Planning from scratch takes time and a little bit of commitment on your part. But the benefits are huge:
- It’s cost effective – you only pay for what you want and need – no travel agent commissions or 3rd party premiums.
- You get to stay in the sort of accommodation that suits you – rather than that being promoted by the agent
- You get to travel in a way that suits you – at times that suit you.
- You can organise your itinerary to suit your interests and the things that you like to do
- You aren’t beholden to the needs, desires and restrictions of a group tour.
NB: It’s worth saying that we have nothing against a group tour. Sometimes, an official group tour is the only way to see something – visit somewhere. A group tour is great if you are a solo traveller and fancy some company. A group tour can also be cost effective – like sharing a taxi. But we like to do things in our own way – at our own speed and with each other. We are not ‘traditional’ 50 somethings – so can quickly tire of things our age dictates we should like!
Step one – decide on where you want to go. This seems obvious – but you do need to do some research. You may have chosen a city or a country. You may have decided to do multiple places/countries. Take that original idea and do your homework. We usually spend a Sunday afternoon immersed in the internet – learning as much as we can about a place. When we were young, we would buy the travel guide – a Lonely Planet or Rough Guide. Nowadays – everything you need is at your fingertips online.
Step two – think about the best time of year. You will have your own commitments to consider, and these will probably decide the time you have available. Now that we are no longer restricted by our children’s school/university holidays – we have taken to sneaking off for 2 and a half weeks in February each year – wonderful to avoid the dark winter months. But also think about the climate of where you are going. Do not avoid going – but be prepared – the rainy season will require different planning to somewhere that’s freezing. Equally, visiting Vietnam during Tet – their New Year holiday – the first seven days of the first lunar month of the year – while hotels might be open – the vast majority of locals will be at home with their families.
Step three – book any flights asap. Once you have nailed down your dates – book those flights. We always check with Skyscanner as they give you the full range of options. But once you have in mind who you want to fly with and where, go to their website and check the prices again. Don’t be conned into believing the reputations of certain brands. Our worst flight in years was from Edinburgh to London with BA- we were stuck at the airport for over 9 hours.
Step Four – think about what you want to do in your chosen city/country. Some places/attractions don’t need pre-booking – some absolutely do. In a small place where there are a handful of hotels – you will need to book early. A huge city should have plenty of availability. Do your research beforehand.
Step Five – put together a day-by-day itinerary. This is especially true if you are doing a multi-centre trip. We literally have a chart with every day listed and populate the core information – transfers – hotels – activities – cost. You need to do this early in case you need to book transfer flights – overnight train cabins etc.
Step Six – book your accommodation. This is the fun part – but to do it well takes time and dedication. It’s all about location, location, location. Check the separate blog which focuses specifically on booking the best accommodation at the best prices.
We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us. 