This article was published on March 30th, 2014

Like most people, you’re probably long over due for a vacation. Going on a vacation can take  a lot of time and energy, but with some good advice, the internet and a solid plan, you can quickly put together an amazing custom vacation. Here are some tips to help you plan a travel getaway:

1. Start by identifying where you are going. Old skool people will grab a globe, but plugged in people now reach for Google maps. With a little searching you can get geographically oriented with where the destination is located and what major cities are in the area.
2. Plan your transportation. Search airline websites for the best deal. Pick flight times that depart from your airport at a time that works for your schedule and yet still puts you into your destination at the time you need to be there. Try not to book flights with more than one stop or connection. Multiple connections increase the risk of you or your checked baggage not making it to connecting flights.
3. Figure out what area of the city you want to stay in. The best way to do this is by visiting the local tourism website. They’ll break down the city into neighbourhoods and experiences. For instance, if you want to stay near the arts and culture district or in the gay village, you’ll want to find that neighbourhood name.
4. Go back to Google Maps and search for the city and neighbourhood, and then do a “search nearby” to see what hotels are in the area. You can check out the hotel property websites to see what rates are available directly. Also check our websites like Trivago, a booking site that aggregates hotel rates in one stop. Book your hotel early, especially if you are traveling for an event.
5. You’ll want to figure out how to get from the airport to your accommodation. Taxi’s are the obvious options, but check to see if there’s a train to downtown, shuttle service, or shared van service. These options are usually significantly cheaper. If you’re in a group, you might find that renting an limousine is cheaper. You can look into these transportation options on the airport website.
6. If you are travelling for pleasure, plan our your day and night schedule. Figure out in advance which attractions, shops or malls, neighbourhoods, and restaurants you want to visit. Factor in travel time to get to each activity. Some cities, like Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, New York and others have CityPASS, which allows you to purchase packages of multiple city attractions at a significantly discounted price.
7. Before you leave on your trip, make sure you have complete travel insurance to cover medical and travel mishaps. You never know when you’ll have an emergency situation on a trip.