trevor_schofield

Hi Everyone,
Just wondering how other people go about planning out their trips.

I am just starting to plan a trip of about 4 months through Scandinavia and Eastern Europe and was wondering if anyone knew of any web sites out there to help in the process.

I've always used the low-tech method of writing out notes on a calendar to get a rough plan and tracing a route on a map. In general once I pick out the countries I want to visit I check out some of the major/popular towns/cities on sites like LonleyPlanet, WikiTravel, and of course search TravelPUNK for highlights from other posters. After picking the places, I look at a few possible rail passes and other travel options and decide how long I want to stay in each place. If I find any good deals I will buy them before-hand as well.
This is about the extent of my planning before leaving, and I never stick to my original plan, but it serves as a decent guide along the way.

Does anyone have another way of planning or any suggested web sites?

Cheers.

expatben

honestly it depends on what kind of mood I'm in. Sometimes I will plan a route and sort out accommodation based on where and what I want to see and most the time I just pack my backpack and off I go. Both can be fun but whatever you decide TP has a hostel site as well as other things that will be helpful.

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pinknic38

I'm sort of the same way - and I use the hell out of Wiki Travel. However, I look at the general area I want to go and look where it is cheapest to fly into and build my itenerary from there.

And no one ever sticks to their original plan. I'm always way too optimistic about where I want to go, and wind up taking off at least 5 places.

There are a lot of punks on here who will have good advice for Scandanavia/Eastern Europe. I've never been to either but heading to Poland & Czech Republic in June. I know Scandanavia is terribly expensive but on the flip side, Eastern Europe is rather inexpensive so I suppose it will balance out.

I also hear crossing borders in Eastern Europe can be slightly painful, so keep that in mind when considering rail vs. low-cost carrier flights...

When are you wanting to go on your trip?

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freespiritz

I buy a guidebook and a plane ticket and go. :D

I only really plan the hell out of my short trips (less than 2 weeks), when I have limited time to do specific things. For longer trips, i.e. a month I make a general route of cities to hit and rough timeframe, but keep it pretty flexible. And then for my longer trips I just go, and see how I feel, and stay as long as I feel like staying, and head to wherever I feel like heading that morning. I love the spontaneity!

The only thing I might take into account would be high season (lack of) accommodation for booking ahead.

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maracle

When I did my Australia trip I planned it in extreme detail...then my plan went completely out the window about 1 day in. My only contraints were that I had booked a liveabord dive trip on the reef and was flying out of Melbourne. I didn't make it to half the places I planned, wound up going pretty far afield into the rainforest, etc.

Since then I haven't really bothered planning. I just study up, get some things in mind that I'm interested in, and see what happens when I get there. Usually once I'm at a hostel I find someone to travel with, or get some advice on something really cool that I didn't know about. I love being flexible like this since I'm a natural planner. It's so relaxing!

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trevor_schofield

It's looking like I will start my trip in Scandinavia in mid-July, attend the Skanderborg Music Festival in Denmark the second week of Aug., then head east/south until I run out of money.

CookieDough

my parents are planning a trip to Armenia this summer and i have no idea where to go and what i should take with me ive never been there any suggestions?

xtremefx

my lack of actual backpacking or going abroad might somewhat exclude me from this particular topic,but with myself going to Eastern Europe in May,and I am meeting someone out there from America,im flying out on 29th April and meeting him in Krakow on 2nd May,he has planned this whole 2 week trip and I'm just coming along,those 4 days or so before we meet,I have planned nothing,no idea what to do,where to go,or anything. Yet after the two weeks of Eastern Europe, I will be in Bucharest, alone, probably thinking I should've bought that plane ticket home, but at this stage, I will not be doing, and I will be wonderin where will I stay tonight,but I have roughly planned a route of going to the black sea,ferry to ukraine,and up north to latvia area,then go to Gdansk,ferry to Denmark,then german,work way west to france,down spain,go round there,then come up south of france by montpellier,thankfully I kno someone in Nimes,so a place to stay,it's extremely rough planning,and I will have practically no money,hitch-hiking,couchsurfing.com and some luck is what will get me along the way,as all you. nothing set,but a route,and a route i will follow

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