Whether you are planning a short trip or going location independent there can be a lot of stress involved with planning your trip. Where do you go? Where do you stay? What do you bring? Is it going to be hot or cold, wet or dry, in a city or in a natural environment? We’ve experienced those moments when you get back home and you realize that you only used 3 things in your oversized bag that you paid a premium to check at the airport. Or the opposite – you somehow managed to leave behind that important piece of clothing and you are now swimming in your underwear…
This can be so stressful for travelers and according to Wyndham Vacation rentals, 37% of travelers cancel or delay going on their trips because of issues related to packing or planning! It’s almost hard to believe. For more info about that check out this article or the infographic at the bottom of this post.
Our Intention
We want people to travel the world and open their eyes to things outside of the small bubble we all live in. We are going to go through some dos and don’ts of things to think about before you book your next vacation or longterm trip. Hopefully, this will save you some time and money and above all, stress when it comes to booking your next trip.
What to Pack
Check out our warm weather and cold weather packing lists that can help with your decisions before you go. We use this every time we go anywhere eliminating items that we can do without on this list depending on if we are traveling for work or pleasure. It is just nice to have everything in one place so that we don’t forget the important stuff.
Overall, creating and having a list keeps any conflict down for us when we are having to decide what to pack and it saves us a lot of time when we’re figuring out what to bring. I would say that a rule to live by is to pack lighter than you think you need. You can always buy toiletries, etc. when you get to your destination. This not only helps in moving around but also if you want to support the local culture, it gives you some room in your bag for souvenirs or locally made items and clothes.
How to Plan
We believe a loose itinerary is still better than no plan whatsoever. Know why you are traveling and make sure to discuss the intention or objectives or must see’s in that particular area if you are traveling with a partner, family or friend. What do you want to come back home feeling? Are you wanting to be inspired by natural wonders or humbled by getting to see a completely new culture and way of life?
If you are stuck and do not know where to go get inspired by others that have done the research and legwork first. We love following other blogs and getting our inspiration from fellow travelers.
One trip can change the rest of your life or at the very least give you some stories to tell friends for years to come. Sometimes we travel for volunteer projects where we work with habitat restoration or humanitarian-based projects. When we volunteer, we plan our itinerary around that activity with cultural activities and sightseeing experiences mixed in. Other times we travel for the sheer intention of enjoying ourselves and getting away from our day to day life to immerse in a new place or experience paradise.
Budget
Choosing a daily budget for your trip can really help keep the activities and your bank account in check. If you are doing long-term travel it will definitely help sustain the longevity of your new lifestyle. We have used a combination of Trail Wallet and Mint to plan and monitor our spending while we travel.
It may seem like a very boring task that sucks the fun out of a good adventure, but we have found that it helps to extend your trip indefinitely if you are traveling long term. And there is nothing more fun than that! It also gives you the opportunity and skill to plan and budget smaller trips, for example traveling to a Caribbean island for a week!
Local Activities
Check to see when the next local or national holiday is in your destination!
Holidays are great times to see the local community come together and you can really see their authentic traditions. For example, when we traveled to India we got to participate in Dawali (the Indian Festival of Lights, read about our India trip HERE).
While living in the Yucatan, Mexico we got to experience the dedicated rituals to the deceased loved ones during Hanal Pixán (a Maya version of Day of the Dead, read about it HERE and watch it HERE).
You should plan accordingly to make sure to get it on your calendar if it is something you really want to do. In Merida, it feels that there is a celebration about every other night or at least smaller festivities with music, dancing and what we can only assume is left over fireworks from larger previous festivals. Check to see what kind of holidays and local activities occur most often in the region you plan to visit.
Find a Local Publication
We go to the tourist center about once a month in Merida and pick up a free Yucatan Today publication. It is packed full of events that are happening in the near future. There are articles about local artists and news about what is going on locally and politically in the area. Some articles reach even further out discussing a Mexican perspective on global issues. When we have travelers block it is a great resource for things to do and see.
Accommodations: Where Should You Stay?
Airbnb
Airbnb is a great resource for travel where you can stay with a local and ask some tips on things to do beforehand that are usually outside the usual tours organized by larger companies. It is the main accommodation we use when we travel. Not only can you find amazing deals that you couldn’t normally get through more traditional hotels/resorts in popular areas, it typically is such a unique experience plus affordable for any budget, that we absolutely love this option!
Airbnb hosts usually want you to have a good experience and understand the best and often secret spots of that specific place. For example, when we visited Naples, Italy our amazing Airbnb host invited us spontaneously to come with her and her daughter to her musician friends’ concert event in a plaza where we got to sip on wine and get to know them. It was the highlight of our time there (not to mention the most delicious pizza we’ve ever tasted).
HostelWorld
HostelWorld is filled with travelers from all over the world, hostels are a great place to explore when you are in a new culture. In the hostel you will find many exciting and youthful travelers who are either long term or short term traveling in that location. We have had friends that have stayed in a youth hostel for months paying their way by managing the bar at night or painting amazing murals on the walls. We have found that people in the travel world are very open to the idea of a trade when it comes to room and board, which is great when you are traveling on a budget! Hostels can hook you up with tour guides to explore the area but like hotels, a lot of the activities will be geared toward tourists and the price will reflect that. If you are traveling alone they are a great place to find a running mate for your time and we suggest breaking out of the mold and finding something unique or local that only the local people go to.
*Note: the cool thing about hostels is by paying a little (or a lot) more money you can get a private room if you are traveling as a couple. Most hostels are shared rooms and if it is just you solo traveling it can be a great way to meet other travelers to travel and explore with!
Camping
Is a great option for travel if you are prepared to not have a lot of the amenities you may be used to such as electricity and A/C and if you don’t mind weathering the elements (heat, wind, cold, insects).
*Check out our trip to Holbox where we slept in a tent in a party hostel HERE.
Couch Surfing
Couchsurfing is a great way to plan for your trip and get to know the locals, not to mention it is totally free! You can see where your host is from – if they are local or from abroad – which is an awesome feature the website gives you. When you plan your adventure we highly recommend that you try it out. Not only are you able to support a culture of sharing accommodations but you are giving the opportunity to live like a local for a couple of nights. Your host will typically be able to tell you about the best spots for local food, nightlife and things to do during the day that are away from the normal touristy activities.
Trusted Housesitters
We have not used Trusted Housesitters yet but have heard only good things about it from other traveling friends using it. It can save you an incredible amount of money because you exchange taking care of someone’s house and/or pets for having a free place to stay. You create a profile and pay a one time fee per year to be able to use the site and access opportunities to house sit based on ads posted in certain areas you may want to visit. Opportunities are for different time lengths, which is awesome if you can find one that matches the time you want to go to a new place. We’ve also heard that many of these homes that you would be house sitting are amazingly beautiful and large, which can be a major step up from staying in a budget hotel, hostel or campsite! We recommend checking this out and when we sign up, which will be soon, maybe we will write another blog post about our experience with Trusted Housesitters.
Servas
Like Trusted Housesitters, we have not yet used Servas but have heard very good things from the few people who know about it, including the talented author of Tales of a Female Nomad – Rita Golden Gelman. It is something we would like to check out in the future as it is a wonderful way to get to know the local people and culture of an area while helping to bridge barriers that may be present between different countries and people. According to Servas’ website – “Servas International is an international, non-profit, non-governmental federation of national Servas groups, encompassing an international network of hosts and travelers. The purpose of the network is to help build world peace, goodwill, and understanding by providing opportunities for personal contacts among people of different cultures, backgrounds, and nationalities.”
Learn How to Unplug:
Step away from your laptop, forget your work tasks and don’t worry if Kevin is home alone (he ends up fine in every movie). When you travel, immerse yourself in the local culture as much as possible. You will thank yourself in the end. For more on immersing yourself in local culture check out the link here. Learn how to set your email on auto-reply and set your voicemail to emergency only for work in this article “Why You Really Need To Unplug While On Vacation.”
NOW IT IS TIME TO START PLANNING YOUR TRIP!!!
Hopefully, this article helped you if you are planning your trip check out our other articles about Traveling To Places Outside The Box and Local Culture: What the World Would Be Like If Local Cultures Didn’t Exist.
We would also love to know how your journey is going? How do you like to plan your travels? What is your MO when you travel? What things have you learned to do or not do while traveling and what things have caused you to stress the most during the planning process? Drop your comments below, we always love hearing from you!
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