My six-step approach to planning the trip of your life!

5 min readJan 18, 2024

This year is going to be one hell of an expedition through Europe.

In two weeks, my eyes will be graced with the Gothic-Baroque architecture of Prague. In one month, my ears will be flooded with Super Bayern chants. And in three months, my skin will be kissed by the Adriatic sun.

It’s an exciting time of my life, perhaps the most exciting yet, but it requires lots of planning.

I still don’t have my visa back. I had to navigate buying Czech health insurance, and I’m planning a three-week backpacking trip with my girlfriend when everything is said and done.

That is to say, travel is not for the faint of heart. But it is so worth it!

A snowy winter day in Prague, Czech Republic.

As I’m wrapping up my trip-planning before I leave, I want to take today to break down my trip-planning process and share some tips and resources that I find extremely helpful.

It’s a pretty simple process, but I think you’ll find some value in how I approach my travels. Without further ado, here are my six steps to plan unforgettable, life-altering trips!

Step 1: Decide on your budget

My method is unconventional because I set my budget before choosing my location.

Many people have dream destinations in mind, yet they can’t afford them. My girlfriend and I originally wanted to go to France, but we realized it would be way too expensive. So, we went back to the drawing board and set our budget first.

With a budget decided upon, it’s much easier to whittle down your location options.

Step 2: Decide on your location

There’s a whole world waiting to be explored!

Get the notion out of your head that Europe is the only place worth visiting. Every continent and every nation has something unique to offer you.

I like to choose locations based on plane tickets. They are single-handedly the most expensive part of traveling, so scoring a deal on a flight can go a long way in sticking to your budget. This past summer, I visited Greece because the flight was inexpensive, not because I was dead set on visiting the Acropolis or eating a metric ton of Tzatziki. My point is to be flexible and open-minded; you wouldn’t be a world citizen without it.

Once you’ve found your cheap flights, take a quick look at on-the-ground living expenses for the country or city you’ll be visiting. I like to use Nomadic Matt’s travel guides for this step.

Now for the fun part: the actual planning!

The magical city of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

Step 3: Choose your route

Choosing your location is just the tip of the iceberg.

Whether you want to backpack around a country in a couple of weeks or spend five days in a capital city, you need to plan your route. Countries have loads to offer outside big cities, and capital cities are often in abundant supply of exciting day trips.

My upcoming trip includes Croatia, Budapest, and Vienna. However, the trip itself is much more complex. We’re visiting Dubrovnik, Hvar, Split, and Zagreb in Croatia within ten days.

Beyond that, it’s helpful to decide on your mode of transportation ahead of time. We’re using everything from planes to ferries to trains. I love using Rome2Rio to find the cheapest, fastest routes!

Bonus tip: I’d also add that if you’re a student, purchasing an ISIC card is an excellent option for finding student discounts on transportation.

Step 4: Book your accommodation

Lastly, I prefer to book at least some of my accommodation prior to leaving.

I prefer to book, at a minimum, the first three days of my trip’s accommodation. This gives me enough time to get a lay of the land and decide where I want to go. It also allows for some spontaneity — some of the most memorable travel experiences happen on a whim!

Other times, I’ll book the whole thing in advance. Because my girlfriend and I are already confident about what we want to do, we’ll book all our accommodation now while prices are low.

My favorite accommodation resources are HostelWorld and Airbnb. I’ve also heard good things about CouchSurfing but never used it, so I cannot personally vouch for it.

Step 5: Budget for splurge items

I learned wisely from my first backpacking trip through Greece that you should always budget for some excessive expenses.

Backpacking on a budget is a fulfilling experience because it teaches you to be resourceful and interact with people around you meaningfully. In fact, even if I had the money, I think I would stick to my current style of travel.

However, some experiences are absolutely worth the money, and you should build that into your budget.

For example, we traveled on less than $100 a day in Greece. We got to the island of Crete, and I found a cooking class taught by a local that interested me. It was on the pricier side of things at $100 a person, but we pulled the trigger. And let me tell you — it is one of my favorite memories from our trip!

So, put some extra pocket change away for spur-of-the-moment experiences. You never know when you might want to take a boat ride, learn how to cook, tour a winery, rent motorbikes, etc.