Planning the perfect itinerary is not as easy as it might seems. But here are a few tips which can be helpful to consider. Planning your itinerary can makes your journey way more relaxed and with a good plan and a structured itinerary you can get the best out of your trip.
Here are some tips for planning the perfect itinerary:
Do your research
To plan the perfect itinerary a litte preparation can be the key. Find out what the weather be like, what are the rules there and what you can expect. Find out about culture, people, landscape, transport and so on.If you know what to expect where and how to deal with it, half of the rod planning is already done. You can then take into account where you want to go, what there is to see and how much time it will take. Don’t forget to check if there are special events at a certain time or big events you don’t want to miss. Furthermore check the prices and think about your budget. Only if you know this you can plan a realistic and for you perfect itinerary.
Be realistic
This brings us to the next point: Beeing realistic. To plan the perfect itinerary it is really necessary to be realistic. It won’t be much fun if you are just in a hurry all the time, or miss spots because you didn’t check the transportation. It is also important to estimate enough time for every stop and every sightseeing attraction. Take your time! You are on vacation and I’m sure you wanna get the best out of it. So make a realistic plan. Don’t put to many thing in to little time frame. Belive me: You won’t enjoy if you are hustle all the time.
What is best and what is enough depends on you and your personal speed. But consider this while planning your itinerary. When your itinerary is finnished take a moment to imagine the days and ask yourself: Is this realistic? I have taken into consideration, for instance, that a train can be late, that there are no taxis available, that I can be tired after a big day, that the way was exhaustig, that we had enough time for a relaxed meal and a nap? Can i manage to do all this without rush and beeing stressed? If the anser is yes, your are one step closer to your perfect itinerary!
If the answer is ’no‘, go on with the next advice 🙂
Set priorities
In most cases, you can’t do everything. There is probably a limit of time, a limit of money aand other circumstances beyond our control. To solve this we have to set priorities. What are the things that you really really want to do? If the day is already really full, keep some stops as an option, not as mandatory. You don’t have to cancel them for a live time but it can be helpful to focus on a few things that are important for you and to see if the others still fit in the plan or not.
This can help you to be a bit more flexible, which brings us to the next point:
Be flexible
Beeing flexible is what makes vacation feels like holliday. Dont put to much pressure on yourself and see how things come. If you plan every minute you can’t be open for a good surprise. As i told in the previous point: Keep some stops and ideas as options but without fixed plannig or booking. Maybe you meet people and would like to join them but you can’t because the next stop is already paid. Propably you’re gonna regret it. So what I’m trying to say is, planning is good and heplful and important but the goal is to find a good balance.
Scedule some free time
To make you itinerary less stressful it can be a good idea to scedule some free time. Like this you can be spontaneaous and do whatever you would like to do in that particular moment. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t plan, but when you’re thinking through your perfect itinirary and filling the stops with data, just plan some buffers. The worst thing that can happen to you is that you end up with some time to rest. But belive me: There gonna be so many options, you will find something nice for sure.
Make a list and create a map out of it
To plan your itinerary, first make a list. Collect all the places and attractions you want to see. It doesn’t matter if the list is long. Write everything down first, you can always cross it off later. When you have thought about and listed everything, mark the points on a map. This will give you a feel for distances and what you could easily connect.
By connecting your stops on a map, you can avoid unnecessary walking and save a lot of time. Thinking about this in advance can be very efficient.
You can either do this with google maps or with lambus. Lambus is an all-in-on travel-tool for planning your trip. You can already create your list in Lambus and also search for other places and inspirations in the app. You can also share your itinerary with your fellow travellers and work on the itinerary together.
Keep balanced
While planning your itinerary, make sure that the activities and stops are varied. Find the balance between city and nature, between rest and action and above all, between your different preferences. Plan your trip so, that there are a few highlights for everyone.
Use travel planning tools
I already mentioned lambus as a travel planning tool, which can be really helpful for you. But furthermore you can use a lot of different tool for planning your perfect itinerary. Tripadvisor, for example, can help you finding the best rated spots and blablacar or flixbus can help you to find an opportunity to get there. Always remember: The Internet is your best friend! You have acces to so may information and this makes planning your itinerary way more easier. It’s up to you to use it 🙂
If you wanna read more about travel apps, check out these articles:
Settle down for a while
If you have the time, settle down for a while. This way you can immerse yourself in the culture and customs. You will meet people and you can experience everyday life in a different place. Maybe you are also intrested in learning a new language? The more time you take and the more you open up, the more you will experience. Especially off the beaten track.
The perfect itinerary
All in all: The perfect itinerary is individual. Do what you feel like doing and take your time for what interests you. Don’t rush and immerse yourself in other cultures. Meet people and keep your eyes and ears open. Hopefully this tips for planning the perfect itinerary where helpful for you. Most important: Enjoy, appreciate and have a good time.
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