How do you plan your city escapes?
I can imagine that you are dreaming about your next escape or maybe you already book it. Well, I want to share with you, if you have nothing planned yet or for your next trip, how I plan what I want to see or visit in the place I go.
Most of my city escapes start by choosing a city to go to. Off course you have to choose one of the many, and that can be the first point of doubt. Well, there is an easy solution for that and it is to make a list. How do you create that list? Easy!
First, start writing the cities you want to visit on a piece of paper. I know that could be a long list if you are a person who loves to travel and discover new spots. Don't get overwhelmed by that and just write all the cities in mind.
Second, you have to prioritize your list. Now that you have all the names written down in the paper, you can switch places, down or up in order to put in the top the most wanted.
Third, brainstorm about each city and try to find some good reasons why you want to visit that city. Is it something special to visit, a special event, some landmark or monument you want to go. If you are traveling solo try to talk with friends, they might know already the city or hear about something trendy that you don’t know. If you will go with friends or with your other half, take some time to discuss it and find common points. It’s important that the destinations you will pick are ok for everyone.
Fourth, set specific dates or months in the year when you will visit that city. I know that this part could be difficult because you need to know in advance if you need to take some holidays or if you will travel during your weekends but trust me, it will help a lot because you are creating a sort of schedule for your trips. I say “sort of” because it’s always flexible and you can change it at any time, depending on the situation. It will also help you to take in advance the flights and accommodation and save money because you’re getting ahead. This exercise will help you to modify a little bit your list in relation to climate or season. For example, you are planning to go to Lisbon, you can choose a month in winter or spring because you know the weather will be better than the place you live (I live in Paris, that why I’m saying that) and also because you will find better prices than going in high season like July or August. Another example, if you are planning to go to Copenhagen, it’s better to visit at the end of spring or beginning of summer. Weather will be warmer than winter and you will have fewer people than high season.
Fifth, don’t try to put too many cities in the year. It all depends on your travel budget, free time and availabilities for flights and accommodation. If you have too many cities, just put them in the list for next year.
Now that you know the city you’ll be visiting, I can show you how I plan my city escapes.
I start by searching for information about the city I will go to. I look on the internet and of course, I use Google to help in that task. I little hint is to look for the official tourism site of the city. Most of the time they have different information and more local propositions than Google can show you. So the idea is to do a mix of information from Google, blogs, official tourism office site, and other interesting sources.
Once I got all that information the idea is to put all of these on a map. I personally use Google Maps because I have a Pixel 3 phone and it’s easy for me to access the information on my phone when I will be in place.
I have an example of my last trip to Vienna in Austria. I use Google as I say before and I recommend you use the Google Travel Guide. You just have to put in the search request the name of the city + travel and you will find easily the next link: Vienna Google Travel Guide.
Once on this site, you will find some photos, a small description of the city, and then some places to discover. If you scroll down a little bit, you will see some propositions of places to visit in relation to the time of your stay on site. For example, what to visit if you stay just one day or 48 hours. A little more below, you will find some information when it’s the best time to go, the weather and more. In sum, this tool is really useful and can be complemented with blog information, tour guide information, or official tourism websites.
Next step…
Now you have a general idea of what you want to visit after doing a small reading in some blogs, tour guides, etc. What you have to do now is to create a map on Google Maps. It’s easy, go to Google Maps, it could be in your browser or app and follow these 3 steps:
- Sign in and open Google Maps.
- Click Menu then Your places and Maps.
- In the bottom, you will find Create a map.
You will have a blank map where you can add all the places you want to visit. Just like this:
You can play with it as you want. Choose the icon you want each place, or if the theme is the same as parks, bars, restaurants, iconic places, etc. Personally, I add the place where I’m staying, the airport or train station where I arrive, the places to visit and that’s all. Sometimes I put more things just in case if I have extra time or sometimes I don’t have time to visit all.
The advantage of having a map like this is that you can decide what you are doing and at your own pace with no stress.
Let me know if that article helps you or if you have a different way to plan your city escapes. Any comments are welcome! :)
