How to begin planning a trip that will cover 9 countries? I have a tried and true system that works for me. Some people book an all inclusive to a warm location and show up at the airport. Some people pack the night before or the day of. Some people have no plans made for their destination and only have a vague idea of what to do. Some people travel to relax and do nothing. I am the opposite and my eyelid twitches when people say they haven’t packed yet, but to each their own! We’re all different and we’re all right and we’re all wrong.
For me it all starts with something I read in a book, a picture I saw or maybe something I learned about somewhere along the line and then it makes it way onto my Bucket List. Trip planning is an ongoing activity and I have many itineraries drafted. I am an expert at 2 things ~ project management and travel ~ both of these skills go into my trip planning.
The 2 main tools are an excel workbook and a google map.
The Excel Workbook
An excel workbook has been in use for many years and has all the planning details. It contains:
- Packing List ~ many sorting and filtering options, tracks which bag I’m bringing, categorized by type (eg. Clothing, Electronics) and checks to indicate whether I’m bringing it for the trip I’m currently packing for and whether I’ve packed it or not. I have learned the hard way that carry-on is the way to go and always achieveable. I tend to bring the same clothes ~ lightweight, easy to pack, washable in a sink and able to hang dry overnight! Ultimately all I need is my passport and credit card.
- Country Info ~ this is referenced from all the different trips being planned in the workbook ~ a one stop shop for information that I have to update once. By country name it identifies currency (eg. CAD), exchange rate, currency name, whether a visa is required, visa info and comments.
- Itinerary ~ a day by day plan showing date, day of week, location, accommodations, transportation and activities. Contingency plans are made and tickets are purchased online for very busy attractions ahead of time.
- Budget ~ an itemized list categorized by expense type (eg. Flights), cost, currency, cost in CAD, total, pre-pay or pay while travelling, paid, confirmation numbers and totals. In addition to the grand total, there are totals by expense type, how much remaining to pre-pay and how much to pay during the trip.
It is not as complicated as it sounds and yes it is all colour coded.
The Google Map
A google map is a must have! A destination is a new layer and the airport, hotel and attractions are plotted. This is most useful to determine how many days I need to see and do what I want. It makes it easy to plan days with maximum efficiency and group activities that are close together. Airports, hotels and activities are colour coded.
Research & Prep
I want to see and do as much as I can possibly can! I can relax at home. A favourite saying is I might as well go to country C too because it’s right there by countries A and B. I embody the meme that I drive everywhere at home but see nothing wrong with walking 20 km a day when travelling.
- What to do? I research where I’m going to know more about the history and determine what I want to see and which activities I want to do.
- Flights ~ I’m an obsessed Aeroplan point collector so check airlines where I can get points first. I hate being cramped up and touching shoulders with strangers therefore book business class flights and look for stopover deals: Airline Stopovers
- Hotels ~ are there any iconic hotels where I’m going (eg. Burj Al Arab)? Sometimes the hotel is the destination. I look for those and then for a hotel that is centrally located within the places I’ve plotted on my google map.
- I search for concerts, operas, ballets and plays during my dates ~ I scored with Taylor Swift in London, England last year!
- Public Transportation ~ I check out the subways for when I can’t walk and have an Oyster Card for London, England that I’ve reloaded for about 10 years now.
- Medical insurance ~ I’ve recently learned that my credit card insurance is only good for 15 days (oops!) ~ for my upcoming trip an insurance top up for an additional 32 days cost $190 CAD with AMEX.
- Kindle ~ a well loaded Kindle is a must!
- Weather ~ what will the weather be and what do I need to pack?
- Doctor ~ I see my doctor and ensure my vaccinations are up to date, get prescription copies and some antibiotics just in case.
- Country Customs and Laws ~ know these and be a respectful traveller. Period.
- Blog Framework ~ I put together the framework for my blog posts so I can concentrate on telling stories and sharing pictures instead of doing the behind the scenes work.
I am packed and ready to go days in advance. This must sound like craziness to some people and I know I have readers that do something similar. Where do you begin when planning an adventure?
What’s Next?
Next up is this epic journey full of new experiences and repeat favourites.
- United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪
- Mongolia 🇲🇳
- Turkmenistan 🇹🇲
- Uzbekistan 🇺🇿
- Tajikistan 🇹🇯
- Kazakhstan 🇰🇿
- Kyrgyzstan 🇰🇬
- USA 🇺🇸
- Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic Crossing
- England 🏴
My latest find is this handy dandy app which plots my travel along with flag, distance and mode of travel.
Happy Travels!
Jackie is “Mom” to one amazing son, an IT professional and an obsessed traveller. She spends her time reading, golfing at Ladies League and implementing software projects. Jackie has travelled to 7 continents, 5 oceans and 103 countries and she is always planning the next destination and adventure!