Planning your trip

First of all, we love the planning process, almost as much as the trip. Lots of research goes into most of our trips, but we are also learning to just pick a destination and then start the planning. 

Travel blogs and designated travel Facebook groups are a great place to start. 

Google flights is where we almost alway start and then we always book directly though the airlines, always checking different dates, airlines and surrounding airports for the best options. Lately, we have had good luck with one-way tickets and flying into one airport and out of another. It is a lot of work but we find the best options that work for us.

As we are flying  out of a smaller airport, connection times are important!!! We have chanced it with a short layover and no checked bags, but we usually make sure to allow adequate connection times, especially when heading to our destination. And since our original airport is smaller and we have smaller bags, a lot of the time our carry-ons are checked at the gate, sometimes picked up at the gate and sometimes at baggage claim. We never know, so recently, we have been just checking a bag, unless it is a really quick trip.

Hotel or AirBnb....it really depends on the location and the experience we desire. Always read lots of reviews and book directly with the hotel or through AirBnb/VRBO. Check the cancellation policies. 

Depending on the location, car rental, trains and public transit are all great options.  One-way rentals are worth looking into, if that helps your trip flow. 

If we are in a city, we try to go without a car and take public transport, taxis/ubers and we walk a lot. If we want to explore outside of the city, we will rent a car or taking a train from town to town is another favorite way to travel. Learning to navigate the roads and train stations adds to the travel adventure!

if you are renting a car, investigate the parking options. Sometimes this is a challenge!

We love to create  our own adventures but there are certain locations where a tour is indispensable! In these places, we like to find small tours on AirBnb experiences. Small tours allow a more personal experience! And on some of these tours your tour guide is not a professional tour guide, but an archeologist or a PhD art student. Their expertise in an over-whelming location makes the experience come to life!

Coming soon....