How to Plan a Trip, Part I

People who say they want to travel come up with a whole slew of excuses for why they can’t. No time off work. It’s too expensive. They don’t have anyone to go with them.

My main goal for this blog is to prove to you that you CAN go on the trip, and you SHOULD book it like, right now. There are 2 hurdles that I allow to be legitimate excuses: if you have children, and/or if you have a job that you need to be in person for.* But even those shouldn’t get in your way completely!

*The people that can work remotely but choose not to because they want to show face in the office + kiss up to their boss do not fit into this demographic of people.

Here’s how to go about planning a trip: 

1. Figure out who you’re going with.

This could be a partner, a friend/friends, or solo. I’m going to be honest: so many people have travel “plans” that never come to fruition because they’re relying on or hoping for a big group of friends getting together. Don’t wait for other people. I recommend traveling with 1 close friend or a partner, but if even they are unreliable, go solo. I PROMISE you won’t regret it.

2. Find the time that you can go.

The next barrier to travel: when will you find time? Make sure your passport is up to date (keep in mind, many countries require it to be valid for 6 months after your trip), and look at your work + personal schedule. Obvi if you’re traveling with a partner or friend, do this together. Do you want a short trip (3-5 days), medium (7-14 days), or do you want to really settle somewhere (3-4 weeks)? And remember—if you work remotely, you can work on the road.

3. Set a budget.

Look at your finances and decide how much you want to spend. This isn’t a money blog, so I’ll let you figure this one out for yourself.

4. Find the place.

Based on allll of the above and a few other factors, decide on your location! Here are a few ways you may narrow it down…

→ If you’re solo (& a woman), you’ll want to look at places that have a reputation for being very safe towards solo travelers, such as Copenhagen or Dublin.

→ If you’re on a budget, you may want to explore Latin America, where the cost of living is much lower than the U.S. and the flight prices are reasonable. 

→ If you’re working remotely, you’ll want to find a place with strong infrastructure for working & a similar time zone, such as Mexico City or Medellín. 

→ If you have a larger chunk of time (2 weeks+), you may explore going further away, like Southeast Asia (I haven’t been here yet but it’s obviously on my list).

→ If you only have a long weekend and need to relax, maybe look into a Carribbean island.

Now it’s time to plan!

You’ve made all the hard decisions. Next comes the fun part! Head over to Part 2 to start putting together an itinerary. (But also… email me your travel plans to let me know I’ve convinced you!).