I’d like to tell you that I am a spontaneous traveler , but I’m not. I’m a planner. I always have been. I wouldn’t say I am totally psycho about it, I appreciate a detour and can make the best out of a change of plans, but I like creating a good go-to list for experiences I can’t afford to miss in the new places I am visiting.
If you’re like me, you hate wasting precious travel time not knowing what to do, or where to begin in places you’ve never been to before. It can be overwhelming and exhausting to plan as you go and hoping everything works out and that you make the best of your time in these new places. But why leave it to chance?
Without a travel plan, I’d be totally lost. Here is how I personally plan travel using social media.
FINDING THINGS TO DO
My next few destinations have been selected for me. I am traveling for weddings in some beautiful places I’ve yet to explore. With events mixed into my stay, planning some type of itinerary is crucial in maximizing my time in each location.
I have a, “I want to experience everything,” type of travel personality. From hiking, swimming, sightseeing, wine tasting, food exploring — here is how I find travel must-do list items.
#CityBucketList
If I know I will be traveling to a location, I usually begin to plan my trip on Instagram. I follow hashtags such as #ColoradoBucketList #ExploreColorado etc. This has been a great resource allowing me to get an idea of highlighted activities people are currently doing at my desired location.
I begin by bookmarking hikes, resultants, bars etc. the months leading up to my trip and as they appear on my feed. With this tactic, I don’t have to constantly search for activities to fill my days. It’s a way less stressful approach than reading a bunch of articles / reviews on tourism boards in my spare time. What spare time?
Save now, research later. Let your fellow social media networks plan for you, just follow a few hashtags.
TRAVEL BLOGS
I naturally follow travel bloggers on Instagram and Pinterest, that have similar interests and travel styles I have. In true Pacific Northwest fashion, I really like hiking in the places I travel to. From Hawaii waterfall hikes to California cliff side and the occasional snowy mountain trek. So, I follow accounts that have a hiker type of theme. I do the same thing with bloggers that have similar taste in activities like concerts, photography and food. Repinning, saving and achieving posts as they appear on my feeds.
Pinterest is my second home.
// Next Stop - This is a board I made for adventures that are in the pipeline. What’s next on the agenda or coming up in the near future. It’s a great way to visualize yourself in these places and personally it inspires my packing list.
// Adventure Awaits - places I have my eye on. I day dream really hard.
Keeping a visual board helps me narrow down locations that spark my interests.
When it comes to making actual plans for travel, having this board to reference helps me organize my wanderlust thoughts / wants.
One of the best things about travel bloggers, is that they tend to be really open to questions about locations. Comment on their post or send them a message to get additional insights and recommendations on your destination.
WHO YOU KNOW
Don’t be shy! Ask around. Create a poll on Instagram, utilize Facebook recommendations, or bring it up at lunch with coworkers. Some of my favorite places were recommended by friends. I usually write them down in my notes on my phone to quickly look up later.
While I am traveling, I tend to ask fellow travelers where they would like to go and why. I’ve stumbled on some amazing places because of the conversations I have with strangers in airports, on buses or at bars. Not surprisingly they too have social destination achieves just like me.
For example: Danang Vietnam - a woman at an airport in a Boston bar told me out how she was taking a year off from being a nurse to teach English in Vietnam. She introduced me to Danang via her Instagram page and a bookmarked album. After seeing her curated feed I know that I absolutely will visit this bridge one day.
Instagram Handle: @living_destinations
MAKE A WISH LIST
With all the information you gathered from social media and friends, you now have some content and hopefully some places that really spiked your interest. Pull your findings into a spread sheet.
BE SELECTIVE
Ask yourself, “What are the top 5 things I really want to accomplish on this trip?” Gut check, what would you absolutely hate to miss out on during your stay? What wouldn’t you be able to do somewhere else?
My list usually looks something like this:
1. Hike: Waterfall based, 8 miles round trip or less
2. Local brewery or vineyard: Rated by location, how close is it to our hotel / Airbnb
3. Excursion: From kayaking, snowboarding or visiting a museum or going to a concert, what’s happening locally that I would enjoy?
Depending on the duration of your stay, the list can become bigger or smaller. Sometimes I travel solo, but when I’m not, I try to get the person or people I am traveling with to also come up with a list of things they don’t want to miss out on.
MAKING AN ITINERARY
Depending on your personality, an itinerary can be your best friend or worst enemy. Personally, I don’t really like sticking to a strict itinerary. I usually like my trips to be a good mix between relaxing and adventurous. My itinerary becomes pretty loose, at least time wise.
I start by taking my top 5 things I really want to do and accessing my schedule. What time does my flight land? When is check-in? How many meals are we planning to eat out? What time is X and Y events. When is sunset? Etc.
I then look at location. How far away is this point from that point. What days allow for more travel time and which days don’t. How can I maximize each drive? Is a bucket list stop along the way to something else I want to do?
At the very least, a loose itinerary allows me to see if I have time to do all the things I want to do. Depending on the excursions, distance and RSVPed events, I will schedule two-three activities a day. A morning hike ending with a relaxing beach afternoon and a late-night brewery dinner. You can do it all with a good plan.
Sure, you could go ham and write out times for certain activities, 6 a.m. wake up call, 30 min breakfast… I know plenty of people that like their trips planned that way. But I like wiggle room for random walks and coffee stops and so on to explore the cities I am in. Having a loose or strict itinerary, allows yourself not to get overbooked and give you somewhat of a bucket list for the trip.
There you have it! That’s how I plan my trips to cities / places I’ve never been. I hope I could inspire you to do some research on the next place you visit to maximize your stay as well as spread the love with fellow travelers / visitors using social media.
Have travel planning tips of your own? Comment below! I’d love to hear them.
As always, thanks for reading.