If you’re a travel lover, you’ll always be thinking about the next big trip. Whilst we all like to get our weekend city breaks in, the best way to experience a variety of countries is to go on a longer trip, for 4 or 6 weeks, with many destinations.
This means that you can fly out to a continent, such as Asia, and make the most of being on the other side of the world whilst you’re there.
However, doing this properly requires a bit of planning, so make sure that you’re prepared for everything (well most things) before you jet off.
We’ve made a list to help you get ready for the trip of a lifetime.
Location, location, location
When it comes to planning out a long trip that covers a multitude of countries, you’ll benefit from sitting down and working out a route. Try and think about this in depth, and save yourself a bit of cash by seeing where the cheapest flights to, and from, your country are from.
For example, if you’re planning to do a Europe trip, you may find that flights are cheaper to, say, Amsterdam, and you can fly back home from Italy for a fraction of the cost. You can then work out a route that makes sense between these two countries, and tick off all of the locations you’ve dreamed of going to in between.
Plan this out as economically as you can, as your route will change based upon prices (though this isn’t always a bad thing!).
Sort out your visas in advance
The main thing that can come between you and your dream trip is complications with visas. If you suddenly find out that it’s going to take you 4 weeks to get a visa for China, and you’re going in 2 weeks (and you’ve already booked all of your flights) you’re going to be in a bit of trouble, and your trip could be ruined (or salvaged at a great expense).
All countries have different visa requirements, and some – like Russia – will want to see your flight and hotel bookings before they grant you entry to the country.
If you don’t want to waste money, be clever about it and get in touch with a company like Schengen Flight Reservation Visa. They will help you to get the documents you’ll
Get the best (and cheapest) flights
Flights can be the main cost in your trip, so getting them right is important.
Whichever flight website that you use (although checking as many as you can is a great idea) make sure that you put the settings to ‘whole month’ so that you can see which day would give you the cheapest flight cost. If it would save you money to fly a day earlier or later, then doing this is a no-brainer, as you’ll save a lot of cash.
It is also advised that you clear your cookies regularly, as flight costs can go up based upon your search history and how many times you’ve looked at the same flight. Also keep an eye out for connecting flights, as having one stopover (which may even be for an hour) can cut your flight expenses dramatically.
Check out other modes of transport
Ok, we’re always thinking about flights when we travel, and whilst this may be the best way to get to the continent that you’re traveling around, there may be other ways to go from country to country.
Interrailing, or just getting cross-country trains, could enable you to see a wide variety of things, such as countryside that you would have never anticipated seeing, and it can be cost-effective, too. You can get sleeper cabins if it’s a long journey, and these trains operate throughout Europe, Russia, Asia, and pretty much anywhere you’re thinking of visiting.
You can get coaches, too, though you may have to compromise on comfort if you’re thinking about choosing this option, so think thoroughly about how much time you’ll spend traveling.
Hotel or hostel?
When you’re going on a long trip, there are a variety of hotels and hostels that you can stay in, and the ones that you choose will depend upon your budget and the kind of experience that you want to have.
Even if staying in 4-star hotels throughout much of Asia won’t cost you the earth, but if you’re traveling around Europe you may want to consider hostels instead. You may be surprised to learn that you don’t always have to stay in a dormitory at hostels, as there are private rooms, but they are usually cheaper than hotels.
Be realistic; don’t presume that you can camp throughout the whole of your 6-week trip, and make sure you have some level of comfort, even if you check into a hotel on the weekends.
The unexpected: some things you can’t plan for
One of the beautiful things about traveling, especially if you’re going for a long trip, is that there is always a surprise around the corner. You will certainly benefit from leaving yourself a bit of room for the unexpected, so don’t book all of your hotels and trains before you arrive, just make sure that you have plans for the first week or so.
You may find a group of great people who want to rent an Airbnb with you and split the costs, and this could make your experience so much more enjoyable (and social). Don’t plan everything down to the minute details, as you’ll kick yourself if you’re really enjoying staying in a specific country, and you’ve planned to leave before you’re actually ready to!
So…
Planning for the 4 or 6 week trip of a lifetime is an exciting experience, and there are many things that you should consider before you jet off if you want to ensure that you’re not spending extra money where you don’t need to be. Having a rough plan is ideal, as it will help to structure your trip, but the best thing that you can learn as a travel lover is that the unexpected things can sometimes be the parts of your trip that are most memorable.
