{"id":148,"date":"2013-09-04T06:13:17","date_gmt":"2013-09-04T06:13:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wanderingwithintent.com\/?p=148"},"modified":"2013-09-04T06:13:17","modified_gmt":"2013-09-04T06:13:17","slug":"how-to-plan-an-unplanned-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wanderingwithintent.com\/wordpress\/how-to-plan-an-unplanned-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"How to plan an “unplanned” trip"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.\u201d \u2013- Jawaharial Nehru \/\/<\/em><\/p>\n

How do you plan an unplanned multi-month trip? \u00a0Don\u2019t go with a tour group, travel on your own, and skip the set itinerary. \u00a0Seem overwhelming? \u00a0It’s actually easier than you think, if you keep the following guidelines in mind:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Pick a region of the world<\/strong> – First, decide on what region of the world you’d like to travel to. \u00a0Take into account places you’d like to explore, flight costs, ease of traveling to and through the area, and your budget versus cost of\u00a0accommodations\/food. \u00a0If you need inspiration, talk to friends or check out 1000 Places to See Before You Die<\/a> or other similar sites.<\/li>\n
  2. Figure out timing<\/strong> – Next, pick a date and city to fly into, and a date and city to fly out of. \u00a0Look for major airports where flight prices are often cheaper. \u00a0Consider flying into one city and out of another — it is not always more expensive, and will allow you to cover more ground during your travels. \u00a0Through my research reading about others who have\u00a0traveled\u00a0on learning journeys, it seemed like 3-months is a good amount of time to step outside of your day-to-day and gain some new life perspective. \u00a0Some people will travel for a year or more. \u00a0Others may just take a couple of weeks off from work. \u00a0My advice, especially if this is “once-in-a-lifetime,” is to go as long as you can.<\/li>\n
  3. Get ideas on countries\/cities\/itineraries<\/strong> – Check out travel sites such as Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, BootsnAll, Trip Advisor and Travelfish to get ideas on what countries and cities in the area may be cool to explore. \u00a0You can also see sample itineraries. \u00a0Take a look at tour operators such as G Adventures and Intrepid Travel – although I recommend not traveling in a tour for maximum flexibility, you can still get ideas on itineraries and cities to see from the trips that they plan.<\/li>\n
  4. Research experiences<\/strong> – Next, research experiences that will challenge you and help you discover who you are. \u00a0Yes, I am know that going to see Angkor Wat<\/a> in Cambodia\u00a0will be an incredible and amazing experience, and I am very much looking forward to seeing it. \u00a0But to really challenge yourself\u2014to really see what you\u2019re made of\u2014find some things off of the main tourist path that will offer a unique experience. \u00a0Keep in mind, you’ll likely learn more on the road about unique experiences then you’ll be able to figure out researching online. \u00a0Looking for ideas or inspiration? \u00a0Here are some initial thoughts I have for my trip through Southeast Asia\n
      \n
    • Taking unique transportation – cycling \/ biking tour through the Vietnam countryside, Laotian “slow” boat down the Mekong River, riding an elephant or ostrich<\/li>\n
    • Hiking – in the jungles of Malaysia, through the hills of Northern Thailand, up the moutains in Indonesia<\/li>\n
    • Adventure sports – surfing in water or sand dunes, rock climbing, scuba diving, caving, sailing<\/li>\n
    • New hobbies and experiences – cooking classes, traditional dancing, yoga in Bali, Vipassana meditation<\/li>\n
    • Volunteering – helping at an orphanage, teaching English<\/li>\n
    • Staying at unique accommodations\u00a0– living in a monastery, spending time in a hill-tribe village<\/li>\n
    • Participating in local customs and ceremonies – such as a Baci ceremony<\/li>\n
    • Meeting locals and other travelers – through local community events, airbnb.com, coachsurfing.com<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • Start your trip<\/strong> – Finally, start your trip and plan as you go – when traveling during big festivities it may make sense to book accommodations\u00a0ahead of time. \u00a0If going a far distance, booking a flight in advance\u00a0may<\/em> help you save some money, while booking a train ticket ahead of time\u00a0may<\/em> give you access to a better \/ more comfortable seat. \u00a0Otherwise, book as you go, or a day or two before you arrive in your next city.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      With the steps above, you can plan a cool trip with plenty of unique experiences to have which will help shape new perspectives and offer you plenty of opportunities to learn.<\/p>\n

      Lessons Learned<\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      • Planning a trip without a set itinerary is exciting. \u00a0Including stops along the way to have unique experiences is even better<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Planning a trip without a set itinerary is daunting! \u00a0I’ve cheated a little bit by pulling together a very rough itinerary to have a basic sense of some of the cities I may travel to. \u00a0Booking your arrival\u00a0accommodation\u00a0and planning your first week can help your transition overseas<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Do you prefer traveling with a set itinerary, or without? \u00a0Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        \u201cWe live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.\u201d \u2013- Jawaharial Nehru \/\/ How do you plan an unplanned multi-month trip? \u00a0Don\u2019t go with a tour group, travel on your own, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7,3,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-itinerary","category-pre-trip","category-travel-tips","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"geo":null,"yoast_head":"\nHow to plan an "unplanned" trip - Wandering with Intent<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How do you plan an unplanned multi-month trip? 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