How to Plan your Vacation

What you are going to do and where you travel often depends whether you want to travel alone or together, or you want to travel with the family.

Often you have different options in mind about the travel destination, because you want to visit a beautiful building, for example, or because the culture of a country appeals to you. But what else is there to experience in the country you have in mind?

It can of course also be that you have no idea at all of your travel destination. Then you will have to choose whether you want to travel to Asia, North America, Central America, South America, Africa or Europe. Everything should also in line with the budget you plan to spend on it. For example, with 3 weeks traveling time to explore a country you will most likely have to make concessions in your planning. What is feasible and possible to do.

The advantage of organized travel is therefore a good option because you can see or do more things without having to keep in touch with planning to get from A to B, all your transport is arranged for you. On the other hand, without professional help, you have all the freedom to customize your itinerary. If you are unexpectedly thinking that you would like to visit a special place, then there is the possibility.

On the way, you will always be able to meet unexpected situations that you might not have taken into account beforehand. Remember that this phenomenon belongs to the backpack and / or travel life, and sometimes it can even lead to very special and beautiful experiences.

 PLANNING

When planning your holiday, the first step is to decide where you want to go. Many are of the opinion that this is easy and self-evident, but this step can be the most difficult when you are driving with the whole family. While the adults want to see sights, the kids dream of beach, fun and action. 

Where do you start?

Today, there are many online providers to help you with sharp deals. But if you want to spend more than one sunshine on your trip or if you want to travel for a longer period of time, you will have to do most of the preparation yourself.

The first questions you have to ask yourself are: where, with whom, how long and when do you want to travel? These questions will have to be answered   before you book a ticket. The choice of travel time may be related to, for example, the best travel time of the country concerned, but the current travel advice of the government can also be a decisive factor to look at.

There are some practical questions like;

• Do I need a visa? If so, where can I request which steps should I go through?
• Do I need travel insurance? And do I need a supplement for extreme sports?
• Do I need vaccinations for this trip? If so, which, how far and where should I get it?
• What about the local currency?

. Once you know when you want to leave and where you want to go, you can plan your trip further.

TRAVEL BUDGET
A frequently asked question is; how much budget do I need for my trip? Unfortunately, we cannot give an unambiguous answer here, because it depends entirely on what you want to do, where you want to go and how long you want to leave.

If you go to a distant country, you will have to plan a higher budget than when traveling to a nearby nation. Then you will see the way forward and which way you travel plan should be. The advantage of slow travel is to have enough time to arrange cheap eating / drinking and sleeping accommodations.
Do you travel at a high pace? Then you will spend less time organizing but you may even incur additional transport costs because you cannot wait for that one cheaper place in the bus.        Some tips on planning your travel budget;

• Put all costs of tickets, visa, food and transport on paper. This will give you a clear overview of all expenses you will incur.
• Make a clear distinction between the cost before departure and during your trip
• Make sure that you have a credit card, which can hurt you a lot and provides an extra buffer. For example, if you get unexpected health problems or other issues during your trip, you can appeal to your buffer.
• Make sure that if a man is in need, a home resident can help you financially. For example, if money appears to be urgently needed, you can use a money transfer
• Make a minimum of 10% extra for unforeseen expenses
• Two traveling is cheaper than alone
• Make sure you always carry cash with you for a taxi ride, overnight and something to eat. Certainly in the poor countries it is useful to have cash on hand. If you have to pay a bit, then you do not have to look for a pin machine first

Preparing in advance is of great importance. What else should you take into account and what should you do beforehand? Make a list of all the preparations and the steps to be taken. Also, take into account the time, some things you need to arrange beforehand in advance.

 BOOKING

Many people have previously booked the holiday with the help of travel agencies and it was not accessible to all. Nowadays it is usually booked with the help of different portals and mobile apps and you can quickly get the information you need about the selected places. But you should not neglect the alternative through the travel agency. Hardly to believe but sometimes you save so many nerves and when it comes to a very active holiday with many activities  need to be organized, it is better if someone organized everything for you.

If you have already saved a lot to make the desired holiday, you should book the flight as early as possible or look for other alternatives. In the main season these can be really expensive and for this reason the early you do the better your options. Check to see if your desired destination requires that your need a visa. If this is the case, you have to start as early as possible.

Getting tickets

After all the above-mentioned priorities have been complied with, it will be time to find the right ticket for your trip. You probably do not want to get the most expensive flight ticket, but rather a cheaper one. A comprehensive explanation of cheap airline tickets can be found by doing a simple search online.

Some tips for buying cheap tickets;

• Book your ticket well in advance
• Be flexible in your travel dates
• Compare tickets from multiple providers.
• It may seem that a complete holiday book is cheaper than just a ticket. So check out  Also, check your departure options From A to B which may be more beneficial
• Perhaps 2 singles are sometimes a cheaper option.

If you found the flight you were looking for then you can of course book it. In any case, you are sure that you arrive in the country of your choice. But after that, planning still does not have to be settled. Are you required to hold a valid visa for the country of your choice? Check and check visa information. Whether you need a visa. You can choose to collect your visa yourself. Keep in mind that this may be a time-consuming activity. Prepare in advance the requirements that you must comply with to obtain this visa. This differs by country. Consider the size of your passport photo, including the background color of this and the various documents that need to be delivered, such as a fully completed form with your personal details and copies of your passport with the correct validity data. But sometimes you also need to prove that you have a positive bank balance or are specifically asked for your travel destination. 

The accommodation

If you decided to go to a country, you should look for suitable accommodations.

Besides hotels, there are many holiday houses, campsites or apartments . If you want to be pampered, then you should look for a good hotel. If one can dispense with the comfort of a hotel and cooks on the vacation then an apartment or a holiday house may be the right choice.  Vacation apartments are usually a bit cheaper than hotels, even more can saved when of course you use a campsite. Camps have a very special atmosphere, which many people like very much. You cannot expect a lot of comfort, but if you have a small budget, you will also have great fun during your camping holiday.

For what you always decide, when booking you should pay attention to the location and the reviews of other guests. The period for which the accommodation is to be booked should also be agreed with the offers on arrival and departure. 

                                               THINGS TO CHECK BEFORE LEAVING

Flight Tickets

Verify that your name and flight data are correct. The name on the ticket must be the same as the one in your passport. Of course you have already checked if the destination on the ticket, to be sure if it is correct. There are cases known where the destination look same, but the destination with the same name was in a completely different country. It would be very annoying if you go to Australia and then get out of Sydney, Canada.

Be aware that always something unexpected can happen when traveling and / or during your trip. You always hope that this will not happen to you, but if you are robbed and all your papers are stolen this may get very annoying. It would be very wise of your if you save your papers digitally in advance, you can at least send copies and make things a little easier and  faster. For example, these digital copies can just be saved in your email. Importantly, you can come across your email anywhere in the world and thus your documents.

Passport

Make sure your passport is valid for a long time, a passport must be valid for a minimum of 6 months after returning from your trip, as some countries require this. If your passport is not valid enough long enough or you think it's wise to apply for a new passport, it is important to arrange this first. Consider application time. If you have already applied for a visa, this is almost always linked to your passport number. If you are requesting a new passport after a visa application, you will most likely have to apply for a new visa. In any case, please contact the instance from which you obtained the visa and explain your problem to them.

If you use personal information during your trip, make sure your information is always correct with the information listed in your passport. If you do not do this, you may be having trouble booking flights or other travel matters.

Visa

Before leaving, it will be necessary to apply for a visa for your destination. Now there are countries where you do not have to apply for a visa in advance. You can then get to the border (buy) or no visa is required at all. If a visa appears to be necessary in advance, but you do not own it, you will not enter the country and will have to go back home with all the consequences.

If you plan to travel for longer, it may happen that it is not possible to request all visas in advance. You will then request your visa in the country, if you stay at that moment before traveling. Always check if this is possible. Usually it is possible to request a visa for surrounding countries.

Money

A few years ago it was still customary to travel with a stack of travelers checks. This time has passed and the credit card is taking over at a rapid pace. It is highly recommended to travel with at least one credit card. MasterCard and VISA are generally accepted everywhere. If you want more security, you can always take both types of cards and you can almost always pay. Note that, for example, in Asia, there are countries where you cannot pay by credit card outside of major tourist cities.

So make sure you always spend cash so you can always get a taxi ride or overnight. We recommend always having local currency, dollars and / or euros. The choice between Dollars or Euros depends on your destination and where you prefer. Both currencies are accepted almost everywhere. Especially in poor countries, people often prefer a hard currency.

Prepaid credit card If you do not own a credit card and do not want to apply for it, at MasterCard prepaid credit card is a good option. These prepaid cards can be obtained from the a bank. There is a Multi-Currency Card and a Single Currency Card
                                                                                                                                                                  A number of benefits of a Prepaid credit card

• Always rechargeable
• Has its own PIN.
• Is not linked to your bank account (secure)
• To be used for hotel reservations, airline tickets etc.

Tips for the traveler

When you are traveling, you are actually going to experience all the things you dreamed and looked forward to. Along the way, travel issues can always be considered, so keep the news regularly in mind, for example, to follow the country's travel advice, or it may have changed and / or been modified.

Golden tip! Always use your common sense during your journey. If you do not trust something or if something does not feel good, you should listen to yourself. In case of doubt, apply common sense! Some tips for a greater travel pleasure;

• Do not show your name on your luggage, use a label
• Take a padlock so that your bag or room can be locked with your own lock. Hotel staff can also be unreliable.
• You can seal your luggage at the airport, so nobody can pick anything from your luggage.
• If you take medication on travel, and it of a large stock. Make sure the packaging is clear so that there are no misunderstandings about what you have with you.
• Beware of bag robbers, especially if you are in a busy place.  Avoid hotels with rooms that have their entrance directly on the street.
• Give off your money if you get threatened, do not fight with them.
• Ask if there are neighborhoods that you can better avoid as a tourist.

. Tip, write down your trip or make a few photo books, collage, slide show of your trip. This is fun for both home-lovers and yourself, but also an effective processing process. Backpacking can put your life on top, but it will certainly enrich your life. Travel is special and will always change and stay positive.

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