Since I haven’t written a blog article in well over two years, I figured I would write one about my travel process. I am definitely not a travel savant nor am I constantly out somewhere in the world, but my system works well for me and wanted to document it in case others may find it useful. I’m not going to go into booking or travel hacks as that is outside the scope of this article and can be dependent on a person’s financial situation.

My Philosophy

To me, it is also very important to have a mindset that you will not and cannot see everything you want to see, try everything you want to try. Attempting to do so will leave you with exhaustion and burnout which can build and cause you to crash later on in the trip plus give you feelings of regret. If you are physically or mentally tired, there is nothing wrong with just chilling back at your home base for a few hours to reenergize yourself. All of this is amplified when you are adjusting to time zone differences. This is a hard lesson that even I struggle to deal with, but in the end you do not want issues to build up down the line.

Along the same lines, it is important to not get into “checkbox tourism” mode. Unless it is just a monument or statue, do not swing by, take a picture, and leave just to tick off an item. Make an effort to appreciate the significance behind the destination. Read the info signs, savor the scenery, get your money’s worth if you paid admission. If you are showing a friend your pictures and cannot explain what makes this statue, museum, or bridge cool, then you are doing it wrong.

I do recognize that others may not share this philosophy… you do you. And I have also caught myself taking a quick photo of some art just to say “I’ll look at it later”. But I know as long as I do not make this an all-the-time thing, then I can forgive myself.

Before the Trip

It’s important to do some research before the trip on places you want to visit. I tend to identify more places to tour and to eat/drink than I can reasonably do, and I am perfectly fine with that. The idea is to give myself a search space to work with.

Some ways I find destinations

  • Wikivoyage - Solid place to start planning. User-written articles on cities, countries, travel tips, etc. Also has good info on how to stay safe, show respect to the locals. The tourist destinations are pretty good, but the Eat, Drink, Sleep sections could be out-of-date as these pages are user-edited.
  • Atlas Obscura - My favorite place to find interesting tourist destinations. Occasionally has “main attractions”, but caters more to off-the-beaten-path history, natural wonders, oddities, etc.
  • Just scrolling around Google Maps. Sometimes I find great restaurant and bar recommendations by just scrolling around a city in Google Maps. It’s easy to look at the reviews and gauge if this place is up your alley. Furthermore, tourism destinations tend to show up on the map even when zoomed out a bit more. Nice way to see how close things are and plan from there.
    • For each place I am visiting, I will make a private list marking the places of interest for me as well as my home base. In the past, I used to remove the places I’ve been to, but I found that makes it harder for me to reminisce about a particular restaurant or share my list with others so I keep the “visited” and the “have not visited” all in one place.
    • Secondary tip here - You can download an offline version of the map for the city or region you are visiting. A city-wide offline map can take maybe 100Mb of storage on your phone. Two reasons for this. 1) Saving data, and 2) If you do not have cell service, you still have a navigation tool.
  • Reddit - Each country and city has a subreddit with active posters (typically locals) that are willing to answer questions from potential travelers. These subreddits typically have a wiki page or a “Traveling? Start Here” page with some good recommendations. This can save you from some unexpected surprises and get a feel of the vibe or beat of the area.

One other thing I do is use a Google Doc to organize my trip. This makes it easy for me to reference during the trip. For cities in the USA (where I am from) or for shorter trips (3 full days or less), I generally will not do this… I can handle the logistics in my head just fine. Making a list on Google Maps is my document here

How I typically organize my Doc:

  • Front page with main region including a general map, lodging information, flight information and transportation to/from airport to my home base.
  • General information on public transit, including links. This includes train and subway maps where appropriate.
  • Information about special passes (like transport or museums)
  • Breaking my trip into regions. If in a city, this would be neighborhoods or districts. If in a country, this includes cities or regions. Each of these pages gets the following sections:
    • How to get there (i.e. train or subway route)
    • Local map, if possible
    • What to do there. This also includes any information about admission discount days or closed days
    • Food and drink. Same thing about days closed.

Having an organized document helps me with planning during the trip. I do not set timetables, or set days to do X or Y unless something special is happening on a particular day that I need to schedule around. This also allows me to make an assessment on if there are any regions I could skip because there is not enough there to interest me. Conversely, I may elect to spend more time at a certain reigon because of the amount of stuff there.

It’s important to figure out your main TODOs to determine what your trip anchors should be. Wanna check out that famous museum in city A… make it an anchor destination. Wanna eat lunch at that quirky bistro in city B… make it an anchor spot. This will help in planning out your days during the trip.

During the Trip

First things first, I settle in after arriving, and get my bearings. I consult Google Maps, just to plan a route as well as taking a mental note of street names and layouts. The earlier I can avoid having to constantly pull my phone out the better (to minimize looking like a tourist).

A small disclaimer that ironically adds to my philosophy: I do not drive. I have a license but choose not to drive. If I am traveling, and a destination is walkable, then I walk. You miss so much when you are driving or ridding around. This includes hidden gems as well as the cultural vibe. If you see something cool while walking you can investigate and maybe even take a photo. When riding, you can’t stop. Walking also burns off all that tourism food and drink you had as well. So if you are able to, I highly recommend walking when it is reasonable.

Typically the prior day, I will look at my trip document and decide what city or region to take my day trip. What I will do is choose an anchor destination, and work around that. I make sure to hit that up during the day, but also add other nearby things in the area I am visiting. Sometimes, if this region is intended to be a one-day affair, I may take public transportation if there is a second anchor spot in the region but too far to walk. Overall my strategy is to organize the day as efficiently as possible by proximity to my anchor spot.

It is also worth noting that I allow myself all the time I need. I’m here to enjoy the trip, not to check a mark off a box. Now timed itineraries with the exception of time-sensitive events obviously. The only time I may feel like rushing is if I need to catch a ride at a certain time or I feel that I can fit in another restaurant or museum before they are set to close. That generally does not happen though since I made a general plan the day before and I would have been to my anchor spot at this point.

Usually when in the hotel room or at dinner is when I choose the next day’s region. Rinse and repeat.

Closing thoughts

Overall this is my way of travelling that has kept me sane over the years. I do not try to fit too much in, which saves me stress and allows for the unexpected to happen. The result is a more enjoyable trip that reflects a stronger connection and appreciation of all the areas I visited.