Planning Your Overseas Vacation (DIY)

Planning for an overseas vacation can be very daunting to some. Ironically, this same activity can hike the adrenaline of others. Ever wondered why? 

Well, coming from a person who has planned her own overseas travel vacation (DIY)(yours truly!), I can tell you that planning for an overseas vacation is a really wonderful, fun and thrilling experience!

 This is because when you plan for your own vacation (DIY), you are the ‘king’ who decides exactly where you want to go, what you want to do with your time, where you want to stay and what you want to eat.

What’s even more exciting is that you get to eat what the locals eat at their favourite food haunts(unlike ‘tourist’ food) and travel around like the locals with public transport (unlike sitting around in a tour bus with other tourists). Basically, you get to experience a life that’s pretty close to what a local person would experience.

I can assure you that a bountiful of rewards always await those who take up the challenge in planning their own overseas vacation.

Here are some travel tips that worked for me when I planned for my own overseas vacation:-

Before you travel:

AFFORDABILITY 

Be frank with yourself about your travel budget.

You can go to www.xe.com to check out the exchange rates of your country as compared to other countries.

From there, narrow down your travel destination choices.

You can also speak to a friend who has travelled/lived in the destinations that you have in mind. Ask them about the food and transport prices there.

LIKES and DISLIKES

List down what are you looking out for the most in your overseas vacation.

Would you like to be close to nature, go for a romantic holiday getaway or indulge yourself with some modern or ancient architecture?

What types of places are you hoping to visit during your vacation? Historical sites, water activities,parks or wildlife areas? Are you there for a shopping or dining adventure? Or are you there to experience a unique culture?

Remember to list them all down before delving further in your vacation planning. You won’t want to going to somewhere you would regret.

RESEARCH

Conduct enough research on the place/s that you wish to visit.

You can visit the special government websites, individually built websites or online travel forums to learn more about your holiday destination.

You can also read travel magazines or watch travel tv shows to learn more about your holiday destination.

*A good travel website that I used a lot when I planned for my overseas trip was www.lonelyplanet.com

LOCAL LANGUAGE

Find out what language the locals at your travel destination normally speak. It would be better if you can speak the same language as them.

However, if you don’t it is very important that you learn up some of the local language to help you get here and around your destination.

AIR TICKET 

Visit your nearest travel agent to check out the air fares to your destination. Ask them when is the off peak seasons. It is always better to book the air tickets during the off peak seasons because you can save so much more money to use during your vacation.

* Before booking your air ticket, it is important for you to be sure about your travel dates.

Many budget airlines do not normally offer refunds or change in flight dates, especially if you are booking their promo tickets.

ACCOMMODATION

You can visit accommodation booking agent websites or go directly to the hotel websites to book for your accommodation.

For budget accommodation you can consider bunking out at a backpacker hostel.

You can get unbiased reviews from other travellers about the hostels that they frequent from travel websites.

Two good websites for accommodation are www.hostelworld.com and www.lonelyplanet.com.

TRAVEL SEASON

Check out what season you will be travelling in. Make sure to prepare the suitable clothing for your visit according to the season.

LOCAL MONEY

Go to the money exchange counters (normally situated in malls) to exchange your local money to the local currency of your holiday destination.

You can also carry a traveller’s cheque (you can obtain them from commercial banks)….or bring along your credit or debit card.

If you plan to use traveller’s cheque, credit or debit card, I would still advise you to bring some cash along. You will find them handy.

FIND A TRAVEL PARTNER

It’s good to travel with a friend/family member who is familiar with your travel destination. If you can, ask around if there’s anyone who is keen to join you on your vacation.

At your travel destination:

MAP 

You can find the map of your travel destination online at google search engine.

Even better still, you can get a more detailed map at the airport or hotel for free once you reach your travel destination.

After you get your map, list down your target travel places in categories. Group the places that are located nearby each other and visit them on the same day. This way, you will save a lot of travel time and cost.

SPEAK TO LOCALS

Try to speak to the locals at your hotel. You can talk to a friendly receptionist and ask him/her about the nice places to visit, eat or buy at your holiday destination.

TRANSPORT

Also, ask the receptionist about the transportation culture. Find out the peak travelling times so that you can avoid travelling during that time.

Find out what time shops normally close at your travel destination so that you can get back before it gets dark.

Find out where you can buy your bus/train tickets. Also, find out the bus/train schedules and stops.

Once you’ve lined all your itineraries down and found out about the local transport, just stick to them, travel and enjoy!

So…are you ready to plan for your own overseas vacation (DIY) now? I hope the answer is ‘YES’!