How to Plan a Trip: Your Guide to the Perfect Vacation
Summer is upon us. It is a time many of us look towards some well deserved rest and relaxation. Some peace for the mind and soul. Perhaps you’re travelling to another country to bask in the sun on a beach lined with crystal clear waters. Perhaps you’re already there. Pure serenity. Until you realize you’ve forgotten that you need to book a train to go to the next city and now prices are sky high. Not to mention, there are no cheap restaurants nearby so you have to pay up for the expensive fine-dining place that serves food on a toddler’s plate. You would be surprised how often things show up that can eat at your valuable free time and peace of mind.
Gentleman, whether you are travelling alone, with friends or with your family. It is essential for us men to be able to plan a trip properly. Sure, your wife may decide all the picturesque locations, but you should be able to take the reigns and ensure everything is in place. From selecting the perfect (yet feasible) destination, to booking flights and accommodation and creating an itinerary, proper planning can ensure a smooth and enjoyable travel experience. By taking the time to organize and prepare for your trip, you can maximize your time away and create lasting memories without any unnecessary added stress. We will dive into the importance of planning a trip effectively and provide tips and strategies to help you become an expert vacation planner.
1. Choose Your Destination
It goes without saying that the first important thing you need to do is know where you want to go. Most people already have an idea about where they want to go based on what they’re feeling. It could be beaches, jungles, mountains, deserts etc. With 195 countries on this beautiful planet of ours, there really is no shortage of options.
“With 195 countries on this beautiful planet of ours, there really is no shortage of options”
Of course things like visa requirements, distance and overall cost will come into play when deciding where to go (more on all this below), but it would certainly help if you narrow it down for yourself.
As I believe most people do nowadays, you can certainly use social media for this purpose. Youtube, Instagram and TikTok are great for visually seeing the place, often giving up-to-date views in real-time of what the country is like now (especially useful for countries with fluctuating weather conditions). Not to mention, there are many great resources online as well, with in-depth guides and compilations of where to go and what to do. I’ll include some hopefully useful sources of inspiration here. See what attracts you.
- Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2024 webpage and accompanying book
- Trip Advisor Top Destinations
- Bucket List Travels 100 Bucket List Destinations
2. Handle Visa Requirements
Now that you’ve decided on where you want to travel to, you’re one step closer to making it a reality, but before you can really finalize it, you need to check the visa requirements for your destination. Some countries require a visa for entry, while others may offer visa-free travel for a certain period of time.
Now I understand that this varies greatly from one country to another and based on your nationality. Sadly, this is something that is often overlooked by so many. Your ability to travel is often unfortunately dictated by what passport you have. Those with ‘stronger’ passports have it easier than those without it. Nevertheless, here at The Alpha Male HQ, we take all our brothers (and sisters) into consideration and will help make this process clear for everyone. If you know that you don’t need a visa, you can just skip this step.
“Some visas would need to be obtained beforehand, while other can be obtained on arrival at the country airport, again depending on your nationality and which country you are visiting.”
Naturally, here we will be focusing on tourist visas only. I don’t think we need to worry ourselves with business or other immigration visas. Some visas would need to be obtained beforehand, while others can be obtained on arrival at the country airport, again depending on your nationality and which country you are visiting.
Websites like passportIndex.org can be useful in identifying visa requirements based on your passport. You can search for the countries you are interested in and it would show whether you require a standard visa, eVISA (obtained online), visa on arrival or the destination is visa-free for you. Very useful indeed. You can then head to the country embassy website for specific details for how to proceed with your application.
Common Visa Requirements
While visa requirements can vary, some common ones you can expect to be asked to provide include:
- Return flight booking
- Accommodation booking
- 3 or 6 month bank statement
- Letter from your employer (I have heard self-employed individuals have a harder time with this)
- Travel insurance
- Passport and/or local ID copy
For exact details on the visa requirements of your destination and how to proceed with your application, make sure to check the embassy website of the country you are visiting. It is important to do this well in advance, as visa processing times can vary. Some may do it within a week or two and others may take a few months even, especially during peak season (Jun-Aug).
3. Reserve Your Flights
Flights are arguably one of the more costly expenses you will encounter when planning for your trip and is something best sorted out as early as possible. Depending on how far across the globe you’re travelling, there is no limit to how ludicrous these prices can get.
You might be wondering now, “how early should I book my flights then?”. Well if you’re applying for a visa, which would be at least 1-3 months in advance of your travel date, it’s quite likely that you’ll have to show your flight reservation. I know what you’re thinking, and yes, you can show a simple flight booking from a travel agent without necessarily paying for the full return ticket if you’re worried about a visa refusal. Just keep in mind that if your travel date is nearby, you’re going to want to buy those tickets in order to avoid overpaying. Though more pricey, airlines offer ‘flex’ tickets to allow for full refunds should you choose to cancel in the event of a visa refusal. This is quite a useful option for those first-time visa applications.
Alpha Tips
- Book early. A common rule of thumb is to book your flights 3-6 months in advance in order to get the best price.
- Book off-season. Travelling during the off-season is a sure-fire way to have everything cheaper, not necessarily just flights. This varies from place to place, but generally we’re talking February-May and September-November.
- Go incognito. Search for flights online using your browser’s incognito/private mode. This will avoid price increases based on your search history. Clearing out your browser’s cookies can help here too.
- Make use of Google. Use Google Flights to find out the best deals (this isn’t sponsored, but I’m open to sponsorship Google). Google flights is pretty much the best tool I’ve used for finding the best flight for my trip and I cannot go without it now. You can look at a map of the globe with fares for all destinations (this is a great way to pick a country as well). You can even view a price graph to find out if the current ticket price is above or below what it should be. Not to mention, it has a very handy date grid which shows you which dates to pick in order to get the lowest price for your selected flights. I highly recommend Google Flights as the first place you check when looking for flights.
- Consider alternative airports. Many countries and even cities often have more than one airport which gives you options as one is always going to be cheaper than the other. To give you an example, on my last trip to Switzerland, it was cheaper for me to fly into Geneva as opposed to Zurich. I did everything I needed to, saw the beautiful country, then flew out from Zurich. Easily saved a couple hundred bucks.
- Loyalty pays. If you find yourself taking certain airlines because you prefer them, or perhaps they operate more in your sector, or simply because they are the national airlines of your country, definitely consider signing up for their loyalty programs. By earning miles for one or more airlines, you can benefit from discounted/free tickets in the future as well as upgrades and other benefits especially if you hit the higher tiers. You got nothing to lose by passively collecting miles every time you travel. One day it will pay off. One overlooked aspect is that airline loyalty programs offer other ways to collect miles as well. By shopping or making bookings from certain sites, you can double up on points. Make sure to check this on their website and know which places are affiliated so you don’t forget.
- Be smart with points. If you’ve got a credit card (which you should), you can use your earned points to book flights, shave off some costs of the ticket or upgrade yourself to business class if you fancy.
4. Secure Your Accommodation
Much like flights, accommodation will likely be one of the more pricey expenses of your trip, especially if you’ll be staying for a long time.
Fortunately though, with considerably more options than flights, accommodation doesn’t have to be the hardest part of your planning process. From budget hostels to luxury hotels, it really does come down to personal preference. You may have heard some people say, “Oh, you will be spending all your time outside anyway so just get some place for you to sleep in”, while others may prefer a more comfortable and relaxing experience.
Considering types of accommodation, you generally have 3 primary options:
- Hotels
- Homes and Apartments
- Hostels
Important to Consider
When booking, it is important to consider a few things that could make or break your experience:
- Location. While more centrally located places are sometimes more expensive, I have found the convenience and reduced need to pay for transport invaluable. Having your accommodation close to the train station also makes your life much easier if you will be using trains to move between cities. Hint, less luggage lugging.
- Free Cancellation. Most places now offer free cancellation which is very useful, especially if you’re applying for visas.
- Breakfast, Half-Board or Full-Board. When booking hotels, unless you’re staying at some beach resort, half and full-board are usually not recommended. Enjoy the local food out in the town. Breakfast is up to you, as it seems many people find it to be a great start to their day and helps them get up earlier (if that’s your thing).
Alpha Tip
To breakfast or not to breakfast. If you are considering staying at a hotel that offers breakfast and are wondering if it’s worth paying that bit extra, do a quick maps search. Check out nearby cafes and restaurants that offer breakfast items. These will usually have photos of menus with prices. If you’re travelling with a partner/family or are just in a more expensive country, you may find this to be more expensive that the added cost of included breakfast at the hotel. In which case, ironically, you might as well save yourself some cash and pay for the included breakfast option.
There are so many sites and apps nowadays where you can book your accommodation. Here are some great ones worth checking out:
5. Plan Your Activities
This is a really important phase in your trip planning process. Know what you want to do. Much like choosing your destination, it is incredibly important to know what you want to do. Think of all the main sights you want to see, then plan your trip around those.
“Think of all the main sights you want to see, then plan your trip around those”
Once again, social media videos and other online resources will help you a lot here. I remember when planning our last trip, my wife would scour Instagram and Tik Tok for all the beautiful and popular spots that you cannot miss when visiting that country, while I tried to cohesively tie all of the sights and locations together to get the most of out every place. Honestly speaking, I find Lonely Planet’s country and city guides to be of tremendous value here. These guides include in-depth information about the main sights in each area, neat shops and places to check out, restaurant recommendations, how to get around and many other tips.
I know many people will say “Ah, who uses these guidebooks anymore?”, and while yes, you can find all the information on the Internet, but unlike having to search for everything, there is something so incredibly convenient about having all the information coherently organised and laid out at the tips of your fingers.
“Yes, you can find all the information on the Internet, but unlike having to search for everything, there is something so incredibly convenient about having all the information coherently organised and laid out at the tips of your fingers.”
If your main sights/activities are scattered across different cities or regions, you would need to plan how you’re going to get there and if you’re going to need accommodation for those different areas. I assure you, you are going to be grateful that you thought about these things in advance. Now, you don’t necessarily have to make a full itinerary covering every minute of every day, but you should have all the main parts covered.
Certain locations, events and activities need to be booked in advance, particularly if they’re quite popular. Take the hot air balloons in Cappadocia, Turkey for example. There is no way you can get away with booking this on the spot. Once your visa is approved, book whatever you can in order to get your preferred day/time-slot.
Let’s go back to our Switzerland example, here’s an overview of how we did it:
- Destination – Switzerland
- Places we wanted to see – Geneva, the mountains in Interlaken & the Jungfrau Region, Bern, Lucerne and Zurich. I then looked for other smaller things to do in each place to maximize our time.
- Flights – Best option was to land in Geneva, see our sights across the country, then leave out of Zurich. Booked 2-3 months in advance.
- Accommodation – Knew we needed multiple accommodations for all the places, so we decided how many days we want to stay for each area and booked our hotels. 2 days in Geneva, 1 week in Interlaken (which served as our base for the mountains), 3 days in Bern (we did a day-trip to Lucerne from here) and 4 days in Zurich. Also booked 2-3 months in advance.
- Activities – Since a big part of Switzerland revolves around sights, mountains, lakes, hiking etc., we didn’t have to book many activities per se, but we did book the appropriate passes (Swiss Travel Pass and Berner Oberland Pass) which granted us transport and access to all the places we wanted to go to.
- Logistics – Trains make for easy inter-city travel within a country. By already knowing where I needed to go, I was easily able to buy passes and book trains for each place in advance. This made life a breeze as I didn’t have to worry about learning how to move around with my suitcases after reaching the country. I also tried to book my accommodations as close as possible to the train stations to minimize the struggle of carrying our suitcases.
- All that was left to do was enjoy the sights and keep track of money being spent (more on that below).
6. Consider Logistics
Having read the sneak peak above, you can probably guess that logistics is important. If you are just going to stay in one city or one beach resort, then you don’t have to worry much, but if you plan to move across the country and visit multiple regions/cities, then you definitely need to consider logistics.
Trains can offer a convenient and economical way to travel between different destinations, allowing you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenery along the way. Additionally, trains provide a sustainable and environmentally-friendly mode of transportation, making them a great choice for eco-conscious travellers.
Buses can also provide a good way to get around the place during your vacation as it is usually the most cost-effective method you can choose. Buses also offer a great way to immerse oneself in the local culture and experience the day-to-day life of the location, with many routes covering all the popular areas. However, they can be slower than other modes of transportation, especially if there are frequent stops along the route. They can also be crowded during peak times which could increase your chances of being pickpocketed if you’re unlucky enough, so be vigilant.
If renting a car is more your thing, go ahead, but just keep in mind that driving comes with a bit of added considerations such as international driving permits, adhering to the local rules, navigating sometimes dubious road conditions etc. Nevertheless, driving from point to point can be a roadtrip in itself with great views and a sense of adventure that can really add to your holiday.
“Avoid being the type of person who only focuses on seeing the nice sights, but forgets the practicalities of getting there and back in one piece!“
Whatever method you choose, just make sure you pick the appropriate mode of transport for all your spots. Avoid being the type of person who only focuses on seeing the nice sights, but forgets the practicalities of getting there and back in one piece!
6. Set Your Budget
Now that you know where you’re going, how you’re getting there, where you’re staying, what you’re going to do and how you’re going to move, you just have one last thing to do. Budget it all out.
It’s imperative for us gentleman to be able to take charge and manage money well. In doing all the previous steps of your trip planning, you will definitely get an idea of how much your dream destination is going to cost and you’ll have a sense of whether it is feasible for you or not. It is important to set a realistic budget which factors in all the potential expenses and come up with a maximum spend limit. Using whatever spreadsheet software you want, make sure to mention all your potential expenses along with the expected costs. Include:
- Any visa related costs – yes, this counts as an expense for your trip
- Flights
- SIM – with a cellular data package
- Accommodations
- Transport & Logistics – trains, buses, rental cars, regional/city passes etc.
- Food – Check a few restaurant menus online using maps to get an idea of how much a meal will cost you. Average it out (ideally). Multiply your answer by 3 (3 meals per day). Multiply by how many days you will be staying. If you are travelling with others, multiply by however many people you have.
- Activities – Whether you already booked it or not, include the cost of all the main activities you intend on doing. Then just add on a bit extra, perhaps the cost of another 2-3 more activities. You never know what may interest you after you get there.
- Shopping – It’s quite likely that you will do a bit of shopping during your time abroad, so definitely budget for it. How much you think you should budget for is entirely at your discretion, based on how much shopping you usually like to do (sensibly). Things like gifts and souvenirs would fall into this category as well.
- Groceries – Whether you plan on cooking or just like to grab some of the local delicacies, visiting supermarkets, farmer’s markets or any other kind of market is inevitable. Add a portion for this as well. If you’re unsure here, you can put an amount initially, then once you get there, do a visit and see how much it comes to. You can then allocate an educated amount for a couple of visits for the duration of your stay.
You will find that doing this really isn’t that difficult or time-consuming. It may take you about 20-30 minutes to do and will save you time and money on your trip. Once you’re done, you should have a pretty good idea of how much the whole trip will cost you, so you can be prepared and manage your finances accordingly. Just make sure to stick to it.
How do you know whether you’re sticking to the budget or not? You note down your expenses as they happen. I know this part may be the hardest for a lot of people, but if you’re financially conscious about managing your money, this should be something you do regularly anyway. There are many apps for tracking your expenses, but you can just use your mobile notes app or an online version of the spreadsheet you used for the budget to mark them down on the spot. You can always make it pretty later if you choose. This also makes it easy to sum up all the numbers and keep track of everything in accordance with your budget.
Here’s an example of what this could look like:
NOTE: All values presented in this example are not exact and have been altered for the purposes of this example without any specific currency to be clear for all viewers. However, all category amounts are relative to the actual amounts that were spent on the trip, i.e. Logistics & Transport was the most expensive, followed by hotels etc.
8. Have Fun
In conclusion, planning a trip can be a daunting task for many, but with some simple planning and organization, it doesn’t have to be. By following the tips outlined in this article, you can make sure that your trip goes smoothly and you have a great time exploring a new destination. It all comes down to having an idea of where you want to go and what you want to do. This will help you streamline everything, so you can have a stress-free travel experience and enjoy your trip without breaking the bank. Remember to have fun and make the most of your travel adventures. Happy travels gentleman.