Me again,
I was going to wait until at least tonight to post again but my enthusiasm couldn't stop me getting start on my next post straight away.
When it comes down to travelling I've got a set of rough idea about how to plan it. First of all you've got to have a destination in mind. I tend to go for country rather then anything specific and always a place where you feel drawn to, a place that has a sense of adventure. This can be inspired from reading, a piece of art, or a travel show (we're talking more Palin rather then "Wish you were here"). Next stop is the book shop to for a spot of shopping!
The Internet is great for finding out things about a place but books like the Lonely Planet and Rough Guides have far more in and is worth every penny. Often these will make the best travel buddies too, and they will be way more in depth and useful then an Internet print out.
The next stage is to set a budget. Your budget will most likely vary depending on destination. Places like Spain, Cambodia, China and even America are pretty cheap with the strength of the pound although countries like Japan are more likely to be on a par price wise with England with big cities like Tokyo being pricey like London.
Next, make sure you really read your guides. See where you'd like to go and plan a route from the airport you want to fly to, to the airport you want to leave from. I prefer return flights to depart from a different airport. Why travel from A to A when you can go from A to B? It very rarely cost any more for doing this although it’s a common misconception it might.
Next find out the rough cost of hotels or hostels in the areas you want to visit. Then you know how long you'll be able to afford in each area. You can plan a schedule if you like but I prefer the nomadic approach just moving on when I feel its time. A loose schedule will be needed though to make sure you can get back to the airport for the flight home. Places like expedia.com will be a good way to get cheap flights.
I prefer hire cars as my method of transport. It allows for more random encounters and spontaneous stop offs, some of the best discoveries will be made this way. My favourite port of call for car hire is Your-CarHire.com, as they search through all the prices from the major players like Alamo and Hertz and have some great promotional offers.
And that is how I plan pretty much how I plan! There is a little more refinement to it, but that all comes down to individual research and appeal. Find the places that appeal most as your major waypoints and its always a good idea to book hotels for a few days at the star and end of your trip to give you time to recover from any flights and get your bearings.
Next time I post I'll tell you a bit about some of the plans I’ve made and how they turned out. That’s the fun part!
Regards,
Mark.
. I'll spare you my history!