International Travel Itinerary planning tips!

My visits to two different continents within a span of one month gave me a good reason to blog again. So here I am after a lacuna!

If you want to travel internationally, and are afraid of planning or maintaining your accounts, then this blog might be useful for you! I am sharing my personal experience, as an amateur traveller, of what I did right and what I didn’t. So here it goes!

Who should read it?

If you are a first time traveller OR you are planning a trip with your family/ friends for a limited amount of time OR you are planning an international itinerary

I am starting with the longer paras first and then sweet little tips as you go about it

1.   Plan, plan and plan

Yes planning your trip beforehand saves a lot of money and effort.

It might be common perception that the best moments come unplanned, but don’t take this alibi for travelling International. The earlier your plan, the more you will save. If you plan 6 months in advance (no use planning before that) you might save a little more than if you had planned 3 months in advance. 
In the worst case plan it 45 days in advance and no earlier than that. Else cost of all the bare necessary things would sky rocket leaving a hole in your pocket. Always focus your itinerary on things you want to see, hence make the list of spots first before anything else.

TLDR? Best option is to plan 3 to 6 months in advance, never plan earlier than 45 days. Decide on what you want to see and visit first and then go across making an itinerary

2.   Air flights, trains and hotels

Air: Try getting your airfares from multiple websites and travel agents. Sometimes agents give you better prices than websites (contact me personally, I can help you with a few agents)

Hotels: I found booking.com the best place to book a hotel. In case it is a famous chain- often the best price is available on their websites. Look at only these 2 places

Trains: The earlier you book the cheaper. The non-peak you go, the cheaper. Book for a non-peak, weekday option if you can. Trains in Europe and Australia provide some stunning view of the countryside and are many times faster than planes!

AirBnB: I would not prefer living in AirB&B if you are travelling with your family or friends due to the following reasons:

·       Time- you have to cook your own food, do your own beds, you will have limited ameneties compared even to a hostel

·       Location- often AirB&B localities are in residential areas and not in downtown/city areas. So travelling to and fro would be exhausting and expensive

·       Service- In case you need to avail any service (food, taxi, laundry etc) you will have to do it yourself

Hostels are much better- cheaper with all basic ameneties that you desire. I had a booked a hostel in Edinburgh with a private room for my family and it was a really wonderful (and equally pocket friendly option)

3.   Avoid the delusion trap

If you are an Indian and like Castles and History, you would have planned a trip to Britain. But trust me, most of the castles in England are similar and equivalent to the ones you see in India. Hence, there is no point in visiting more than one castle in the entire Great Britain!

On similar lines, never include two locations of similar value in your itinerary despite what the world says about it. The Stonehenge might be one of the most visited areas in England, but essentially they are rocks lying on an empty grass field! The city of Oxford is full with architectural wonders, but you will get bored within a few minutes when you realize than every alternate building looks the same (personal opinion, do a google of Oxford vs Cambridge and see which suits you)

4.   Travel cards and other combos

If you are travelling to a city like Sydney or London, it is must you must have a travel card with you. Choose the right type of cards, plan your days accordingly and you can get your journeys even for free! (contact me if you want to know the tricks for the city of Sydney). If you are commuting short distance with 3+ people, Uber might be the cheapest way! Link your credit card to Uber account before you leave India.

5.   Google Map is your best friend. It is integrated with every mode of public transport. Spam it. Use Wi-Fi at public places to look ahead.

6.   If you are visiting cities, then you must walk a lot! You can cover a city like London within 3 days by carefully choosing your start and end points and walking in between

7.   Do not go for International roaming offers from India. Instead arrive in your destination and pick up a sim card at the outlets which are available just before you leave the airport. Trust me you will get amazing offers. You will thank me later when you will understand how much you will save!

8.   No need to carry Indian fast foods or snacks as emergency. On Day1 of your tour, just visit a local store and complete your shopping. The price difference of basic commodities (bread, eggs, milk) is not much in foreign countries compared to India

9.   Using Laundry and cleaning services is extremely expensive. Search for laundry services near your place before hand and just before you move on, get it done

10.   Travel light, do not carry excessive baggage. Buy clothes locally if possible, they are as cheap as you get them in India

11.   No need to carry passport if you are travelling locally. Avoid accumulating coins, swap them for notes.

12.   Get a forex card from India if you want to make online/POS payments. It will help you manage your expenses better

I will be updating this blogspot as and when I get feedbacks. Do let me know if you want me to include anything particular or your suggestions! 

Till then, happy traveling!