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Planning a Trip Made Easy
Learn how to plan a trip, from adventure trips and camping to city getaways, with Alpacka My Bags.
Learn how to plan trips with ease with the help of travel tips, packing hacks, accommodation-finding guides, and more from Alpacka My Bags.
Planning any type of travel can become overwhelming, and that's why I'm here to help. It doesn't need to be a hassle!
After many mishaps on my own adventures, I want to share with you the best methods for planning a trip, packing tips for travel and how to avoid overpacking, accommodation tips, language learning basics, and more.
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How to Plan a Trip
7 Questions to Ask Yourself When Travel Planning
1. What is your budget?
You might know the answer off the top of your head when asked how much you plan to spend on your trip. Or maybe you haven't really thought about it yet, and that's why I'm here to remind you.
Figuring out your travel budget is important; it helps you narrow down your options, determine your length of stay, and help you plan your itinerary. You should know how much you can spend so you can make the most of your trip!
2. When are you traveling?
Do you have dates off of work already? Is there a holiday or season you really want to experience in another place? The next step in the travel planning process is figuring out when you are going to travel.
If you don't have dates picked yet, it can help you save money. Flexibility often means being able to find cheaper flights and hotels.
The dates and duration of your trip will affect the price; holidays tend to be expensive times to travel. But booking in advance can give you more options and help you save money.
3. How long are you traveling?
Along the lines of travel dates, how long will you spend traveling? If you have a few days to work with, you can plan an epic city getaway to somewhere like Chicago. Or maybe you're taking a few weeks to travel around?
You can visit multiple places within a multi-week trip; travel around Italy for a month or road trip through the States. Plan the duration of your trip to get an idea of how many places you can visit.
4. Where do you want to go?
Are you planning a dream vacation to a destination you've been dreaming about for years? Or do you just want to go where your wallet and time off can take you? Either is reasonable!
If you're not sure where you want to go, start with your budget. Road trips, local destinations, and national flights are going to be cheaper, yet just as fun, than international flights, resorts, and luxury vacations.
If you know you want to fly somewhere, start by looking at Going and FareDrop. You can create free accounts for both of these websites; you'll be able to browse cheap flight deals from your home airport.
Or browse our destination travel guides for inspiration!
5. What do you want to see or do?
There might be specific activities you know you want to do, like skiing or hiking. Or maybe there are famous sights you want to see, like the Roman Forum. If there are specific things you know you want to do, this will tell you where you need to go.
Book a winter trip to a ski resort if you want to go skiing, or plan a trip to Rome to see the famous ancient ruins. You get the idea.
6. Who are you going with?
You can plan an amazing solo adventure, a fun getaway with your partner or best friend, or a group trip with family or friends. Who you're traveling with can make a big difference in where you go and what you do.
If you're traveling with a larger group, take everyone else's budget into consideration. Remember to book accommodations and activities that allow for many people. Group trips can be so much fun, just make sure to keep everyone on the same page if you're the designated travel planner *ahem that's me in my family*.
If you're traveling with just a partner or by yourself, the good news is you can do whatever your budget and heart feel like doing!
7. Are you ready to start booking your trip?
Once you know when you are traveling, where you going, how long you are staying, who's going with you, and how much you can spend, it's time to begin the booking process!
If your destination requires flights, I recommend booking those first as they're often the most expensive part of a trip. Next up, book your accommodations. A good place to look for cheap hotels is on Booking.com.
Plan your transfer from the airport to your accommodation. You may need to book a shuttle, or simply know what train to get on, but it's a good idea to know how you'll get to your accommodation before you arrive at your destination.
If there are certain activities you want to do, search ahead of time to see if you can buy tickets in advance. Some might require you to do so, others you can purchase the day of. Browse the activities in your trip's destination on Get Your Guide.
Finding the Best Accommodations
Your accommodation is your home away from home when you're traveling. It's important to find the best place to stay for your trip so you're comfortable, can sleep well, and have a place to relax after long days of exploring.
What is your budget? This is a great place to start as you don't want to spend your entire trip's budget on a hotel. Are there any services or amenities you will need, like parking?
It's like an art, being able to search through the plethora of hotels, Airbnbs, hostels, and Vrbos, and finding the holy grail that matches your budget and your needs.
So how do you find the best accommodation for travel? Let's start here!
Packing Tips for
Travel
Where are my chronic over-packers at? I used to be in the same boat! Only after many uncomfortable days of lugging around an incredibly heavy suitcase or jamming my bag in the plane's overhead compartment, did I realize over-packing was not the way to go.
I'm here to share my beloved packing tips for travel to help you plan and prepare for any trip! From packing for a specific destination to adventure activity gear to seasonal packing checklists, I've got you covered. Dive in below and get your bags ready!
General Travel
Planning Tips
Hey new travelers! I want to help you become the traveler you dream of being. Learn how to start traveling, how to save money on booking trips, how to make the most of part-time travel, and more.
There is no better way to learn about the world than by traveling and experiencing it for yourself. Here's how you can start traveling too!
Travel
Inspiration
Not sure where exactly you want to travel to yet? Browse some of my most recent travel guides to inspire your wanderlust! An epic adventure awaits you.
Now is the time to start booking your next trip so you can save money, pack well and prepare, and be able to make the most of your trip!
Where will you be heading next?
Travel Resources
Planning a vacation can be time-consuming and a little overwhelming. To help smooth this process for you, we've compiled our favorite travel planning resources.
From finding the best flights and hotels to the essentials you need to make the most of your trip, check out the Alpacka My Bags travel resources page.