The Monogrammed Life: How To Plan A Trip

I am 100% a planner. I like to have a schedule in front of me at all times with a detailed list of everything that I need to do that day.

Right now I am on Spring Break at the beach in Florida with friends and I’m doing my very best to enjoy sitting on the beach with no plan. I’m getting better at it but sometimes it’s still a struggle for me not to plan ahead and just enjoy the moment.

Last semester when I was studying abroad in Italy I learned how to efficiently plan a trip all by myself. We knew going over there that we wanted to take advantage of every moment we weren’t in class. We successfully traveled every weekend, minus one, and planned all of them by ourselves!

Don’t know where to start? I’ll tell ya what I learned.

Bottom line: make it as simple as possible and book it as far out as you can. Book how you’re gonna get there and where you’re gonna stay. Everything else can be done after! 

Expert tip: *make sure you open up a private window on your computer to prevent websites from comparing prices!

1.     Pick a location- Duh, Shannon.

2. Do your research- Figure out which airport you want to fly into (or best transportation to get there in general), best areas to stay in the city, and the dates you’re going to go.

3. Book transportation- The first thing that you should do is figure out how you’re going to get there! There’s no point in booking anything else if you’re not going to get there! Decide the best way to get there, whether it’s a plane, train (the high-speed ones in Europe are so fun!), or if you’re going to drive.

*while I was abroad I would always use Sky Scanner to book flights!*

4. Reserve a room- Once you have your transportation figured out, decide where you want to stay and book it. It’s important to take into account location, especially if you’re going to be walking a lot!

*we stayed in a lot of hostels while abroad and loved using hostelworld to book everything (they have a great app for it too!)

5. Print confirmations- Before leaving make sure you have all your confirmations printed out just in case! I kept a folder with all the important information and bookings always with me.

6. Pack Accordingly- Make sure to check the weather before you pack, and always bring a camera to capture all your fun memories! Don’t forget to look up if your airline or train has any strict bag restrictions.

7.  Go!- Now is the fun time!

Written by Shannon from Prep Avenue