Many travelers will tell you that overplanning puts a damper on spontaneity and flexibility. You never know when you desire a quiet afternoon people-watching from a café or end up in an interesting conversation with someone that has the potential to go on for hours.
However, there is a balance between planning too much and not planning at all. A small amount of preparation is always necessary to ensure you have the correct vaccinations, visas and cash to get you started when you land in a new destination. And sometimes preparation makes you aware of local festivals or political turmoil you didn’t know would be taking place, or provides guidance on things you know for sure you’d like to see or do. Again, balance is the key.
Tips
- Build a travel library and immerse yourself in the local culture before you arrive by reading fiction that takes place in or near your travel destination.
- The same plane ticket prices are not found on every airfare website. To find the best prices, visit multiple online airfare agencies such as Orbitz and Travelocity as well as multi-site search engines like Kayak and the websites for individual airlines.
- Cut back on your at-home indulgences to save money so that you can experience the real thing when you travel. Save a few bucks a week on Starbucks so that you can enjoy a cappuccino in an Italian café, or skip that bottle of wine at home and indulge in the real thing on a tour of Napa Valley.
- Reuse old gift cards by turning them into luggage tags. Cover one side with duct tape and write your contact information on it. Leave the colorful side of the gift card untaped. Your luggage tag will stand out from others in a crowd and provide continued life to a product that would otherwise be thrown away.
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