Trip Planning Tips

Travel Guides

Travel guides I've used include Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Footprint and Insight. These can be expensive to buy in book form and heavy to cart around on a trip. It is cheaper to download e-versions where available and then you can consult them on a tablet and/or smartphone while you're on the move. I borrow hardback versions to read at home from the local library, which cost me nothing and I find them easier to work on while in the process of working up a plan.

Planning

I use the planning app '2Do' to generate an itinerary, keeping notes that I can refer to as we go along. This is very handy as it cuts down the need to refer to multiple sources you have used to keep track of where and when you're going, and the things you want to do.

'2do' planner

Alongside the 2do notes I use the 'Tripit' app to keep track of travel and accommodation arrangements. This is really handy as it uploads your emails from train/plane/ferry/car hire companies with details of your tickets, and from hotels/other accommodation providers with details of your stay.

Tripit

Where to Stay

Cost and accessibility are probably the biggest considerations for most travellers. If you're using Trip Advisor to look for accommodation it is well worth looking on the website at the Map option for the area you're looking at. This makes it easier to check how accessible the accommodation is for transport, sights and eating options. Other useful websites for checking accommodation include Booking.com and Expedia. As well as cross referencing prices for a particular accommodation choice to get the best deal, it may be worth your while searching for it under its own name online to see if you can book directly with the provider to see if you can pick up a better price.

Flights

Various websites and apps can be used to check on flight options/prices. I use Skyscanner to check routes out, but its worth checking prices directly with the airlines when you've done this to check on deals. Also, if you're doing a trip that includes more than one flight don't forget to use the Multi-City search option. I've managed to pick up some fantastic deals this way, including 4 free domestic flights inside Colombia with the national carrier Avianca when I booked international return flights!

Government Travel Advice

It is always advisable to look at the Government Travel Advice for the countries and areas you are planning on visiting. This will help you get oversight of health and security issues you will need to take note of.

Health & Insurance

You will need to ensure you have appropriate vaccinations for the places you are visiting, and that your travel insurance covers your requirements while you are away from home.

Currency

These days cash is no longer king, and it is the riskiest way to cover your monetary requirements when travelling away from home. You will of course want a small amount of cash to cover immediate requirements before you can get to an ATM. A bank card for withdrawals should carry minimum charges, but your own bank may charge quite exorbitant rates for withdrawing cash abroad. There are currency conversion cards such as CAXTON which allow you to withdraw cash at foreign cashpoints without charge (local charges may be applied though). Your credit card should also allow you to spend without extra charges. A small amount of US dollars or your own currency may provide a useful stopgap for emergencies like when the ATMs go on the blink(thunderstorms, power outages etc.) so that you can change that into the local currency to tide you over.

Passport & Visas

Make sure you have at least 6 months left before your passport expires as many countries require this as a condition of entry. Also be careful to check the details of visa requirements for the countries you will be visiting, with the websites for both your home government and for your destination country.

UZBEKISTAN - Central Asia’s Silk Road

Travelling along the Central Asian section of the ancient trading routes between China and Europe. Visiting the cities of Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. There are a large number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites on this trip, covering religious buildings, fortifications, bazaars and the scientific and cultural aspects of the country. (Picture shows Bibi Khanym Mosque, Samarkand ) HOW TO GET THERE We travelled as a couple with a personalised itinerary provided by the tour company Avantour ( based in Tashkent), who booked our hotels, rail tickets, guides and drivers for our journey. We flew from Manchester (U.K.) with a connecting flight from Istanbul to Tashkent. ROUTE Headed out from Tashkent we went to Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva then flew out from Urgench to Istanbul and then back to Manchester. TASHKENT Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and the biggest city in Central Asia. Most of the old buildings in the city were destroyed by the earthquake of 1966, a...

NORWAY - Fjords & Northern Lights

Travelling on the Coastal Ferry - headed all the way up through the Norwegian Fjords, crossing the Arctic Circle to the far North Eastern corner of Norway, close to the border with Russia. This is a 12 day round trip, catching sight of the Northern Lights(Aurora Borealis). Route of Havila Cruise with stops from/to Bergen How to get there There are plenty of options to get to the starting point at Bergen. However there is only really one way of seeing the fjords, which is by boat. Various cruise companies operate part of the main routes but only 2 run the route of the old ‘mailboat’ connecting the cities,towns and villages along the coast. Before 2021 only Hurtigruten ran this service, but there is now a major rival - the Havila Krysruten line. Havila built a brand new fleet of 4 ferry/small cruise ships which are excellently equipped to high hotel standards. These ships are powered by low emission engines. These are very quiet with no smelly fumes. The engine includes a...

JAPAN - Central Cities train trip

Japan is a wonderful blend of the ancient and ultra-modern. There are a large number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites on this trip - fabulous gardens, temples and cultural highlights linked by super smooth fast bullet trains. Visiting the major cities of Central Japan - Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Okayama and Kanazawa - together with trips out to the Nikko National Park and Naoshima Island. (Picture shows Garden at Nishio Yatsuhashi-no-Sato restaurant , Kyoto) HOW TO GET THERE We arrived at Tokyo's Haneda International Airport. For this trip we used the services of a travel company - for a number of reasons. As you may know from other posts we have usually made all our own travel arrangements because we enjoy tailoring trips to our own tastes. The Japan trip took us outside our usual comfort zone because we have no language skills at all in Japanese. We also wanted to make the most of our time on the trip rather than having to navigate all the connections and bookings befo...

GUATEMALA - Mayan and Spanish Colonial heritage.

HOW TO GET THERE We flew into Guatemala City, and then made the journey to and from Flores by plane. All other journeys were by minibus or taxi, apart from boating on Lake Atitlan. As an alternative arrival you could take a Pullman Coach Bus to Antigua out of Copan Ruinas in Honduras that takes about 7 hours if you want to make this part of a longer Central American trip. (See the separate post on Nicaragua and Copan Ruinas.) You will need to check for the current health restrictions that may be in place for your arrival in Guatemala. ROUTE WHERE TO GO SAFELY Guatemala does not have a clear rating for safety/security, so you will need to check your own Government's travel advisory page for the latest updates. Most criminal activity is not aimed at tourists but attacks have happened. Although this should not put you off, you need to be aware and take precautions. There are issues about where and when you shouldn't go to particular places, but you will...

SINGAPORE & BORNEO short break/stopover

SINGAPORE - MacRitchie Reservoir Park WHERE TO? HOW LONG? You may be on your way somewhere else, or need to make the most of your precious time with a short break. Many travellers spend just one night in Singapore, but if you plan to stay a little longer you will have a great opportunity to savour what this part of the world has to offer. That’s why the suggestion here is for a lengthier stay, including a short break on the nearby larger island of Borneo. SINGAPORE Singapore is built on trade and is now the 2nd busiest port in the world. Singapore is where many of the world’s civilisations meet up in a jungle setting. SINGAPORE DOWNTOWN The Downtown area is concentrated around the mouth of the Singapore River. Few cities offer as many cultural influences in such a tight space - Little India, Chinatown, the Arab Quarter and the British Colonial District. All of these areas are easily accessible on foot. Not to be missed: The Arab Quarter’s fine clot...

ANCIENT THAILAND - A slow rail trip

THAILAND - A slow rail trip through Ancient Cities. Rail travel - what’s not to like? Take it nice and slow with overnight stops and linger in some fantastic ancient cities on the journey from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. Pictured SUKHOTHAI - Historical Park HOW TO GET THERE Coming from outside Thailand you'll need to fly into Bangkok unless you're coming overland from elsewhere in Asia, in which case you could start in Chiang Mai and just do the rail trip. There is also an overnight sleeper train that does the journey between Bangkok and Chiang Mai in 15 hours if you prefer to do that rather than the domestic flight. ROUTE This is mainly a rail trip, with a flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai at the beginning. Both of these cities feature heavily in the itinerary for the trip and are properly destinations in their own right. The additional main features of the trip are on the rail journey between the two major cities, visiting the towns of Phitsanulok and Lop Buri...

CHILE- Central Cities and Lake District tour

VALPARAISO HOW TO GET THERE We flew into Santiago via Miami on an overnight flight. We managed to get a good deal on our flights with Latam , the Chilean carrier, for all the domestic stops and the international journey by selecting the multi-city option when booking on their internet site. Much of this trip is by plane, with bus/taxi transfers on the short journey legs. You'll need about 3 weeks to do this trip at the leisurely pace we chose, although you could do it in 2 weeks if you cut down the number of nights in some of the locations. ROUTE: SANTIAGO We opted to stay in the Providencia area, with metro links into the centre, good accommodation and dining facilities nearby. This is a short walk from the Sculpture Park which is set on the banks of the Mapocho river. On the way back you’ll pass by or pop in to the Costanera Center - the largest shopping mall in South America with large food halls. SANTIAGO - Providencia Sculpture Park Early on in our stay we t...

PORTUGAL (North) - Historic towns ,cities and the green (verde) region

Take the trip heading out of Northern Spain to the remote mountainous Verde (Green) region of Portugal, and travel back via the historic towns and cities of Braganza, Guimares, Braga, Santiago de Compostela and Gijon. Photo shows Braganza - the Citadel HOW TO GET THERE We completed this trip with a car and towed caravan*. The main loop of the trip inside Spain and then into Portugal could just as easily start anywhere within it, and you could do it in a car staying in hotels or other accommodation. Headed to Portugal from the UK or Northern Europe you have plenty of options on land routes and stops on the way across France. Alternatively there are ferries into Santander and Bilbao from the UK. We took three weeks to complete the main trip loop, and a further week in total on the outward and return journeys across France taking the ferry from Newhaven(UK) to Dieppe(F). * please see notes on travelling with a caravan or motorhome underneath the header 'Caravanning' next ...

MEXICO - Spanish colonial heritage

GUANAJUATO - night view HOW TO GET THERE We flew into Mexico City. We travelled around on buses or took local taxis/other transport options. The inter-city buses are the Pullman/Executivo type with massive legroom and reclining seats. As we had pre-booked all our accommodation and knew our departure dates we bought our onward coach tickets at each arrival point after leaving Mexico City. ROUTE This is a tour focused on the Spanish colonial cities to the north and west of the capital. WHERE TO GO SAFELY We were fortunate to have a contact in Mexico who offered to have a look at our itinerary before we finalised our plans and booked accommodation. We were advised not to go to destinations in our original plan that were further north and on the west coast as they were not deemed to be so safe. All the places on our route were safe, and the people were very friendly and helpful. Parts of Mexico do not have a clear rating for safety/security, so you will need to check...

CROATIA/SLOVENIA - city, countryside and coast tour

A road trip starting out from the Northern coast of Europe and travelling down through Holland. Germany and Austria into Slovenia and then Croatia. Including visits to Lake Bled, the Istria peninsula, Split, Zagreb, Ljubljana and the Plitvice Lakes. Photo shows: ROVINJ, CROATIA HOW TO GET THERE We started on our journey to Slovenia/Croatia from the ferry terminal at the Hook of Holland, because we were travelling with our caravan* (towed) from the UK. The main loop of the trip inside Slovenia/Croatia could just as easily start anywhere within it, and you could do it in a car staying in hotels or other accommodation. If you're not intending to travel across Holland, Germany & Austria please see the Route 2. map below and then jump forward in the itinerary to the section on the Slovenia/Croatia loop starting at Lake Bled. If you do the whole trip this will take you about 6 weeks, with 3 weeks just for the loop inside Slovenia/Croatia which is 960 miles plus mileage for side trip...

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