I wrote this post as a guest blogger for Wanderatic, an amazing company that donates 10% of their profits to various wildlife rescue efforts. If you see something you love on their site use promo code: "Beemiller" for 15% off your purchase!
Let's face it, every place you go to has the best something and must-see attractions. It is overwhelming to try and get everything in and stay within a budget. I go through a rollercoaster ride of what we don't have time or money to do every trip I plan. But through all of the ups and downs, I have created a system to get the most out of each adventure and how to decide what I want to splurge on and what I am willing to skip that round. After all, you can always go back if you absolutely love the place! Because I have learned the hard way, let me share some tips so you can avoid my mistakes.
Tip #1 - What is Your Budget
(Both Time & $$)
Depending on how much time and money you can commit to will determine the rest of your trip. I am usually pretty limited on how much time I can take off work so we have to get pretty creative on when we head out. One of the best tips I was given to save money on flights is to fly out in the middle of the week. It is cheaper, and as a bonus gives you a long weekend without having to take too much time off work. For example, say you want to have Thursday-Sunday to explore. We will book a flight late Wednesday night or super early Thursday morning so we have enough time to get settled in our AirBnB or campsite and still have most of the day Thursday to do a few things. Yes, I said AirBnB. I have begun to skip hotels all together unless I have no other choice. I LOVE having a kitchen and the ability to cook breakfast and snacks. It saves so much money and being in a home versus a hotel allows you to get a whole new feel for a city in a way a hotel can't.
Tip #2 - Have Your Must-Do's in Mind
There is a reason you want to go to the magical place you have discovered! Something sparked your wanderlust and you need to go chase it! Most of the time I see a beautiful place on Instagram or Pinterest and start daydreaming immediately. I always keep that initial spark in mind when I decide on what my must-do's are because it makes it easier to narrow down where to stay. I will plan where we stay around our must-do activities. Being in a central location to what you have in mind changes everything. I am willing to spend a little more money on places to stay just because this can make or break your trip. AirBnB's offer the ability to shop around a bit too.
Tip #3 - How to Decide What to Do
This is the hardest part! There is so much of the world to see. I like to try and cram in as much as possible so I feel like I really get to explore a new place or city. My strategy to tackle this enormous feat is to make a list of everything I even think I would be interested in doing. It is overwhelming, but it helps me having everything right next to each other and I can start to weed out what I know won't fit in.
Get nerdy with it! I make a spreadsheet that includes how long it would take to get to each activity from our campsite or AirBnB, how much it will cost, is it close to other activities I want to do, etc. It also makes it easy when you are planning a trip with multiple people. Everyone can add their ideas to the spreadsheet and no one is left out. Google sheets is what I use if there are multiple people on the trip. This is the spreadsheet I have created for our Alaska trip later this year.
Tip #4 - Read Reviews...But Not Too Much
Reviews can be helpful, we live in a social digital world and should take advantage. We can share information easily and every experience can be documented. HOWEVER, just because there is a bad review doesn't mean that you should totally rule out the activity. Take the review with a grain of salt, maybe they were having an off-day and it wasn't what they expected. I look at reviews to make sure that they match what I want out of experience. If I had listened to reviews I wouldn't have stayed at a resort in Jamaica that was a blast and I would totally go to again!
Tip #5 - Keep an Open Mind
This is one of the hardest lessons I had to learn. I would plan, plan, and PLAN my trips to the point where I would get frustrated if we didn't stick to the plan. I mean you saw my spreadsheet, and that is me being calm about it... But I started to notice that every time I would tell people about my trip the stories that would come up are the ones that happened spontaneously. So even though I have a million ideas of what I want to do, I try and think of them as a "Plan B". The must-do's are exactly that, MUST-DOS. I won't compromise on those, but the other activities can be pushed to the side if we stumble across something else we want to do.
Planning a trip is so much fun! The anticipation and excitement of going to a new place is intoxicating. The downside is it is a slippery slope to get in over your head and blow your budget! If you get organized on what you absolutely want to do and pick a place to stay with those things in mind it's easy to have the time of your life exploring this amazing world we live in.
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