How Do I Even Start to Plan an International Trip?

Travel Tips

Mar 12

Planning a trip is overwhelming - especially an international one as it’s a huge undertaking. Not everyone is a planner and although I am, even I have to admit, I get intimidated. And I’ll be honest, sometimes (okay a lot of the time) I procrastinate planning because of it. So let’s break it down into the steps. This is personally how I start planning all of my trips.

TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR CALENDAR

Just like a wedding, you need to pick a date! This one feels obvious but you can’t plan a trip until you know when you can go. I personally love to work my international trips around holidays to maximize my days off. Look at your calendar and ballpark when a trip works best for your schedule.

PICK YOUR DESTINATION

Now that you have some dates. Let’s pick a destination. I keep a list on my phone of places I MUST visit so I usually try to pick from one of those. For example, I always go on a trip for my birthday at the end of April so I try to pick destinations that will cooperate weather wise in Spring and that are on my list. Since you already picked your date, you know the time of year so pick your country (or city) accordingly. If you’re indecisive like me, narrow it down to 1-2 options then flip a coin and let fate decide!

DECIDE ON THE CITIES YOU WANT TO VISIT

Once you’ve picked the time and place, it’s time to choose a few places you want to visit while you’re there. Let’s say I decided on a trip to Spain - then I would research some cities in Spain that I want to visit if I didn’t already know where to go. Then I choose 1-2 cities (3 if there’s enough time) and make sure they are reasonable distance from one another. You might need to brush up on your geography skills for this one. But you just need to know the major cities you are close to for the next step.

BOOK THE FLIGHT! (just do it)

This is the hardest part for some reason. Because it requires a commitment. But just book it and lock it in. Now that you know tentatively know the cities you will be visiting, you can book a roundtrip flight from one of the major cities or multi-city trip depending on where you’re going. Once you book it, the fun can begin!!

START RESEARCHING HOTELS

Now that we have a flight on the calendar, we need somewhere to stay. This also requires deciding on how many days you plan to spend in each city or if you want to make one city home base and explore out from there. This is the part I tend to get overwhelmed by just because there are so many options, booking websites, and everyone voicing their own opinion in the reviews. I do like to use booking.com to compare different accommodations. My only caveat is to make sure you are looking at reviews and pictures to ensure this is a legitimate place and I always recommend booking directly with whichever hotel you choose.

BUILD OUT YOUR ITINERARY

After flight and accommodations have been booked, start building out an itinerary (or show up and wing it). Whatever your vibe is. This is also where you book excursions if they require advance booking. Also book transportation if you need a shuttle service to get to and from places. Then I like to research the best things to do there and map them out on Google maps. I also love to research the best restaurants in the area and pin them on a map so I can be sure to check them out. You don’t need to have a detailed hour-by-hour itinerary but I do like to have a general plan. My best advice is to group activities and restaurants by area on the map so you don’t spend time going from one side of the city to the other.

Here’s a blog on apps I love to use to international trips.