How to Plan a Trip in 10 Simple Steps

Planning a trip overseas, whether long or short, can seem overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be! In this article, we’ll show you how to take the stress out of travel planning, by laying out a simple step-by-step guide for how to plan a trip that’ll ensure you don’t forget anything.

Have you ever been overwhelmed by the idea of planning a trip because it seems too, well… overwhelming?! 

There’s a lot to think about when planning travel: from getting a visa, to figuring out transportation, to booking accommodation and getting local currency, it can be downright stressful.

And it’s a bit contradictory, right? Stressing out over planning what is supposed to be a relaxing vacation. We’ve definitely been there. Many times, in fact. 

We’ve travel to over 50 countries in the past 10+ years and we’ve learned our share of lessons along the way. Now we’re sharing our advice so you don’t have to make the same mistakes we did!

In this article, we’ll show you how to plan a trip without the stress by laying out a simple step-by-step guide that’ll ensure you don’t forget anything.

Here’s exactly what you need to do to take a travel daydream and turn it into reality.

So whether you’re planning a 2-week getaway or a journey with no end date in sight, these steps will take you from the brainstorming phase to stepping foot in your destination. We think you might actually have fun planning your next trip. That’s a dare.

Alright, take a deep breath, because we’re digging right in!

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1. Figure out your travel budget

Before you can even begin to plan a trip, you need to take a good look at your finances and figure out how much money you have to spend on your adventure. This will dictate a lot of the future steps including where you can travel to and for how long. 

This step might sound scary, but we’ve broken it down for you so you can create your very own customized travel budget.

How to Create a Travel Budget in 6 Simple Steps

If you have the time before you go, follow these simple steps to save money for your travels.

2. Decide on your travel style / partner(s)

Is this a short vacation, a 3-week trip overseas or long term travel that you are planning for? 

…And who’s coming with you?

Take a moment to answer this question… Are you going to be traveling solo or with a partner? A group of friends, or with your family and children in tow?

The answer to this question can help shape your trip quite a bit. For instance, a solo trip to Tahiti may not be the best choice, as this popular honeymoon destination is going to be swarming with couples on romantic getaways. Likewise, party-centered Ibiza might not be the best place for a wholesome family vacay.

• Traveling Solo? Traveling solo is an incredibly freeing experience, and there are many great cities around the world for solo travelers.
• Want a romantic getaway? Romance isn’t just limited to beaches and resorts. Check out our roundup of some of the top romantic destinations for every type of traveling couple, some of which might be a little unexpected.
• Looking for a perfect family vacation spot? There are destinations all over the world that are amazing spots to bring your kids!

If you are planning on traveling with a partner, don’t book your flights without asking them these questions first…

11 Essential Questions to ask Your Travel Partner

3. Choose a destination

This step may seem obvious for some, maybe you already know exactly where it is you want to travel and that’s why you’re planning this trip in the first place. For those of you that have a destination nailed down, there are still a few things we’d suggest you consider, you can skip right down to the research step.

For those of you that have the itch to travel, maybe even the vacation time set up, but still have no idea how to narrow down just one place, we have plenty of inspiration for you!

• Check out our done-for-you itineraries where you can see examples of our travel routes and recommendations, and all the planning has been taken care of!
• We have a list of epic bucket list trips that will spark your wanderlust.
• These are the best cities to visit in Europe based on our personal travel experience.
• Take a look at our Destinations Page for some more ideas.

10 EPIC Trips to Add to Your Bucket List!

And if all else fail, look at a map. Yes, really!

Literally look at a map, and start circling all the cities, towns or attractions you want to visit. Look on Instagram for inspiration. Don’t limit yourself. What do you want to do? What do you want to see and experience? When planning a route, we typically look at other trusted bloggers’ recommendations.

And no need for paper maps anymore, go digital! Here’s a great tutorial on how to use Google My Maps. It’s game-changing. 

Once you think you’ve nailed down a place, or places…

Do your research

Don’t forget to do a little digging and make sure that the time of year you plan to travel is optimal. We have failed to do our research a few times and it ended up really affecting our trip.

Asking yourself the following questions can really save you the troubles or headaches down the road:

What will the weather be like?

• Will it be the wet season? Hurricane season? Super-duper-unbearably hot?

Example: We traveled in India during the hottest months of the year and literally could not do much outside some of the days because it was 110°F (43.3°C). After that, we vowed never to make the mistake of traveling without really understanding the weather first.  

Is it peak tourism season? Low season?

• Will it be hard to get a hotel because it’s peak season? Will the lines and crowds at tourist attractions be ridiculous? 
• Likewise, if you are traveling during low season, should you expect a lot of the businesses to be shut down? Will closures hinder your chance to see and experience everything you were hoping to?

Example: We visited Croatia in July – its busiest month of the year – and found ourselves super frustrated with the crowds and jacked up prices. We ended up shortening our time there because we were not enjoying it as much as we expected.

Hold up! Before you start a Googling storm, we’ve got some good news: there are some resources out there that make this process for researching so much faster!

• If you know WHERE you want to go, Travelendar (combination of travel + calendar) will tell you what time of year is best to visit.
• If you know WHEN you want to travel, check out this list that breaks down which destinations are best to visit each month of the year.
• We’ve also done the research for you, nailing down the pros and cons of visiting during different times of the year for a number of popular destinations such as Japan, Bali, New Zealand and Iceland.

→ Check out our Best Time to Visit series to see all the destinations we have articles on!

But don’t worry if you don’t know where OR when you want to travel… check out this calendar of events around the world for inspiration!

How cool is that?!

These events span all destinations and interests: from European music festivals (like Sziget Festival in Budapest, pictured above!) to cultural celebrations to naturally occurring events like the migration patterns of wildlife in Africa. 

When you find an event that interests you, click on it to learn more.

Pace yourself

Thinking about your pace will determine how many of the places you circled above you’ll realistically be able to see.

Do you want to pack in as much as possible, or do you want to choose a couple places and really get to explore them? Do you want to travel slow and take in the culture to really understand how locals live?

Or do you want to tick places off your list and move from city to city, seeing as much as you can? Maybe a happy mixture of slow and fast? This all depends on the amount of time you have and your budget.

Find out visa requirements

Investigate if you need to obtain a visa for the country or countries you’re thinking of traveling to. You may not need one for the first country you arrive in, but will you need one for the other countries in your itinerary? Can you get a visa online, visa on arrival, or do you need to get it in your home country?

For instance, if you’re traveling to Vietnam, Americans need to apply for a visa ahead of time (and here’s the best and cheapest way to get one).

If you don’t know if you need a visa, check out your home country’s visa websites:

• USA citizens
• UK citizens
• Canadian citizens
• Australian citizens
• Singaporean citizens

4. Book flights

You know where you want to go? Check. Have your visa? Check. 

Now here comes our favorite part: It’s time to book a flight!

You’ve picked your destination and checked visa requirements—now it’s time to book your flight! But before you do, consider: Which airport will you fly into? Will your trip be round-trip, or are you flying out of a different city?

Tips for scoring the best flight deals

• Know when to buy: Timing matters! Some flights are cheaper when booked months in advance, while others drop in price closer to departure.
• Set price alerts: Get notifications when fares drop so you can book at the best price.
• Consider alternate routes: Sometimes booking separate legs or flying into a nearby airport can save big. (For example, we’ve scored cheap flights to Asia by routing through China!)
• Use travel credit card points: Many cards offer sign-up bonuses that can cover flights!

Want all our best flight-booking hacks? Here’s exactly how we find cheap flights.

15 Secret Ways We Save Money on Flights

Pro Tip: Always consider why a flight is cheap. A super early or late arrival could mean expensive airport transfers or long waits for check-in. Sometimes, the “cheapest” flight actually costs more in the end!

→ Are you a nervous flyer? Don’t let the anxiety of flying prevent you from traveling. Check out these tips for fearful flyers that will help put you at ease.

If your trip doesn’t involve taking a flight, check out these tips for planning an epic USA road trip. 

How to Plan a Road Trip (+ biggest mistakes to avoid!)

5. Book your accommodation

Depending on how long your vacation is you may choose to book all your accommodation ahead of time or none at all.

For instance, if you only have two weeks, it might be best to arrange your hotels or hostels online so you don’t waste precious time trying to figure out accommodation when you’d rather be exploring. Plus, you don’t want to run the risk of everything being booked up! 

If you’re traveling long term, however, you may just book a few days at a time. Or you may prefer to wing it and walk into hotels once you arrive in a town.

We put a lot of consideration into where to book our accommodation when planning a trip. 

Want our foolproof system for finding the best hotels & Airbnbs? Check out our top accommodation booking tips!

Genius System to Find the BEST Hotels & Airbnbs

Booking resources

Depending on where in the world we’re traveling, we switch up our booking sites. Here are our favorites:

• Asia: Booking or Agoda (we find Airbnb is only available in certain cities/countries and not in others in Asia)
• Europe: Booking, Airbnb or Hostelworld
• USA: Airbnb (we rarely stay in hotels in the US and hostels aren’t nearly as prevalent in the US as elsewhere in the world)
• South & Central America: Hostelworld, Airbnb or Booking

Everything you need to know about Airbnb: You’ll find loads of info on how to book Airbnbs, red flags to watch out for when booking, and our favorite Airbnbs.

6. Research things to do

When talking about how to plan a trip, this is where the fun really starts… We LOVE doing research to find out what kinds of adventures we can have in a new destination. 

Here are a few of our favorite resources for researching travel destinations:

• Pinterest: One of our first stops when researching a new place. Unlike Google, where the best content can get buried, Pinterest often leads to detailed blog posts with firsthand experiences. Plus, it’s easy to save articles for later.
• Travel Blogs: We rely on bloggers we trust for destination insights, from suggested itineraries to hidden gems. Reading multiple perspectives helps us decide which attractions are worth prioritizing. If we still have questions, we’ll leave comments or reach out on social media.
• Airbnb Experiences & Get Your Guide: Even if we don’t book, browsing these sites gives us unique activity ideas we might not have found otherwise. Sometimes, we stumble upon must-try experiences led by locals.

7. Get travel insurance

Even though you might be safer abroad than in your home country, accidents happen everywhere and you should always be covered. We never leave home without travel insurance and neither should you.

For more information on how to pick a policy and what we look for in travel insurance, check out our detailed travel insurance comparison article.

Travel Insurance Comparison: Which is the Best Policy for You?

→Psst! Be sure to read our essential travel safety tips for more detailed advice about how to stay safe and protect your belongings while traveling.

8. Minimize travel risks

When breaking down the steps for how to plan a trip, this is an important one. There are plenty of steps you can take before you even set foot in a country to minimize your risk of something going wrong. 

Register on your country’s Smart Traveler program

For Americans, you should sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). Through STEP you’ll get emergency updates that would affect your travels, such as bad weather or civil unrest or protests.

It will also give you easy access to your embassy in the country you’re visiting. Lastly, if anything bad were to happen to you on your travels, you’d be easier to track down. Check your country’s travel department for similar programs. 

Get all necessary Immunizations ahead of time

Before setting foot in a new country, you’ll want to be sure to protect yourself from foreign disease. Use the CDC website to research vaccinations and medications you might need in the destination(s) you are planning to visit. We’d also advise visiting your doctor before a longer trip to make sure all of your health concerns are taken care of. 

Scan your documents and email yourself a copy

Scan a copy of your passport and any credit cards you’re bringing, and email it to yourself. Do the same for your travel insurance documents and receipts of the valuables you’re carrying. If anything happens to these while you’re traveling, you’ll have an electronic version.

Know common scams

While you’re in research mode, do a quick search of common scams in your destination. Being aware of popular scams is often all you need to avoid falling victim. 

We have run into plenty of known scams on our travels, especially in bigger cities like Bangkok, and have even fallen victim to some ourselves. Unfortunately, scams are a risk you run in traveling, and sometimes unavoidable, but the more informed you are, the better prepared you will be to avoid getting caught in a tourist trap. 

Bring backup credit cards

If you are traveling in a group or as a couple, you have a bit of a support system (assuming you each bring at least one credit card). 

This tip is particularly geared towards solo travelers. 

You will always want to bring a backup credit card (and perhaps a backup debit or ATM card as well) in case of emergencies. We’ve been in situations abroad where our cards have been stolen (sometimes it’s not always obvious as it happens with a swipe and we still have the card in our possession) and if you don’t have a backup, you will have a very hard time accessing your money. 

For this reason, we like to keep our back ups in a separate location in our luggage (one in our hand luggage, one in our suitcase) and then leave one behind at our accommodation in case we were to be mugged. It may sound a bit extreme, but it’s always good to be prepared!

Secure your belongings

It should go without saying that you’ll want to keep your belongings, and especially your valuables in secure places while traveling (you know, use a purse with a zipper for less-easy access and don’t hang it on the back of your chair on a crowded street corner cafe). There are some items you can purchase ahead of time to help keep your belongings safe while traveling. 

• Basic travel locks
• Bluetooth tracking luggage locks
• Hidden pocket scarf
• A camera bag disguised as a purse

9. Pack your bags

It’s starting to feel real now isn’t it?! Your trip is coming up fast and it’s time to get packing!

Packing for a trip can be quite the puzzle. You want to be prepared and make sure you don’t forget anything, but at the same time, don’t want to feel weighed down by too much stuff.

First, you’ll want to figure out if you are team suitcase or team backpack…

Suitcase vs. Backpack: Pros and Cons of Each

Next, you’ll wan to think about the essentials. There are certain items we bring on every trip, no matter what.

Our Favorite Travel Essentials: 9 Items We Never Travel Without

If you’re a self-proclaimed over-packer, or someone who always ends up using only half the things in their suitcase on every trip… I’m right there with ya!

We recommend planning out your packing ahead of time so you are not rushing at the last minute to get everything you need stuffed into your oversized suitcase. 

After 10+ years of travel, we’ve picked up a trick or two for packing light. We laid out all of our best packing hacks for your, plus a sneaky rule that we follow for every trip!

9 Expert Packing Hacks (+ a sneaky rule to help you pack light!)

Packing light may seem incredibly daunting to some, but trust us when we say, you’ll be much happier trying to navigate the cobblestone streets of Europe or lifting your luggage onto a train if it’s smaller than a 50 pound bag!

More packing resources

Use these packing resources for tips and ideas to help you pack for your next trip:

• Carry-On Packing List: What You Actually Need on a Flight
• How to Pack for 3 months in a Backpack
• Ultimate Packing Guide for Long Term Travel
• Eco Friendly Travel Gear Packing List

10. Last-minute prep

You’ve made it to the final step! Your trip is just around the corner and all that’s left is doing a little research and making some last-minute arrangements.

Data/Internet access

Research the best way to gain access to data or Internet while you’re in your destination. If you’re traveling within your home country, this shouldn’t be a problem.

However, if you are traveling abroad, you might want to consider purchasing a prepaid local SIM card when you arrive. This will be the cheapest way to gain access to data abroad. 

Use our ultimate guide to getting data abroad, including helpful tips for using your phone while traveling internationally.

How to Get Cell Service Abroad (without spending a fortune!)

Download some helpful apps

• Google Translate: Type in something you want to say, and it’ll translate the phrase into any language you select. You can even take a picture of a menu written in an entirely different language (like Korean, for example), and it will translate what is written. It is amazing!
• Google Maps: Before going to a new location, we typically download the offline map for our destination in our Google Maps app. If you have your GPS turned on, the app will show your current location with a blue dot even when you don’t have data or WiFi turned on. This is super helpful if you’re on a long bus ride and want to know exactly where you are, or when you’re lost wandering around in a big city. 
• GlobalConvert: This app makes it easy to convert anything from currency to distance to temperature. (Super handy for Americans unfamiliar with the metric system.) And the best part is, it works offline!
• Time Buddy: If you’re traveling on the other side of the world, this app makes it super easy to figure out time difference between where you are and your home country.
• Trail Wallet: Yeah, yeah, I know, we’ve talked about this one a lot. But it has seriously changed how we travel. This app converts seamlessly through currencies and shows you exactly where you are in regard to your budget. Download this app and you’ll be able to travel longer. Seriously. 

Have a plan for currency

On long-term trips, we typically withdraw money from a local ATM as soon as we enter a new country. We NEVER use currency exchanges as these tend to take a big percentage (like 30%). Plus ATMs are much more efficient.

Our Charles Schwab card (more info here) reimburses all ATM fees, so we only take out small amounts at a time.

Tip: Just remember to decline the currency conversion rate offered by the ATM. When you do this you are referring to the conversion rate set by your bank instead. And in our experience, the banks always give a more fair conversion rate and than the pre-set ATM conversion rates.

Notify your bank of your travel plans

This is a step that can sometimes be overlooked, but can put a serious damper on your travel plans when you enter a new country only to find your bank has automatically shut off your debit card because it thinks you are attempting a fraudulent withdrawal. 

Learn the language (at least a few phrases)

You don’t need to be fluent, but learning basic phrases shows effort and is often appreciated by locals. Simple words like “hello” and “thank you” go a long way, and knowing “bathroom,” “delicious,” and “beautiful” can be surprisingly useful.

Numbers (1-10) are also handy, especially for ordering food. If you have allergies or medical conditions, write them down in the local language and carry a printed translation—this can be a lifesaver in certain situations.

Refine your manners

A little research can go a long way. Certain gestures you might use everyday, like a thumbs up or okay sign, are offensive in some cultures. Avoid awkward situations by researching some basic manners in the country you’re visiting. 

Where to first?

The first few hours in a new country can be overwhelming—and prime time for scams—so having a solid arrival plan is key.

Save the address of your first accommodation (in both English and the local language) in your phone or a notebook to show taxi or bus drivers. Download offline maps and mark key locations like your hotel, embassy, and nearby hospitals.

Research the best transportation options in advance, whether that means booking a ride or knowing exactly where to find public transit to get from the airport to your accommodation.

A little planning goes a long way in ensuring a smooth arrival!

Confirm reservations

It’s easiest to call or write to confirm reservations for things like accommodation and transportation before you find yourself in a foreign country with a canceled Airbnb reservation and nowhere to go. Confirm all your important reservations and keep copies of your confirmation receipts in your email.  

Final thoughts

And there you have it, 10 simple steps for how to plan a trip to anywhere in the world. 

Following these steps will take some of the stress out of trip planning, but it is important to remember that even the best laid plans often go awry. This is particularly true with travel as there are just too many factors outside of your control.

And that’s okay. In fact, that is half the fun of it! It’s what makes travel such an incredible learning experience and why we keep going back for more.

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Let us help you travel better…

Be sure to check out our Travel Planning Homepage for resources on everything you need to know about how to plan a trip, from packing to budgeting and more! Or you can read some of our favorite articles about planning your next trip below. 

• Expert Tips for Finding Cheap Flights
• Genius System for Booking the Best Accommodation
• Carry-On Packing List: What You Actually Need on a Flight
• Our Favorite Travel Essentials
• This is the one thing we NEVER travel without!
• Packing Hacks to Help You Pack Light Every Time
• Tips to Fight Jet Lag (that actually work!)
• How to Get Cell Service Abroad (without spending a fortune!)

→ Traveling as a family? Don’t miss our family travel articles!

What if the hard part was already done for you?

All you have to do is pack your bags!

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We want to hear from you!

If you still have more questions about how to plan a trip—both international or otherwise—leave your comment below and we’ll do our best to find you the answers you’re looking for!