NOTE: This post uses air travel for its discussion, however, this can also be used with taking a train to a new city our country.

Admit it, planning a trip can be a very long process and stressful for those who do not know what they are doing.

In 2022 I planned trips to Cardiff, Paris, USA, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Belfast, Spain and more, however, some of these trips were planned at the last minute and were some of my best trips.

For this post I will be referencing my Malaga trip in December 2022 as I used the method I will explain in this post to plan that trip.

Deciding where to go

This step is the hardest of them all, however, if you know where you want to go skip to step 2.

My suggestion is to go to Skyscanner and enter your local airport. When it asks for your destination select the “everywhere” option and input your dates. This will bring up a list of everywhere that has direct flights.

Look through all the destinations and pick the one you like the look of the most from the picture provided.

Book the flights you have selected through the relevant airlines website.

Booking Accommodation

For this step head to booking.com and enter in the city and your dates and hit search. A big list of accommodation will appear, use the list of filters at the side to get the what you want from the search.

When you have found the accommodation you want go ahead and book the package you want.

That bit between Booking and Travelling

This bit may cause some controversy amongst travellers, but this is what I do and I recommend you try it before dismissing it.

I want you to do a quick search on how to get from the airport to the city centre. Then you have 30 minutes to research your destination and things to do.

After your 30 minutes are over that’s it, the next time you should be on the internet for that trip is to check-in for the flight.

It may seem strange that I am suggesting doing so little research, but I firmly believe that most people over research and find that the destination does not match the hype they have built in their heads.

Arriving at the Destination

After you have landed and arrived at your hotel here is what I suggest doing;

• Open maps on your phone and find the closest supermarket, pharmacy, medical facility & police station to your hotel.
• Take a picture of the photograph page of your passport.
• Keep one bottle of water in your hotel room (you never know when you will need it).
• Let your friends or family know you have arrived safely (I send a picture of the hotel room with my bag visible to my parents).

On the first night try to suppress the urge to explore to far from your hotel, you’re probably more tired than you realise, and heading out into an unfamiliar city for the first time at night is not the best idea.

After the first night

Day 1

This is the day to get out and explore, walk around the city and take in the atmosphere and your new surroundings.

Every time you see an attraction or place you want to find out more about make a note of it and save it until you get back to your hotel.

Once back at your hotel, spend some time planning the rest of your holiday using the information you gathered today. This can involve booking tickets for entry or researching the best way to reach a specific location.

Day 2 until the final night

Explore the places you have discovered and continue finding new places that you stumble across or have found online.

Remember though, on the last night to take it easy and ensure you have packed your bags even if your flight is late in the next day.

On the last night ensure you check your flight status and plan how you are going to reach the airport and what time you need to leave the hotel.

Why do I plan like this?

I normally plan with this method as I normally book at the last minute and prefer to book my own trips rather than use package deals (that’s not to say package deals are bad).

My Final Thoughts

I think you should try this method at least once, you may end up loving it or hating it.

If you don’t enjoy this method then that’s fine, it is not for everyone. Keep looking for a method that works for you and when you find it keep using it.