How to Plan a Trip When You Have a Full Time Job and Little Free Time
So you've decided you're going to escape the cold and your cubicle this winter, adventure and explore an unknown land, and live out the nomad lifestyle (if only for a week or two) that you've always dreamed of. Maybe you've already picked the spot you're going to travel to. Maybe you've even booked your flight there. But what are you actually going to do when you're there? This question, my friends, is one that daunts a lot of cubicle warriors who want to explore the globe.
Why you might ask? Because it is rather difficult to actually plan a trip when you have a full time job and, as a result, very little free time. Figuring out where to stay, what to do and even what to eat / drink on a trip takes a lot of time. So much time, that it can actually make the lead up to the vacation stressful (on top of your already stressful work life).
But don't worry. Planning for a trip, whether you have no time or all of the time in the world, doesn't have to be stressful. In fact, it can be a lot of fun, educational and exciting. So, how can you plan a trip when you have a full time job and little free time? Here are a few ideas to get you started and keep things stress-free.
Start Early
One of the best ways to plan a trip is to (for lack of a better term) chip away at it. Sitting in front of a computer for eight hours a day over the span of a week just to plan a trip sounds terrible. It's also probably impossible if you've got a full time job. Chipping away at a trip allows you to take small, stress-free, bite-sized chunks out of the planning process, allowing you to focus mainly on your work and (seemingly) not on your trip.
Those bite-sized chunks do add up, however. And the earlier you start planning a trip, the more opportunities you will have to chip away at it, meaning those bite-sized chunks will end up being one massive (or complete) bite that will leave you with a fully planned trip. It may not seem like it, but if you can research your chosen place for even five to ten minutes a day for the six months leading up to a trip, you will be very knowledgeable of that place and what it offers, and feel like you've got everything planned, before you even come close to stepping on the plane.
So how can you chip away at planning a trip - stress-free? Easy. Just research the different excursions, tourist attractions, and transportation and hotel options for five to ten minutes a day. That's it. It really doesn't matter when you do this, but, to create consistency and routine, maybe try doing it after breakfast or on your lunch break. Chances are you spend time scrolling through your social feeds at those exact times, so why not do a little bit of trip research too. Just remember, try to start doing this as soon as possible. The more time you spend chipping away, the more you will chip away.
Establish a Loose Itinerary
One of the most stressful parts about planning a trip (in my opinion) is creating a solidified itinerary. In fact, it makes the trip itself stressful. Why? Because you're forced into doing specific things on specific days at a specific time (sounds a little like work). I may sound like I'm anti-itinerary, which would make this article about how to plan a trip with a full time job irrelevant, but I do actually think one type of itinerary is good. And that type is called a loose itinerary.
A loose itinerary means you generally have an idea of where you want to travel to in the country, what adventures you might want to do, and what types of food / drinks you might want to try. It does not mean that you have every day planned out before you head out on your trip. The beauty of this is that you kind of know what you want to do, but you can pick the best days for them once you're there. For instance, if you know you want to do a specific hike, it may be more beneficial to wait until you get to a place, check the short term forecast, and then pick a day to do that hike.
This ideology makes the chipping away aspect (mentioned above) a lot easier, as your research will literally just be about finding things you might want to do there, and not actually picking hard dates and times for anything. Sounds a lot more stress-free to me!
You can even loosely plan your hotels and transportation if you're feeling really adventurous. You may, however, want to book some of these in advance though, depending on the popularity of the place you're visiting. A trip can become very stressful if you show up to a town, start approaching hotels, and find out that every one is sold out.
On that note, it's worth mentioning that the loose itinerary is all about balance. Make sure you've got some of your key items (such as hotels and transportation) figured out for the most part, and then wing the rest. You'll feel like your trip is fully planned without actually putting in the hard grind of building a complete itinerary. You'll also probably have more fun there too, as you'll be more open to random activities and experiences that you didn't even know were possible until you arrive in your chosen country.
Utilize Guide Books
One of my favorite ways to plan a trip is to utilize guide books, such as the Lonely Planet books. In fact, the first thing I typically do when I start planning a trip is pick up the Lonely Planet book for that country. The reason I like them so much is that you can literally get a solid gist of the country in the first 30-50 pages. They brilliantly outline the top places to visit, some of the key things you need to know, such as the country's currency, transportation options, and emergency numbers, and provides information for all of the different sports, activities and cultural experiences you can have there.
From there, the Lonely Planet books (and I imagine most guide books) dive into each city / area within the country in more detail. This means that you can start to chip away at some of specifics about the top places that looked interesting to you, such as the best hotels, the best restaurants, the best activities and more in those places. The other great thing too is that you can bring the guidebook with you on the trip. This means that you can truly plan a loose itinerary, and then fine-tune it when you're in the country while you read your guidebook over breakfast and coffee in a tropical paradise.
Search on Pinterest
If you don't feel like spending money on a guide book, Pinterest is an incredible resource for planning a trip. Why Pinterest? For one, it's a search engine. Secondly, everyone who has a travel blog posts their articles on Pinterest, as it is one of the best ways for a travel blog to gain traffic. This means that there are literally thousands and thousands of free articles for your chosen place of travel already on there. A lot of these travel articles (as you can tell from my travel blog) will list the tops things to do in each country, and even provide full-out itineraries to make your trip as easy as possible. All you need to do is create an account and start searching.
The other great thing about Pinterest is that you can make your own boards and pin any of the articles that you like to them so that you can reference back to them later. For instance, if you were going to Costa Rica, you could make a Costa Rica board, pin (or save) as many Costa Rica articles as you want to it, and then reference back to them on your app while you're travelling through the Costa Rican jungle.
Sign Up for A Group Tour
If you truly feel that you don't have any time to chip away and plan a trip, you may want to take a look at your work life balance and current job scenario. Or simply just book a group tour. Group Tours are great because a guide literally just takes you and a group of like-minded travelers around a country, plans out all of the excursions / experiences, and keeps you safe along the way. All you need to do is pay for the tour, book your plane ticket and show up. Some group tours will even book your plane ticket for you if you give them your departure dates / times!
So, if you're hoping to escape work this winter and live the nomad lifestyle that you've always dreamed of, just chip away at the planning, build a loose itinerary, and then have a lot of fun along the way. It's that easy - and stress-free too. Enjoy.
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