There is much information out there to help you to understand this process, tips and hacks, techniques, apps to guide you step by step through the whole planification and execution. The good thing about it is, once you nailed it, it will make your trips better and better every time.

What is trip planning?

If planning means “the process of making plans for something.” Then planning a trip or vacation is the process of mapping out all the different stages of it, dividing them into small tasks, and finally completing all of them according to schedule and priority.

How do you map a trip?

Think about the whole journey: 

  1. The steps needed before taking an airplane.
  2. All the needs or actions involved when landing.
  3. The activities during the timeframe in the vacation place.
  4. The returning home phase that starts just before boarding the plane again.

What are the advantages of planning a trip?

Saving money and bringing more value to the time off you are taking are the two main things I’ll say are the more important of planning. In other words, it’s telling the time and money where to go instead of wondering where they went.

The selection and choice are other advantages of planning by yourself. Why is this? Easy, when researching services and activities, you will find out all those options not working with traditional travel agencies; if you invest enough time in this and do it right, it will be surprised by all the discoveries you will make.

Finally, your schedule will be 100% filled with Incredibles activities, and also you will be prepared with some backup activities for the best vacation trip of your life.

How detailed should my planning be?

It depends on how much room you o leave for random and last minute things and how much control you want in your hand. An example of this is, let us imagine you are visiting New York for four days:

Basic Planning – No Detailed:

  1. Airplane tickets were previously purchased.
  2. During the time there, the person will be moving using the Subway.
  3. Accommodations booked, however, this why done without thinking about distance and access to the airport and the main tourist attractions.
  4. Itinerary:
    1. First day: Manhattan Upper State.
    2. Second day: Lower Manhattan.
    3. Third day: Coney Island.
    4. Fourth day: Staten Island.
  5. The person will eat in the closest restaurant when hungry.
  6. The returning home will go only according to the flight departure time and airport policies.
Let's analyzed Basic Planning - No Detailed.

PROS: This plan type provides a lot of room to do unexpected activities, forces you to talk a lot with locals or residents due to the information needed, you might discover several things you did not know the place have.

CONS: Your budget might be affected since you don’t have enough knowledge about prizes, promotions, etc. The other affection it’s in time distribution; due to the fact you don’t have a plan for places to visit, you cannot take advantage of visiting sites and attractions by zones.

In conclusion, if money and time management are not an issue, and you are adventurous people, Basic Planning – No Detailed might fits perfectly for you.

Detailed Planning Non-Specific:

  1. Airplane tickets were previously purchased.
  2. During the time there, the person will be moving using the Subway.
  3. Accommodations booked; and done, having on mind the distance and access to the airport and the main tourist attractions you will visit.
  4. Itinerary:
    1. First day: Manhattan, Central Park, and Upper State.
    2. Second day: Lower Manhattan, Financial District, and Brooklin Bridge.
    3. Third day: Coney Island, Brighton Beach, and Manhattan beach.
    4. Fourth day: Staten Island, Shopping Malls.
  5. The person will eat in the closest restaurant when hungry; however, in this scenery, you have clear ideas of what to eat since you are visiting that area due to a specific reason and research.
  6. The returning home will go only according to the flight departure time and airport policies.
Let's analyzed Detailed Planning Non-Specific.

PROS: If we are talking about time management, this plan is way more efficient, gives you clear ideas of what to expect when visiting certain areas, such as attractions, places to eat, and how to get there. The fact that you are visiting by sections; allows you to know more sites in one trip since you minimize the time waste looking for places guideless. 

CONS: The more time you spent in planning, the fewer CONS you will face. If you like to be informal and adventurous, this might not be the best vacation plan for you.

In conclusion, you will have better time management if you segment by areas your visit to a place, you will be able to enjoy more attractions, to taste delicious food, and to have a blast trip.

As you can see in the examples, the more you plan your trip, the more efficient would become, the less room for unexpected things, and the more engaged you will.

Is itinerary the same as trip planning?

The answer is not. The itinerary is one of the elements of the trip; it describes how you will travel, where you will stay, where you will eat, what you will do, what your transportation will be, and all the rest of the activities and services you use once you get to your destination.

On the other hand, trip planning involves all the previous preparations, such as: defining the place to visit, flights and hotel, itinerary, the last phase, the coming back.

It’s possible to travel without planning, but impossible to travel without an itinerary.

Conclusion!

As we mentioned before, trip planning is based; on telling time and more where to go instead of asking yourself where your time and money went. After all, most of us only have two vacation weeks per year, and; if you are like me, you will want to take advantage of this time as much as you can.

Let me know in the comments if this information works on you; if you think I am missing something, and if you have any hack or technique to plan your vacation trip. 

Thanks a lot for your time and feedback, and I hope your trip is as incredible you imagined it would be.

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