I love to plan travel! Deciding where to go, how long to stay, and what you want to see and do is an exciting and important part of any trip. The anticipation is almost as much fun as the journey. My friends often ask me how I plan my vacations. (It seems they think I plan some pretty good adventures!) It is not without a bit of effort, but I love finding great experiences that suit my style and interests and I'm open to many types of travel. For instance, when people think about a vacation to Italy they think of the biggies— Rome, Venice, Florence, Naples , Pisa— I could go on!!  I’ve been to all of them and they are amazing, and filled with rich history and culture. However, Roy and I decided to walk the Way of St. Francis from Florence to Rome and we discovered some of the most beautiful towns, special spots, and amazing locals. I never would have thought about ( or perhaps even heard of!) Gubbio, Scheggino, Piediluco,  or San Sepolcro, if we hadn’t ventured off the very well beaten path of Italy’s most popular attractions. Don’t dismiss a travel opportunity just because it’s not what you might “normally do”. Most often those are the more profound experiences.

SO....are you ready to shake up your travel planning? Here are the five steps I use to plan great travel.

#1  make a list

Anyone who knows me is laughing right now. I’m forever making lists and a list is my “go to” to solve just about any issue! Make a list of all the places you’ve ever wanted to visit or activities you’ve wanted to participate in. Want to bike the length of Italy? Add it to the list. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge? No problem. (Check out my list here.) Maybe your list contains entire countries or perhaps cities. It might also have more specific destinations like the Grand Canyon or activities you’ve always wanted to particpate in like ziplining or diving on the Great Barrier Reef. Just brainstorm and dream. Even if it’s not something you feel is realistic, add it anyway. Dont discount any idea you might have. The point is to put your travel dreams on paper. That’s the first step to making it a reality. Besides, once you’ve written it on paper it’s practically a done deal, right?!

#2 narrow it down

This doesn’t mean you are eliminating anything from the list — not at all! Just decide on 3 places to focus on and research more in depth. I look at it like this — if my traveling days were over, which places would I be truly disappointed that I didn’t get to see? So I organize my choices with that in mind. That isn’t necessarily the order in which I will travel but it certainly keeps those places at the forefront of my mind. Two places from my list are on the travel schedule for this year and I’ve already managed to cross a few off. Yay!

Why do I work with 3 (okay, possibly 4 or 5) destinations at a time rather than just one? Because things happen. You could be planning to travel to Nepal and a terrible earthquake could happen in that part of the world or you could be working on that dream trip to California and horrible forest fires break out. I would hope those things would never happen but the reality is that they do and plans get disrupted. We’ve learned that over the last year, haven’t we? If you start with some choices from the beginning of the planning process rather than pinning your destination down right away you have options to have a great trip no matter what. Don’t put all your travel eggs in one basket! Creating choices for yourself also creates more leg work up front for sure but I have found the benefits far outweigh the extra time spent doing a bit of digging. Besides, if you love to travel the biggest issue you might run into is discovering new locations and adding too many places to visit to your ever growing list! Plus, you’ll already have some of the legwork done for future trips. Bonus.

#3 do some digging

Now it's time to get down to the nitty gritty. You may have figured out by now that I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to travel planning. I know, I know…not surprising. Because I travel as much as possible, I actually use a simple spreadsheet to stay organized once I start getting into the details. It provides me at a glance all the information I need to have about trips I have researched. I was guilty for a long time of scribbling on a piece of paper but who knows where the back of that envelope is when you truly need it? (If you’d like a copy just click here, provide your email, and I’ll send it along!)  Since I have an ongoing list of places that I want to travel  it's a great way to keep vacations organized and flexible. And it works for planning a single trip or several at the same time.

Once I’ve narrowed down to 3 options I start to think about what are the most important experiences related to each item on my list. You may have some great ideas after making your list in step 1 or you may have too many choices! I have long ago accepted that you cannot possibly see and do everything you want to do and that's where this step comes in. This is where you choose the places or experiences that truly cant be missed. Everyone’s list will be different but this will help you get a handle on what your vacation will look like.

In the age of coronavirus planning travel has changed drastically! For 2021 and 2022, I've got 2 or 3 options for each stretch of time off just in case something happens and I need to change my plans. Keeping other options available (by using the spreadsheet of course!) also prevents disappointment when something doesn't work as planned. I am planning to head to Turks and Caicos this winter. Right now, traveling there is an option for Americans, but if something should happen, I also have the option to stay in the US and head to Key Largo and snorkel on the coral reef and visit the Everglades. OR, if Great Britain should be an option and open back up, I will take my already planned trip to Scotland that was postponed due to the pandemic. All of these trips are on my travel list and all of these would be a thrill even if the original plan doesn't work out!

#4 get detailed

There are 4 questions to answer here — when, where, what to see, and cost.

First you’ll have to determine when you are going to travel and how long you can go for. Rather than picking a destination and trying to force my vacation time around it, I arrange the time off and choose my destination afterwards. I know that might sound nuts but think of it this way. I like to escape the cold and snow in the winter so I pick time to travel and then choose from my list of tropical locations (see that?? LIST — a list of tropical options to choose from!) Does it get better than that?

Time off is usually somewhat influenced by work. However, I try to make sure that I allot enough time to really enjoy my destination and do the things I want to do. Trying to jam too much into a short time is a recipe for disaster and defeats the relaxing and enjoying you’re supposed to be doing!

Speaking of which…

Roy’s big travel planning tip was to make every day into 3 parts and that is wise, wise, wise advice. It will help you determine how much time you need to do the things you truly want to do. It will also allow you to build in some relaxation time, otherwise you will be totally burned out when you’re supposed to be enjoying! If you organize your day by parts you can make sure you allot rest time and have realistic expectations about what you can see. Plus if you build in a little down time, it gives you flexibility if you want to spend extra time on an activity you particularly love. You won’t feel rushed to get to the next planned activity. Obviously, when we travel we can be spending a lot of money to do so, particularly if large metropolitan areas are involved. We definitely want to get our money’s worth but it is also important to create great memories. You may only get to Paris once — don’t sacrifice beautiful memories for the sake of cramming in one more activity. Be realistic about how much you can see and do without stressing yourself out.

Just because you don't have unlimited time and limitless resources doesn't mean you can't go on some epic trips. Set a realistic budget and then work within that to plan your activities. Be sure to check out great hikes and free things to do in areas that you will be traveling. Be sure to include options in a range of prices so you can pick and choose. Italy is an incredible country with tremendous history and culture but it is going to be more expensive than a trip to a destination in southeast Asia. Both are epic trips but in different ways and with different price points.

#5 book it!

 Once you’ve decided where you’re going, how long you will stay, and what you want to see, it’s time to start making things more concrete. The travel spread sheet helps me keep organized at this stage too. I can add reservations and confirmation numbers and I can see at a glance what I still need to do. I know whether I need a visa and when my deposit is due. It’s a handy tool for keeping all the good stuff organized.

hit the road!!

Pack your bags! It's time to travel!

Here is where all of the leg work pays off. If you've used my spreadsheet method to organize your trip, your travel details are all in one place .You're headed out on an epic vacation because you gave yourself options to have a fantastic trip no matter what goes on in the world. You have all of your travel infomation in one easy to access spot. And most importantly, you're going to be able to create amazing memories that will last a lifetime.