Planning Your Travel Itinerary

Your travel itinerary can be the most important decision you make for your trip. Or the least important.

It's not where you go that matters; it's that you just go.

Many people ask me "Where is my favorite place to visit?" I immediately know that they are not good travelers.

That is, because the question is stupid. Sorry, but it's true.

It's cheating, such as picking one fantastic meal and claiming to be a gourmet diner, or trying to pick a favorite child or pet among many. It just doesn't make sense.

There is no one great place, just many places that one can experience and enjoy.

So I answer honestly, "It depends… on what I feel like at the time."

For amazing mountains in Europe, I go to Switzerland or Austria.

For beautiful beaches, I go to France, Portugal, or Turkey.

For people and history, I go to Germany, Italy, or England.

It all depends.

For instance, England has beautiful beaches; it's just that the water is a little bit colder there.

For more details, go to my pages on places to visit:

• Destinations in Central Europe.
  
  
• Destinations in Western Europe.
  
  
• Destinations in Eastern Europe.
  
  
• Destinations in South America.
  
  
• Destinations in Southwest China and Thailand.
  
  
• Destinations in Australia and New Zealand.

Planning your own Travel Itinerary. Here's how I do it.

1. Pick several places you want to go. (I usually pick at least three.)
   
   
2. Link them in an orderly sequence that you can follow.
   
   
3. Figure out how many days you wish to spend each spot. (I usually stay 3-5 days in big cities, half a day in small cities and villages. I sometimes rent a car to make the traveling much easier.)
   
   
4. Take out the places that are out of the way or don't really interest you.
   
   
5. Count up the days and adjust for shorter trips.
   
   
6. Note if you have too many places and countries to visit, you might not see that much except the inside of trains and train stations.

Here is my way to travel in a nutshell.

Slow down.

When planning your travel itinerary, concentrate on fewer places with more time in each place.

Unless of course this is your first trip and you want to as many nations as possible to get a feel for which places you like. I think it's cheaper and easier to just go to the library and get the travel DVDs.

Go ahead, do your thing, here. After all, it's your trip...

Furthermore, it is a fact that more tourists die every year from traffic accidents than homicides, terrorism and natural disasters put together.

The enemy is NOT a terrorist or a mad man or a hurricane, it's a drunk driver... So be careful.

One objective for my travel itinerary is to visit more locations. Emerging destinations create better opportunities. There is exposure to new cultures and people. And remember, visiting your old destinations can be very rewarding.

This all leads to genuine adventure.

Believe me, it can be a whole lot of fun.

The next step after planning your travel itinerary - What to Pack

Here are some important planning tips:

Go to the Page on Get Organized

Choose a Good Guidebook

Go to the Library Travel Section.

Passport Requirements

Passport Application

Visa Requirements

Travel Itinerary

What to Pack for Your Next Trip

Choose a Travel Companion

Change Course - Follow Someone Else's Idea of a Good Trip

Last Minute Travel Bargains