How I Start Planning My Trips
This is in no way sponsored by Google, but I seriously LOVE google. The email, drive, everything that can link together is amazing. I particularly love using Google Drive for planning my travels. Once I book my flight, I immediately begin the planning process by creating a new "Google Sheets", which is essentially like an Excel document. Then I start going OCD on it and begin my planning. I learned the Google Sheets technique from a dear friend of mine, and I've loved using it ever since. He is AMAZING at planning travel and researching, so I attribute a lot of my planning skills (and the color coding) to him, (Thanks Matt!).
1. I start by, of course BOOKING THAT FLIGHT.
Start getting excited by putting the dates you'll be gone, and the flights times.
2. Then the fun part, the RESEARCH.
I start this process by first, asking any friends or family members who have been to the place I'm going, if they have any suggestions or recommendations.
Then I begin scouring the internet of things to do in the city, sites to see, reading lonely planet, The Blonde Abroad, or World of Wanderlust's pages to see if they have been and some points of interest. I literally try to google everything I can.
Lastly I'll look on Pinterest for some ideas. Some great travel bloggers post tips and even itineraries on there to help you figure out what best fits your desires. If you're into sweet desserts and macaroons, you can search for best macaroon shops in _____. Or if you're a "grammer", you can search "Most Instagrammable Spots in ______". It all depends on what YOU want to do, and what you want to get out of your travel (or vacation).
3. The DEETS
Once I figure out what I want to see and do, I start researching details. For example, if I want to go to a particular museum, it's important to know what days their open, what their hours are, and I like to know Admission cost, and if a student ID can help me save some $$. It would suck to travel somewhere and get to the door of a place you want to go, only to find that they are closed that day, or that week. That would be my worst nightmare. So I put in the time beforehand to figure out these details so I can enjoy my trip. This also helps me determine what day I want to go where once I start the actual planning process.
4. Getting into the nitty gritty, the PLANNING.
This part, is where I get a little crazy. I start using Google Maps to see what parts of town every place is. For example, I'm currently planning for a trip to Boston, so I found out that the Boston Commons is closer to downtown area, whereas Fenway Park is West of that, closer to the Boston College. Once I find out where things are, it helps me better plan my activities so that I'm not running all around town just to get from place to place, instead I can do a few activities that are near each other, and then head out to a different neighborhood of the city. Not only does this make the trip efficient, it makes so much sense. This is especially true in Tokyo, Japan. Every neighborhood seems like it's a different city in itself.
5. COLOR CODING for the win. Fill in that Google Sheet!
Finally, when I have a general idea of where I'm going to go, and on what day, I begin filling in my Google Doc. I've learned to use color coding from my friend, to block out a few hours at each place, so that I can account for commute time, waiting in lines, and/or food breaks in between. It's a great way to be organized and know when you're planning to be busy and where you plan to be.
Those are the basics of some of the travel planning tips I have. What do you do to plan your travels? Do you like to wander and get lost? What tips do you have for travel planning?