HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR HOLIDAY IN A DAY?
TRAVEL TIPS
HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR HOLIDAY IN A DAY?
NOT EVERYONE IS A BORN ORGANIZER…
Although in today's world there’s a lot of emphasis put on detailed and resolute planning, not to say that it is currently very fashionable. The Internet is full of various types of tutorials and guides to help the viewers quickly and effectively organize their time. Time is the main leader of this confusion, and at the same it’s the key to success. On the one hand, time is very subjectively perceived – for one person minutes will be passing slowly, while the other will not even notice when the hours pass. On the other hand, it has been precisely defined, contained in specific frameworks that are valid worldwide. And so, for example, for me 24h is a lot of time to organize a travel, but for some one day may be insufficient. Therefore, I will try to explain how to do it quickly and effectively. First of all, you should arrange a lot of free time for planning, postpone other activities and focus on this one topic only. A good time will be at the weekend or a day off work. So, let's do it!
WHERE TO START?
Well, maybe you don’t know yet where you would like to go? You don’t know how much you would like to spend (preferably not much)? So far you have only been to a travel agency which organized your dream vacation from start to the end, and now you are facing a big challenge and in addition to that, you have only one day for it?!
Relax...before you get down to work, check if your computer and the Internet are working, arrange a piece of paper and a pen (they may be useful), make yourself a cup of coffee or tea and sit down comfortably! You can spend no more than an hour preparing yourself.
HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR DESTINATION?
- think about what makes you happy the most: trekking in the mountains, walking along the seashore, staying in artistic cafes in a trendy neighborhood or simply camping? There are plenty of options to choose from…
- do you prefer holidays in your own country or abroad? If you are tired of adapting to foreign habits, stay in the country. There is no point in travelling around the world, just to be able to tick off another destination, or to show off to your friends. Certainly, there is a lot to discover around you. However, if you can’t imagine next summer among the same landscapes and the same faces, you definitely need a change, so get your passport ready.
- what has interested you lately? Have you read an engaging book or article? Are you interested in a blog post? Or maybe you watched a fascinating documentary program? Every inspiration is an ideal starting point to think where you want to go. It must be pointed out, however, that authors tend to be subjective and that not everything looks like in the picture.
- how much time and money do you have? It is important not to overestimate your capabilities, especially if you want to organize your trip quickly and you don’t have much experience in it - you have to be careful, because you can easily fall into a trap. To be on a safe side, always add two more days to the time you want to spend your holidays for and an extra 100-200 EUR for unexpected expenses. It is true that it is harder to choose your destination when you have little time and money - don’t be discouraged, however, currently traveling is cheaper and more accessible than ever before.
- choose your three best destinations: don’t think too long about the perfect destination, choose three places and write them in this particular order: the one you want to go to the most; the one that seems the most attainable to you; and finally, the one which is the cheapest or is the closest to your home. That way you can always find something that will suit your time and budget.
You can’t spend more than an hour choosing a travel destination - there is still a lot to do :)
HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR JOURNEY?
- think about what will be your mean of transport? If you are traveling around the country, then estimate the cost of fuel and check how much it would cost to travel by public transport - it may be cheaper. If you are traveling abroad, you can look for cheap flights (e.g. Fly4free, HolidayPrates, SkyScanner, etc.), or call the travel agency and ask about the price only for the transport.
- if you can’t find anything that suits your budget, try to change the dates.
- check if any of your friends or family members is going towards that direction, check within support websites (e.g. BlaBlaCar is a website where people offer paid rides).
- split your journey into parts and then try to find transport, e.g. Warsaw-Berlin -> Berlin-London may be cheaper than Warsaw-London.
Finding the right transport can take some time – let’s say about 3 hours.
HOW TO FIND ACCOMMODATION?
- when choosing the right accommodation, take into account the distance from the airport (you will need to arrange a transfer), distance to attractions (accommodation 12 km from the seaside will be cheaper, but you will probably need to rent a car to get to the beach every day) and cleanliness rate (even the modest room with old furniture will be comfortable if it is spotless).
- check how far there is a grocery store, bus stop and a bar or restaurant - it's good if it is possible to get to them on foot, especially if you don’t plan to rent a car.
- look for accommodation in several different search engines and filter at the lowest price (e.g. Booking.com, TripAdvisor, Trivago, AirBnB, etc.).
- check if camping is possible – maybe sleeping in a tent is enough?
You probably don’t plan a vacation to spend it in a hotel, so choose the cheapest accommodation options - it's the best way to save on your travel. Finding accommodation should not take you more than 2 hours.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The hardest job is behind you! Now it's time for pleasure, so think about where you want to eat and what you do want to do? You can rely on total spontaneity and organize your time on the spot. However, if you are leaving only for a couple of days, choose one thing you would like to do on a given day and find out as much information as possible about it (what, where, how much, how to get there, opening hours, dependent on the weather, etc.). If you are not on a special diet, you do not need to worry about food - ask at the hotel’s reception desk or the guesthouse owners where to eat best in the area, look for information on internet forums or in search engines (e.g. TripAdvisor). Depending on the length of the trip, these preparations should take you 2-4 hours.
- write down all information that you have – carry it with you because something new may pop up anytime.
- think about renting a car – booking in advance will help you to save a lot, just read the agreement carefully.
- check the weather at your destination – this will make packing easier (more advice on packing you can find: HERE, HERE and HERE).
- if you still have time before departure, find out about the place you are going as much as you can – buy a guidebook, browse travel blogs, ask friends - maybe you can improve your journey somehow. Don’t worry if you find a better deal for accommodation or cheaper tickets - your trip is not meant to be perfect or as cheap as possible, only free pleasurable and carefree. When you return, you will forget about the exact costs, but you will always be able to come back to amazing photos and memories :)
Personally, I have managed to organize a travel to Israel, Portugal, Ireland and several other trips around Poland in similar way. Not everything is always done in one day, usually it starts with buying tickets or renting accommodation, and then I usually get the rest done in one day, preferably shortly before departure. I don’t think that organizing everything in 24h is the best way to plan vacation - I just wanted to point out that this is possible.
And how do you plan your holidays? Does it take you a lot of time or arrange everything spontaneously? Or you only book everything at the travel agency and prefer to care only about how big is the pool in the hotel? Maybe you have other ideas on how to organize your travels as smoothly as possible? Please share your experiences in the comments if you like :)