The Art of Planning an Adventure
I keep a list on my iPhone called “Trips of a Lifetime.” All the destinations on the list aren’t all as big as the name implies, but every place on the list is someplace we want to go… someday.
There are places that have been on our bucket list for years… Camino de Santiago, Ireland, Malta.
There are places friends or family members have mentioned… Nashville, Belize, Scotland.
And then there are random places we’ve come across in movies, books or conversations with strangers, that have caught our attention… Mauritius, Thailand, Bali.
So where to start when planning the next adventure?
Last year, a dear friend and her husband went to Uganda. When I was much younger, I’d dreamed of someday taking a trip down the Nile River or going on a safari, but at the time my friends took their trip, Uganda wasn’t on my Trips of a Lifetime list. After hearing their stories and seeing pictures from their trip, Uganda got typed in.
Fast-forward a few months and plans started to take shape for a return trip. This time, they invited me to come along... Of course, I said YES!
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Making plans
When you start planning a trip half-way around the world, there are things you have to plan early:
What are our exact travel dates?
Will our passports be current? (NOTE: a lot of countries require a valid passport at least 6 months AFTER your return date)
Do we need a Visa?
How will we get there? (ex.: round-trip flight or multi-city? If you have some time and flexibility, planning a multi-city flight that allows for a fun layover on the way home is a great way to add something extra to the experience)
Can we get the time off work?
Where will we stay?
Here are some planning resources to help answer those questions:
Search Booking.com for a place to stay:
And then comes the REALLY FUN part…
What should we do while we’re there?
At the top of my Trips of a Lifetime list is a quote: “Tourists want to ESCAPE life, travelers want to EXPERIENCE life.” There’s a big difference between being a tourist and being a traveler, so it’s important to know which one you are. And let’s be real… There’s probably a bit of both in all of us. Your destination and motive for going there will probably dictate which you’ll be for any specific trip.
At Wander for Days, we sometimes like to think we’re going to be tourists… Maybe sit on the beach for a week, drink some tropical cocktails and occasionally take a swim in the ocean. But most of the time, we just can’t help leaving our beach chair to go exploring.
What we’ve found works great is to research possibilities of things to do in our destination and make a list. We rarely (but not never) book activities ahead of time. Instead, we browse our list over breakfast each day - or over a glass of wine the night before - and decide what we want to do that day. That’s the wander in us. Having a list takes the mystery out of what to do, but lets us have some direction so we don’t waste precious time trying to decide on a plan.
But, of course, every traveler is different. If you find peace in having a solid plan, go ahead and book that excursion! The main goal is to create the best, most memorable experience for you.
There are a lot of ways to discover things to do (Google, Pinterest, books, social media, word of mouth… the list goes on), but here are a few sites I like to use:
Viator.com | I found a great cooking class in Sicily
GetYourGuide.com | This is a new-to-us site that we’ve been exploring as we plan our upcoming trip
Tiqets.com | This is where I bought our Lisboa Card before we went to Portugal (highly recommend!)
And then there’s shopping for travel essentials
I don’t know about you, but I like getting something new for an upcoming trip. Maybe a new outfit or travel bag… Maybe just the right kind of plug so I can keep my electronics charged and ready to go throughout the trip.
As I’ve been planning my trip to Uganda, I’ve added a few different essentials to my shopping list:
Permethrin | This was something I didn’t know about until starting to plan a trip to Africa… Insect repellent for clothes, shoes and travel gear.
Quick-dry hiking pants | I LOVE these! So much so that after wearing my black pair in Alaska, I bought them in a few other colors for Uganda.
Heatless curling rod headband | This falls under the “non-essential, but I hope super convenient” category. Heading into a hot and humid environment, it doesn’t make sense to try taming my hair. And I don’t want to feel like I have to wear a hat every day to hide my frizz. This curling headband is designed for sleeping in and creates soft curls out of my crazy waves. I’ve tried it and the result was great!
What’s left?
Now that all the travel arrangements have been made…
Activities researched…
And travel essentials gathered…
All that’s left is to sit back and countdown the days until you leave.
Now it’s your turn. Tell us your favorite travel planning tips in the comments below.
Safe travels, and happy wandering!