HOW TO PLAN THE BEST TRIP

If you’ve travelled much before, you know that the planning stage is the most stressful part of the whole trip. It can sometimes take hours, days and weeks to plan not a good, but a great successful trip. There are so many factors to think about when you’re travelling around, especially if you are catching multiple flights or entering many different countries.

A few months ago, I started planning my first solo trip to Iceland. Normally, I book onto group tours, as the cost of the tour includes your accommodation, guide, transfers and most activities. I found that Iceland tours were way too expensive for the length of them, so I decided to plan the whole thing myself. In the beginning I did not realise the amount of planning that was involved for a 5 night stay in Iceland, so here’s my top tips to make sure that you don’t forget anything.

1. The cost: When you’re planning any trip, it’s always important to remember that the cost of the flights and the hotel are just the start of many things that you’ll have to pay for. The beauty of joining a group tour is that once you’ve paid for the tour cost, most things are included apart from some meals, flights, insurance and spending money. It’s crazy to think that at the end of everything that I am paying for for 5 days in Iceland, it will probably end up costing me more than the 10 days I spent in Indonesia! [Cost breakdown: Flights: £160 - Icelandair; Hotel: £400 - GestInn; Excursions: £600+; Insurance: £50; Airport transfers: £40; UK transfers: £40; Spending money: £200+].

2. Pen & paper: The way I like to plan anything is to write my plans down. My travel plans my look like a piece of paper with scribbles, but it’s logical to write down transfer and arrival times in an accessible place so you know when to book excursions etc. For Iceland for example, as I am going to be there for under a week, my schedule is so heavy that I have to write down so many times and places to grab transfers - it’s insane! Without having a clear note of everything I could get so muddled up.

3. Book in advance: This one is obvious and the secret to having a great and organised trip. You wouldn’t want to miss out on seeing anything just because you didn’t book it prior to arriving in your destination. With Iceland I booked all my tours in one day, as soon as I bought my flights and reserved my hotel. It cost me a big lump sum in one go, but I didn't want to leave it until the last minute and not get to go to The Blue Lagoon for example. You should also get your insurance straight away after booking any flights or hotel.

4. Look on travel websites for destination tips: This is one of the best ways to find unknown hidden gems wherever you travel. Tourist boards, forums like tripadvisor and Facebook are some great websites to look at when planning any trip. I’ve got so many good tips from just looking around these websites. You may be able to find that authentic local restaurant you were looking for or an amazing viewpoint that will grab Insta-worthy photos... you never know!

5. Always take emergency money: This one is very important. I’ve travelled around a lot and found that I’ve always spent more than I was supposed to. My spends in Bali doubled for example because I spent more on alcohol and going out that I thought I would. If you only take a set amount you will have to stick to your budget or you'll get yourself into a bit of bother! I have a credit card that I don’t use at all, but I take it with me if I travel anywhere just incase of any emergencies or if I loose my travel money etc. You can never be too careful!

By using these tips, you’re sure to have a great trip. Wether it’s a destination just around the corner or far afield, you can relate my advice to anywhere - travel has no boundaries if you plan a trip well...