We’re coming into the swing of summer! The weather continues to get warmer, the days continue to get longer, and we are getting into the days of summertime (at least here in the United States). As such, if you have school-age children or if you work in a school setting (like me), you’re probably looking to plan trips. So today, I want to make a post on how to plan a trip and offer tips and tricks for making a trip successful.

1. Understand the amount of days you will be there- I love exploring new places. But, depending on how many days you’re in a new place determines more or less how many activities you can do. This brings me to my next point.
2. Prioritize the things you want to do- If you know where you’re going then that can be easier. For example, if you’re going to Orlando, Florida, then you’re probably wanting to go to either Universal Studios or Disney World. From there, you can sort out how many days you want to be in that place, and make that the priority. If you aren’t going for a specific place like I mentioned above, then…
3. Create a big list of things to do in that area- I usually do a simple Google search of “Things to do in [place]”. Often, you’ll find whole lists, either from travel sites or from blogs or any other source. If you need more recommendations, there’s so many out there. Write down a big list of things to do that interest you. Then you can start prioritizing. But at first, if it sounds interesting, write it down.
4. Narrow down certain things- When you’re visiting a new place, you want to see and do everything. After all, it might be a while before you come back there again. But by following these other tips I have mentioned, then you can eliminate different ideas and options. Unfortunately, you may not get to do everything you want to, and that’s okay too. It happens. But do the best you can with the time you have available to you. However,…
5. Don’t overplan and overwhelm yourself- I love doing fun things in new places. I want to try all the food and see all the things. Nevertheless, I recognize that I simply can’t do everything I want to do. We tried that in Boston a few years ago. We did so much in a short time. While it was a great trip, it didn’t really feel like a vacation because we were constantly doing things. We would get back to our Airbnb at night and just be exhausted. So I realized that because of that, it’s important to slow things down a little, especially if you want it to actually be a vacation. Allow time for meals and freedom.
6. (If you’re planning a group trip) Find things everyone likes to do- I’m a history nerd. I love museums. However, I recognize everyone has different likes and interests. If you can, find things that will satisfy everyone or at least most people in your group. I went to Dallas a couple of years ago with my aunt and my best friend. Although we all were going for a concert, we had other things we wanted to do down there. I wanted to do stuff related to John F. Kennedy’s assassination, my best friend wanted to go to an aquarium, and my aunt wanted to go to an amusement park. We were able to make all of that happen and found things we could all enjoy, even if they were different. I also like to get other’s opinions
7. Find stuff to do in similar areas- It doesn’t make sense to go to the north side of a city only to go back to the south side to then go to the east side. Look for a few things to do together that you can group up with. Back in Dallas, we did a lot of downtown stuff together because we were going to the Science Museum that night and wanted to be in the area. We saw and did some cool things that we might not have had a chance to do otherwise.
8. Plan for meals- Whether you’re staying at a hotel that provides free breakfast or you have to find a place to eat for every meal, it’s important to plan for meals. Going back to not overplanning, it’s important to allow food times. You can do a lot more things if you’re fed and energized, as opposed to being exhausted, hungry, and cranky.
9. Do your research about cost- Some people budget exactly for their trips, which is perfectly fine. If, however, you don’t budget for your trip, at least recognize the general cost of everything. When I write things down in my big list of stuff to do, I put the admission cost. This way, I’m not surprised what something costs me. If a museum costs me $25 for admission, I may be less likely to go to that museum.
10. Allow for mishaps- Things happen. Rain comes down, tides rise, and other things that might be out of your control. Don’t get so uptight that your whole trip is ruined because of weather or something else.

Those are some of my favorite tips to plan a successful trip. I hope this list helps you plan any or all trips you take. I’d always love to hear your thoughts of what worked well and what didn’t!

One last thing: there will be no post next week because I myself will be on a trip! Heading into vacation! You all will hear from me in two weeks!