It does not matter how mundane or unordinary lives that we live are, or what line of business we are into, if employed at all, every now and then we get a strong urge to get away from our current situation at least for a couple of days. And very often we give up on this journey due to insufficient planning and ability or the lack of ideas what to do and where to go. Properly researching your destination and planning your stops is will ease your mind and not let you miss out on less known sites that would be a shame not to visit.

Lake Ohrid, Macedonia

How to Plan Your Trip

Image by Inge via Flickr

Location

It is determined by the length of your trip, your budget and preferences. You have to please all three of them. Therefore, if you have just three days for your trip, do not spend half of it commuting. Furthermore, if it is autumn or winter time, there is no point visiting beaches. When the budget is concerned, a trip is all about relaxing and indulging time so do not pick a location where you will have to think of every dollar spent, and skip drinks and meals to save enough for going home. Choose the ones that fit your current budget.

The Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye, Scotland

How to Plan Your Trip

Image by Daniel Stockman via Flickr

Book ahead

Online booking sites are abundant. Grab an opportunity to book well ahead, you will save money and have time to plan other activities. On top of that, you will not be in a position to give up at the last minute, like you did so many times before for whatever reason. You are entitled to a vacation, never disregard it.  Therefore, after you picked a place, reserve your accommodation.

How to Plan Your Trip

Image by Dominika Chylkowska Barwik via Flickr

Itinerary

This is another important part of your trip planning and your main reminder. Any sites that you plan to visit, your accommodation and scheduled stops should have their place in it. Our experience showed that getting a promotional compendium helped us stick to our travel plan. We had everything on our travel USB, as well as in writing. Another smart move was that we left a copy at our neighbors, who notified us that the road we planned to take was blocked due an accident, so we detoured on time and avoided riding 200 miles per direction in vain. Therefore, you never know when your itinerary will come in handy, plus it is a great memory trigger and a reminder of every trip you had. Also, due to possible unexpected situations, always have alternative routes covered.

How to Plan Your Trip

Image by Kamilla Oliveira via Flickr

Money and Insurance

After setting your budget, make sure you have both cash and credit card options ready, you never know which one you will be prompted to use. Travel and car insurance are something any responsible person taking a trip should have. Better safe than sorry, always remember that, especially if your entire family is taking a trip.

How to Plan Your Trip

Image by 401(K) 2012 via Flickr

As you can see, all of these recommendations are easy to follow and are common sense. All you really need to do is dedicate some time to use them and you will be safely on your way, prepared for any usual unexpectancies.