How to Plan Your Next International Trip: Cutting Costs while Upping Excursions

Travel planning is just as fun as the trip. Well to me.

Building a Great International Travel Plan is key

So, you want to live the #travelnoire yacht lifestyle, but you don’t have unlimited funds… Worry not! This is just the strategy/planning guide for you. You can do this on your own and you might just have loads of fun planning it as well.

A Whole Lot of Travel Planning for a Whole Lot of Fun

In the summer of 2019, my girlfriend and I traveled to 12 countries and visited over 70 unique locations which included the Barack Obama Plaza in Ireland, tons of UNESCO sights such as the Cliff of Moher, Edinburgh Castle, Stonehenge, Windsor, Bath, Westminster, St. Paul Cathedral, other cathedrals, The Sistine Chapel, Belem Tower, more castles, an old Colosseum, kicked it with D-Wade (Basketball Superstar), chilled with Rainn Wilson (movie star), loss money simply looking at the Monte Carlo casinos, saw mega yachts, rode a boat, some trains, tons of ferries, wine tasting, Guinness drinking, Crown Jewels, and drunk too much whiskey, etc…

We did a lot of stuff.

Looking back at it, the trip seems cramped but as an auditor who loves numbers and all things Microsoft Excel, and a Convention Center event manager who is a bit too binder-happy, for us, it was a piece of cake.

With our powers combined, it was easy to create a plan that tackles at least 7 countries. Drunk off our power; we added five more. Beat that Rick Steves!

We fought about Google maps though. I almost drove through someone’s garden.

CARDINAL RULES OF TRAVEL

One of the Staple Travel Rules, is always, to keep it really simple.

Planning any travel starts off with the Five Ws: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and the random How much.

If you don’t have a WHY down pack, you technically should not travel to any location, just yet. Your purpose has to be more than I saw my friend go, or other people went. You will be in for a rude awakening if you have to drive *standard in Scotland. You will hate life when you touch down and no one speaks English in some places. To avoid just blowing money, and regretting it all when you see the bill, decide why you want to do this.

Why will this bring you joy? Even “stunting on them haters” is likely a plausible reason if that brings you joy.

Next, whom are you traveling with? Is this a solo adventure? Are you going with your spouse and/or kids? Are you traveling with your parents? All of that is important in crafting the right type of travel experience. For example, you would not want to book a view on Macchu Pichu with a grandma with a bad hip. So now the travel personalities for this trip. 

(Begrudgingly) “Stunting on ’em” could be your plausible reason to #travelnoire

So WHERE are you going?

Try not to cram your itinerary as we did. That was some high-level stuff. Most people would be burned out by country #2. Depending on how much time you have in Europe:

• 7 days (a short vacation): 1-2 countries “Paris, France, and London, England” and 3-4 Excursions (Palais Versailles, Windsor, Stonehenge, and Bath), or even “Ireland” to see the Cliff of Moher, Giant’s Causeway, Slieve League.

• 10 days (a Real escape from the ordinary): 1-2 countries (Italy) and 3-4 Excursions (Vatican City, Rome, Florence, and Venice); “Barcelona, Spain, and the French Riviera”; or, “Netherlands, France, and Belgium”.

• 14 days (vacation a la Europe): ): 2-3 countries (France, Spain, and Portugal) with 3-4 Excursions. The variations or endless. Just try not to crisscross too many segments. For example, UK + Central Europe + Italy + the French Riviera + the Iberians + Iceland. ⇠ Nuts.

Now that we have all some of the cardinal rules out of the way, here’s a step-by-step way to plan any vacation.

1. ENSURE ALL YOUR PAPERWORK ARE INTACT AND READY FOR ACTION

Make sure you have a passport and check the expiration date. 

Make sure you add enough time for complications. It’s always best to plan subconsciously for the worst so if it appears a month after you come back, just renew the passport. The last thing you need is to find out your passport has expired while you are in an airport checking line and voila. A great strategy is to email yourself a copy of your passport (print a copy for good measure).

***I tend to keep my copy while I walk about any new country and my real one safe and secure in the hotel.

Keep in mind that some countries require visas. For Europe, that’s not the case but if they do, this is the time to run and get it processed. The fee can run you up to $200 USD and several weeks. My girlfriend and I sprung for the global entry passes which made coming back to the US, a breeze.

Think ahead about credit cards and foreign transaction fees. I brought two cards for my girlfriend and me just in case, we got separated. Also, make sure Uber and Lyft are also updated with the new Credit Cards, so you don’t get the extra transaction fee.

Other paperwork you might need to consider: Medical documentation. For example, if you have a mental hip, a pacemaker, or required medication for Diabetes; all of those might be an issue at any airport. Get the doctor to sign and clear you.

2. ESTABLISH THE BUDGET AND TRAVEL OFF-SEASON (IF YOU CAN)

When planning any trip, based on your allotted time; give yourself an estimated budget. When this was a solo trip, I originally planned for 8 countries (about $5,000 plus or minus $1,000). We ended up spending around $7,775 for 2 people which wasn’t bad. We made good use of all the travel points to lessen the damage.

Remember, Europe is more expensive than traveling in the US. Don’t let their monopoly money fool you.

The biggest mental hurdle is the roundtrip flight from the US since it’s likely a fat lump sum part.

A great price is anything less than $1,200 in my opinion but I have heard people getting to Paris for a $600 round trip. Once you are there, it comes down to your preference for lodging, food, activities, and local transportation.

$40/day is a solid budget for food

You can easily go over this amount but if you nab a hotel with FREE breakfast or keep it casual and local with a café and croissant; you might make it. If you are being frugal a two-week trip can run you about $4,000. For pure luxury types, it can run you $6,000 per person. For can add up pretty quickly. One sit-down with the work is equivalent to $60-$75.

Some destinations are cheaper than others, but there are ways to save. Traveling during the offseason helps. Picking budget accommodations, and planning a shorter trip, can also reduce costs significantly. We found the major European cities like Dublin, Edinburgh, London, Paris, Rome, and the French Riviera pretty expensive overall. Venture to the side cities and lodge there instead, they might be cheaper. As long as you aren’t too far from the Airport (less than 1hr).

Try to avoid the summer months of June to August, mainly due to the influx of tourists. 

The new middle class of China book massive tours. You will see the tour buses and then the swarm of people. And loads of families from India travel deep. Add field trips, backpackers, and retirees and you are in for long lines and battle royals for pictures.

3. PLOT YOUR PATH

Now that you know how much you can spend, where do you want to go? For us, we stuck to the main cities and tried to pile on all the UNESCO side activities.

For example, in Ireland, we ventured east to see the Cliffs of Moher. In London, we went south to see Windsor Castle, Bath, and Stonehenge. In France, we took almost a full day for Versailles and another day for Verdon Gorge (in the South of France). All of these are available on Expedia.

We did have high hopes to see a bullfight in Spain but they only run shows on a specific day. There are some things you can’t miss, like the Tour Eiffel, the Louvre, or the Holy City, the Vatican. My girlfriend did all the heavy lifting for London, Paris, and Rome; the days when you have free-form tourist adventures.

Turns out Museums are closed on Tuesdays in Paris?

Keep the path fluid and consider travel time, fatigue, and even time zones. Building rest works. I suggest 2 days on 1 day off, 3 days on 1 day off (repeat), Consider places where you need extra time. And remember that your hotel might securely hold your luggage if you have an afternoon or late evening travel departure. It’s clutch.

4. BOOK THE CAP FLIGHTS FIRST (INTRO AND OUTRO)

Airfare will probably be the most expensive part of your trip, you’ll want to book it way before prices fluctuate. For international trips, it’s best to get that situated at least 6 months in advance. Flying on Tuesday is cheaper.

Depending on which country you are visiting, there might be activities only available on specific days. If you head there on Friday and arrive on Saturday, you might miss out on tons of great highlights.

We checked Google Flights and Expedia through the Chase Travel card website. Since the Sapphire Reserve throws in Travel insurance as a perk, we picked those up as soon as possible. At this point, we also started to track prices and gather our estimates. Travel around Europe is cheap than we expected but make sure you triple-check the baggage fees.

We notice that there were layovers in Iceland so that was a perk. From now on, I’m doubling down on long layovers if they are prebuilt in. For example, you can easily swing by Colombia on your way to Brazil. Icelandair has a long-running program that allows passengers flying elsewhere in Europe to take a free stopover in Reykjavik, Iceland for up to seven nights. You are warned there isn’t much to do besides the Blue Lagoon and Adventure tourism in Iceland. It’s still worth the trip but you are warned (Rent a car).

5. DO YOUR LOCAL RESEARCH

Once you know the time that you are traveling, time to draw the lines. This is where you decide what to eat, where, and if you are getting punched drunk off of wine. Here’s a short list of all the great events happening seasonally that can add to your experience:

• Notting Hill Carnival, London (England) in August
• Feria de Abril, Southern (Spain) in the city of Seville in April
• Hogmanay: Edinburgh’s roaring NYE festival (Scotland) in December through January
• Oktoberfest: One of Europe’s largest folk festivals (Germany) in October
• Carnival of Venice (Italy) from Mid-February to early March
• Keukenhof: Amsterdam’s Tulip & Flower Festival (Netherlands) from the end of March until May
• Cannes Film Festival, celebrities and movies (France) in May
• Fiesta de San Isidro: Madrid’s largest traditional festival (Spain) in May
• Sanfermines: Running of the bulls in Pamplona (Spain) in July
• St Patrick’s Day: The feast of Saint Patrick, Ireland in March
• Bastille Day, on the 14 of July in France, with the biggest festivities in Paris.

6. BOOK THE ACTIVITIES (FULLY REFUNDABLE AND CANCELLABLE)

Book refundable activities from sights like Expedia. In Madrid, we did the biking tour which was surprisingly fun and interesting. You even get some exercise and it was easier on the feet.

Tours are awesome but you are really stuck for those hours with the tour guide. Sometimes, it’s best to get out early in the morning to beat the lines and go through the location yourself.

We also rented a car in Scotland to go Castle Hunting which added a unique dynamic to our travels and a bit more fluid movement. But I highly caution against driving on the other side of the road in those narrow streets. It was nuts.

The second car rental in Nice was easier and we were able to drive to Antibes, Cannes, Monaco, and into the South of France. I wish I rented a car in Iceland. And seriously, you have to see Chateau Eze.

Other activities include cooking, wine tasting, chocolate tasting, beer tastings, paintings, rum tastings, helicopter flights, boat rides, etc. There are tons of ways to explore.

7. RESERVE THE HOTELS

It’s time to go back to that rough itinerary and fight over where you want to sleep. As is the case with pretty much everything you book for your trip, the earlier you make arrangements, the better. Make sure you pick somewhere near a city center or near mass transit. You will regret it if you don’t. You can easily blow a good amount of money on Uber rides and Taxis.

Since we had the budget, we tried not to go over $80/night if we can. Some places are naturally expensive like Amsterdam. The spaces will be smaller than your American sensitivities. Make sure you don’t get a smoking room because it will smell like heavy smoke. Most locations don’t have a gym at that rate.

Some locations like Dublin, Ireland, get loud at night likely due to the Guinness. The rest is all based on your bankroll. Instagram pros have been known to stay in bummy spaces and splurge for 1-2 in a great location.

8. BOOK REGIONAL AND LOCAL TRAVEL (FLIGHTS-RAIL-FERRIES AND RENTAL CARS) + VERIFY FOR BAGGAGE FEES

Now that you book the activities and the hotel, time to do the transportation in between.

Railways open up later around two months before you need it. 

The trains are amazing. The comfort and speed are just right. you can go cheap and still live grande. Get there with plenty of time to spare and you will be fine. The train from London to France was only 2hrs. Download the apps, they make everything easy to use.

Europe is big on budget airlines that fly from city to city at a minimal cost. European discount airlines include EasyJet and Ryanair. There are like the Spirit airlines of Europe but a bit nicer.

A car rental is your best bet if you’re traveling to local hard-to-reach spots. I’m repeating it again, it’s nuts. So it’s not for everyone.

9. DOUBLE-CHECK THE ITINERARY

A few weeks before your departure date is the right time to start double-checking tickets since flight numbers might have changed. You want to set up all your travel alerts on the credit cards because you don’t want to be stuck with no access to money due to a blockage. This happened to me in Sau Paulo (Brazil), I had to learn how to speak and understand Portuguese in 20 minutes.

Some places don’t have quick access to ATMs, and no conversions. So get your money from your bank and estimate how much you will need. Your bank doesn’t charge conversion fees so you might end up saving a couple of hundred dollars in the process. For restaurants, go with the card. Visa is accepted everywhere. Pretty much.

10. ALL THE RIGHT FEATURES

Buy the appropriate luggage if need be. We purchased the “Osprey Farpoint 40”. It met all the travel restrictions. Collapsible compression features and easy tuck-away shoulder straps. Though I’m not a fan of the shape, I can’t deny the comfort and ease of movement.

Make room for photos on your cell phones and keep extra batteries in tow. My buddy, Gerome, an amazing wedding photographer recommended that we get the DJI Osmo Pocket. It was worth the investment. Definitely a space saver.

Invest in comfortable shoes. The old tennis shoe you have looks raggedy and it lacks the cushion you will need for the 40,000 Fitbit step days.

TSA travel locks were also appropriate for this trip. If you are going to be on mass transits and don’t want to look at reflections to see if you are getting robbed (Marine Corp style), best all another level of security. 

11. PACK APPROPRIATELY AND NOT TOO HEAVY

Instead of packing the day before your trip, like I always do. Start thinking about what you’ll need to bring. Give yourself at least one month, you never know what you need to order.

I didn’t know that It was going to be cold in Ireland until the morning of. I thought it was summertime. It was gloomy in the UK some of the time. The winter is probably terrible.

Travel light, if you don’t have it, you can likely get it cheaper in Europe, or you can go to a local H&M.

Check out this video for packing, “14 Days in Europe in a Carry-On! How I Packed + Travel Essentials!” or this video for guys, “MINIMALIST TRAVEL // MALES PACKING LIST // OSPREY FARPOINT 40”.

Any extra pound is added to you will you are walking.

12. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE COMMUNICATION

Does your cell phone plan allow you to make calls overseas? Many cell phone companies have international plans that are pretty inexpensive in comparison to going from wifi to wifi. Trust me, that’s pretty rough. Having that feature attached comes in pretty handy while driving, or taking the metro.

Please just add this to your cost or else…

Here are 12 Phone Tips when traveling Abroad video from Bring Me.

13. LEARN THE LOCAL LANGUAGE WITH DUOLINGO OR OTHER APPS

Download and use Duolingo about 6 months to a year before you travel. Even if you can’t say much, you will be able to read and that’s invaluable when looking at maps.

Practice a few phrases before you arrive if you feel comfortable. I often convert all the movies into a foreign language on the flight. It helps me get the lingo and tone. Most major cities have English speakers that will help out. They know 3-5 languages, so you might want to try Duolingo.

14. AND FINALLY, DO AS THE LOCALS

You don’t want to be that tourist. Do the research, and learn a bit about the local culture and what people like to do. I could easily spot the Americans in the crowd. Fitted hats and bold brands. You are merely making yourself a target.

Talk to people. Ask questions. Some of the best restaurants were recommended by tour guides and other tourists. Try not to be shocked but Europeans smoke a lot of cigarettes, if not they vape.

It’s a smoker’s paradise and a non-smoker’s personal mini hell.

In large tour groups, people followed us because we were black (that is just logical). We were following the super tall guys since they were next to the guide. I suggest you use the restroom anywhere you get a chance. Before you leave your hotel is a must. A restaurant or local cafe is a must. In the museum, it’s a must. You see the trend. Never skip the opportunity or you will regret it. I once held my pee for 3hrs in Morocco. Marine Corp Savagery.

You will be logging in with extra steps. Make sure you thought through the proper footwear.

BEST International Travel Summary:

Travel to countries with similar temperatures to avoid packing for all weather. Work from outside in: first, buy the plane ticket(s); second, confirm the hotel (in the vicinity of some action); consider the activities and plan the excursion(s) if need be; and, finally, build in rest or dead time in the program.

Check for baggage fees. Learn a language with Duolingo at least 6 months prior. Make sure you use credit cards with no foreign transaction fees. Convert cash through your bank a week prior to avoid conversion fees. Opt out of bulky cameras and invest in a DJI Osmo Pocket but be careful, it’s sensitive but the 4k video and incredible slow-mo can’t be beaten. Track down a supermarket as soon as possible for water. Track down a laundry mat while you are at it. Don’t over-pack. H&M is your friend. They likely have better fashion options. Eat like the locals. Light breakfast, power snack, later lunch, and dinner no later than 7 pm. 

After all of that enjoy. You will need a drink after. 

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