With three vacations coming up, I wanted to share how I plan my trips. I focus on choosing great destinations, planning fun activities, and ensuring that each day has memorable experiences. While I keep the budget in mind, my main goal is to create unforgettable trips. In this post, I’ll walk you through my tips and tricks to help you plan a vacation that’s just as special.
Travel
Once I pick a destination, I jump into planning. Flexibility with travel dates often helps me snag the best deals, like the $36 round-trip flights I found through Instagram flight deal accounts. While being flexible can really pay off, it’s not always possible—such as when I need to book around a specific weekend for a concert. In those cases, I book early but keep an eye out for any deals that come up.
Google Flights is my go-to for booking flights. I love how it lets me track prices and sends alerts when fares change. It even predicts when prices might drop, so I watch those trends and book when the price is right.
Another money-saving tip is to use budget airlines. I’m comfortable traveling with just a backpack, which I’ve done for multiple trips without any issues. For my next two trips, I’m flying with budget carriers to save on costs, which lets me spend more of my budget on other aspects of my travels. It’s all about perspective and making trade-offs that can also benefit my future travels.
If you have the option to drive instead of fly, it can be a great way to save money. For one of my upcoming vacations, a six-hour drive is much cheaper than flying and renting a car, so we’re choosing to drive instead.
Lodging
When choosing where to stay, I typically opt for either a hotel room or an Airbnb, depending on the type of vacation, the size of my group, and what’s more affordable. For tourist-heavy destinations like Washington, DC, I usually go with a hotel. I’m out exploring from morning until late in the evening, so I don’t need much more than a clean, comfortable place to sleep. I use websites like Hotels.com to find the best deals, and I’m particular about cleanliness and safety. I always read reviews to ensure the place is reliable, especially as a single woman.
On the other hand, for vacations where I’ll spend more time at the rental, such as a beach trip, I prefer Airbnb or VRBO. These options usually offer more space and amenities, making them a better fit for lounging and relaxation. I look for places with added features like a pool table or games to keep us entertained.
Whether it’s a hotel or a vacation rental, I always check the distance to nearby attractions. You don’t want to waste time commuting, so I pay close attention to how far common destinations are from where I’m staying. Both hotel and rental websites usually provide this information, which is crucial for planning a smooth trip.
Itinerary
I like to have a rough plan for each vacation, but I’m flexible if things change. I start by creating a new Google Doc for the trip, listing out activities I want to do, and organizing them into categories like food, nature, and tourist sites. I color-code the top priorities so that if we only manage to visit a few spots, we’ll hit the ones we really want to see. If we don’t manage to do everything on the list, that’s fine—I just want to avoid wasting time figuring out what to do while we’re there.
Things to do
Once I’ve created the initial list for the trip, it’s time to figure out what to include. Social media is one of my best tools for this. It offers real-life recommendations from everyday people, not just glossy suggestions from travel websites. I primarily use Instagram and Pinterest for this purpose.
On both platforms, I create a dedicated board for each trip. For instance, if I’m visiting Chicago, I’d set up a board specifically for that city. I then search for “Chicago” and “Chicago food,” saving interesting finds to the board as I come across them. I also keep an eye out for frequently mentioned places, as they’re likely to be popular and worth visiting.
As the trip nears, I go through the saved items on both apps. I’ve noticed that the more I search and save, the better the suggestions become, which helps me narrow down my choices. When it’s time to finalize the itinerary, I find it easier to use a computer. I cross-check my saved items with Google reviews to make sure they’re still top-rated before adding them to my list. This approach ensures that I create a well-rounded plan of things to see, do, and eat during the trip.
With these tips, I’m sure each vacation will turn out to be both memorable and well-organized. From snagging the best flight deals to picking the perfect place to stay and planning exciting activities, these strategies can help you make the most of your travels. By staying flexible, using social media smartly, and planning ahead, you can set yourself up for a stress-free trip. I hope these insights help you create your own amazing travel experiences.
Stay safe and start exploring!