Up until now, we have fixed the dates, booked the airfare and decided on the destination and have a general idea of what to do there. We can then decide the places specifically we want to visit and how we move around these places.
3. Decide on the mode of transport
Depending on the destination and your budget, you will
- Australia, US – Self-drive due to the vast spaces in between unless you only restrict yourself to the city centre
- Where the trip involved in large cities like Guang Zhou, Hong Kong and Seoul – Arrange for airport transfers and use public transport.
- Taiwan, Alpensia where local knowledge is required and public transport is not readily available – Private hire vehicle with a guide.
I almost always will rent a family car for self-drive. Not a preference but rather a need because of the size of my group. If you are less then four persons, then a taxi may probably be cheaper. We do not want to split up and so either we need a large people carrier taxi or self-drive using a 7-seater. If we have our own rented car, we have complete freedom of time and space.
4. Find lodging
We now know, the places we want to go generally, the things we want to do and how to go round them. These are enough factors for you to look for places to stay.
- City or city hopping trips – Good to stay in places near public transports like the subway stations. Like what we did for Seoul, Hong Kong and Guangzhou.
- For trips to nature parks, and with the availability of rented car – Good to find a place in the outskirts, between the National Parks and the city. Should also be near to amenities for groceries. Like our trip to Darwin and Perth.
- For specific or unique experiences – just head straight into the specific resorts. E.g, U.K Farmstays, Ski Resort in Alpensia and Golf Resorts in Bintan.
I use Agoda and Airbnb to find places to stay. For the big family, these are perhaps the only sites that list apartments, houses or large family suits. So
5. Itinerary planning
I recommend doing this planning here after all the big pieces have been settled. Because now you have the stability of information to decide on the day to day activities. What you want to do is to first draw out a table, and put in the key activities and essential information like departure, arrival, rental car pick up, check in and check out times. Assuming you did this 3 months before your trip, you can pretty much leave it there and take your time to fill in the blanks. Consider this sources:
- Ask a friend/colleague who has been there before.
- Find similar itineraries online or blogger’s entry about that place.
- Go to the cities’ visitor websites for recommendations.
- Airbnb owner’s recommendation.
- look into Google maps for interesting sights.
- Visit trip advisors website .etc.
One day, you heard about this place, the next day you read about that activity. There you go, your itinerary builds up along the way. Add in places to eat and booking information for theme parks etc. You may not want to pack too many things. I typically only organise one thing in the morning and one in the afternoon, and we need not rush. Be ready to change plans depending your moods on the actual day.
6. Countdown, pack and go
Almost done. but there are some important things to check. You passport’s validity, check for existing rules from your country as well and visiting countries. at the date of departure and you have a validity of at least 6 months, you are pretty much safe. The next thing is Visa. Many countries allow visa-free travel (some are not visa-free but allow visa approval upon arrival). It is prudent to do a check and fulfil the necessary requirement. Australia for example, you need to apply for the ETA, either online or through a travel agent.
Having been satisfied all the requirements, do take some time to read about the countries’/cities’ history, culture,
gobassky