of the most important foundations for planning a holiday is knowing your budget. Before you jump online and get planning, be sure to assess your available funds, that way you’ll be able to estimate what’s possible when it comes to flights, transport and accommodation. Even if you come up a bit short, being aware of your current travel budget can be a fantastic motivator to start saving, and broaden your travelling horizons!
2. Plan Ahead
Particularly in tourist hotspots like Europe and the United Kingdom, hotels for the peak travelling season will start selling out months in advance. To avoid the last minute panic of hotel bookings, and to ensure you can cater to your budget, start planning your itinerary ahead of time. Settling on your preferred dates and destinations for travel will allow you to narrow the parameters for your research, speeding up the process of hotel finding significantly.
3. Dig Deeper
Often the best places to visit on your travels are not the main attractions. Certainly the iconic sites are worth a visit, but there’s a lot more to see and do than can be gleaned from cultural stereotypes. Dig a little deeper; ask around, jump online, open a book or two, and you’ll quickly discover unique cultural experiences well worth the search.
4. Utilise the Web
With the days of Travel Agencies dwindling, websites like tripadvisor and booking.com are the easiest way to find great deals on hotels all over the world. Even if you dont have the money ahead of time, you can use booking.com to reserve rooms so you dont miss the deals, and pay for the room when you get there. The ‘Lonely Planet’ website and travel guides are also a great way to find walking tours, hikes, and niche destinations that you can access without necessitating a tour guide.
5. Don’t Overdo It
When drawing up your itinerary, it can be tempting to plan every minute of your time. All your research may well have landed you with more destinations than time on your hands, and it can be easy to overbook yourself. However, particularly when exploring a foreign culture, the best experiences are often the ones we could not have planned, and do not see coming. Leave yourself time to explore, travel with an open mind, and you never know where you might end up!
