How To Plan A Trip Overnight

By thegeekgoddess

Planning a trip even weeks before schedule can sometimes be a painful task, especially if you have no local guide nor idea about the place you are going to visit. However, if you know the ABC's of traveling and can google, planning a trip overnight can be a breeze. The key is to research, research, research.

Ivan and me taking a break from our 3-hour climb to Agogolo 

Aspiring backpackers that we are, my best friends and I have a knack for going on local trips at short notice without getting lost in an unknown place. Here's how we plan it overnight.

1. Look up general facts about the place.

With search engines like Google, and a number of travel blogs on the internet, this should be fairly easy to do, unless you are going to some very remote place. Look up your destination's climate, culture, language/dialect, accommodations, and tourist spots.  

2. Make a list. 

It is difficult to decide where to go next once you arrive at your destination. Do not think about the length of your trip or your budget at this point, yet. Just go ahead and list down all possible activities you can do, where to eat, and places that you can visit.

3. Narrow down your list.

Unless you are planning for a longer stay, with so many choices, and so little time (and money), it is impossible to visit all the tourist spots. Go back to your list, and see which places or activities match your interest, schedule and budget. Cross out all the rest that do not interest you. 

4. Know as much useful information.

This can be tedious, but with a little team work (or perseverance if you're planning alone), it can be done. Look up each place/restaurant/activity one by one. Make sure you look up the best time of the day to go, directions how to get there, bus/jeepney/tricycle routes, how far it is from your starting point, the specialty of  restaurants, and nearby places (Google Maps can be a very big help). It will help you plan out your itinerary, so you do not waste time, effort and money. 

You can always ask the locals, but it pays to do your research in advance, because some of them, especially the drivers will try to trick you to pay them a hefty sum when you agree to let them take you to your destination.

5. Plan out your itinerary.

Once you have narrowed down, and found out everything you need to know, make a rough itinerary of your activities. I know it's fun to be spontaneous, but too much spontaneity can also lead to a lousy trip. You can always adjust your activities on the day/s itself, but it is always good to have a plan at hand. This way you get the most of your trip.

6. Make reservations.

Making reservations at short notice is generally not a very good idea, because airfare, bus fares, and hotel rates tend to be more expensive the nearer you are to your booking date. Also, during summer and special holidays, the rates bump up. But you can still get good deals if you know where to look. Agoda offers the lowest hotel deals. It also helps to check out hotel reviews. The site Trip Advisor has helped us a lot in deciding which hotel to stay during our trip to Bicol last week. 

With regards to airfare, there's no guarantee you can still get cheap tickets. My advice is, if you're only traveling locally and on a tight budget, take the bus or the train if you're not in a hurry. You save a lot of money, and at the same time enjoy a lot of scenery.

7. Pack only the essentials.

When I go on short trips, I try not to bring jeans, because they are bulky. In general, I only include in my backpack lightweight clothing, usually just shorts, and cotton shirts. I also pack some accessories to spice up any outfit. And in any case, I just bring more than enough underwear. I also have my travel kit, which contains sachets of shampoo and conditioner (bad hair days are a no-no for me), travel size toothbrush and toothpaste, pocket tissues, wet wipes, adhesive bandages (Band-Aid), facial wash,  deodorant, small bottles of alcohol, lotion, facial moisturizer with sunblock and body wash. Also, I never forget to bring my chargers. 

8. Don't Forget the Camera.

Photo courtesy of thelovelyroom.com

Make sure it is fully-charged, and with enough memory. My bestfriend and I joked that the only travel essential in the 21st century is a DSLR. After all, a trip is not complete without pictures to preserve the memories. 

9. Have fun.

Don't take planning like a chore. Just enjoy every minute of it!