I am often told your brave I wouldn’t even know where to start. So I thought I would put pen to paper on how I plan a trip. Remember fail to plan, plan to fail. After a while it becomes easy and then the planning becomes the doing.... or at least reading the guidebook on the aeroplane. I remember one girl I met at an airport was going to chance her luck she had not even bought a flight from the UK nor did she have a specific destination in mind.
Two questions first come to mind when considering the planning of the trip, the rest follow after that. Where do you want to visit and why do you want to go oh and
with who.
Who with
Guess this is an easy one unless once you have planned you
get people wanting to join you. The more of you the cheaper it can become with
transport and places to stay but then you have more peoples wishes to
accommodate.
Where to visit
Have a bucket list of countries – where have you always
dreamed of visiting? Have you seen a TV programme or seen pictures of exotic
places that you secretly imagine yourself visiting? Well that is the starting
point. I usually know where I want to visit I just never know what I want to do with my
life……
Once you have even a continent you can you can start to plan - for me Asia then look on a
map and see what countries are close by or are the bucket list in near
proximity ie only a short flight away.
I have always dreamed of going to Burma which is a
short hop by bus or flight to Thailand, then to Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.
All major backpacker destinations and well trod for the first time traveller. 
Burmese Famous wooden bridge
Search locations on the internet – Lonely planet read Thorn tree maybe even post a question if it hasn't already been asked. Read other people blogs (consider the year of travel post v costs), download apps on where to go, speak to other people. People who travel tend to be very happy to spend hours regaling stories or sharing locations to visit.
Visit a library or for me a good quality bookstore and find a comfy chair and read. Look at the pictures, read their suggestions for best places to visit.
Selecting a guidebook
There are plenty of travel guides but I’m a lonely planet addict. Fromer is great for holiday makers and if you want to keep away from the backpacker fraternity then the rough guide is a suitable alternative.
Once I have bought the guidebook (usually off EBay or Amazon) the first thing I do is attach two pieces of ribbon - one to either inside cover, these act as great place savers. I then read using thin post it notes to highlight pages out of the book for easy reference. If there is something I really want to do I highlight it on the page. Once I have read the whole book I have an understanding of what is available and where I want to go then plan timescales for each location. Then closer to the time I can reread the parts I'm going to.
Why are you going
What interests you when you go on holiday? Beaches, trekking, visiting museums and ancient sites, rainforests, animals, flowers, food …… the list is endless and probably going to be a combination of more than one.
For me I love rainforests, I love to trek (not for the whole time though), I love to eat, meet locals and shop I love to be around tropical flowers. I do not however enjoy museums, sunbathing or chilling on a beach for more than 30 minutes. Being part of a group holiday is also a no no although again they serve a purpose like going to a new continent for the first time or a country where English is not widely understood such as Russia and China. When I went to Peru to trek Machu Picchu I went with G adventures then realised that South America is easy to travel and Spanish an easy language to learn as you go, only then I wished I’d only bought a trek when I got there.
Now you know or at least have more of an idea where and why,
it is moveable and generally is as somewhere pops up by talking to people
before or whilst you are there and unless your trip is set then last minute
changes can add fun and texture to the trip.
Morning mist over the tropics
How long is the trip
Is it two weeks a month, 6 months a year or longer. My first round the world trip friends said I wouldn’t last more than a couple of weeks. 12 months passed and I eventually came back reluctantly 17 months later.
The last trip was supposed to be 3 months and I dragged it
out to 5 and a half months, extending my return date three times. Length of
visa may help determine the length of stay as may cost of the country.
Burma in one month. Well I had heard of Yangon and Mandalay so
these were definite then I discovered Inle
Lake, Bagan with all the temples. I wanted to visit the big rock in the
south as it was mentioned in tourist guides but I also wanted to go north to
the hill station. It’s all about compromise. The north got my vote, fewer
people head north I discovered and there was one of the world’s greatest train
journey starting in Pyin Oo Lwin (another of
my loves when travelling). Hsipaw
has great trekking which fewer people do compared to Inle lake and the food
stops are truly memorable. There is even a candle lit market which starts at 4am.
When to go
If you have the luxury of being able to go any month then
check when rainy season is and avoid it. Also the hottest times of the year as
40degrees + may not suit everyone especially when humid.
Check to see what local festivals are on. Buddhist countries
have the water festival and Chinese New Year. I went to Mongolia in August to
visit the Nadam festival (Easts answer to the Olympics).
-8 degrees in Kazakstan, temperatures drop to -40
What to see
Once locations decided, check to see if markets (point of interest) are only on certain days. Kyrgyzstan Osh Animal market is only on a Sunday, I could never have missed that. Mandalay slow boat down to Bagan is only two times a week Wednesday and Sunday. I arrived on Saturday but waited around until the Wednesday as again it’s another activity not to be missed. If you are into Museums check which day it is closed.
Travels by bicycle around the town allow greater distances and more flexibility
Planning flights
Did you know…
Booking a return flight even if you only want
one way may be cheaper
Package tour may be cheaper than just a flight
and then you can choose whether to use the accommodation
Consider arriving into one destination and leave from another. It may be more expensive
initially but could save time and expense when trying to get back.
Check the baggage weight
restrictions of budget airlines. I was given a bill for $50 dollars as 4.5 kilo’s over allowance in
Vietnam. Others paid, I choose to throw away a quarter of my belongings
instead. You should have the option of weights to pay for. Make sure you pay for
the most appropriate and also the right number of bags….
Around the world tickets may not be the cheapest
way. Booking as you go seems to be the popular choice.
Book as far in advance as possible. I used to
love booking my Christmas flight in March when they first came out. Downside
having the cheapest flight I found to my peril is that a member of the royal
family commandeered the whole plane. I
returned four days late – not an easy conversation to have with an
employer so sometimes paying extra and booking better quality tickets helps.
Using flight search engines can save money,
Kayak and Skyscanner are great for this. Once you have a price check the
airlines own website in case they have an offer on.
Some countries demand an onward flight to ensure
you are leaving. Always good to do your homework first to know if this is
needed. If so, either buy your onward journey or alternatively book the cheapest
flight you can find out which can later be cancelled or missed.
At the airport
hints
If your flight doesn’t include food (eg Air Asia)
take some with you. Why pay flight or airport costs
I recently read that air staff take
their own hot drinks on board as the water tanks are not cleaned regularly on
flights. Buy water (or take an empty bottle and fill up at the airport either
at a water fountain or a café). This will save you money
Change money in advance; don’t change it with a money teller unless it is a very small amount. Using the ATM at airports is much easier.
Useful apps to download
Whatsapp – free
to converse around the world, send photos and make calls.
Mapsme – offline
map of the area
Currency convertor –
Great way to prevent you getting ripped off by that rouge trader
Google trip or round
town – tells you what’s local to where you are
Facebook - is not
available in every country, some have Facebook lite similar product and others
don’t have it at all
Booking accommodation
– Hostelworld, Hostelbookers, Booking.com and Agoda
Deciding where to stay
I
have stayed in many styles of accommodation throughout my life including 5 star
hotels where I’m addressed as Miss Hinton. Give me a hostel any day! Not only
are they cheap but they are a great way to meet likeminded travellers. I’ve
shared a room with a guy I have met on a bus half an hour before. I’ve been
presented with a double bed because I booked a ticket with a friend on the same
trip. I have even shared a double bed with a local teenager in Gambia after asking a fellow
traveller to find me local accommodation. That experience turned out to be
memorable, he treated me like a sister and took me round to meet all his mates
and chill out of an evening. It could however have gone horribly wrong.
Local
accommodation is a must where possible and a homestay allows you to try local
food and communicate with locals you don’t often have the chance to meet
otherwise. Yes they will want payment but it may be in food, money or gifts
depending on etiquette of the country.
Booking
hostels has never been easier with apps – Hostelworld,
Hostelbookers, Booking.com and Agoda. Compare and pay in local currency for
the best rates. Read reviews from travellers staying there. Taxis can still try it on with oh that one is closed let me
take you elsewhere, usually somewhere they get commission or is owned by a
family member.
A
shared dorm room can give you instant access to potential friends to eat and
hang out with. Whereas a single or
double rooms are great for taking time away when things get too much or you are
getting up early or arriving late so as not to disrupt others (not that many
people think that way unfortunately). Some travellers I meet will take
themselves off to a nice hotel for a few days for hot showers and luxuries. I’ve
never been one to do that but each to their own. Travelling is like chocolate I
was once told you eventually get sick of it. Over 20 years and I am still waiting.
I
remember in Sri Lanka a French girl had just arrived at my guesthouse and she
came out of her room in tears. There is a baby crocodile on the wall, I
want to find an air conditioned hotel. The guest house owner looked at me in despair
whilst I tried to explain it is only a Gecko and they eat the flies he booked a
taxi to a more suitable location for her.
Upstream
in the Peruvian Amazon I shared with large spiders, now you would not catch me
doing that in the UK. At the macaw research centre we were informed valuables
were safe to be left around but any food had to be locked in the room safe otherwise
the Macaws would fly through the open plan roof and eat it. Sure enough I often
came back to Macaws investigating my room and backpack.
Travelling around
Shared buses and mini vans are a great way to meet local people and
keeps the cost down. It may not always be on time but if you have hours to
spare that’s not a bad thing other countries it leaves to the minute and you miss it. Taxi’s are more expensive but will get you there
in a shorter time. Sometimes these can be collective (shared) and don’t go until full – you can
pay the missing passengers fare to speed up the process.
To and from the airport can often be done by local
transport. Check with the guesthouse you have booked for the best way and try
to get some small change by buying something at the airport if necessary. Guidebooks again will often tell you.
Try out as many forms as transport as possible – camel trek
or horse riding are great ways to see local areas. Going into a Nepalese
national park on an elephant back is the safest way to see other wildlife and
then getting to wash them down in the local river afterwards is a priceless
experience.
Korean Bullet train