HOW TO EASILY ORGANISE AN INDEPENDENT TRAVEL?
In this post, I will explain in more detail how and in what way you can organize an independent trip without too many complications. Before I begin, I have to mention that planning a certain trip requires a lot of time and will. Today I will point out and explain the most important things that I always pay attention to when it comes to organizing a trip. I have planned more than 30 independent trips and learned a lot along the way.
Let’s begin.
- DECISION
First and foremost, you have to decide that you really want to travel and that you are ready and comfortable travelling alone. This is the most important step of all.
- A PERSON OR A CLIQUE TRAVELLING WITH ME
This is one of the most important steps when it comes to organising a trip. It’s necessary to balance everyone’s wishes and expectations so that everyone could have a good time. For example, I travel with my husband which makes things pretty easy for me because we’re very close, have the same budget and our wishes and ideas about any trip are very similar. If you are travelling with a couple of people or a group, it’s important to make a very detailed travel plan which includes everything from finances to the places which you want to visit.
- CHOOSE THE DATES AND LOCATION
The third step includes choosing the dates with the people you travel with. Why is this important? It’s important because you can then choose the place and buy airplane tickets. I always know in advance when I’ll be free or off work, therefore I choose the location I want to visit accordingly. If I only have a couple of free days, then I make sure I pick a destination which isn’t too far away. During the summer and winter holidays I usually plan longer trips to further destinations. In conclusion, according to the amount of your free days, you can easily start making a trip plan.
- HOW MUCH MONEY ARE YOU WILLING TO SPEND
I’m sure many of you think that travelling is very expensive and that you need to have a large sum of money available to you. That can be true, but it doesn’t have to be. Whenever people go on trips they are aware of the fact that it costs and that nothing is free. When I travel across the ocean or outside of the EU, I know that this trip will be more expensive than when I travel to the country next to mine. The price varies and it depends on the accommodation, the plane ticket, and most of all on your lifestyle. If you want to stay in 5 star hotels, take taxi all the time, eat at Mischelin star restaurants etc. you can’t expect the trip to be cheap. Ultimately, we create most of the budget ourselves.
- AIRPLANE TICKETS AND AIRPORTS
I always look up the tickets on https://www.skyscanner.net. You type in the airport that you want to travel from and your final destination. What I love about this app is that it shows different dates and it also shows the cheapest and the most expensive tickets (green, yellow, red). When I find the suitable ticket, I go to the company’s site and buy it there rather than on Skyscanner. Even though the tickets on Skyscanner often offer a lower price, if the trip gets cancelled they don’t do anything about it. That’s why I would always rather pay 20 to 50 euros more and be safe if anything regarding the trip changes. We usually fly from Vienna or Budapest and rarely from Zagreb. The first two offer a variety of different low-budget companies which are perfect for short flights around Europe. Just as an example, we flew from there to Athens for 9.90 euros, to Mallorca for 19 euros, to London for 35 euros, to Rome for 40 euros etc. Search for different airports near you and compare the prices because sometimes you can save a lot of money just by doing that. I know that all of us want to save as much money as possible when buying tickets so be flexible when it comes to choosing the airport.
- ACCOMMODATION
I book the accommodation almost always through www.booking.com. You can find accommodation through different categories there, just a few being the location, availability for a free ride from the airport, hotels, hostels, private house, price, breakfast included… Personally, the accommodation is very important to me. Out of everything, the location is the most important to me (I like to stay in the center or somewhere where there is a good public transport connection) because then I don’t have to waste time and money.
- TRIP PLAN AND CONTENT
Nowadays, it is really easy to organise a trip and all that comes with it. Just by googling it you can find out what to visit and which are the most important things to see in that place. Download Google Maps because it will make it easier for you to walk around the city and find bus/tram stations. I make a general plan when I’m still at home and I search for the most imporant sights of the place I plan to visit. However, I can say from the experience that the plan usually changes once you arrive there. Every country offers a different story and it’s often quite hard to predict every little detail. This is the reason why I love independent travel.
- INFORM YOURSELF ABOUT THE RULES OF THE COUNTRY YOU ARE TRAVELING TO
If you are travelling through the EU, and your country is also an EU member, there is no need to worry and stress. All you need to bring with you is your ID and credit card. Everything else will be easy because the rules withing the EU are either the same or very similar. If you’re planning a trip outside of the EU or to another continent, preparation takes a bit more time. First of all, check if you have a valid passport for at least 6 months. Next, check if you need a Visa to enter the country. You can do so on the government pages. Some countries allow online Visa application, while others require you to come to the embassy in person with a bunch of documents and it can take a few weeks to process. When it comes to money, the cheaper the country is the more cash you should bring. In developed countries, almost everything is paid with cards and there are no problems with that. Contrary to that, in countries like Cuba, Tanzania, Egypt, Sri Lanka and many others the best thing to do is to have cash on you because often there is no ATMs. It’s also good to check if the country you’re travelling to prefers dollars or euros. I always carry both. Another good idea is to check the season in your desired destination so that you are not caught in rain, storms or other weather conditions.
- WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF AN INDEPENDENT TRAVEL?
Independent travel is great for everyone who likes to manage their own time. Pros include creating your day the way you want it to be and planning every detail to your liking. Moreover, if you spend a little more time on the organisation of your own trip, you can save a lot of money which you’d pay in case you went with some agency. I like freedom when I’m travelling, I love to create my own plan because I learn the most about the culture and the country that way. I bet all of you reading this love to explore new places and want to travel more, cheaper and with better quality. This is exactly why I like to travel independently.
- DARE AND DISCOVER THE WORLD
Travelling is one sort of addiction. When you start to discover all the beauty and magic travel has to offer, you will fall in love with it over and over again and you will want to travel more. Start today. Start now.
This is a brief guide to an independent travel which I have built on the basis of numerous independent trips. One thing to remember is that a trip can never be 100% planned so try to stay open-minded and open for new challenges which occur when you least expect them.
If you have any extra inquiries, you can contact me and I will gladly answer your questions. I hope this travelogue helps you plan your next travel.
Thank you for reading.
Love,
Martina