How to Create the Best Travel Itinerary with the Help of a Travel Planner
Some trips just need a little extra help getting put together. In this episode I dive into the basics of travel planning and when it might be worth hiring a travel planner.
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I love planning our family trips! However, some destinations are harder to plan for than others. For example, my husband and I just returned from an amazing trip to China. Trying to coordinate travel between cities and booking hotels and excursions here was quite tricky. For this reason, we hired a travel planner which saved me SO much time and stress.
Although you might pay a little bit more for the trip (it’s usually not too much more), it is so worth the amazing vacation that you will have. It is worth every penny! Let’s get into why you should hire a travel planner!
Why hire a travel planner?
Saves time! I spend so many hours planning each trip that we go on. Sometimes I just don’t have the time to research all of the options.
Saves stress! It can be stressful to plan a trip. Especially when you are unfamiliar with the destination or can’t speak the language you need to communicate in. I love having someone else figure out the tricky logistics.
Travel agents know the area better than you do. Not to say that you can’t figure it out, but they know the ins and outs of the destination. For example, they’ll know whether you should rent a car or take public transportation to navigate a city.
You have someone to ask questions to! I love having a contact who I can reach out to with any questions that I have. They can help you figure out where to store luggage, how to get around, where to see the best views, etc.
How do I find a travel planner?
On our recent trip to China, I used the website Zicasso to find a travel planner. This website was recommended to us by some of our friends, and it was great!
**I have no affiliation with Zicasso. I just love it!
This website asks basic questions about the trip you’re hoping to go on.
It asks you to specify if you want your trip to be customized or if you’d like to travel with a tour group. We prefer to customize our trip, but going with a group can make it more affordable!
You will also have options to specify your favorite things to do on trips! For example, you can write that you’d like to incorporate biking, hiking, cooking classes, museums, or whatever you want!
A few days after you submit your request, you will receive multiple itinerary options from different travel agents. From here you get to choose which you prefer!
You also have flexibility to add or take away activities from the provided itinerary.
Other planning tips
Ask your friends for recommendations! If you want to visit somewhere and you know someone who has been there, ask them for recommendations. Talking to someone first hand is a great way to get ideas of what you would or wouldn’t like to do.
Do a simple Google search! Make sure that you don’t miss out on anything important at the destination you’ll be visiting. Look up what the best things to do are in your desired location. There are so many blogs and tourist websites that will provide tons of ideas! I prefer to read blog posts from normal people who simply love to travel.
Do not be afraid to ask for changes to your travel itinerary! That’s what the travel agent is there for! You are investing your time and money into this trip, so you deserve to see and do what you want!