Sometimes I envy those people who can buy a plane ticket on a whim and head off on an adventure. If that’s you, more power to you. That sort of travel doesn’t work for my schedule, my budget, or my sanity.

I plan a trip the same way I write: plotting over pantsing. It’s just how my brain works.

The silver lining? I absolutely love planning a trip. Every single step. It’s almost as fun as actually going on a trip.

I’ve honed my craft over the years, and since I’m in the middle of planning several trips at the moment, I thought I’d share my process here! So here goes!

How to Plan Your Trip in 10 Steps

Step 1: Start with a Seed

First, you need the spark. The thing that you’ve always wanted to do. Maybe it’s to hike along the Grand Canyon. Maybe it’s to visit your friend who lives in Los Angeles. Maybe it’s to see the place where your favorite TV show was filmed. Maybe it’s to see the beach where the allied soldiers landed in Normandy. Every trip I’ve ever been on has started that way. I don’t want to go to Germany just to say I’ve been to Germany. I want to see fairytale castles, drink beer, and dance to polka music.

What do you want to do? That’s your seed! Find that, and let the planning begin!

Step 2: Start a Google Doc

Or whatever planning medium floats your boat. I really like using Google Docs because it’s easy to share with other people AND you can add to it wherever you happen to be when inspiration strikes. Some people prefer pen and paper, but these days so much of what I’m looking at involves hyperlinks, and it’s just easier to put them all into a Google Doc. You can update as you learn more, add travel times, add reservation codes, etc.

My friends and I usually use our Google doc to generate a simple itinerary to give to family (complete with emergency contact numbers), since we’ve found that other people like to know where we’re at.

Step 3: Look at a Map

I love this step. I love maps and any excuse to look at them for hours. Lucky for me, this step is critical. You have to know where you’re going, right?

But it also lets you start to see possibilities beyond that single idea. You’ve always wanted to go to Las Vegas? Awesome, that’s a fabulous plan. But once you look at a map, you’ll notice that the Grand Canyon is only a few hours away. Look over here, and there’s the Hoover Dam. And what’s that over there? Death Valley? Sweet!

See how easy that was? It’s okay to cast a wide net at this point– you’ll narrow it down later.

The other important thing the map tells you is how you’re going to get TO your destination and how you’re going to get AROUND once you’re there. If we take our Vegas example, you can drive there, take a bus, or fly depending on where you’re starting from and how long you want to take. If you want to see all those other places too, you might want to think about renting a car or hiring a tour. Again, nothing is final yet, but the ball should be rolling now.

Step 4: Research!

Another wonderful step and tied very closely with #3 above. This is where you can go crazy. Books (I’m a Lonely Planet gal myself), Pinterest, travel blogs, eat it all up. There are plenty of travel shows around, too, that can give you ideas. Sometimes I’ll even just google a place so I can see pictures. If I’m intrigued, I will plop a link or an image in the Google Doc.

Again, I don’t think it hurts to look at a ton of stuff at this point. You will have to put limits on yourself eventually, but anything you don’t use this time might make for a good future trip!

Step 5: Logistics

This step sucks. This is when reality has to butt in and ruin everything.

Okay, I’ll try to be optimistic. This step allows you to set limits on your trip planning. How’s that?

This is the step where you have to say, “Okay, how much time and money can I spend on this trip?” For me, it’s hard to get large chunks of time off from work, so I have to be strategic but also flexible with my trip planning (for example: I can’t plan on taking any trip longer than a few days in July. It will never happen). Some people have kids and school schedules to work around. The more people you travel with, the more complicated this can be. But persevere, and you shall be rewarded with an amazing trip.

It’s good to set a financial budget here too. That will help you as you start looking to finalize your itinerary and start booking accommodations. The nice thing is that you can get a pretty good idea of the cost minus your day-to-day spending before you go.

Step 6: Finalize Your Itinerary

Now you know how much time you have, you can start to solidify your plans. This is where you start to use your red pen or strikethrough font because inevitably you will not be able to fit everything in.

Or maybe you will. Personally, I am no longer the “five cities in five days” traveler of my youth. I like to spend at least two nights in any given location. That gives you a full day to do whatever you want. I really try to spend several days in one “base”; that way, I can explore the city AND take day trips to other locations. For example, rather than spending each night in a different Scottish town, I chose to base myself in a few central locations (Stirling, Portree, and Inverness) and explore the surrounding areas.

If you are a new day new city person, good for you!

Usually I don’t spend time breaking down each day. That is my one sliver of spontaneity. I will plan on spending four days in Acadia but I have some flexibility what I do each day. But it’s good to have some idea what you want to do. For instance, I remember in Scotland a certain castle we wanted to visit was closed on Mondays, so we had to make sure we had other options.

This step also will force you finalize your travel days and methods if you are planning on visiting more than one place.

By the end of this step, you should have a pretty solid itinerary. Appreciate the moment!

Step 7: Start Booking

Now it’s time to take action! You know where you’re going to stay, now find a place to sleep! I’m a fan of old school B&Bs, hotels, and Airbnb. I also spent many a night in a hostel in my youth. It really comes down to your preference and taste.

You should also be booking flights, rental cars, and any other transportation services you need in advance. Most of the time, I’ve found I can get local transport like trains, taxis, and boats, just fine once I’m there, but do your research!

Keep those reservation codes handy by sticking them in your Google Doc. You can also use Google Maps to make local maps for you to use (tip: you can create “offline” maps so you don’t even need to use data!).

Step 8: Research Part 2

This is way less extensive than your last bought of research. Now, you’re basically filling the time between planning and trip with figuring out exactly what you need to bring. Or maybe you’re wanting to start a travel blog and taking a few basic photography classes? Maybe you’re trying to learn a bit of a foreign language? Good for you. Use this time well.

Now is also the time to figure out things like money, cell phone service, any little nitty gritty things. These days, I find I don’t need to change money ahead of time and sometimes not at all. Again, this will vary so trust your sources. Cell phone services has gotten easier also, at least in Europe. My provider just charges me a fee each day I use services, otherwise I turn off the roaming and rely on wifi when I can. No more burner phones! But again, I can’t say that’s true for everywhere in the world.

Step 9: Pack! And repack

If I’m honest, I’m still honing my skills at this step. I usually do a good job packing initially, but then the day I leave I panic and throw in five things I don’t need. Always.

Still, I have learned to save room in a few ways. I’m a huge fan of packing cubes. I think these give you more room and help you stay organized while you are living out of a suitcase or backpack. I used to always bring a towel, but no longer. I have never had a problem finding a towel (in Europe and the U.S.). Some things you can split up with your adventure pals and save room that way.

Sometimes I’ll do the trick of bringing a few really ratty clothes with. That way, if I need to save room I can just leave them there (usually this reminds me I need to buy new underwear when I get back…).

I haven’t found the perfect suitcase yet either. Sometimes I’m in the mood for a big backpack, sometimes I want a roller. You do you, just keep in mind how much time you have to drag the thing around (different if you are traveling by car vs by train, say).

Step 10: Let the Journey Begin!

You are ready! Have a blast, and come back and tell me about it!

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So there you have it! My tips for planning a trip! Did I miss anything? Do you have any suggestions for tips or tools to help plan? Or do you not plan? Comment below!

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