TRAVEL PLANNING

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TRAVEL PLANNING GUIDE

As much as I love traveling, planning for a new adventure and booking a trip can seem overwhelming.

With so much to think about and so many different providers to choose from, the choices can take the fun out of what could be an exciting aspect of travel.  

I get you, and after many years of traveling and Pinning the Planet, I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve, and that is the reason I am here to help you and make your experience easy, better, and free of headaches to help you to plan for your next trip!

This page has everything you need: To find a perfect DESTINATION, learn everything before you go with my TRAVEL GUIDES, provide you very detailed TRAVEL ITINERARIES to help on how to visit a new country or city, and finally, it has a checklist of things you need to book and a RESOURCES of my favorite travel providers and great DISCOUNTS.

Find below the 10 easy steps to book a perfect trip, and thanks for supporting the blog.

Travel Planning

Travel Planning Checklist | 10 Easy steps to plan your trip

These are websites and companies I use and recommend for my travels. I make a small commission from purchases you make from this page at no extra cost to you.

I have also included what I honestly think is the best in the travel industry today. If you find my travel articles useful and you would like to support Paula Pins the Planet Blog, booking your trip with this page will help to keep my site going.

Thank you and safe travels!

Paula 

TRAVEL PLANNING OVERVIEW

1- WHERE TO?

Find a destination for your next adventure. Looking for an adventure, a relaxing vacation, or an authentic experience?

2- TRAVEL VISA

Before you start booking, it is very important to check on the visa requirement for the country you are traveling to and apply.

3- TRAVEL GUIDE

After finding the next destination it is time to learn everything for your visit and decide on the Itinerary for your trip

4- BOOK FLIGHT

Normally this is the most expensive part of your trip. It is important to check prices and try to get better deals

5- BOOK ACCOMMODATION

Make sure you find good deals & good locations. Pay attention to the customer's reviews.

6- RENTAL CAR

Are you going to rent a car? Or are you to travel around by public transportation? Check options, compare prices and book in advance

7- ACTIVITIES

Decide what activities you want to do, check options, prices, and book it in advance. Avoid buying at the last minute and skip lines.

8- INSURANCE

Whatever you go, do not travel without travel insurance, the unexpected can, and often does, go wrong. Protect your trip and your health.

9- PACK

Make sure you pack light and smart. Be respectful to other's cultures and dress appropriately. Always pack the travel essentials.

10- TRAVEL RESPONSIBLE

When traveling, be respectful to the local culture, help to protect the environment, and support the local community.

10 easy steps travel planning

1- WHERE TO?

First, you need to decide where is your next destination.

Making the decision on your next destination is the most exciting aspect to travel. What kind of experience you are looking for? A relaxing vacation on the beach somewhere in the world, or a very active adventure? Maybe are you looking for an authentic and ethical experience?

To help you to start, visit my DESTINATION page. Here, I captured my experience by tons of traveling research prior to my trip, and I put together detailed guides and itineraries of each country I visited, broken by travel guides of everything you should know before you go, very detailed Travel Itinerary, breaking in city guides and top experiences.

I recommend visiting my TRAVEL PHOTOBLOG for some overview of the beauty of the country and top things to do and to get some inspiration to help to choose your next destination.

CHOOSE A TRAVEL DESTINATION
CHOOSE ADVENTURE TRAVEL

2- TRAVEL VISA

If you decide to travel internationally, after you decide on a destination and start your booking, it is very important to check the entry visa requirement for the country you have decided to travel to.

Check the Visa entry requirement with the government website of your country who will be able to direct you to the relevant foreign embassy for updated visa information.

Check Travel Visa Requirements

3- TRAVEL GUIDE & ITINERARY

Now that you decided on the destination, it is time to start to review the Things you Should Know Before your Trip, and you can find it on my TRAVEL GUIDE with one page dedicated to each country. – how much it will cost, what are the best places to visit, the best food to try, places to stay, etc.

I also recommend buying TRAVEL GUIDE BOOKS to help you to plan your trip.

Next, you will need to define your Travel Itinerary, and decide what are the places you will visit, and how long you will spend in each place. You can find it all on my very detailed TRAVEL ITINERARIES on my DESTINATION page. I put together, all the information you need to make it much easier for you.

If you are looking for Adventure Travel style – Hiking, Trekking, Safari, Camping…Visit my ADVENTURE TRAVEL page.

Next, you will need to define your Travel Itinerary, and decide what are the places you will visit, and how long you will spend in each place. 

If I haven’t covered it all and you still have any questions, please feel free to contact me and I would love to chat with you about my favorite topic: Travel.

CHOOSE A TRAVEL DESTINATION
CHOOSE ADVENTURE TRAVEL

4- BOOK YOUR FLIGHT

This is most likely, the most expensive part of your trip, so it is important to start to check prices as soon as you decide on a destination.

I recommend you browse and compare prices for the BEST DEAL with Cheap OAir, Expedia, or Skyscanner to find the best options for flights.

They have an easy and very clear website and search tool, and even better, the best deals for flights. 

Once you located the flights, you are directed to select from several different providers to make your book safely your next adventure!

Check Skyscanner Flights
Check Expedia Flights
Check Cheap OAir Flights
Save up to $500 when you book your flight +hotel!

5- BOOK ACCOMMODATION

I partnered with the very best in the market today for accommodation, and this is what I recommend:  Booking.com –  Expedia – and Hotels.com are my go-to hotel, guest-houses, and BB searches around the world. They have over 2 million properties in 220 countries – from hostel to luxury properties.

Also, I love to think that sometimes we need to change our plan during our planning and booking, and Booking.com – Expedia and Hotels.com have a 24-hour cancellation policy that I have used several times.

Also, consider reading the reviews and scores of the places you are looking to book accommodations. Make sure the location fits your needs, and give preference to areas where you can explore on foot and within walking distance. 

You can quickly quote your accommodation below. 

Check Expedia accommodations
check Hotel.com accommodations
Check Booking.com accmmodations
Booking.com

6- CAR RENTAL

I do a lot of road trips around the Planet and I had many situations where I had an unpleasant surprise of having to pay extra at the end, and I know that booking a car can be challenging.

There are many options of providers which all have different add-ons and insurance quirks, making it difficult to compare prices.

The best portals I have found and the ones I always use on my trips are Expedia &  Rental Car. They have access to cars from all the major companies which are compared on a grid format that clearly displays the prices for different car sizes across each provider.

They are also very reliable and display what is and isn’t included in the price, and offer good value insurance options and also, they have a 24-hour customer service. 

You can quote it below and get up to a 30% discount on your rental car, as a Paula Pins the Planet reader. 

Check Expedia Rental Car
Check Rental Car

7- ACTVITIES

This is a fun part of organizing your next destination, get to choose, and book your activities.

To make your trip more organized and to check prior what are the options for local tours, or side tours, also, to avoid spending too much time in lines, I recommend checking the options and book with my trusted partners –  Get Your Guide & Expedia offer the best-organized tours for your trips!

They have great options, very reliable customer reviews, and they also can easily send the tickets to your smartphone.

Also, I partner with local guides of each location I visit in order to help the local business and to offer my readers the best and most authentic experiences during their travels. Check my Itineraries of each specific DESTINATION for recommendations – Paula Pins the Planet offer special discount codes!

Check Get Your Guide Tours
Check Expedia Tours

8- TRAVEL INSURANCE

Whatever you go or do during your traveling, don’t travel anywhere in the world without travel insurance; the unexpected can, and often does, go wrong. Be it sickness, losing your bag, theft, or even worse, having an accident, travel insurance is your best way of mitigating the issues and saving yourself thousands of dollars down the track.

The most important thing is to choose at least an insurance that covers your medical bills.  But before you go ahead and purchase any insurance, understand exactly what the policy covers.

I recommend reliable travel insurance through World Nomads before your trip, and they can tailor to suit your needs – their policies can cover personal loss, theft, damages, and medical as well.

You can do a quick quote below. 

9- PACKING

With all my years of traveling, I finally learned to pack light and smart and I can help you with some things I have learned during all these years.

Packing can take so much time, and doesn’t matter in the Planet I travel to, either my carry-on or my backpack routine is pretty much the same. I ensure I have all the essentials and whatever I need to stay comfortable and dress appropriately for each country I visit.

Check Best Backpacks for Travel
Check Best Jackets for Travel
Check Best Leggings for Travel

10- TRAVEL RESPONSIBLE

This blog mission is to encourage RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL by giving back to the local communities, helping to protect our environment & practice animal cruelty-free tourism.

As it is great that more people are traveling than ever, it is also bringing a negative impact on our Planet: Overtourism – Exploitation – Animal Abuse – Pollution – Emission – Environment Degradation 

We all can have a great impact on the Planet in a positive way, by making good choices while on the road – Sometimes it’s hard to know what’s a good choice though, so I am here to share some stories because just like you, I am constantly learning and educating myself on the best choices I can make during my traveling around our home, our Planet!

Check 15 Tips to Travel Responsibly
mY PACKING TOP PICKS
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Disclaimer: This post may have affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small commission at a no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to you.

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