Best travel plans are made early, on one hand because all the promotions and low price offers that you can get on flights and accommodation, and on the other hand because the best destinations make themselves visible when you are really looking for them.

Why

So you are sitting at your desk connected to Google, best trip adviser ever, and you don’t really know where to start? It’s very simple, you start with you. Just you, if you are traveling single, and all of you, if you are traveling as a couple, family or larger group. First question you need to ask is why you are traveling, what is the purpose. It is said that traveling is the best way to learn, but is this what you are looking for?

You might be looking for relaxation, quiet and privacy. You might be an adventurer seeking for thrills and extreme experiences. Or you might be interested in culture, history and architecture and in search of unique places offering insights into another time and civilization. The first step in planning your vacation has to be always “why”.

Where

After knowing the reason, the “where” is much easier to define. If you have no idea what so ever of where you would like to go, search for places that can give you what you want as a vacation. Usually, you have at least a short list of places where you dream of getting or where you friends have been and returned with a very good experience.

There are classical destinations, like Venice, Rome, Paris and many others written on a kind of standard list, used by tourists that have just began going around the world and want to see what everybody else wants to see. And then, there are the less known destinations that are not seen as touristic destinations but rather as normal cities, villages, areas where you can get to know the locals and the nature without the commercial enhancements. This kind of destinations can be found on forums and blogs or by talking to people that have visited the country where you want to go to.

How … much

The “how” is another key element you need to take into consideration before planning your trip. Are you a backpack nature guy or a five starts hotel with Wi-Fi and jacuzzi one? The level of comfort you are expecting to find during your travel will cut off your list many destinations such us Japanese temples and trips to Antarctica.

There is no “how” more important than “how much”. Your budget is the first and absolute criteria to tell you where you can’t go, how you can’t travel, how long can you stay and in what conditions. So before starting to dream, set an approximate budget to guide your planning.

Budget is the key factor that makes early planning a necessity because planning ahead and making reservations can help you save a lot of money that you can bring in making your vacation better, more comfortable, adding another destination or more days to your trip.