Sometimes, it may seems like a daunting task to figure out an itinerary. What do I want to see? How much time do I need? In other words, how do I plan an efficient trip so I would be able to see everything I want to see given the time frame I will have?
I usually figure out my tentative itinerary BEFORE I book my flight and hotel. This way, I know how many days I will need on the ground to visit the things I want to visit. THEN, I book my flight and hotel according to that duration.
Here is how I figure out my tentative itinerary:
1) Sometimes I Google the destination and look through the images, to visually familiarize myself with what the destination looks like and it's iconic images.
2) Go to Tripadvisor, research what there is to do at the destination and what interests me.
I usually figure out my tentative itinerary BEFORE I book my flight and hotel. This way, I know how many days I will need on the ground to visit the things I want to visit. THEN, I book my flight and hotel according to that duration.
Here is how I figure out my tentative itinerary:
1) Sometimes I Google the destination and look through the images, to visually familiarize myself with what the destination looks like and it's iconic images.
2) Go to Tripadvisor, research what there is to do at the destination and what interests me.
3) Type in the destination, and go to "Travel Guide" section. Here, I get a big picture of the destination. Under "Trip Ideas", there's a recommended 3-days itinerary, which sums up all the major not-to-miss sights/attractions at the destination. Also, under "Before You Go", I can learn everything I need to know about the place, such as history, culture, neighborhood, currency, transportation, etiquette, and more.
4) Under "Things To Do", I read about everything there is to do at the destination. From museums, shopping, daily tours, to cooking classes. After reading travelers' reviews and seeing their photos, I decided which ones I am interested in.
5) I Goggle the locations of the activities I am interested in. It's helpful to have a physical map. So I could just mark everything on the map.
6) After everything is located on the map, I group them by areas. For example, the city-center area where I want to visit a museum and a gallery, or the river-front area where I want to check out the scenery and a restaurant.
7) Depending on how time consuming each activity is, I determine approximately how many day(s) I will spend at each area.
8) I will also taken into account some time or some day when I just want to relax, recover, or simply get lost in the neighborhood.
9) Once everything is taken into consideration, as well as major holidays and business hours, I know how many days I will need at the destination to fully experience it the way I want to.
How much time I CAN have, well, that's another story... :)
5) I Goggle the locations of the activities I am interested in. It's helpful to have a physical map. So I could just mark everything on the map.
6) After everything is located on the map, I group them by areas. For example, the city-center area where I want to visit a museum and a gallery, or the river-front area where I want to check out the scenery and a restaurant.
7) Depending on how time consuming each activity is, I determine approximately how many day(s) I will spend at each area.
8) I will also taken into account some time or some day when I just want to relax, recover, or simply get lost in the neighborhood.
9) Once everything is taken into consideration, as well as major holidays and business hours, I know how many days I will need at the destination to fully experience it the way I want to.
How much time I CAN have, well, that's another story... :)
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