Planning, Itinerary, Budget and Organization of a trip

You can go directly to the  Itinerary and Trip Planning  or Trip Budget sections . If you’ve already defined your itinerary and trip budget, go directly to the  Think of Everything Before You Go page .   But if you’re at step zero, here’s all the key information you need to get your travel project off the ground.

1 – Choose the destination

You will choose your travel destination(s) primarily based on the time you can travel, your interests, and your budget. You will obviously start by asking yourself a whole bunch of questions to decide on your destination .

Start by calculating your overall budget. If it’s tight, you can already eliminate certain regions of the world. It’s a bit mundane, but yes, without money, some countries are more complicated than others!

If you have no idea how much a trip will cost, use this page and request a quote to get an idea of ​​an itinerary and possible activities in the country (free and without obligation):  Where to go

If you’re looking for inspiration for a long, off-the-beaten-track trip, you can check out my recent travel stories in the  travel itineraries section.

If you are looking for landscapes to dazzle your eyes or take beautiful photos, you can discover hundreds of must-see places with  the most beautiful landscapes in the world.

Find out about the calendar of festivals and events in the countries you’re visiting! It’s often a good opportunity to take a detour… Simply type “Festival calendar + country name” into Google.

2 – Draw a route and define a schedule

For a long trip, unless you want to improvise 100% (the best choice if your time and budget allow it), here is the method to build the schedule of your short trip with a tailor-made planner to build yourself.

It’s about creating a common thread and, above all, gathering a lot of information in advance, particularly price indications for the budget.

The itinerary isn’t meant to be followed to the letter; it simply provides pointers, landmarks, and safeguards. You’re free to change directions and modify your plans once you’re there!

Building a travel itinerary with an Excel planner:

The best technique is to plot the route on a map and the day-by-day schedule on a calendar.

On the schedule, note the key dates: departure, return, requirements (being at a specific location on a specific date, etc.)

Take into account the time difference when completing the route (for a tight day-to-day program, you need to plan for rest, it’s essential!)

Plan for unforeseen days (your schedule must be flexible, i.e. allow you the possibility of skipping a step in case of a problem…)

Take into account the seasons and climate in the countries you are traveling through when planning your trip (some roads are not passable during the rainy season, some boats, trains, buses do not operate during the low season, some areas are inaccessible during the monsoon, etc.). To identify the rainy seasons at a glance, look at the  World Climate Calendar