How to Start a Trip?… from nothing to the Airport in 5 steps

The New Year is already here, so now what?… have you thought about your first trip of the year?. It doesn’t matter if it is going to be a long weekend, a vacation, a holiday or whatever… The thing is how to start?. It can seem hard at the beginning, but it is a lot easier than we think.

Let’s start from ‘nothing’. We will be at the Airport following 5 simple steps:

Step 1 – The ‘Key’ Questions

There are 3 essential things we have to know:

- When? – which month?, summer or winter?, how many days/weeks?

- Where? – a city?, beach?, mountain?… where??

- How much?

Sometimes we travel for a few days or a long weekend. In that case, we probably can afford it without any problem.

If we are planning a long trip, it is better to break our budget down into those fixed expenditures such as transport, accommodation, meals and attractions.

Step 2 – Buying the Tickets

Air-planes, trains, buses… however we travel, buy it as soon as possible!

It’s important to check out required visas and documents BEFORE buying the ticket!.

Don’t do what I did once: I bought a ticket to USA before having the visa and then it was denied! :S… yep, I lost the flight tickets, the money and everything else… It was an expensive learnt lesson!

Step 3 – Start Planning

Now it is time to start the planning itself.

There are some things that really matter, in order to avoid stress and take the most of our time.

- Basic Essentials.

Figure out about the basic essentials of the place such as plugs and adapters, public transport system, some prices and currency exchange rate, how to go from the airport to the city, etc.

Check out here if we have already made it for you: TTP Travel Guides.

Planning is the key.

- What we want to do/see?

Find out about what the place offers.

There is plenty information on line. One of the ‘classic’ is Lonely Planet, for example.

After that, we will decide what is important and what we could miss… prioritize them!.

For example, if we prefer out-door activities instead of in-door ones, leave the museums for a rainy day, or an early afternoon if the weather is too hot.

The better organized, the most time and money we will save.

- Have a look at Google Maps -or at any map

When we look at a map we are able to appreciate the whole area, distances, highlights locations, parks, etc.

If we organize our activities according to their location, we will save time and money.

- Book at least the first night’s accommodation in advance.

Sometimes, for different reasons, we prefer to book our accommodation once at the place, and there is no problem with that -we love improvising too!. The only thing we suggest is to have the first night booked in advance to avoid stress.

Step 4 – Let’s Pack Up

Depending on what kind of travel we do, pick out what we really REALLY need; it means, not the hole wardrobe!; and we don’t even need to fill our suitcase.

Some things to take into account:

- weather/season: choose your clothing wisely according to the weather

- think about what is worth to buy at the place: sunscreen, umbrella, guidebooks, warm clothing;

- digitalize documents;

- if you are travelling with a friend ‘share your stuff’!

The less we pack, the better and easier.

On the other hand, don’t forget important stuff:

- some obvious ones: documents (including drive license), itineraries, toothbrush, camera

- chargers and adapters;

- sun glasses… mmm, what else?

It is a good idea to make a ‘first selection’ a couple of days before, and then reduce them to half during the following days. In addition, to make a check list is also recommendable.

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Step 5 – Just Go!… and arrive early!

We hope you have a wonderful trip!

If you think we are missing something important here, please, let us know!. We appreciate your comments and suggestions… You can help us to make travelling easier and easier.

PS: Techmen