33 Expert Travel Planning Tips From Adventurous Travel Bloggers

Many of us share dreams of exploring the world, experiencing new cultures, and embarking on thrilling adventures. However, turning these dreams into reality requires meticulous planning and insider knowledge. That’s where expert planning tips can help.

We’ve been planning trips and exploring the world for a long time – and we’ve developed checklists and processes that work for us. Recently, we reached out to the travel blogging community to get even more ideas for travel planning.

In this post, we’re bringing you an expert travel planning tips compilation from our friends in the travel blogging community.  We’re gathering the wisdom of the crowd to give you inspiration and advice for planning your future travel adventures.

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Traverse With Taylor – Expert Travel Planning Tips

Emphasize Experiencing Moments

Taylor says, “My biggest tip is to stop trying to fit everything in. With countries in Europe being so close together, it’s easy to try to hop from place to place, seeing all of the things on your list! But travel isn’t about checking things off of a list; travel is about experiencing moments. So stop planning everything down to the minute and spend some time wandering. The feedback I often get is that those days where “nothing” was planned were the most memorable!”

Plan Details From Big to Small

Start planning big. Then, do the details. It quickly gets overwhelming if you try to do it all at once. Find your dates and places, for example. Then, narrow down how you will get from place to place. And only once you’ve handled the big ticket items, worry about what to do and see, where to eat, etc. 

Plan For Travel Days

And don’t forget to budget for travel days! So many people account for delicious meals or their favorite souvenirs they’re dying to pick up. But don’t forget- even when flying across the country or taking a train, you still need meals! And drinks and snacks and whatever else! Budget for these days, too. 

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Solo Women RV – Expert Travel Planning Tips

Consider Chat GPT for Travel Planning

Kathy says, “At the suggestion of a friend, I recently used Chat GPT to help me plan a trip. I was driving from Oregon to Arizona in my RV. I asked for help planning a route where I knew a few key places I wanted to stop and input the number of hours I wanted to drive daily. I also asked it to help me find free places to camp at night. I was pleasantly surprised by the results I got.”

“Within a few minutes, I had a general route with suggestions of where to stop each night. I had to ask a few times for it to give me specific places for free camping with addresses or locations.  It was a good starting point for me to investigate further. I then got out my map and favorite camping apps to complete the planning process.” 

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Hiking The Alps – Expert Travel Planning Tips

Try the Komoot App for Planning Outdoor Activities

Linda’s tip is to use the Komoot App to plan outdoor activities. The App is free but has a paid option to add offline maps and other features. You can plan and record hikes, bike tours, runs, etc, and share everything on social platforms or your blog.

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Sand and Elevation – Expert Travel Planning Tips

Book Add-On Experiences Early

As soon as you book your accommodation, book your massages, tours, etc, with the hotel immediately! You can cancel later if you change your mind. But if you wait to do this until two weeks before you leave, often, they’re already booked.

Learn About Your Destination Before Your Trip

Before your trip, take some time to learn a few things about your destination. Maybe it’s a place’s history, landmarks, or a particular dish worth knowing a thing or two about ahead of time. This knowledge enriches your experience of a place and helps with small talk when you’re there.

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Wayless Travelers – Expert Travel Planning Tips

Map Out Your Points of Interest

When researching a country and planning a trip, it helps tremendously to map all the points of interest on Google Maps by clicking the “save” button. In this way, after browsing the top cities to visit or things to do, I can easily visualize in Google Maps which areas have the highest concentration of activities I want. This way, it can help me decide which places to visit and give a hint on how long I will need to stay there to experience all the main activities.

It also helps me decide between two regions/cities if I only have time for one. The same can apply when deciding between visiting two countries. The more points on the map for that country, the more exciting things there are for me to see!

Keep Details on a Spreadsheet

When I get further into travel planning, I find it very useful to make an Excel sheet calendar showing each date, some of the activities I would want to do, and my accommodation information. This is particularly useful to account for and visualize the actual days in each place.

For example, I plan to spend four days in Bangkok and assume that staying from February 1-4 would fulfill that. However, when we account for the fact that the plane arrives on the 1st at night, and then I need to check out on the 4th, I only have two full days. Putting it in the calendar, accounting for the transport days, and inputting some activities into each day makes it far easier to visualize if you have enough time at each destination.

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Two Empty Passports – Expert Travel Planning Tips

Add an Extra Day in Large Cities

Whether you enjoy slow travel, struggle with chronic pain, or have reduced mobility, your physical capabilities, energy, and pain levels should factor into your daily itinerary.

Make a list of things to do at your destination. Then, consider the size of the city, the distance between sights, your pain or energy levels, and how to plan to get around the city. This can help you decide how much time you need to get to and enjoy each sight.

Pay attention to how many days others recommend spending in your destination, too. If they recommend three days, add a 4th day to your itinerary.

This extra day removes the pressure and time constraints on your body and allows you time to rest and manage your pain. It also allows you time to wander off the tourist path, discover what makes the city unique, and travel at a more relaxed pace.

Consider Renting a Mobility Aid

If you struggle with limited mobility because of a hidden disability like fibromyalgia or experience fatigue because of a chronic illness, consider renting a mobility aid for the duration of your trip. This can be the best thing you can do to ensure a relaxing holiday.

Many worldwide destinations, like Amsterdam, Paris, or Tokyo, make it easy to rent a mobility aid, like a wheelchair, for single and multiple-day trips. For example, I rented a wheelchair for my five-week trip to Japan. The service was fantastic, the cost was minimal, and it was delivered to my hotel. Super easy!

If you don’t require an aid for your entire trip, know that you can rent or borrow a wheelchair in most museums, theme parks, galleries, shopping malls, and airports worldwide.

Check the tourism board or your destination to learn more about wheelchair rentals for your trip.

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On To New Adventures – Expert Travel Planning Tips

Seek Out Advice From Locals

Our top travel tip: don’t overschedule every minute of your trip whenever possible.  Intentionally set aside a few hours, or even a full day, where you can “live like a local.” 

Asking residents about their favorite places to eat, where they hang out in their free time, or an off-the-beaten-path experience has led us to some truly memorable hidden gems that we never would have discovered on our own. We learn much more from interacting with people than from reading a guidebook or searching on Google!

We never would have stumbled across Iceland’s incredibly delicious licorice if we hadn’t asked a local for tips about signature gifts we could carry home to friends and family. While spending Christmas in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua, we enjoyed the higher-end restaurants recommended in our guidebook. 

But our most memorable meal came when we asked a person on the street where he liked to eat lunch. He walked with us for a few blocks to a neighborhood taco stand, where we enjoyed authentic, homemade tacos for a fraction of what you’d pay in a restaurant.  And in Nova Scotia, we abandoned our plan for the day to go hiking with our affable B&B host. We accompanied him along a scenic trail with spectacular overlooks without a tourist in sight.

So there you have it!  Enhance your journey by gaining insider tips about a place from those who call it home.

Discover the Efficiency of Packing Cubes

Packing for a trip became much more efficient once we invested in a set of packing cubes. Packing cubes are zip containers that organize your belongings and fit inside your suitcase. They help compress clothing, therefore saving space in your luggage. They also keep clothing from shifting around during transit, reducing wrinkles.

Packing cubes also help you stay organized once you’ve reached your destination. Separating similar items into cubes keeps you from rummaging through your entire suitcase when looking for a particular item. The cubes can go right into a drawer without unpacking. The zippers around the top of the cube make it convenient to access your items.

I love my five-piece set by TravelWise. The mesh design allows you to see what’s inside easily. It makes it easy for you to locate your favorite pair of shorts and helps security travel agents check out your luggage without pawing through all of your loose clothing.

I was slow to jump on the packing cube craze, but now I can’t imagine traveling without them!

I’m also a big advocate of Apple Air tags for tracking lost luggage.

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09/09/2024 05:50 pm GMT

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New England Wanderlust – Expert Travel Planning Tips

Must-See Attractions Are Often Still Worth It

Social media can often make it feel like certain places are “overdone” and “too touristy,” but let’s face it: places like these are popular for a reason! Sure, not all the top-rated attractions around the world may be worth it for you, but if it’s your dream to see the Eiffel Tower in Paris, you shouldn’t be discouraged because people refer to it as “touristy.” Everyone is a tourist at some point in their lives, and this word isn’t always bad, nor should it prevent you from seeing everything in the world you want to see. Embrace being a tourist and do everything you want to do!

It’s Okay to Relax While Traveling!

When I first started to travel, I would cram my itinerary with activities all day long and leave virtually no time to wander around a new city or town to soak it all in. It’s okay if that’s your travel style, but I encourage everyone to schedule at least a half or full day in each destination where you have no plans and see where the day takes you. Grab lunch in a café you stumbled upon, allow time to get lost, and experience the destination like a local. Since I’ve started doing this while traveling, I’ve gained a bigger appreciation for the destination and its people and have felt more rested and relaxed.

I also always say it’s okay to nap and rest while traveling. I used to feel so guilty about this because I was worried about the things I wouldn’t see if I spent any time napping. But international travel can be hard on the body, and even just an hour-long nap will allow you to feel more energized and probably enjoy the rest of your trip more than if you pushed through feeling tired and run-down. Keeping up with sleep is also a good way to keep your immune system strong and prevent catching colds while traveling!

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Open Road Odysseys – Expert Travel Planning Tips

Get Your Car Inspected Prior to a Road Trip

If you are taking a road trip, make sure you get your car looked over by a mechanic before you head out. Get the oil changed, tires rotated, all fluids topped off, and windshield wipers checked. You don’t want to discover your vehicle has a problem once you are on the road.

Get Your Home Ready For Departure

Make a list of things you must do around your home before leaving. This could include putting your mail on hold, watering your plants, putting together a list of info for your pet sitter, or leaving a key with your neighbor. We tend to worry about these things when we are away, so creating a list ahead of time and ensuring the items are done will get your house in order before you go on vacation.

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Life in Rural France – Expert Travel Planning Tips

Plan a Mystery Day

Allocate one day of your trip as a ‘mystery day’ where you don’t plan anything in advance. Instead, on that day, ask locals for recommendations or choose activities based on local flyers or posters you come across. I’ve found that this leads to some lovely, unexpected, and memorable experiences not found in guidebooks.

Explore Local Markets Early in the Morning

Visiting local markets can be an excellent way to immerse yourself in the local culture, but try going early in the morning. This is when you’ll see local life’s real hustle and bustle, and you might get to interact with local vendors before the crowds arrive.

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Written By Kel – Expert Travel Planning Tips

Invest in a Long Raincoat

My first one is investing in a long raincoat if traveling to a rainy city or country. Nothing is worse than being thoroughly soaked from the legs down. I’m from Vancouver, or “Raincouver,” and I see all types of raincoats and jackets people wear. Usually, I found the people who do better in the rain are the ones with a longer raincoat. I have a longer raincoat and a normal short one. I love both, but I grab my longer one when it’s pouring out because it keeps me a lot drier.

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09/09/2024 05:51 pm GMT

Wear Your Heavy Clothes to the Airport

My second tip is to wear everything heavy or big to the airport so you only have a carry-on. Got a big jacket? Wear it on the plane. Packing a hoodie? Wear it on the plane. It will also save you space in your suitcase for other things.

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Our Campfire Unplugged – Expert Travel Planning Tips

Use a Large Paper Map or Atlas to Plan Your Travel Route

I love using paper for this initial planning process because I can visualize our route. I can plan the major stops where we will stay for several days and explore and the minor stops where we will stay overnight en route to our major destinations.

Utilize Online Resources to Understand the Good and Bad of Campgrounds

Campground websites often showcase the very best pictures on the best days ever. We view the web as our toolbox to validate the quality of the RV campground. Google, Yelp, Content Creators, and RV Life all help us secure excellent campgrounds for our adventures.

Learn to Use AllTrails to Plan Hiking Adventures Before Venturing into the Woods

Splurge on the paid version to save and download trails you want to hike before visiting the area. The best part about this feature is that once you are at the National Park or where your destination is, you can access your listing, begin navigation, and turn your phone to airplane mode and low battery to conserve power!

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Defining Decade – Expert Travel Planning Tips

Download Travel Apps Before Traveling

Download your apps before you go: The key apps I recommend are local transport apps, for example, Uber, Kakao, or Grab, depending on your destination, Google Translate, Google Maps for downloading offline maps, Currency App, and your airline app for checking into flights and accessing entertainment. 

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Teach Travel Discover – Expert Travel Planning Tips

Focus on Your Partner When Planning a Romantic Getaway

First, a perfect romantic getaway feels easy, seamless, and uncomplicated, and my advice for a smooth trip is to keep it simple. It can be tempting to book all the tours, plan all the excursions, and schedule every minute of your vacation time. But the point of romantic travel isn’t the destination – it’s your partner. When you avoid overscheduling, you encourage fun, flexibility, spontaneity – and all the romance those things bring!

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

The best kind of romantic travel exposes you to new experiences. And who better to navigate those new experiences with than your partner? When you try new – and maybe even scary – things together as a couple, you improve communication, strengthen your bond, and excite your relationship. 

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Voices of Travel – Expert Travel Planning Tips

Match Personal Interests with Destinations

Write down all your interests and look for activities in a destination you plan to visit that match your interests.

Plan the Days Needed For Each Destination

Use a paper and write down how many days you plan to spend in the destination (write 1. day, 2. day, 3. day – distribute all activities you want to do into the days)

Plan Efficient Ways to Get Between Locations During Travel

Research how to get from one place to another most efficiently so you can spend less time on the road and more time enjoying the activities – find travel passes in the country that will give you flexibility in your travel plans.

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Wandering Michigan Wisconsin – Expert Travel Planning Tips

Ferry Around Large Bodies of Water

Mary Rowland provides tips for travelers moving around large bodies of water. For example, traveling across Lake Michigan between Michigan and Wisconsin via a high-speed 2-1/2 hours car ferry is less stressful, especially from central Michigan to central Wisconsin.

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The Places Where We Go – Expert Travel Planning Tips

We’re thankful for all of our contributors and the breadth of travel planning tips they brought to share with our community. And we’d like to join this party too with a top tip.

Follow Your Roots

Listeners of our podcast will be familiar with our frequent travel itineraries influenced by our genealogical research. Hunting down who our ancestors were and where they lived has shaped our travel selections. We never would have visited Raglan Castle in Wales or the Trenchard Museum of RAF Halton without learning how our family’s personal story connects to these places. And there are many more similar destinations we’ve experienced following our roots.

So, we suggest exploring your personal story. You probably have ancestors whose journeys you can trace today. With the advent of DNA tools such as Ancestry.com, it’s never been easier to trace one’s lineage. Research your family tree and plan an adventure to see where your ancestors lived.

Commit Dates to Your Calendar

One of the best ways to ensure your dream travel happens is to mark off dates on your calendar reserved for your travel adventure.

Once you set the dates on your calendar, you can avoid booking conflicting appointments that will keep you from leaving home. You’ll know to tell others that you’re unavailable during your reserved dates.  Then, you can begin the process of planning your trip.

Interestingly, we still have many places to discover close to home that we tell ourselves year after year; maybe we’ll do it this year.  In our local backyard, a few examples that come to mind include sailing out to the Channel Islands, visiting a few local community museums, and logging more miles on the California Mission Trail.

All it takes is to set a marker on the calendar as the date to do planned activities.  OK – that’s it – calendar, here we come!

Thanks for reading this compilation of top travel planning tips. We hope you’ve picked up some helpful information to plan your future travel adventures.

Julie & Art
#traveltips

09/10/2024 05:30 pm GMT

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