Are you sick and tired of dreaming of all the amazing places you can go, and not going? I hear you. The thought of planning a trip can be extremely intimidating, especially if you don’t know where to start. But look at you here, starting to build your dream trip! I became an avid traveler back in 2012. I was a broke college student living in New York but it was a priority for me to see the world and make my travel plans into a reality.
Since then, I have traveled to over 50+ cities in and outside of the United States. If broke college me can do it, so can you! You’ve already taken the first step by being here. Now let’s get you over the hurdle that stops most people from taking that dream trip. By the time you finish this article, you’ll be well on your way to making your travel plans into reality.
The Fun Part!
Your first step will be figuring out where you want to go! What has been at the top of your list? What have you been pinning on your Pinterest board or saving on your Instagram? Start there. I always like to choose a country first and then narrow down the cities I’d like to visit based on popularity, length of my trip, and budget. Once you’ve chosen which country you’d like to visit, you’re well on your way to making your travel plan into a reality!
The Scary Part
This next step is EVERYTHING. It can make or break your ability to make your travel plans into a reality–booking your flight! Although it’s early on in the planning process, most people get to this step and throw everything to the wayside. Flight prices can look to be incredibly expensive and trying to pin down the “right” dates can be intimidating. Take a deep breath, you can do this. I’ll show you how.
Choosing the “Right” Date
Surprise! There really is no “right” date for anyone. We work with what we have! I work in the education system so I never really have a choice because my breaks align with the school calendar. If you have the flexibility to choose your PTO time, go ahead and play around with your flight dates. Sometimes, you can find cheaper flights by going during the off-season.
Regardless, it’s a good idea to do some high-level research about the different seasons and weather patterns in the country of your choosing. You don’t want to pay hundreds of dollars to go somewhere it will be raining the entire time. Unless that’s your thing, of course! Also, it’s important to do your research on an Incognito tab so that companies don’t try to increase your flight prices based on your search history.
What Airport Do I Fly Into?
Once you have a general understanding of when to go on your trip, pull open an Incognito tab on your browser and type in “Flights to ______ from _____” and type in the specific city or country of your choosing and your departure city.
Don’t know which city to fly into? If you’ve put in “Flights to England” for example, the search will often bring up the biggest cities within the country. Most of the time, flying into the biggest city in the country is the most affordable option. Once you’re in a country, traveling within the country is much cheaper than flying directly to the small cities from your departure destination. Usually, I’ll choose to do a roundtrip flight to the biggest city in that country as it is the most affordable option.
Now that you have a good idea of how to narrow down your flight options, pick the time window/price that works best for you and BOOK IT!
You Did It
That’s it. You did it! You booked your flight and now you’re on your way. I know it may sound simple, but booking your flight is the catalyst to planning the rest of your trip. No flight? Why plan? Flight? Plan! You’ve already put the money down, there’s no way you’re NOT going to plan.
You’d be surprised how many of my friends and the people around me put their dream trips on hold because they can’t take that first step. They go years talking about the trips but never take the first step to actually going on the trips. Life is short and there is way too much to see! So book that ticket and go see it. We’re living in the golden age of travel. It is the most accessible and affordable it has ever been, take the leap and book that flight.
Interested in more of my travel tips, tricks, and stories? Find them here!
