Travel planning
Your travel plans are the first thing to go, no matter where your next trip is. While some love planning the trip step by step, others just see it as a necessary evil. On Loving Travel we will show you how to best plan your trip and give you lots of helpful tips. It is very important for us: We not only tell you what you should definitely think about, but also show you honestly what you can safely leave out.
How do I start planning the trip?
At the very beginning of the travel planning, regardless of the destination, the following questions arise, which we will answer for you here:
- Where do I want to go?
- Why and how detailed should I plan my trip?
Travel planning Step 1 – Determine destination and check travel documents
Like anywhere in life, there is no THE recipe for your travel planning, it depends on a few factors. However, the beginning is the same everywhere: you have to decide WHERE your journey should go. Maybe you already know exactly, but maybe you still want to be inspired. Take a look at our blog, maybe there is a destination for you.
At the very beginning of your travel planning I recommend you to take a look at your passport and identity card. You are basically well advised if these are still valid for at least 6 months when you return from your vacation. If this is not the case, you need to find out what the regulations are for your destination.
Travel planning Step 2 – Plan arrival and (first) accommodation
Once you know where you want to go, you now have to decide how you want to travel. Whether flight, train, bus, car or camper is often quite different from destination to destination and of course also depends on how YOU like to travel.
For city trips in Germany we usually prefer to take the train, for all other trips we take the plane.
Regarding the accommodation we are also quite flexible. For a short trip, a hotel is usually the best option, but if we are in one place for a longer period of time, we also like to rent an apartment. So when we know where the trip is going, we usually book our accommodation early for the first few days.
On some trips, when we are in one place longer and want to explore the area, we rent a car. When traveling through Australia, Canada or the USA, we also like to rent a camper so that we can travel as independently as possible and save on accommodation.
Travel Planning Step 3 – Plan local activities
The last important step is to plan your local activities. How detailed you plan your time on site is of course up to you. Some plan every day from early to late, others are more spontaneous. There is no right or wrong in this. However, there are some tours or attractions that are booked up very quickly. It is important to plan these at an early stage.
Planning a trip for a city break
If you want to start planning your next city trip, we can reassure you: city breaks can be quite spontaneous. I advise you, if you have enough time, to book your flight and accommodation around 3 months in advance .
Depending on which metropolis you are traveling to, you will then have to plan your time on site. Here, when is the right time to plan varies greatly from city to city and from sight to sight.
Read our city guides, where we give you lots of tips.
For a few of our favorite cities we have tips and helpful info for you:
Travel planning in Europe
If you are traveling far away, you should start planning your trip a little earlier. Again, it varies somewhat depending on the destination. For your trip to New York, we recommend booking your flight around 4-6 months in advance. If you are going to Australia, you are well advised to book your flight 9-7 months in advance.
Here, too, we have quite a lot of info in addition to Loving Travel:
Travel planning for OCEANIA
