Choose a Great Destination

The most exciting part of planning a trip, is choosing an incredible destination. Whether it’s a bustling city, a relaxing beach town, or something in between, finding the perfect place to go is very important! We tend to research the weather patterns, as well as the high and low season trends in a destination. This gives us a good idea of how busy it will be, as well as how expensive. Because we can be so flexible with our time, we tend to travel to destinations during their low season or shoulder season to avoid the crowds. We also steer clear of travelling during any major holidays! As a married lesbian couple, it’s also important for us to take into account the safety of a travel destination. We generally plan our travel to places where we can be out and open, and will feel safe to be ourselves. If you are part of a same-sex couple, or a member of the LGBTQ+ community, these considerations will likely play a large role in your travel planning. We like to research a country’s LGBTQ+ laws on Wikipedia, as well as the public opinion of the locals. These things give us a good idea of how comfortable we will be during our trip, and what safety precautions we may need to take.

Research the Details

Now that you’ve found the perfect travel destination, it’s time to research the details! Do you need a visa to enter the country? Are there any vaccinations that are required or suggested for your travel? We make sure to always have travel insurance that will cover the length of an upcoming trip. Beyond these necessities, we also like to research other details that will make our trip go smoothly. We will look into the local currency and whether or not it’s recommended to have cash on hand. If so, we will do an exchange at our bank for the best rate, so we don’t have to worry about it once we’ve arrived. For longer trips, we also look into a destination’s mobile phone plans to see if getting a local SIM card is worth it. We like to stay connected, but make sure that we aren’t paying crazy roaming rates when we travel! You can generally purchase a local SIM card at major airports, and get a reasonable pay-as-you-go plan for the duration of your stay.

Find the Best Flight Itinerary

Air travel can be expensive, which is why we always do our research for the best possible flight itinerary. We travel a lot on points (we mostly use the Aeroplan program), but we do occasionally buy flights. Google Flights is a great tool for comparing fares! Especially if you are flexible with your dates, their calendar feature makes it easy to find the least expensive dates to fly. You can filter the results if you have preferred airlines, or a preference for direct flights or a certain number of stop overs. Along with Google Flights, we also like to use Skyscanner. They offer daily flight deals, and have an “everywhere” feature in their search. If you’re flexible on your destination and just want to find the least expensive flight, this is a great way to open up your options! The more patient you are, the better chance you will have of booking great flights. Keep checking the fares, set alerts, and wait for the perfect time to book.

Book Your Transportation

Outside of air travel, you may have other transportation to book. This might include buses, trains, ferries, and more. Our favourite tool for researching other transportation options, is Rome2Rio. It gives you multiple options of how to get from Point A to Point B, and allows you to choose the most convenient or cost effective option for your trip. Booking these tickets in advance tends to be far less expensive! If you have your travel itinerary set and you know your dates won’t change, we recommend booking your bus, train, and ferry tickets in advance. Outside of these, you might also want to look at a rental car for your trip. We find that staying loyal to one company gives us the best rates, and perks. We personally love Hertz, and find that staying loyal to them serves us best. As a Hertz Gold member, you can earn points toward free rentals, and skip the line when picking up a car. As 5 Star Gold members, we also get a free upgrade almost every time!

Discover Amazing Accommodations

Your accommodations will be one of the most important parts of your trip. Finding an incredible place to stay can have a huge impact on your travel experience! When we’re looking for accommodations for a trip, we like to compare plenty of different options. We usually start by seeing if there are any home exchange options available. This means that we stay in a locally owned property in the destination, while offering up one of our properties in exchange. It has worked well for us in the past, and because no money changes hands, it’s a free option! After home exchanges, we tend to look at Airbnb next. We love staying in properties that are owned by local hosts, as they tend to be in great neighbourhoods with a more authentic feel. Depending on the length of our trip, Airbnb almost always ends up being more cost effective as well. We love to have access to a kitchen so we can prepare meals during a trip, and having a full apartment is far more comfortable than a hotel room. If there aren’t any Airbnb’s available in the destination we’re going, we will look at hotels. For this, we use Hotels.com because they have great rates, and a loyalty program that offers one free night for every ten nights booked!

Plan Fun Activities

Once you have your accommodations and transportation in order, it’s time to start looking at what a destination offers. Are there some must-see attractions that you should add to your list? What are some fun activities that you can plan to do while you’re there? Are there certain things that might be best to see with a guided tour? These things are usually best to book in advance! Popular ticketed attractions will sell out quickly, so don’t wait to buy tickets once you’re already on your trip. Big tours will also book up quickly, so it’s best to book these before you depart. If you aren’t much of a tour person (we aren’t really either), you might enjoy something through Airbnb Experiences. They are small, intimate experiences led by local hosts. Including things like food tours, hikes, cultural experiences, and more, it can be a great way to do something unique in a travel destination.

Get Your Travel Essentials

To make for smooth travel, you want to make sure you have all of your essentials in order. Look into what plugs and voltage are used in the country you’re going to, and be sure you have the proper electronics and power converters for your trip. If you’re going to a warm destination or plan on doing a lot of adventure activities, you may want to look into an insulated water bottle like a Swell bottle, that keeps your water cold for 24 hours. We like to have passport wallets, and small card wallets with us on all of our trips. We tend to divide our cash and cards into several bags in case something ever got stolen. Also, be sure to have any medications or health essentials with you! I like to have a few things packed for motion sickness. (I love Sea Bands, and any natural ginger chews).

Research Food

Now that your trip is shaping up, it might be time to start researching some local food! We are MAJOR foodies, and eating the local food is always a big part of our travel. Because we’re vegan it can be a bit tricky, but it’s made easier with plenty of research. We like to use Google Maps and Yelp to look up cafes and restaurants before we head off on a trip. I will “favourite” all of the best options on Google Maps, so that we know where everything is once we’ve arrived. Another great tool is Happy Cow, which shows you vegan and vegetarian options in every destination. It will also show you markets, grocery stores, and specialty shops, which is great if you want to pick up some cooking essentials!

Research Drinks

Along with researching the local food options, we like to research the best spots to grab a drink as well. We tend to love craft breweries, wine bars, cocktail bars, and hidden speakeasies! We will always google the best options before leaving on a trip, and save them for when we arrive. Both Google Maps and Yelp are user review based, so you can read all about what others have experienced. This is also when we research any specifically LGBTQ+ friendly bars and establishments. It can be really fun to have a drink in an inclusive space when travelling, and it’s great way to experience the local community. Not all destinations have a “gaybourhood” or gay-friendly bars, but if they do, we always try to check them out!

Find Some Hidden Gems

It’s becoming increasingly popular for travellers to look for “hidden gems” in a destination. Rather than seeking out the big tourist attractions, we all want unique and authentic experiences! We’ve found that the best way to do this is by reading travel stories, and taking personal recommendations from other people who have been to the destination. This is one of the reasons why travel blogs are so wonderful! We read a lot of other travel blogs, and it’s such a great way to add some hidden gems to our itineraries. Whether it’s a beautiful park or beach that’s only popular with the locals, or a great eatery that’s outside of the tourist area, we love discovering lesser known spots. Do some reading on a destination before the trip, and be sure to add some hidden gems to your list.

What do you do when planning your trips? What are your favourite tools for planning travel!? Let us know in the comments below.

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