I remember planning our first international trip to Europe. It was very overwhelming but exciting at the same time. We had so much to plan and so much to do.
Trip planning can be a daunting task.

There is a lot to think about when planning a tour: things like getting a visa, figuring out transportation, booking accommodations, getting currency and many more.
oh my God that was stressful.

Let’s look at the steps that will help you plan the itinerary before travelling. I hope this article helps you to plan your tour in a very organised way.

First of all, what we need to keep in mind before planning an itinerary are the 6A’s.

These 6A’s help a lot in planning your travel

They are:

• Accommodation
• Amenities
• Affordability
• Activities
• Accessibility
• Attraction

Now let’s start with the blog by covering all the 6A’s in our article

Step 1. Figuring out your travel budget

Even before you plan your trip or plan your destination you have to look at your budget. As per your budget you can plan for how long you want your trip to be and you can find the proper destination as per your budget.
You have to look into how much hotels, restaurants and attractions cost. This will tell you some estimate amount of money that you will have to spend on the particular trip
You can google all the prices of the specific things that you need, list down all the spending that you will do while on trip and you can cut your expense or attractions as per that. You can also buy a travel guide for yourself.

Step 2. Decide where you want to go

A lot of people are confused between 2 to 3 destinations. Picking a destination is immensely important as it gives you a definite goal.
You have to mentally prepare yourself and pick out that one destination where you really want to go.
Ok let me make it easier for you. Get a map, circle all the attractions, cities, towns you want to visit, short list them. Now look up these destinations on social media. Whichever attracts or grabs your attention go for it. Talk to people, take their suggestion if you want. Look at your trusted bloggers. You don’t even need maps for this to go digital. You could also look into a lonely planet. This is the best book for all who love travelling. This will surely help you get down to that one destination.
Now let’s move on to our third step

Step 3. Decide the length of your trip

How much do you want to travel? Your costing matters. How much do you want to spend on this trip matters in this step? As per your spending you can decide the length of your trip.
You want to for a week? Months? Or for a year?
You have to start saving money for your trip if you want to go for a long time. You’ll have to be on a tight budget.

Step 4. Book flights

Now that you know where you want to go let’s move on to the favourite part and that is booking flights.
Firstly, you actually need to decide how you want to go, you want to take a flight or you want to go by air?
There are many cheap sites where you can find your tickets at a very low price, which are

• Sky scanner
• Google flights
• Air treks
• Momondo

Tips for getting the best deals on flights:

Know when to buy. There are many discounts going on flights so you should keep an eye on them. You should also book your tickets far in advance.
You also have to decide if you want A breaking flight. You can have a layover in a cool city and can be a lot cheaper as you get to see a different city too which was not in the trip.
Sign up for price alerts. There are many research engines that allow you to sign up for alerts between destinations.
Don’t forget to sign up for the frequent flyer miles program. You should also know and understand why a flight is cheap. You can also look at the timings of the flight that offer you less money.

Step 5. Booking accommodation

You can book your hotels or hostels beforehand before starting your trip or you can book them on the last minute.
But a good tip which might help is that it will be better to book your hotels beforehand.
Now while you are booking your accommodations you should at the location you will be staying at. Your stay location should be close to other attractions that you have planned to visit while on trip. It should also be safe.
Sometimes the prices touch the sky if they are close to the destination so you could find something outside the city.
Now secondly transportation matters too. If you are staying out of the city you should find transportation which is good for your pockets. You might hire a bike or take a bus or even take a train.
But if you are planning to stay at a place for a long time then you might take a little expensive one to feel like home.
If you are on a tight budget you can go for home stays, motels or hostels.
Here are my go-to sites when it comes to finding the best deals on accommodation:

• Hostelworld
• Agoda
• Booking.com
• Airbnb

Step 6. Plan your activities

List down the activities that you want to do on your trip. You can search on the internet the activities which are famous in that particular place. Also, look for discounts online. Few countries offer cheap prices in person while some give discounts if you book online.
For a shorter trip book beforehand. For a longer trip book as you go. Also, make sure to double-check that there are no holidays or other obstacles that will prevent you from certain activities as well.

Step 7. Travel insurance

Even though you might be safer abroad than in your home country, accidents happen everywhere and you should always be covered. We never leave home without travel insurance and neither should you.
Enjoy your trip and do not stress about any other stuff. Confirm all the reservations before you start your trip and have a good year.