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11 Ways to Beat Your Post-Travel Depression

It's the moment practically everyone dreads: the end of an amazing trip. Returning home, whether from a two-week-long vacation or a multi-year round-the-world trip, can hit you hard, and this post-travel depression can affect everyone. Sometimes it can even begin in the days running up to the end—you always end up feeling a little sad in the days before heading home. As well as a sense of depression, other symptoms you may experience include lethargy, loss of appetite, a lack of motivation, feelings of nostalgia, and—a great way to cope —immediately researching your next trip.

In all seriousness, though, post-travel depression can seriously affect your mental well-being and last for as long as weeks or months. One huge reason why this is the case is that travel is transformative . After you've explored the world, you'll feel like a different person, but everyone you return to can be the same. 

So, what can you do to prepare yourself for post-travel depression, and how can you minimize its effects? These helpful tips will help you get back on track and prepare for another journey.

Keep Busy During the Final Days of Your Travels

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The last thing you want is for the end of your trip to be overshadowed by a sense of sadness about it coming to an end. To overcome this, make the final few days of your vacation the busiest of the entire trip. This means booking yourself in for classes, taking tours, going shopping for souvenirs, and taking long walks. It helps to keep your mind off the fact that you'll be returning home soon and keeps you enjoying the place you're currently in.

If Possible, Don't Return to Working or Studying Immediately

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Nothing makes you feel like you've returned to reality with a bang than returning home and immediately throwing yourself back into your old routine. This won't be possible for everyone, but if you're one of the lucky ones, aim to give yourself a few days to transition back into everyday life when you return. If you can't take extra time off, it might be worth arranging to end your trip on a Friday so that you can have the weekend to yourself. 

This time will allow you to overcome your jet lag , unpack and do your washing, catch up with friends, or even sort through your memories. Take your time decompressing and the depression won't hit you as hard.

Catch Up With Friends

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Let's face it: listening to other peoples' vacation stories can be pretty boring, so talking to friends about your trip for any real length of time can be a challenge. When you're battling the post-travel blues, though, this can be a blessing in disguise. Meet up with a friend and chat about what you've been up to in your time apart. Sure, you'll get to share stories from your travels, but you'll also hear about the fun things they've been up to while you've been gone. This will help keep you distracted and lessen your attention on how you wish you were still abroad.

Attempt to Maintain the Mindset of a Traveller

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When you travel, you'll often find yourself with a different mindset. On the road, you may be all about trying new things, signing up for fun experiences, and eating as much good food as possible. But when you live somewhere, you tend to eat at home, fall into a routine, and rarely sign up to try anything new. This lifestyle definitely doesn't help to boost one's mood. 

Keep the buzz of excitement that comes with travel alive by maintaining the mindset of a traveler. Take a cooking class in your hometown, continue with surf lessons, take a dance class or two, and treat yourself to a nice meal every couple of weeks or so. 

Travel in Your Backyard

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Who says that travel has to end when you return home? After returning home, plan to explore where you live as if you were a tourist. Take a walking tour, jump on a tour bus, take a cooking class, visit the most famous monuments, and take tons of photos. You could even plan a museum-hopping day to learn more about the history of your hometown. 

After traveling and returning home with this mindset, you might find that your hometown is a fascinating place to visit.

Share Your Photos With Friends

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Relive your vacation by sharing your photos with friends on Facebook and Instagram. It'll make you feel as though you're being productive and cheer you up as you look back on your happy memories. Be careful with your privacy settings if you're not comfortable with sharing your vacation with the entire world, though.

Re-Read Your Travel Diary or Travel Blog

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Many love to keep a record of those life-changing moments during their travels. If you decided to keep a travel diary or blog throughout your trip, spend some time reliving the best experiences and looking back on what you learned when you return home. 

If you didn't want your writing to take away from your trip, now could be a good time to start a blog. You can reminisce about the best parts of your journey, share your thoughts and feelings about coming home with your friends or anyone else who stumbles upon it and use it as an opportunity to go through and edit your photos. 

Find a Place for Your Souvenirs

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If you purchased souvenirs on your trip, spend time organizing them and working out where to place them. It'll help fill your home with happy memories and inspire you to keep seeing the world.

Start Planning Your Next Trip

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One of the best ways to take your mind off the post-vacation blues is by planning your next trip. Start by sitting down and coming up with a list of everywhere you dream of visiting. Next, start coming up with a plan for how you can make it become a reality. With a new focus in your life, you'll have something to keep your mind off of your previous trip.

Start Taking Care of Yourself

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When we travel, it can be hard to take proper care of ourselves. Maybe you ate out for every meal and are feeling unsettled from all that rich food; maybe you spent two weeks lying by the pool while letting your exercise routine fall apart, or maybe you spent every night drinking and dancing and are desperately craving a good night's sleep. 

Travel isn't always great for us, so take your return home as an opportunity to start caring for yourself. Decide to eat healthily for a while, join a gym, run, head to a spa, or get an early night. Taking good care of yourself should help reduce your post-travel blues.

Help Out Other Travelers

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While traveling, you likely ended up relying on the kindness of strangers at multiple points throughout your trip. Whether it was a friendly local who helped send you in the right direction when you were lost or someone at the hostel reception who gave you a fantastic restaurant recommendation, you were probably grateful multiple times for the help others gave you. 

Aim to pay it forward after you return home by helping out tourists who are lost in the place you live. If you see someone staring at a map on their phone and looking confused, ask if you can help them. Suppose somebody makes eye contact with you—smile and ask how they're doing. If someone looks obviously like a tourist, ask if you can do anything to help. You could even spend some time browsing some forums online to see if you can answer any strangers' queries about places you know well. 

It'll keep you busy, help you get back into the routine of chatting to other travelers, and make you feel good about how you're helping others in their times of need. 

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How to Plan a Trip: Your Step-by-Step Travel Planning Guide

Home » Blog » Travel Tips » How to Plan a Trip: Your Step-by-Step Travel Planning Guide

Planning a trip overseas, whether long or short, can seem overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be! In this article, we’ll show you how to take the stress out of travel planning, by laying out a simple step-by-step guide on how to plan a trip that’ll ensure you don’t forget anything.

Have you ever been overwhelmed by the idea of planning a trip because it seems too, well…  overwhelming ?! 

There’s a lot to think about when planning travel: from getting a visa, to figuring out transportation, to booking accommodation and getting local currency, it can be downright stressful.

And it’s a bit contradictory, right? Stressing out over planning what is supposed to be a relaxing vacation. We’ve definitely been there. Many times , in fact. 

But we’ve learned our share of lessons along the way and now we’re here to help. 

In this article, we’ll show you how to plan a trip without the stress by laying out a simple step-by-step guide that’ll ensure you don’t forget anything.

Here’s exactly what you need to do to take a travel daydream and turn it into reality.

So whether you’re planning a 2-week getaway or a journey with no end date in sight, these steps will take you from the brainstorming phase to stepping foot in your destination. We think you might actually   have fun  planning your next trip.  That’s a dare .

Alright, take a deep breath, because we’re digging right in!

How to Plan a Trip

• Step 1: Figure out your travel budget
• Step 2: Decide on your travel style/partner(s)
• Step 3: Choose a destination
• Step 4: Book flights
• Step 5: Book accommodation
• Step 6: Research things to do
• Step 7: Get travel insurance
• Step 8: Minimize travel risks
• Step 9: Pack your bags
• Step 10: Last-minute prep

Step 1. Figure out your travel budget

Before you can even begin to plan a trip, you need to take a good look at your finances and figure out how much money you have to spend on your adventure. This will dictate a lot of the future steps including where you can travel to and for how long. 

This step might sound scary, but we’ve broken it down for you so you can create your very own customized travel budget. We’re even sharing  exactly how we afford to travel and stay on budget .

If you have the time before you go, follow these  simple steps to save money for your travels .

Step 2. Decide on your travel style / partner(s)

Is this a short vacation, a 3-week trip overseas or long term travel that you are planning for? 

…And who’s coming with you?

Take a moment to answer this question… Are you going to be traveling solo or with a partner? A group of friends, or with your family and children in tow?

The answer to this question can help shape your trip quite a bit. For instance, a solo trip to Tahiti may not be the best choice, as this popular honeymoon destination is going to be swarming with couples on romantic getaways. Likewise, party-centered Ibiza might not be the best place for a wholesome family vacay.

• Traveling Solo? Traveling solo is an incredibly freeing experience, and there are  many great cities around the world for solo travelers .
• Want a romantic getaway? Romance isn’t just limited to beaches and resorts. Check out our roundup of some of the  top romantic destinations for every type of traveling couple , some of which might be a little unexpected.
• Looking for a perfect family vacation spot? There are destinations all over the world that are  amazing spots to bring your kids !

If you are planning on traveling with a partner, don’t book your flights without  asking them these questions first…

Step 3. Choose a destination

This step may seem obvious for some, maybe you already know exactly where it is you want to travel and that’s why you’re planning this trip in the first place. For those of you that have a destination nailed down, there are still a few things we’d suggest you consider, you can skip right down to the research step.

For those of you that have the itch to travel, maybe even the vacation time set up, but still have no idea how to narrow down just one place, we suggest looking at a map. No really! Hear us out…

Literally look at a map, and start circling all the cities, towns or attractions you want to visit. Look on  Instagram  for inspiration. Don’t limit yourself. What do you want to do? What do you want to see and experience? When planning a route, we typically look at other trusted bloggers’ recommendations.

And no need for paper maps anymore, go digital! Here’s a great tutorial on  how to use Google My Maps . It’s game-changing. 

We figure out how many nights we can stay in each city and how we’re going to get from city to city. We have many itineraries on our  Itineraries page  where you can see examples of our travel routes and recommendations. We also suggest taking a look at  Lonely Planet travel guides . 

Once you think you’ve nailed down a place, or places…

Do your research

Don’t forget to do a little digging and make sure that the time of year you plan to travel is optimal. We have failed to do our research a few times and it ended up really affecting our trip.

Asking yourself the following questions can really save you the troubles or headaches down the road:

What will the weather be like?

• Will it be the wet season? Hurricane season? Super-duper-unbearably hot?

Example:  We traveled in India during the hottest months of the year and literally could not do much outside some of the days because it was 110 °F (43.3 °C). After that, we vowed never to make the mistake of traveling without really understanding the weather first.   

Is it peak tourism season? Low season?

• Will it be hard to get a hotel because it’s peak season? Will the lines and crowds at tourist attractions be ridiculous? 
• Likewise, if you are traveling during low season, should you expect a lot of the businesses to be shut down? Will closures hinder your chance to see and experience everything you were hoping to?

Example:  We visited Croatia in July – its busiest month of the year – and found ourselves super frustrated with the crowds and jacked up prices. We ended up shortening our time there because we were not enjoying it as much as we expected.

Hold up! Before you start a Googling storm, we’ve got some good news: there are some resources out there that make this process for researching so much faster!

• If you know WHERE you want to go,  Travelendar  (combination of travel + calendar) will tell you what time of year is best to visit.
• If you know WHEN you want to travel, check out this list that breaks down  which destinations are best to visit each month of the year .
• We’ve also done the research for you, nailing down the pros and cons of visiting during different times of the year for a number of popular destinations such as  Japan ,  Bali ,  New Zealand  and  Iceland .

But don’t worry if you don’t know where OR when you want to travel… check out this  calendar of events around the world  for inspiration!

How cool is that?!

These events span all destinations and interests: from European music festivals (like Sziget Festival in Budapest, pictured above!) to cultural celebrations to naturally occurring events like the migration patterns of wildlife in Africa. 

When you find an event that interests you, click on it to learn more.

Pace yourself

Thinking about your pace will determine how many of the places you circled above you’ll realistically be able to see.

Do you want to pack in as much as possible, or do you want to choose a couple places and really get to explore them? Do you want to travel slow and take in the culture to really understand how locals live?

Or do you want to tick places off your list and move from city to city, seeing as much as you can? Maybe a happy mixture of slow and fast? This all depends on the amount of time you have and your budget.

Find out visa requirements

Investigate if you need to obtain a visa for the country or countries you’re thinking of traveling to. You may not need one for the first country you arrive in, but will you need one for the other countries in your itinerary? Can you get a visa online, visa on arrival, or do you need to get it in your home country?

For instance, if you’re traveling to Vietnam, Americans need to apply for a visa ahead of time (and  here’s the best and cheapest way to get one ).

If you don’t know if you need a visa, check out your home country’s visa websites:

• USA citizens
• UK citizens
• Canadian citizens
• Australian citizens
• Singaporean citizens

Step 4. Book flights

You know where you want to go? Check. Have your visa? Check. 

Now here comes our favorite part: It’s time to book a flight!

First, you’ll need to answer these questions: What airport will you fly into? Are you going to make a round trip and fly out of the same airport? Or are you departing out of a new place? 

Tips for getting the best deals on flights:

• Know when to buy.  Depending on where you are flying to and from, there are different recommendations for how far in advance you should buy your flight.

• Play around with breaking the flight up.  For example, instead of searching for a flight from Minneapolis to Japan, we’ll search Seattle to Japan. Then we find a flight from Minneapolis to Seattle. This allows you to have a layover in a cool city, and can be a lot cheaper. 
• Another good gateway into Asia is flying through China. You can usually find one way tickets to China from major US cities for around $350! 
• Sign up for price alerts.  Many search engines allow you to sign up for alerts between destinations. You’ll get email notifications when the fare goes down, so you can jump on it!
• There are tons of credit cards that give you miles for purchases.  Find the  best travel credit card for you here . If you’re inclined to get an airline credit card, think about the major airlines at your home airport. You’ll most likely be booking flights with that airline so might as well rack up the points.

Don’t forget to sign up for the frequent flyer miles program  with flight you choose! Many airlines are part of a broad network and the miles are sometimes transferable.

Understanding WHY a flight is cheap is important. Make sure you think about the arrival time at your destination. The cheapest flight might get in at 2 in the morning and you’ll have to wait for hours for your guesthouse to open, or hotel check in time. 

On the flipside, if you depart super early in the morning, you may have a difficult time hailing down a taxi that early (and have to pay a premium for the ride). Sometimes the absolute cheapest fare will actually cost you more in the end.

If your trip doesn’t involve taking a flight,  check out these  tips for planning an epic USA road trip . 

When searching for a flight we like to use  Skyscanner  first because it allows you to search across the entire month to find the cheapest flight.

Want more tips for finding the best deal on airfare?  You’re in luck, because we have an entire article dedicated to  how to find cheap flights !

Are you a nervous flyer? Don’t let the anxiety of flying prevent you from traveling. Check out these  tips for fearful flyers  that will help put you at ease.

Step 5. Book accommodation

Depending on how long your vacation is you may choose to book all your accommodation ahead of time or none at all.

For instance, if you only have two weeks, it might be best to arrange your hotels or hostels online so you don’t waste precious time trying to figure out accommodation when you’d rather be exploring. Plus, you don’t want to run the risk of everything being booked up! 

If you’re traveling long term, however, you may just book a few days at a time. Or you may prefer to wing it and walk into hotels once you arrive in a town.

We put a lot of consideration into where to book our accommodation when planning a trip. 

First, we want to consider location. We may start to research things to do in a destination before this step so we have a better idea of where we will want to visit and what the most central location will be for us. 

If a city is known for its nightlife, we might consider staying in a quieter neighborhood. If accommodation costs skyrocket the closer to the city center you get, we may consider saving money to stay somewhere further out. 

Transportation

We also consider transportation in a new city. If the city is very walkable, we’ll want to stay right in the center. If Ubers or public transportation is easily accessible, we may consider saving money by staying further outside the center. We recommend doing plenty of research on transportation options and costs before nailing down your accommodation. 

Length of stay

If we are planning to stay in one location for a longer period of time (a couple weeks or more), we like to have a place that feels a bit more like “home” than a hotel. We love to cook, so a place with a kitchen allows us to enjoy our passion and save money on dining out at the same time! We usually use  Airbnb  or  Booking  to find apartment-style rentals in new cities. 

If we have a short layover in a city, or are staying just a few nights, we might splurge on a hotel, or even try to save money by booking a hostel.

Everything you need to know about Airbnb :  You’ll find loads of info on how to book Airbnbs, red flags to watch out for when booking, and our favorite Airbnbs.

Booking resources

Depending on where in the world we’re traveling, we switch up our booking sites. Here are our favorites:

• Asia:  Booking  or  Agoda  (we find Airbnb is only available in certain cities/countries and not in others in Asia)
• Europe:   Booking , Airbnb or  Hostelworld
• USA:   Airbnb  (we rarely stay in hotels in the US and Hostels aren’t nearly as prevalent in the US as elsewhere in the world)
• South & Central America:   Hostelworld ,  Airbnb or  Booking

Step 6. Research things to do

When talking about how to plan a trip, this is where the fun really starts … We LOVE doing research to find out what kinds of adventures we can have in a new destination. 

Here are a few of our favorite resources for researching travel destinations:

Pinterest :  Probably the first place we look when we get curious about a new place. We use Pinterest as a search engine (just like we would use Google!) and we have found in our experience that there is TONS more helpful content on travel there than if we were to try and sift through the first page of Google. We love that you can save articles in organized boards as well to return to later (you may have noticed the Pins we create at the bottom of all of our own articles). 

Bloggers:  We are constantly looking to other bloggers we trust for advice on new destinations. We have some we follow closely so we always know where to check if they have information on a place. We like to read a few different suggested itineraries for new cities to figure out what the can’t-miss attractions are and get ideas on how to plan our own itinerary. We leave comments on posts and reach out via social media if we are still left with questions after reading a blog post about a new place. 

Airbnb Experiences :  Sometimes just checking out what’s offered on Airbnb Experiences is a great way to get ideas of cool things to see and do in a new place. You might even find an experience or 2 you want to sign up for!

Trip Advisor:  We like to check reviews for things on trip advisor to see what other travelers have to say about certain experiences or attractions. There can be some seriously good advice on there! 

Step 7. Get travel insurance

Even though you might be safer abroad than in your home country, accidents happen everywhere and you should always be covered. We never leave home without travel insurance and neither should you.

One of the most popular travel insurance companies is  World Nomads . They cover anyone worldwide and are extremely easy to use. We were covered by them when we trekked to Everest Base Camp  and were very happy with our experience. Fill out the info below to get an instant quote:

For more information on how to pick a policy and what we look for in travel insurance,  check out our detailed travel insurance comparison article .

Be sure to read our  essential travel safety tips  for more detailed advice about how to stay safe and protect your belongings while traveling.

Step 8. Minimize travel risks

When breaking down the steps for how to plan a trip, this is an important one. There are plenty of steps you can take before you even set foot in a country to minimize your risk of something going wrong. 

Register on your country’s Smart Traveler program

For Americans, you should sign up for the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program  (STEP). Through STEP you’ll get emergency updates that would affect your travels, such as bad weather or civil unrest or protests.

It will also give you easy access to your embassy in the country you’re visiting. Lastly, if anything bad were to happen to you on your travels, you’d be easier to track down. Check your country’s travel department for similar programs. 

Get all necessary Immunizations ahead of time

Before setting foot in a new country, you’ll want to be sure to protect yourself from foreign disease. Use the  CDC website  to research vaccinations and medications you might need in the destination(s) you are planning to visit. We’d also advise visiting your doctor before a longer trip to make sure all of your health concerns are taken care of. 

Scan your documents and email yourself a copy

Scan a copy of your passport and any credit cards you’re bringing, and email it to yourself. Do the same for your travel insurance documents and receipts of the valuables you’re carrying. If anything happens to these while you’re traveling, you’ll have an electronic version.

Know common scams

While you’re in research mode, do a quick search of common scams in your destination. Being aware of popular scams is often all you need to avoid falling victim. 

We have run into plenty of known scams on our travels, especially in bigger cities like  Bangkok , and have even fallen victim to some ourselves. Unfortunately, scams are a risk you run in traveling, and sometimes unavoidable, but the more informed you are, the better prepared you will be to avoid getting caught in a tourist trap. 

Bring backup credit cards

If you are traveling in a group or as a couple, you have a bit of a support system (assuming you each bring at least one credit card). 

This tip is particularly geared towards solo travelers. 

You will always want to bring a backup credit card (and perhaps a backup debit or ATM card as well) in case of emergencies. We’ve been in situations abroad where our cards have been stolen (sometimes it’s not always obvious as it happens with a swipe and we still have the card in our possession) and if you don’t have a backup, you will have a very hard time accessing your money. 

For this reason, we like to keep our back ups in a separate location in our luggage (one in our hand luggage, one in our suitcase) and then leave one behind at our accommodation in case we were to be mugged. It may sound a bit extreme, but it’s always good to be prepared!

Secure your belongings

It should go without saying that you’ll want to keep your belongings, and especially your valuables in secure places while traveling (you know, use a purse with a zipper for less-easy access and don’t hang it on the back of your chair on a crowded street corner cafe). There are some items you can purchase ahead of time to help keep your belongings safe while traveling. 

• Basic travel locks
• Bluetooth tracking luggage locks
• Hidden pocket scarf
• A camera bag disguised as a purse

Step 9. Pack your bags

It’s starting to feel real now isn’t it?! Your trip is coming up fast and it’s time to get packing!

Packing for a trip can be quite the puzzle. You want to be prepared and make sure you don’t forget anything, but at the same time, don’t want to feel weighed down by too much stuff.

If you’re a self-proclaimed over-packer, or someone who always ends up using only half the things in their suitcase on every trip… I’m right there with ya! We recommend planning out your packing ahead of time so you are not rushing at the last minute to get everything you need stuffed into your oversized suitcase. 

One tip is to lay everything you think you will need for a trip out on a flat surface (your bedspread works great for this) and then take away half — yes half! — of it. That is how much stuff you should realistically be trying to pack. 

Another rule of thumb we like to try and stick to is packing in a carry-on for any trip shorter than one month .

This may seem incredibly daunting to some, but trust us when we say, you’ll be much happier trying to navigate the cobblestone streets of Europe or lifting your luggage onto a train if it’s smaller than a 50 pound bag!

Below are some essentials you’ll want to make sure you pack for any trip:

• Passport/Identification
• Wallet/credit cards (and backups!)
• Chargers for  all  of your electronics
• Kindle  or e-reader
• Travel pillow
• Insulated water bottle

Think about your electronics

This is a big one not to forget! If you are traveling abroad, you’ll want to look into the outlet situation you can expect in your destination and how it compares to that of your home country. 

A quick Google search will show you what type of outlets you’ll find in the country you’re visiting. Here’s a great  website for electrical outlets . Look at the voltage too, and check the compatibility with any electronics you’re planning to bring along. A great purchase is the  travel converter with adapters . 

Packing resources

Use these packing resources for tips and ideas to help you pack for your next trip:

• How to Pack for 3 months in a Backpack
• Ultimate Packing Guide for Long Term Travel
• Eco Friendly Travel Gear Packing List

Step 10. Last-minute prep

You’ve made it to the final step! Your trip is just around the corner and all that’s left is doing a little research and making some last-minute arrangements.

Data/Internet access

Research the best way to gain access to data or Internet while you’re in your destination. If you’re traveling within your home country, this shouldn’t be a problem.

However, if you are traveling abroad, you might want to consider purchasing a prepaid local SIM card when you arrive. This will be the cheapest way to gain access to data abroad. 

Use our  ultimate guide to getting an international SIM card , including helpful tips for using your phone abroad.

Download some helpful apps

• Google Translate:  Type in something you want to say, and it’ll translate the phrase into any language you select. You can even take a picture of a menu written in an entirely different language (like Korean, for example), and it will translate what is written. It is amazing!
• Google Maps:  Before going to a new location, we typically download the offline map for our destination in our Google Maps app. If you have your GPS turned on, the app will show your current location with a blue dot even when you don’t have data or WiFi turned on. This is super helpful if you’re on a long bus ride and want to know exactly where you are, or when you’re lost wandering around in a big city. 
• GlobalConvert:  This app makes it easy to convert anything from currency to distance to temperature. (Super handy for Americans unfamiliar with the metric system.) And the best part is, it works offline!
• Time Buddy:  If you’re traveling on the other side of the world, this app makes it super easy to figure out time difference between where you are and your home country.
• Trail Wallet:  Yeah, yeah, I know, we’ve talked about this one a lot. But it has seriously changed how we travel. This app converts seamlessly through currencies and shows you exactly where you are in regard to your budget. Download this app and you’ll be able to travel longer. Seriously. 

Have a plan for currency

On long-term trips, we typically withdraw money from a local ATM as soon as we enter a new country. We NEVER use currency exchanges as these tend to take a big percentage (like 30%). Plus ATMs are much more efficient.

Our Charles Schwab card ( more info here ) reimburses all ATM fees, so we only take out small amounts at a time.

Tip: Just remember to decline the currency conversion rate offered by the ATM. When you do this you are referring to the conversion rate set by your bank instead. And in our experience, the banks always give a more fair conversion rate and than the pre-set ATM conversion rates.

Notify your bank of your travel plans

This is a step that can sometimes be overlooked, but can put a serious damper on your travel plans when you enter a new country only to find your bank has automatically shut off your debit card because it thinks you are attempting a fraudulent withdrawal. 

Learn the language (at least a few phrases)

We’re not insinuating that you must be able to have a conversation in the local language before visiting a foreign country. But learning a few key words or phrases shows locals that you are trying, and people usually respect this.

You’d be surprised how far learning “hello” and “thank you” can get you. Some other helpful words to learn no matter where you are traveling are: “bathroom”, “delicious” and “beautiful”.

And don’t forget about numbers. Write down the numbers 1 through 10 in a small notebook and translate them. Knowing a few numbers makes it a lot easier to order at restaurants. 

If you have any allergies or medical conditions, it’s a good idea to write it out and translate it to the language of your destination country. For instance, “I am a vegetarian,” or “I am diabetic”. Print it out in the local language (and the phonetic spelling) and carry it in your wallet. It will definitely come in handy. 

Refine your manners

A little research can go a long way. Certain gestures you might use everyday, like a thumbs up or okay sign, are offensive in some cultures. Avoid awkward situations by researching some basic manners in the country you’re visiting. 

Where to first?

You’re ready to take the leap! However, the first few hours in a new country can be a little overwhelming (and the most likely time to get scammed). That’s why you should have a plan of how to get from the airport to your hotel (or wherever you’re headed first).

We typically write down the address (in the local language and in English) of our first hostel/hotel in a small book or in the notes app on our phone so we can show taxi/bus drivers, that way we don’t fumble over mispronouncing street names.

It’s also helpful to save the locations of your accommodation, local embassy, hospital and attractions you want to visit in your maps (that you’ve downloaded offline of course!) before leaving.

Book transportation ahead of time or get specific instructions on how to find public transport. Read our  travel tips , other blogs, or guide books on what is the best means of transportation in the specific country you’re visiting. If you have a plan and know what you’re doing, you’ll start off your vacation on the right foot.

Confirm reservations

It’s easiest to call or write to confirm reservations for things like accommodation and transportation before you find yourself in a foreign country with a canceled Airbnb reservation and nowhere to go. Confirm all your important reservations and keep copies of your confirmation receipts in your email.  

And there you have it, 10 simple steps for how to plan a trip to anywhere in the world. 

Following these steps will take some of the stress out of trip planning, but it is important to remember that even the best laid plans often go awry. This is particularly true with travel as there are just too many factors outside of your control.

And that’s okay.  In fact, that is half the fun of it! It’s what makes travel such an incredible  learning experience  and why we keep going back for more.

Need help planning the perfect trip?

Be sure to check out our  Travel Planning page  for resources on everything you need to know about how to plan a trip, from packing to budgeting and more! Or you can read some of our favorite articles about planning your next trip below. 

• How We Afford to Travel & You Can Too!
• How to Find Cheap Flights: 17 Expert Tips
• How We Pick the Best Travel Insurance
• Cheap Travel Hacks to Save You Money

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We want to hear from you!

If you still have more questions about how to plan a trip—both international or otherwise—leave your comment below and we’ll do our best to find you the answers you’re looking for!

Comments (15) on “ How to Plan a Trip: Your Step-by-Step Travel Planning Guide ”

What considerations should you make regarding the timing of your trip, as recommended in the article?

It’s great that you talked about how we’d plan a trip and choose the things we want to do. We’re excited about traveling for our next vacation, and we’d like to start booking hotels and tours, so we’ll follow your tips to help us out. Thanks for the insight on finding all kinds of adventures for our vacation trip.

Bautiful blog and very informative ! Thanks for sharing

Hey guys! Honey is here. Two days back I returned from my vacation and enjoyed myself a lot there. I didn’t face any booking issues regarding stay and tickets reservation. This time I have got 10,000 off on my bookings through the usage of BOB cards and I gained that offer info from Saveplus. You guys must fly! Go on.

Thanks for reminding me to check out my finances first before planning a trip. I have allotted a part of my monthly budget last year so I could travel overseas but it might not be too safe because of the pandemic. I think it would be better to visit something local and just book a Kentucky bourbon tour.

This is a wonderfully structured article! Loved reading it!

Thank you very much for your very pragmatic info. May I have some names of reliable bloggers for my research please? Nic

Your blog is very informative. You have written every thing in deep.

Thank you for great information !

I like that you shared your thoughts with us. I am living in my camper van and I like to read more thoughtful articles like this one. Thanks for the amazing and beautiful post….

Thanks so much for the kind words!

What a wonderful post on how to plan a trip! You have some good points and tips! I also wrote a post on how I planned for my East Coast Trip, check it out on my blog http://innapishtoy.com/2018/05/19/planning-packing-trip/

Thanks for sharing Inna.

Good one content katie. I am impressed. It is very useful for my winter holidays.

So happy to hear it was helpful!

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How To Plan A Trip: Easy 15 Step Travel + Vacation Planner

By: Author Mark and Kristen Morgan

Posted on Published: July 17, 2019  - Last updated: December 31, 2023

Categories Travel Planning Blog

This ultimate how to plan a trip guide will transform your destination daydreams into travel reality within just 15 easy-to-follow steps.

Adventure is calling! But where should you go? How do you get there? And what do you need to organize before you leave home?

This one-stop travel planning resource covers all you need to know about preparing for any trip.

But how can you trust us to cover all of the important travel planning aspects?

The goal is to walk you through 15 simple and stress free steps, from ideas to bookings and from packing to walking out the door. We’ll take you on a journey from idea to reality.

Personally, when we plan a trip, we know that breaking the process up into sections works best. We feel less overwhelmed when we plan in manageable pieces.

Follow the steps in this guide and you’ll see just how easy planning a trip can be. Let’s travel plan!

The Travel Planning Rollercoaster

Planning any vacation is like being on a rollercoaster called the Emotion Overload. In the beginning the rollercoaster climbs slowly, building your excitement before plummeting into overwhelmed anxiety.

The second climb is determination and hard work, followed by a loop de loop as information spins around your brain in circles.

And just when it seems the ride will never end, the carriage comes to an abrupt halt: your plans are finally ready.

Break Up Planning A Trip Into 3 Sections

We are all different. Genetics, personality traits, habits and attitudes make us all unique. But although we are all unique, common patterns emerge among travelers.

Most long term travelers tend to book the first week or month in detail. Once comfortable with the whole idea of backpacker life, they tend to plan just a few days in advance each time they move.

Because who knows what might come up? Those taking shorter trips, such as a 2 week vacation, typically plan almost all specific details in advance.

Because who wants to lose valuable time planning what to do that day with just 2 weeks away from work

No matter how you prefer to travel or how long you intend to travel, the planning process can always be broken down into 3 manageable sections. You will make life easier and less like your brain might explode.

Plan, Book And Pack

These 3 travel planning sections encompass the same repetitive processes we all follow, every time we travel. When we repeat them enough times, they become autonomous.

You plan your travel goals, you book the essentials, you pack your bags and you go.

But even when taken back to basics, each travel planning section can be time consuming, frustrating and overwhelming. We know from first hand experience when planning multiple long term travel routes.

The key is to break down each travel planning section into smaller, easier to accomplish steps. That way you will eliminate stress and feel the positive reinforcement each time you complete a step.

Follow the easily achievable steps listed below within each travel planning section. Begin to plan your trip in advance, take each step one at a time and we guarantee you will avoid feeling overwhelmed.

All you need to do then is watch your dream trip create itself before your eyes.

Need help with packing? You might like to use our ultimate travel packing resource .

Section 1: Establish Your Travel Goals

Let’s start at the beginning, the daydream stage.

You know it’s time for a vacation or a long term trip but right now you’re just floating ideas around.

Ask yourself these important travel planning questions (H and 5 W’s):

• How much time will you spend traveling?
• When do you want to leave?
• Who will you travel with?
• What shape are your finances in?
• Where in the world do you want to go?
• Why is it so difficult to save up for your trip?

This is one of our favorite parts of planning a trip because everything sounds wonderful! But before you can book or pack for your potential trip, you need to figure out the basics.

Research Is Key To Planning Effectively

The fundamentals of how to plan a trip begin and end with research.

Every aspect of your plans will require research, from booking flights to buying travel insurance and from packing your bags to visa requirements.

But research starts all the way back at the beginning, before e-tickets arrive in your iPhone wallet and you’re debating between packing your tan vs black shoes.

Research begins with deciding on the most basic of travel planning principles. But don’t confuse basic with a lack of importance. The goals you set at this stage will consequently shape your entire trip.

You will spend a lot of time on google, the same as we do before every trip. If you embrace the research you will do just fine.

By reading this post you are already well into establishing your travel goals and researching travel planning techniques.

That gives you a hand up over other travelers.

You will be more prepared and ultimately have a better trip. The first section of travel planning is designed for you to turn daydreams into actionable reality.

By the end of this section, you will know everything you need to know about the trip you’re going to take. Then, you can start booking!

Consider Your Travel Limitations

We don’t want to rain on your parade but it is critical at this point to manage your expectations and be aware of your travel limitations.

Every one of us is guilty of getting carried away in life, but when it comes to travel planning, be very careful not to take on more than you can chew. Or afford.

Our advice at this stage is to be honest and realistic about what you think is achievable.

• Can you realistically finance a trip to country X and city Y with your budget?
• Is it safe to go to hiking in National Park Z in Winter?
• Do you really want to travel solo or would you prefer company?
• Can you quit your job sooner and still afford your year around the world?
• Are you able to squeeze and extra few holiday days out of your job?

1. How Much Time Do You Spend Traveling?

The thrill of choosing where you want to go on vacation or long term travel is by far the most exciting part of planning a trip. There’s no question about that.

However, before you conjure up your dream Vietnam itinerary or US road trip route , the first piece of the planning puzzle is determining how much time you have on your side.

Time is one aspect of life no amount of money can control.

• On a short beach or hiking vacation from work, will you travel for 7 days, 10 days or 14 days?
• Are you able to take a 3 month sabbatical to backpack South East Asia?
• Or maybe you’ve been thinking about quitting your job to travel without an end date in mind?
• Are your dates flexible or do you have to stick to specific timeframes?
• Do you work remotely or at a physical location?
• Are the kids back in school on Monday morning?

Carefully consider the time you have available and remember there are implications to consider with the amount of time you allocate for your trip.

Example : You will need more money to finance a 4 month trip when compared to 2 months. It sounds obvious, but the point is to ensure you get the balance right between time and travel funds.

Once you establish the amount of time and any specific dates you have to play with, move onto the next planning steps.

2. When Do You Plan To Leave On Your Trip?

The date you are aiming to leave on your trip is vitally important to your personal travel planning process.

Are you planning a trip way in advance? Or are you last minute planning? The subsequent steps will change focus depending on the answer to those questions.

For those planning a last minute spontaneous trip, you will need to double down and get to work.

Conversely, if you are planning a summer vacation that’s 6 months out, you can relax and take each of the plan a trip step slowly.

It is important to remember that people work more efficiently in different ways.

For us, Kristen works more efficiently when planning early and taking things at a gentle pace, whereas Mark works best under pressure with the clock ticking.

Timing Is Crucial

Consider the timing of your proposed trip.

You will have to account for high, shoulder or low season as well as weather conditions for the time of year you visit and finances will be impacted by how well you plan your leaving date.

Example : Your trip is shaping up to be a 3 week European adventure in Summer. You better believe it is going to cost you! Would you be better off planning to leave in Spring or Fall to suit your budget more appropriately?

If you plan to quit your job in 6 months and travel the world for a year, now is the time to get stuck into planning. A year is a long time and the world is a big place.

Leaving a trip like this until the last minute means you could risk missing out on once in a lifetime opportunities.

Working out the most effective time leave on your adventure gives you the framework to set achievable planning and financial  goals . 

Remind yourself of the 7 P’s of planning: Piss Poor Planning Promotes Piss Poor Performance.

3. Who Do You Plan To Travel With?

Chances are high you already know exactly who you will travel with before you begin to plan a trip. Maybe you’re going on a family holiday or a romantic couples weekend getaway ?

In which case, your travel partners are nailed on. The same applies for us. We always travel as a couple which makes Step 3 obsolete when we plan a trip. 

However, many travelers planning trips are undecided between exploring solo or with a friend.

Our world adventures have enabled us to meet hundreds of others traveling. Solo travelers and those traveling as couples or larger groups.

There are pros and cons to all types of travel, just like most things in life.

The important thing to understand for first time travelers who feel anxious about traveling solo is that you will meet people along the way. Even as a couple, you will meet dozens of other couples on longer trips, particularly in Asia and South America.

So, don’t be afraid to plan your dream trip if you don’t have anyone to travel with initially, you will make a ton of friends on the road.

4. What Shape Are Your Finances In?

Working out a rough travel budget is arguably the most important aspect of planning any trip. That remains true if you are leaving tomorrow or in a year.

Take a cautious approach rather than an overly optimistic approach. You will spend more money than you think, trust us on that one.

It’s better to have money left over than run out of cash a long way from home. We’ve seen it happen.

• How much money do you currently have saved up for your trip?
• How much money can you save between now and the date you plan to leave?
• Do you need to get a second job or a second income to bulk your budget out?
• Do you have any cash in reserve in case of emergency?

Before you start dreaming of your 2 week luxury beach vacation to the Maldives or 3 months backpacking through Australia and New Zealand, you need to be realistic about your budget.

Travel Smarter, Not Harder

A good rule of thumb is to consider yours destinations around your budget.

Instead, consider your budget and travel to a place where that same amount of money will allow you to have a much better experience.

See how much we spent in 1 month in Vietnam to use as a reference for travel costs.

If you are planning a short vacation, you will have much more control over finances. You know you’re going to get paid from your job again, so a splurge isn’t out of the question.

In contrast, long term travelers will constantly be checking finances. Once they leave for their trip – that digital bank balance value will decrease every single day until the end.

Travel Tip : When planning a trip around your budget, always always always leave some room for buffer in case of emergency. We’re all used to living to our means and it’s easy to plan down to the last penny but trust us, you never know when you might need a spare US$ 100.

5. Where Do You Plan To Travel?

Now and only now, despite wanting nothing else but to start planning your travel itinerary. It is time to plan your travel destination and route.

You will thank us for leaving you hanging this long because now you have a firm grasp on your travel budget, whether you will be traveling alone or with a group, how long you can travel for and when you want to leave.

Here are some of our top travel inspiration suggestions :

• Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks in Wyoming, USA.
• Budapest is a wonderful European city break.
• New York State Parks like Letchworth and Buttermilk Falls are perfect day trips.
• The Atacama Desert in Chile is mind blowing.
• Los Angeles , San Francisco and San Diego are awesome cities to discover.
• Andalusia in Spain is a stunning region to explore.
• Pacific Coast Highway , Utah and South Dakota  are epic road trips.

The beauty of leaving this step until you know your budget is having the ability to plan your vacation or itinerary with a clear understanding of which places are feasible and which places you will have to exclude based on price, distance, safety and so on.

Planning travel itineraries takes a lot of work. We find it to be our favorite and least favorite part of traveling – in equal measure! Excitement and frustration.

It is vital you consider public transport routes, airports, safety, hotel availability, time of year, activities on offer, food and so much more.

Choosing A Travel Route

A question we often get asked is: “How do you know where you want to go?”

We do something our ancestors have been doing for over 2000 years: Look at a map!

Seriously, buy a huge map and stick it on your wall. Study each continent and indicate places you would love to visit using pins or colored sticky notes.

If looking at maps doesn’t help, here are some excellent alternatives to find travel inspiration:

• Read the wide range of destinations we write about on our travel blog !
• Read other blogs too. There are hundreds of fantastic first hand resources on the internet written by people who have been to the places you want to visit.
• Change up your google searches to ‘the best place to travel in X year’ or ‘the most obscure travel destinations’.
• Be creative, look for specific events, festivals or concerts around the world.

Once you have a shortlist of dream destinations, fire up google maps and prepare to lose yourself for hours. Design mock travel itineraries lasting 10 days, 2 weeks, a month, 3 months or however long you plan to travel.

6. Why Is It So Hard To Save For Your Trip?

You’ve meticulously planned your next adventure. Now, you need to stump up the cash to pay for it.

Whether you are going on a one week trekking holiday, a one month live aboard scuba diving course or traveling through Africa and the Middle East for six months, you will need to save up enough money to pay for the pleasure.

You already worked out your finances and travel plans in steps 4 and 5, so you have an actionable target to reach. Is your departure date 3 months away? 6 months? A year?

However far ahead you plan to leave, you might need to put a savings process in place to make up the difference.

Saving for vacations or long term travel is HARD. Your excitement is at fever pitch but time seems to stand still. Days at work start to drag more and more the closer you get to the big day.

Be Disciplined

The key to financial success can be found in one simple word, Discipline .

It’s easy to start well with the best intentions but it’s equally as easy to lose focus. Put yourself on a strict no-spending regime if you don’t have the money in savings to pay for travel costs in advance.

Make judgement calls on every single expenditure – is it want or need? Do you want that thing or do you genuinely need it?

If it’s a want, don’t spend the money, save it. Be disciplined .

Once your bank account begins to swell, fight the temptation to ‘treat yourself’. If you think you won’t be tempted, think again. 

That 80″ TV you wanted is only US$ 1,000 and you now have 10 of those saved for your trip – can you get by on US$ 9,000?

No you can’t! Put the TV back! Be disciplined .

Plan A Trip Section 1 Complete: Your Tentative Travel Plans Are In Place

You are officially one third of the way towards being travel ready.

There are more challenges to come but you’ve nailed down the hardest part of travel planning.

Narrowing down where to visit and formulating the perfect itinerary is by far the most difficult part of planning a trip for us.

The word perfect was used for a reason, we both have FOMO (fear of missing out) so it takes us an age to finalize our trips.

With the whole world as your travel option, deciding where to go and where not to go can be overwhelming.

Personally, we just take it one step at a time based on our budget and places on our travel bucket list. We systematically include and exclude places, activities and routes until we agree on a winning formula.

Do not feel disheartened when you think you’ve cracked your route and budget but for whatever reason it just doesn’t work out. Go back to the drawing board and start again fresh. You will end up with an even better itinerary.

Section 2: Take Action + Book

We can all daydream about vacations or backpacking the world for a year. Or imagine ourselves lounging on a beautiful powdery white sand beach in Thailand  and hiking into the Grand Canyon .

But until you bite the bullet, until you commit by clicking the buy now button on flights and hotels, a dream is all it will be.

Once you take that giant leap, it becomes tangible.

How many times have you planned a travel route mentally and thought about how amazing it would be and all the things you would do on your trip only to snap back to reality in the office?

Be brave and courageous. Take the plunge and book the important elements of your travel plan. Does this sound like a good story?

“Well, I was going to book a life changing 3 month backpacking trip through South America, but didn’t bother in the end.” That sounds like missed opportunity to us!

Myths About Booking In Advance

Like many other things in life, travel planning gets easier with experience. You learn which aspects of the way you planned and booked your trip worked and which aspects caused problems or lost you money.

However, one thing even the most savvy or accomplished traveler doesn’t always get right is how much of the trip to book in advance.

Here’s the problem travelers face on every trip:

If you book in advance, you plan ahead, book all hotels, buses, trains, activities and flights on your trip.

But what happens? You have no flexibility. If you love a place, you can’t stay longer. If you hate a place, you can’t leave immediately.

And if you don’t book in advance, you plan nothing and have complete flexibility. But you spend all of your travel days booking the next place to stay that night or your flight the next day.

Last minute flights and hotels will have far fewer options and may have seriously inflated prices.

How To Successfully Book A Trip

Here are a few tips to help you book your next trip:

• Find the perfect balance between being organized and flexible.
• Book all of your major trans-continental long haul flights before you leave home.
• Book any hotel splurges you have identified.
• Book any bucket list activities (such as W Trek in Chile) in advance.
• Leave the rest of your trip open ended.

We meet travelers with binders full of confirmation documents who prefer to plan the entire trip down to the ground, even dinner reservations.

Then there are those who prefer to book nothing more than a one way flight and decide everything on the fly (pun intended).

There is no one size fits all best practice or answer to this relentless travel quandary. It depends entirely on your own preferred travel style.

7. Book Your Major Flights To Seal The Deal

Now the real work can begin.

Booking your first flight is the single most exciting and nerve racking moment of travel planning. In one single moment of commitment, you turn your daydream into a reality.

There are numerous flight searching platforms and you can use any you prefer. We personally use – every time we fly and recommend to our friends and family:  Skyscanner .

We’ve used each of the major flight search engines and we find Skyscanner to offer the easiest user experience, have the most flight options and consistently lowest prices.

But our favorite aspects of Skyscanner are having the ability (and flexibility) to search for flights by whole month and whole country.

Example: Let’s say you want to fly New York to London.

Instead of selecting an exact date with +/- 3 days (which is what most flight searches offer) you can select by whole month of May for example.

A flight calendar will show the prices of flights on every day that month and between all airports in New York / London.

Check flights with Skyscanner here and start searching for your next flight.

Avoid Flight Price Myths

Booking flights can go one of two ways:

• You prefer to search for a flight, find one at a price you feel is fair and book it. 
• You are the type who prefers flight price roulette, playing the algorithm game.

But the thing is you can save money on flights if you put in some research and effort. That being said, there are a lot of myths and legends about booking flights.

Booking International flights on a Tuesday or domestic flights on a Sunday will save big money. Not necessarily true. Prices fluctuate many times a day, week and month.

Clearing cookies and searching incognito will save money. Unfortunately not, no evidence to support that.

Quick Tips On Booking Flights

Our number one tip for booking flights is to be flexible. That’s the way you will save big money.

Look at prices around the dates you want to fly using Skyscanner, you will see how drastically different they can be.

Book your long haul flights as far in advance as possible. The last thing you want is a mammoth cost on your flight home.

Keep an eye on prices 9 months in advance, 6 months 3 months in advance, 1 month in advance and last minute. Watch how much they fluctuate over time.

Research thoroughly, search regularly and build up patterns of prices.

Put flight alerts on specific flights of interest to you. You will receive notifications of changes.

If you see a flight you want and it’s cheap, book it! Don’t wait for it drop by US$ 5 because you’ll find it will go up by US$ 50 instead. Know the right time to pull the trigger.

Flight booking search engines are built on algorithms like everything else online. The key is not to outsmart them, just work them to your advantage.

READ MORE : How to book cheap flight when you travel

8. Book Ground Transport

Booking ground transport in advance depends on where in the world you are traveling, the timing of your trip, the length of your trip and how rigid and flexible you plan to travel.

Example : When we traveled 3 months in South America, we booked a 24 hour bus from Bariloche to El Chalten in Argentina before we left the UK. But we did not book any sleeper buses or trains in Vietnam in advance.

We visited Argentina in January, during Peak Season. Flights from Bariloche to El Calafate were expensive (and a bus to El Chalten is required) so we took the much cheaper bus.

The bus books up in advance and we wanted to guarantee seats so we booked in advance.

Conversely, we visited Northern and Central Vietnam in October and knew we would be able to jump on any bus or train we wanted. No need to sacrifice flexibility.

Most Cost Effective Transport Methods By Region

• Europe – Cheap budget flights with Ryanair, EasyJet etc between countries / Trains within countries.
• SE Asia – Cheap flights with Jetstar, VietJet, AirAsia, Scoot, LionAir, TigerAir etc between countries / Sleeper Trains & Buses within countries.
• South America – Flights hit and miss for price. We found Chile and Peru had cheaper flights than Argentina. Best way to get around is by Bus but be aware, some of them are LONG!
• North America – Road trip is the best way to explore. Buy a cheap second hand car or hire a car drive point A to B. Trains and domestic flights are expensive. Traveling by bus is a cheap option but not a great one.

The take home is to understand the region you plan to travel through.

How are public transport prices impacted by season? Variations in prices if booking in advance vs last minute?

Example : Let’s say you’re traveling Europe by train but not Interrailing. Booking trains in advance WILL save you money. Do not leave European train bookings until the last minute.

By researching and understanding these things, you can quite literally rescue your travel budget from total annihilation.

If you prefer to drive yourself around a new place to taking public transport, always check prices for hire cars with Rental Cars for most options and best value.

9. Book Accommodation

Booking accommodation can be both extremely rewarding and extremely frustrating.

Some travelers embrace the best deals hunt, whereas others despise losing time trawling through endless lists of hotel prices.

As with all other aspects of travel planning, the key is to find the right balance between how much time you invest and how much money you can save.

There are a limited amount of flights you can choose between, right?

It’s the opposite for accommodation, there are SO many options for where you will sleep at night, no matter where you travel.

If you let it, this process will overwhelm you within seconds. How do you choose between 1000 hotels? When do you stop searching for an even better deal?

The scenario of your trip will affect the benefits of booking hotels in advance.

Example : Beach vacations and resort hotel complexes can go either way. Sometimes you can pick up big money saving last minute deals. It’s a risk but it can pay off.

However, if you’re on a tight budget and backpacking for a month through Thailand in low or shoulder season, it would be worth turning up in person to negotiate a better deal.

Use Hotel Booking Search Engines

Something we find fascinating when we meet travelers on the road is the diversity of platforms everyone uses to book accommodation.

Some swear by Airbnb, others use Agoda or Hostelworld and a high proportion use Booking.com. Personally, we use Booking.com to book our hotels.

We have been using Booking for years and still to this day we are staggered by how many hotel owners pull faces at us or make comments like ‘wow, you guys must have that booking genius thing, this is the lowest price I’ve seen.

We do have Booking Genius Level 3 and you can have it too by simply creating a free account and booking your hotels with Booking.com .

The same applies to Hotels.com, Agoda, Airbnb, Priceline and many others. Find a hotel booking service you like, create an account and reap the loyalty benefits.

That’s not to say hotel search engines have the best prices period.

We ask certain hotels for a price directly and if it’s more than what we can see on our Booking.com app, we simply book a room on our app right at the check in desk.

Quick Tips For Booking Hotels

Similarly to booking ground transport at the trip planning stages, we only book certain hotels in advance before we travel.

Typically, we will book hotels as we go to allow total flexibility. However, there are three scenarios when we book hotels in advance:

• If we plan to visit a big city like London, New York City , Hong Kong or Dubai in shoulder or high season.
• When planning itineraries including rural N ational Park s with limited hotel options.
• Big splurges on a luxury hotel so our travel budget doesn’t take a huge mid-trip pounding.

When searching for hotels, always use filters and sorting to cut through the crap and display exactly what you are interested in.

Search engines by default will display hotels based on featured. So what is featured?

It is hotel search engines listing hotels in their own order, but we like to sort by user rating and review count.

If a hotel has 2,500 reviews and a guest review score of 8.7, we would add it to our shortlist.

Once we have enough hotels in a shortlist we look at their locations, nearby amenities, nearby major attractions and transport hubs etc.

READ MORE : How to book cheap hotels for travel

10. Book Bucket List Experiences

Your final bookings at this stage of planning your trip are reserved for any bucket list experiences.

You’ve planned a route through a country or continent, so you should know all of the bucket list places you will be visiting. However, unless you research thoroughly, there’s a small chance you might miss something.

Life is about learning from mistakes.

One of ours when traveling Europe was when we visited Interlaken and Grindelwald in Switzerland but we hadn’t researched things to do before hand.

So we didn’t know about the Jungfrau rack railway line through the Eiger to the top of Europe at 3,454m. Once we discovered it, we’d already spent our allocated budget which isn’t difficult in Switzerland.

Plan major activities ahead. Make a spreadsheet or a checklist, even book some ahead of time if you have to or prefer to plan your whole trip in advance.

The more planning you do in advance, the less you will miss on the road. There are times when you will have no choice but to plan months ahead.

A few examples are the W trek in Torres del Paine (Chile), Half Dome hike at Yosemite National Park (California) and hiking down the Narrows at Zion National Park (Utah).

Not planning ahead will result in missing something epic. If you don’t typically plan things like this in advance, now is the time to learn some new core skills.

Section 2 Complete: Major Bookings Are Made

You’re almost over the hill and it’s plain sailing from here. The hard work has paid off, now all that’s left is preparing and packing for the adventure that awaits you.

Booking flights, transport, hotels and activities is part of the travel planning experience.

Try to enjoy the process. If you feel overwhelmed at any point, step away for a few hours or days. That is a tried and tested method of successfully planning a trip.

There have been times where we’ve had to walk away from planning for a day or two.

Remember, you can book hotels anywhere at any time, you don’t always have to book your entire trip before you leave. 

If there’s one particular leg of your journey where you can’t quite make transport work or there are no cheap hotels available, just go back a few steps and alter your route accordingly.

This is a common travel planning stumbling block. 

It can be infuriating to have a route perfected, only for something not to work and find yourself back at the drawing board.

But consider this, would you rather be at home with this problem? Or in a foreign city with no idea where to go next, how to get there or where to sleep that night?

Section 3: Prepare And Pack

You’re on the home stretch. There are just a few important admin tasks to complete before you can finally say you are ready to leave on your trip.

Get stuck into these last few steps as soon as possible, tick the boxes, put your feet up and enjoy a nice cup of Yorkshire tea.

Section 3 of travel planning is about giving yourself the best return on your expenses, travel safety, insuring your property and packing the right gear for your trip. 

It would be easy to switch off once you’ve secured your important bookings but you would be shooting yourself in the foot.

Instead, keep the ball rolling into this final section. Use the momentum to make the best choices possible as you complete your travel planning process.

11. Travel Rewards Credit Cards

You might be from a country where paying with debit and credit cards is the norm. Heck, you probably even pay for things with your phone these days.

However, when you travel through certain regions, such as parts of South East Asia, you won’t always be able to pay for goods and services with your cards.

Cash is often king in developing countries or countries with few tourists.

Example : We spent a month traveling North/Central Vietnam and can count on 1 hand the amount of times we paid for anything using a credit card. In order to withdraw cash from ATM’s without incurring a fee, we used our travel rewards credit card.

So, aside from always carrying a handful of US dollars in cash as a safety net, here’s the best money saving advice for any trip you ever take abroad, limit the amount you use your debit card.

If you use your debit account, you can kiss goodbye to your travel budget. The local bank will charge you a fee and your bank at home will charge you a hefty fee. Double whammy. Not fun.

What To Do Before Your Trip

Sign up for a no foreign transaction fee on all withdrawals and purchases travel rewards credit card.

On longer trips you will be taking money out of ATM’s regularly. Local ATM withdrawals will yield better exchange rates than airport exchanges.

Always choose local currency when withdrawing money, not your home country currency.

Research the best travel rewards card before you leave on your trip. Residents of the US are fortunate because competition is fierce, which drives fantastic offers on travel credit cards.

At a minimum, you should be able to pick up a travel rewards credit card giving you 1.5% cash back on all purchases and withdrawals.

Some offer points instead of cash back, which can be saved and used to pay for a flight later in your trip. Look for any special points and bonuses for spending X amount of money in Y amount of time.

Choose the card that offers the best perks for your travel style.

Example : Bank A will give you 1,500 points bonus if you spend US$ 3,000 within 90 days. Those bonus points equal US$ 150 that you can put towards a flight.

12. Tell The Bank About Your Travel Plans

It would blow your mind if we told you the amount of people we meet traveling the world who have experienced blocked credit cards.

Blocked cards in turn lead to no money and expensive phone calls back home to unblock said cards.

The banks are doing it for your protection but when you’re stuck in the back of beyond and can’t pay for anything or withdraw money, you will be in trouble.

Example : You have a Bank of America checking account, a Capital One Venture travel rewards card and an American Express travel card, you need to tell every one of those banks what your rough travel plans are.

It doesn’t hurt to keep them updated as you travel because plans can change.

We will contact our banks each time we move to a new continent and give them a rough idea of the countries we intend to visit, plus an estimated duration. Remember the 7 P’s of planning.

13. Get Travel Insurance

We’re not going to frighten you into buying travel insurance with gruesome tales. We’re simply going to say it is not worth the risk to travel without insurance.

You may be debating running the risk because insurance can be expensive.

We understand, it’s a bit of a blow when you think all your costs are nailed on the head and you see how much travel insurance is going to set you back.

But believe us, skipping it is not the smart move. Especially if you are backpacking for longer periods. Knock on wood, nothing serious has happened to us yet on the road.

No lost backpacks, no serious injuries, no muggings. But that could change at any moment, all it takes is being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Travel Insurance Is Worth The Peace Of Mind

Could you imagine the cost involved in being repatriated to America with a serious illness or injury sustained on the other side of the planet? No insurance would leave you in financial despair for years.

Example : You’ve just bought a brand new Sony A7R IV mirrorless camera for US$ 3,000 for your trip and you lose it or have it stolen on your first day traveling. You don’t have insurance. Imagine the pain!

There are plenty of travel insurance providers, such as Allianz, AIG and Travelex but right now we use and highly recommend World Nomads.

The company was created by travelers for travelers and they will tailor an insurance plan to suit your trip. You can get a free quote and choose between Standard or Explorer plans.

Be sure to do your own research but use World Nomads as your reference. See if you can get better coverage.

14. Check For Last Minute Travel Bargains

This is where we hope you don’t find an amazing last minute deal that’s US$ 200 cheaper than what you booked back in section 2.

Last minute deals are a gamble. Sometimes they pay off but mostly, they don’t. Never leave any of your major flight routes or bucket list activities until the last minute.

It’s always worth keeping an eye on hotel and flight prices, even for things you already booked that may include free cancellations or free changes to the booking.

If you can pick up the odd money saving last minute bargain, great. But don’t leave your entire trip to chance.

In the days leading up to your departure, check prices on (non-major) flights, trains, hotels and tours that you are interested in taking.

There are always flash sales on things, it’s often a case of being fortunate enough to stumble across them at the right time.

Here’s something important to remember if you started planning your trip months ago. High season might have moved into shoulder season or low season in a place you want to go.

But be aware that the opposite may also occur.

You could have planned on last minute deals because when you were researching the prices looked amazing, only to have unwittingly transitioned into peak season for the place you are visiting.

Last minute deals are going to cost you and your options will be greatly diminished in peak season.

15. Pack Yours Bags It’s Time To Leave

Your travel plans are in place, you’ve booked the important things and prepared efficiently. All you need to do now is pick the perfect backpack and fill it with the right gear for your destination.

If you think you can handle traveling with just 40L of space which means you can carry on to flights, don’t miss this review of our top rated travel backpack, Osprey Farpoint 40 .

For those who will carry a larger main pack and need a second smaller backpack to carry on, read our review of the innovative and versatile backpack perfect for travel photographers:  Peak Design Everyday Backpack .

We won’t go into a huge amount of detail with this planning step. Instead, you can find all you need to know about packing for your trips in our detailed  Travel Packing resource.

Here are a few addition packing tips for your trip:

• Be sure to pack according to where you’re going. If there are varying climates on your itinerary, pack for warm and cold weather conditions, even if that means taking a bigger backpack.
• Pack carefully, make sure every single item is fit for multi-purpose use. Do not pack fancy shirts and jeans if you will only use them once, you will end up throwing them out half way through your trip.
• We all have our own dress styles and preferences but our best advice for packing is to take plenty of comfortable gear.

Just remember, the most successful travel planners are the ones who can accept when they need to take a few steps back in order to take many steps forward.

More Travel Resources

• E-Books – Shop our travel guidebooks
• Packing List – The ultimate travel packing list
• Gifts – The best gifts for a traveler

Want more travel content?  Head to our  Travel Blog to discover new destinations around the world.

We hope these 15 steps help you plan the perfect trip!

Please let us know if you have any questions about this trip planning guide in the comments below.

Happy Travels ,

Mark and Kristen

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Mark and Kristen Morgan are travel, hiking and photography experts. Over the last 6 years traveling full time, they have explored more than 40 countries and 30 US states.

Where Are Those Morgans has been featured in USA Today, Gestalten, Get Your Guide, CityPASS and Condé Nast Traveler along with various other publications. Read more about us .

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13 Clever Ways to Ask: How Was Your Trip?

Traveling is one of our favorite things to talk about.  In fact, we always find ourselves asking others about recent trips and often get the best tips from those who experienced a location or destination first hand.  In this post, we’ll share with you our 13 clever ways to expand on the popular question “How was your trip”, to learn more about someone’s recent travel adventure.

How was your trip?

“How was your trip” – The go-to question to kick off a travel conversation.  We are very intrigued to learn about new locations as well as listening to someone else’s opinion of a location we’ve already been.  Here’s the quick list of our 13 go to questions we ask to dive deeper into the How was your trip, conversation.

• How is the culture? 
• Are the locals friendly?
• How is the food?
• Is it packed with tourists?
• Is it expensive?
• What currency is used? Is credit and debit cards accepted?
• Did you get good weather?
• Is the location heavily dependent on seasons?
• How did you get there?  How was the flight, what route did you take?
• Did you use public transportation?
• Did you learn anything new?
• Would you recommend it?
• Would you go again?

How Was Your Trip - Cultural Questions

How is the culture.

This question is more specific for international travel, however, there are plenty of cultures within the United States depending on which region you visit.  We love to ask about the culture to get an idea of what to expect.  However this is completely subjective so if someone has a bad experience at a particular location, it does not mean you will!

Asking if the locals are friendly ties closely to the question about the culture.  However if you can get a gauge on whether the locals are friendly that will provide insight if a location is welcoming to tourists!  

We found throughout our travels that Denmark (Copenhagen in particular) are some of the friendliest locals we’ve ever met.  But this is just from our experience!

Are you a foodie?  If so then this is likely your go to follow up question after “How was your trip?”!  Many locations have at least one or two food meals or snacks that originated there and are must tries!  One of our favorite local meals is a Belgium Waffle, which we had when we visited Brussels, Belgium .

Below is a picture of a local meal from a recent trip visiting Finland.

Many popular locations can be jammed pack with tourists.  For example, when we were in Switzerland, we visited a lot of the mountain tops in the Swiss Alps.  For one of the mountains we visited, the Top of Europe (Jungfraujoch), there was a massive group of tourists that took over the entire place!  Most of the time we like to avoid group tours so we often find ourselves asking this question and we will visit a place during off-peak hours to avoid the crowds.  

How Was Your Trip - Money Questions

This is a general question but you will quickly get a gauge on how expensive a particular location is.  Sometimes food is really expensive, but hospitality is relatively cheap and vice versa.  Sometimes, everything is expensive, like Switzerland (HOLY SMOKES!). 

 We found that the Switzerland is the most expensive country we have visited so far, but Western Europe and Scandinavia are pretty expensive comparable to the coastal cities in the United States. 

Southeast Asia is by far the cheapest location we’ve ever visited. 

Another question that applies for more international travel.  What currency do they use and whether or not they accept credit or debit cards.  The latter part of this question is a game changer for us.  We always try to pay with credit cards whenever possible to get the best exchange rates while traveling, avoid foreign exchange fees, and to accumulate points and miles for future travels.   

How Was Your Trip - Weather Questions

The weather is one of the most critical things that can make or break a trip.  Diving deeper into the conversation with did you get good weather can lead to learning more if the success of a trip is dependent on the weather.  For example if someone is traveling to a beach location and it rained the entire time, their trip may not be as enjoyable as if it was sun shine and rainbows.   

Understanding if a particular location is dependent on seasons is good insight for future travel.  For example, we live in a coastal city in New Jersey close to Atlantic City.  Other than Atlantic City, the Jersey Shore pretty much shuts down after Labor Day until Memorial Day every year so you want to keep that in mind if you want to get your typical Jersey Shore vacation.  

Below are a few of our favorite post on things to do near the Jersey Shore:

Best Things to Do in Atlantic City in the Summer

It’s no secret that one of the best things about...

20 of the Best Happy Hour Spots in Atlantic City

Atlantic City, New Jersey has been a popular tourist destination...

Things to Do in Atlantic City in the Winter

As most of you already know Atlantic City, New Jersey...

The Best Breakfast Restaurants in Ventnor City, NJ

If you’re looking for the best breakfast restaurants in Ventnor...

How Was Your Trip - Transportation Questions

How did you get there - how was your flight.

I am always interested in the mode of transportation one took to get to a particular destination.  If someone decides to drive, fly, take a cruise, or train, it’s always interesting learning why they chose the transportation method.  

For someone flying, you can often ask what route they took and if there’s a non-stop direct flight option.  I am a bit of a flight geek so this sparks my interest.  

Want to learn how we saved

On our past vacations and fly business class for free.

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Once one gets to a location they often have to get from point A to point B.  Depending on the location will dictate whether or not you chose public transportation or use a rental car.  

We often find ourselves searching the best way to get to and from an airport before we takeoff so we’re not scrambling once we land.  If we’re visiting a city then we will likely use public transportation, trains, buses, or uber.  In a more rural location we often opt to rent a car that way we can travel at our pace.  

How Was Your Trip - Recommendation Questions

Taylor and I always try to learn something new about a particular trip, whether that’s something historical, something about the culture, food, or really anything.  

When talking about one’s trip, ask if they learned anything new, I bet you they did!

Do you recommend it?

We love asking if people recommend a particular destination.   I can honestly say I’d recommend just about every place we ever visited because there’s a unique thing to do in each location.  

This is a great question to ask to see if people enjoyed their trip when asking folks, “how was your trip”.

“Would you go again” is the ultimate question to find out if someone absolutely loved a location.  We are constantly trying to visit new locations since there are just so many amazing places here on planet earth so if we say we will visit a place again, we really really love it!  Now we understand, not everyone is like us and may not want to visit as many places as we do but the general census is if you want to go back to a location, you definitely like it.  

For example, if you’re like my dad, you will make your way to the same spot every year, like Key West, FL (I think it’s his favorite place on earth).  

Overall we hope this post encourages you to talk more about travel and experiencing new places!  If you have any other suggestions on great questions to ask to expand the conversation of How was your trip, please let us know!  Again here’s the quick list of 13 different questions to expand on the question, How was your trip?

If you have any questions about about traveling in anyway shape or form, please let us know in the comments below!

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If you have a loved one traveling right now and want to wish them a safe flight, here are 20 ways to wish someone a safe flight !

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Is There a Way to Stop a Mushroom Trip Once It’s Started?

It’s pretty hard to stop the trip train once it’s left the psychedelic station, but thankfully, there are some things you can do to get through it okay

There are a number of things to think about before you take a mushroom -induced trip. How should you take them? Who should you take them with? Where will you go? What if you have a big life realization ? Then, inevitably, what happens if you hate it and want it to end? 

This was the conundrum put to Reddit last month, when a user — mid-trip — turned to the platform for help. “How can I cancel a mushroom high?” they asked . “I just want it to be done now. Not having a good time at all.” Unfortunately, the most common response was probably not what they wanted to hear: You can’t. “Accept the trip and stop fighting back,” another redditor replied. “It’s gonna be over soon.”

Many people, however, disagreed, suggesting that there’s certain “trip-killer medications” that can bring you back to Earth. Those mentioned include alcohol, cigarettes, zopiclone (a sleeping pill), diazepam (anxiety medication), mirtazapine (an antidepressant) and quetiapine (an antipsychotic). Others blanketly recommended any type of benzo. However, aside from the fact that you might not have these particular drugs on hand, their use as “trip-killers” are anecdotal, and they’re likely to affect each person differently.

Other than that, there aren’t a lot of reliable quick fixes to end a trip. “The best way to reach the other side is to go through the experience,” says Chelsea Rose Pires, the harm-reduction manager and clinical support officer at the psychedelic harm-reduction and education platform Zendo Project . “This can include all the uncomfortable or difficult sensations or feelings that may arise.” This doesn’t have to be a bad thing, though. Pires says a bad trip has the potential to “offer meaningful insight and understanding about our lives,” and adds that “our biggest growth comes through challenging times.”

However, she also says there are a handful of tangible things that you can do to ground and calm yourself during moments of panic. These include staying hydrated , having snacks on hand, tripping with a good, supportive friend who can help if things go haywire or switching up your scenery by changing the music, going for a walk, taking a shower or having a cry . If the weather’s nice and you’re outdoorsy, being outside can be particularly helpful — mushrooms often enhance people’s connection to the natural world, and nature can be comforting in times of distress. 

For nervous first-time trippers, there are also steps you can take ahead of your trip to lean yourself in the direction of a good time. Read up about the type and dose of shrooms you’re taking — Pires recommends DanceSafe and DrugsData.org as two valuable resources. Then, during preparation, consider the set and setting — the former being your “internal state at the time when you ingest” and your intention for the trip, while the latter is the physical space you’re in and the people you’re with. “Planning ahead for these sort of important details can make all the difference in how you experience your trip,” says Pires.

As with many anxious feelings, often it’s all about your mindset. When someone on Reddit said a chamomile tea “saved” them when they were “peaking hard and full of anxiety ,” another person wisely replied: “Chamomile tea didn’t do much of anything to help you — what helped you was believing that you had just consumed something that would help you.”

My favorite piece of Reddit advice, though, comes from HornySusamongsus, whose kind reminder about shrooms should narrate everybody’s trips: “Remember, friend, they are not your enemy, they are your friend.”

Brit Dawson

Brit Dawson is a London-based journalist who mostly writes about sex, women's rights and sex work. She is also the staff writer at Dazed.

Recommended Reading

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• Drugs: How to Care for Your Very Stuffed-Up, Slowly Disintegrating Coke Nose

Trip Killers: How To Stop an Acid Trip

Occasionally, a psychedelic trip can take a turn for the worse. This group of “trip killer” drugs are used by experienced trip sitters and medical professionals to stop the trip in its tracks.

What Are Trip Killers?

1. alprazolam (xanax), 2. lorazepam (ativan), 3. diazepam (valium), 4. clonazepam (klonopin), 5. zolpidem (ambien), 6. quetiapine (seroquel), 7. olanzapine (zyprexa) , how long do trip killers take to kick in, psychedelics that have trip killers, psychedelics that don’t have trip killers, 1. are you in over your head, 2. are you or those around you at risk, 3. do you need to sober up asap, who shouldn’t use benzodiazepine-based trip killers, 1. the “bad trip”, 2. you or your trip sitter realize it’s time for a trip killer, 3. you enter “the placebo effect”, 4. the trip killer begins to take effect, 5. the trip comes to an end  , 6. you feel almost sober, 1. sourcing the trip killers responsibly, 2. get the dose right, set (mindset), final word: using trip killers .

In most cases, “a bad trip” is just your mind’s way of showing you factors in your past or present life that need to be confronted and dealt with. However, in some cases, a bad trip can become nightmarish to the point that it may put yourself or others in danger.

In these situations, it may be beneficial to have some form of a trip killer on hand to get you out of the negative headspace and effectively “kill” the trip.

Let’s delve into what trip killers are, when to use them, explore the risks, and discuss what to expect when you use one halfway through a psychedelic journey.

Trip killers are substances that help mellow out or block the effects of psychedelic substances. They “bring you back to reality” when a trip takes a dark turn. 

Trip killers are taken with the intent to end a psychedelic trip. There is no one substance that will help end a psychedelic experience, and not all trip killers are effective for all psychedelics — you have to use the right trip killer depending on what substance you’re using. 

The most common trip killers are benzodiazepines, but other drugs, such as certain antipsychotic medications, can also be effective. 

Just as it’s important to know the right dose of the psychedelic you’re using, it’s important to take the right dose of trip killers too. Some of these substances are exceptionally potent and should be taken with great care. 

Trip killers are a last resort and should only be used when the effects of a bad trip start to become dangerous to oneself or others.

Ideally, people who are at risk of such an experience will be under the supervision of a trained psychedelic facilitator who can help walk the user through the challenging visions they may be receiving. In many cases, the bad trips are where most of the benefits of psychedelics derive from — so stopping them in their tracks should be avoided if possible. 

Top 7 Trip Killers

By far, the most effective and commonly used trip killers are benzodiazepine drugs . We’ll look at these substances first because they offer the strongest and fastest-acting way to end a psychedelic experience. 

Benzodiazepines aren’t for everyone; some people should avoid them entirely. In these cases, there are other options available (keep reading). 

It’s important to note that benzodiazepines can be dangerous, especially if mixed with other sedative drugs or alcohol. They’re also notoriously addictive. Taking benzos habitually doesn’t end well for anybody. 

For now, let’s take a look at the most common trip killers:

Alprazolam is one of the fastest-acting trip killers in the benzodiazepine family — but it’s also one of the shortest-lasting. The effects of Xanax, although fast-acting, only last for around four to six hours. 

Xanax is a favored trip killer among psychonauts purely because of its fast-acting nature. It’s designed for people to use at the first sign of an anxiety attack to stop it in its tracks. 

The effects of alprazolam start to kick in within 15 minutes or so and reach peak effects in as little as 45 minutes. 

Xanax does have a habit of wiping your memory, in a sense. When consumed with other substances or at too high a dose, it can make you black out and lose all memory of the previous night. 

When you consume Xanax as a trip killer, you should be prepared to lie down and get some rest. When you awake, you may have an extremely blurry memory and struggle to recall anything about the experience. This can be a positive or negative point, depending on what you want to achieve from the psychedelic trip. 

Lorazepam is considered an intermediate-acting benzodiazepine. This means it won’t kick in quite as fast as something like Xanax — but the effects last for over eight hours. This is a better option for long-lasting psychedelics, such as DOX compounds, 2CX compounds , or other amphetamine psychedelics .

Lorazepam is great for getting you out of a bad trip, but it may cause drowsiness to the point you fall asleep. This can be a plus since it allows you to rest easy after a bad experience, but it does put a complete halt on your psychedelic experience. 

Diazepam isn’t as fast-acting as lorazepam and alprazolam, but it is one of the longest-lasting of the popular benzodiazepine trip killers. The effects of diazepam can last for over 12 hours. 

It’s reported that this trip killer takes “too long” to take effect when swallowed in pill form. However, the onset of effects can be sped up significantly by chewing the drug, so it can be sublingually absorbed under the tongue.

Diazepam works great to get you out of a nightmarish thought loop, but it doesn’t have the same effect as lorazepam and alprazolam in the aspect of drowsiness. Many people report that taking diazepam during a bad trip helps them calm down without completely removing the psychedelic effects of the drug.

Clonazepam is considered the slowest-acting of the benzodiazepine trip killers. It can take between one and four hours after taking it to reach peak levels in the blood. Of course, this can be sped up by chewing the pill and allowing it to absorb sublingually.

Although clonazepam takes a long time to kick in, the effects can last up to 12 hours, and the half-life is also long, standing at around 40 hours — meaning it won’t be cleared from the body for a couple of days.

This is the least popular of the common benzodiazepine trip killers, but it’s often one of the easiest to get hold of (depending on where you live). Some like Klonopin for its euphoric nature, which many other benzodiazepines don’t have. 

Zolpidem is classified as a Z-drug — which is a group of compounds that exert benzodiazepine-like effects but have an entirely different structure. 

These drugs work in much the same way as benzos and are also considered useful as trip killers. But there’s one catch — these drugs tend to be much more sedative than their benzodiazepine cousins. People who take Ambien to stop a trip will almost always fall asleep shortly after. You may or may not remember the experience the following morning. 

While Z-drugs carry a lower risk than most benzodiazepines, there’s still a great deal of risk associated with their use. Getting the dose right, avoiding mixing with other depressants, and only using if you’ve been approved by a doctor are still key elements for using these substances safely. 

Although nowhere near as popular as benzos, another common option is antipsychotics like quetiapine (Seroquel). 

Antipsychotic medications treat psychosis. People with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression, and Alzheimer’s are often prescribed these.

Quetiapine is classified as an atypical antipsychotic. It differs from typical antipsychotics because it produces fewer extrapyramidal symptoms and has a lower risk of tardive dyskinesia. In simpler terms, it produces fewer side effects than typical antipsychotics, such as the inability to sit still, muscle contractions, tremors, and stiff muscles.

Antipsychotics are the best trip killers for people that can’t use benzodiazepines or Z-drugs. 

Seroquel typically takes 20 to 60 minutes to kick in when consumed sublingually at a dose of around 25–50 mg. 

Olanzapine is another atypical antipsychotic reported to be effective in dulling the effects of psychedelics. This compound has a particularly high affinity for the 5HT2A receptor and is, therefore, better for killing the trips from tryptamine-based psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin, or DMT.

Zyprexa is less effective for dopaminergic or NMDA-based psychedelics such as the psychedelic amphetamines (MDMA, MDA, cathinones) or arylcyclohexylamines (PCP, ketamine, and others).

Olanzapine usually takes around 30 minutes to kick in at a 10–20 mg dose. 

How Do Trip Killers Work?

Benzodiazepines such as diazepam or lorazepam (or other sedative anxiolytics) are usually the substances a doctor will administer if you’re submitted to the hospital due to signs of psychosis from consuming too much of a psychedelic substance.

These drugs work similarly to those for someone with a panic or anxiety attack. They have anxiolytic, sedative, and relaxant properties that all work to reduce anxiety levels and negative thought loops. 

More specifically, benzodiazepines kill the trip by amplifying the activity of GABA in the brain. GABA is a neuroinhibitor — which means it reduces brain activity. 

When we’re anxious, the inhibitory effects of GABA result in a dramatic reduction in anxiety levels. We think less, care less about our problems and feel more calm and relaxed. In higher doses, this causes full-on sedation. 

The same concepts apply to psychedelic experiences. Paranoia, anxiety, and fear responses experienced during the psychedelic state can all be muted by dulling brain activity with GABA-boosting drugs.

Antipsychotic trip killers work a little bit differently. These drugs work as serotonin and dopamine antagonists (blockers). The exact mechanism is still not fully understood, but the leading theory is that certain antipsychotics reverse the effects of psychedelics by blocking the 5-HT2A receptors. 

5-HT2A is one of the main receptor sites on which psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin work. Some, but not all, psychedelic substances bind to these receptors to induce their psychedelic effects.

Every trip killer is different — some kick in quickly (10–20 minutes); others take an hour or more. 

Here are some of the average onset times for the four most popular benzo-based trip killers listed above. 

These refer to the oral onset time of these drugs. It’s not a good idea to smoke, inject, or snort benzodiazepines for any reason.

• Alprazolam (Xanax): 10–20 minutes
• Lorazepam (Ativan): 20–45 minutes
• Diazepam (Valium): 1–2 hours
• Clonazepam (Klonopin): 45–60 minutes

When Do Trip Killers NOT Work?

Trip killers don’t work on every psychedelic substance. Benzodiazepines and antipsychotic medications are effective for standard, serotonin-based psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin. However, there are a few substances that don’t have any effective trip killers. 

Always educate yourself on any substance before using it. You should know how much to take, what to expect during the trip, and onset times and duration. You should also know whether there’s an effective trip killer for it.

Psychedelic trips from some of the most commonly used psychedelics can be stopped by the use of benzodiazepines or antipsychotic medications. 

These are the most prevalently used and have the most research surrounding them, though trip killers likely work on more substances than the ones listed below.

Here’s a list of commonly used psychedelic substances that do have effective trip killers:

• LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) (and other lysergamide psychedelics )
• Psilocybin (the active compound in magic mushrooms )
• 4-AcO-DMT (synthetic shrooms)
• 5-MeO-DMT (the active compound in bufo toad venom )
• N,N-DMT (the active ingredient in ayahuasca )
• 2C-B (and other 2C psychedelics )
• NBOMes (N-bombs)
• Synthetic Cathinones (Bath Salts)
• MDMA (and other MDXX psychedelics )
• Mescaline (the active compound in Peyote & San Pedro cactus)

Some psychedelic substances do not have trip killers. Not all psychedelics affect the brain in the same way; therefore, trip killers, such as benzodiazepines, will not end all psychedelic experiences. 

For example, many dissociative drugs like PCP or ketamine work via the NMDA receptors in the brain. The psychedelic trips these drugs produce appear to be unaffected by benzodiazepines. Making matters worse, most dissociatives are also considered sedatives — which are notoriously dangerous to mix with benzodiazepines. 

Other substances, such as salvinorin A from salvia or any of the deliriant hallucinogenics, don’t diminish after taking benzodiazepines or Z-drugs. There are no effective trip killers for these substances. 

If you plan on consuming any of the substances listed below, be warned that you have no option but to ride the experience out naturally. Never consume a substance that you’re not comfortable with.

It’s a good idea to have a trip sitter around that you trust who can help you through a difficult experience should it arise.

Here are some of the more common psychedelic substances that do not have effective trip killers:

• Datura (a hallucinogenic flower from the nightshade family)
• Brugmansia (commonly known as angel’s trumpet)
• Phencyclidine (and other arylcyclohexylamines )
• Ketamine (and other dissociatives )
• Grayanotoxins (found in Rhododendron flowers)
• Xenon gas or nitrous oxide gas
• Salvia divinorum

When Should You Use a Trip Killer?

Preferably, you should never consume a trip killer. A “bad trip” can often unlock a door that will show you traits in our personality (our “ shadow ”) or traumas and aspects in life that we need to heal in order to live a better life. 

A typical “bad trip” is often a lesson containing vital information we can use to work on ourselves and get over mental blocks that reduce our quality of life. Using a trip killer to end an experience like this may be counterintuitive. Doing so could close “the door” that leads to healing.

Many experienced psychonauts swear off ever needing to consume trip killers to end a trip because they believe every vision has value. However, trip killers definitely have their place. You should always be safe rather than sorry and never bite off more than you can chew in terms of set, setting, and dosage. End the trip if you feel you’re in over your head. 

As long as you use psychedelics responsibly , you’ll likely never need a trip killer. Proper dosing is the best way to ensure this, but having your frame of mind and setting fit for a psychedelic trip is also important. This way, if a bad trip occurs, you have the strength to deal with it. 

Sometimes, we don’t get it right. A “bad trip” can spiral out of control into a nightmarish event that can be truly traumatic. When this happens, you and the others around you could be at risk. 

People who swear off trip killers may have experienced a challenging trip but may not have had a truly terrifying one. It may never happen, but it could occur at any time, so it’s always wise to have some form of trip killer available.

A nightmarish loop of events during a trip can seem to last forever, and in some, it can lead them to cause harm to themselves or others. This is rare but not unheard of. Trip killers can be a lifesaver for those who find themselves trapped in such a situation. 

In our opinion, trip killers should be a part of every psychonaut’s tool kit. You should strive never to use them, but they should be readily available in case a trip takes a dark turn that you feel you can’t benefit from or work through without putting yourself or others at risk. 

No matter how responsible you are when planning a psychedelic trip, there are times when circumstances come up that are outside your control. You think you have the day to sit and trip, but suddenly something comes up (family emergency, etc.), and you need to be sober ASAP. 

Even though a trip killer won’t make you feel “normal,” it’ll speed up the process and make you more clear-headed than you would be without it. 

Some people should avoid benzodiazepine-based trip killers at all costs . This section outlines who should not take these types of trip killers and what they can use instead.

Although most psychedelics aren’t addictive, benzos definitely are. Anyone with an addictive personality or who has had a past dependence on benzos or similar substances should avoid using these as trip killers. 

Benzos have some of the longest-lasting, worst, and most savage withdrawals of any substance on the planet. 

Withdrawal symptoms can last for months. If you become addicted and prolong the use of these substances, quitting cold turkey isn’t an option. Simply quitting after prolonged benzo abuse can be life-threatening due to the body seizing up. 

In simple terms: don’t use benzo-based trip killers if there’s a chance you’ll get addicted to them.

What To Expect When You “Kill” a Trip

As I’ve mentioned, trip killers aren’t an instant solution. You’re not going to magically become sober as soon as the pill touches your tongue. The onset time and experience will vary depending on the type of trip killer consumed, the dosage taken, the psychedelic consumed, and how far into your trip you are. 

That being said, I can give you a rough idea of what happens when consuming a benzodiazepine trip killer during a bad experience.

Let’s paint a hypothetical picture. 

A few hours after consuming your chosen psychedelic, you enter an area of dark and disturbing thoughts somewhere in your subconscious mind. At first, tell yourself, “It’s okay; it’s just the psychedelic messing with my brain.”

After a while, you start to convince yourself that this is, in fact, real, and you begin to sink into nightmarish thought loops.

If the situation starts to get out of hand, a trip killer might be employed to bring you back to some semblance of reality. 

You chew one milligram of Xanax in the hope that the sublingual absorption will allow it to take effect quickly. 

Although unpleasant, the acrid taste of the trip killer in your mouth relieves you. You associate the taste with the trip coming to an end. When you swallow your saliva, you feel a wave of calm rush over you because you know that this nightmare will all be over soon.

About 15 to 30 minutes later (depending on the trip killer consumed), you notice a wave of relaxation come over you. Any feelings of anxiety and panic start to wash away as the drug begins to take effect.

Not only do the dark thought loops start to diminish, but you also start to feel as though you don’t care about much of anything at all. You become emotionless and calm. You may or may not continue to experience hallucinations, but none of them seem to steal your attention. 

If you’re not laying down already, you’ll probably seek out somewhere to post up and relax for a while as your muscles start to feel weak.

One hour after taking the trip killer, your hallucinations have likely died down substantially, and you feel much more rational and level-headed. You may even regret taking the trip killer — if you were in this head space originally, perhaps you wouldn’t have had such a terrifying experience.

Two to three hours after ingesting the trip killer, you feel more or less sober (depending on the psychedelic you consumed). Most of the effects of the psychedelics have worn off, and if you’re not already asleep, you’re probably feeling pretty drained and ready for some zzz’s.

You’ll be emotionally and physically exhausted by this time, and you’ll likely reach for a bottle of water and a hefty snack to restore the energy lost throughout the ordeal.   

Safety Aspects to Consider When Using Trip Killers

There are a few things to consider when purchasing and adding trip killers to your psychedelic tool kit. The most effective trip killers — benzodiazepines — are restricted in terms of sale and use. This can make it difficult to legally purchase these drugs, which is where our first safety aspect stems.

If you cannot obtain trip killers (benzos) in a legal way — via prescription from a doctor — the level of risk goes up substantially. 

The most popular benzodiazepines for recreational use are Valium (diazepam) and Xanax (alprazolam). These can be obtained on the black market, but it’s not recommended.

Illegal vendors distributing Valium and Xanax don’t necessarily consider the consumer’s best interest. Several samples of these substances have contained drugs such as fentanyl (an extremely dangerous synthetic opioid). 

Clandestine drug manufacturers use tablet molds that produce exact replicas of the prescribed Xanax and Valium tablets. Criminals produce pills with these molds that look the same but contain a cocktail of potentially life-threatening substances. Whether you’re tripping or not, taking one of these pills at any time may pose a serious health risk. 

Basically, unless you’re getting your drugs from a pharmacy, you can never be sure the drugs you’re using are safe. 

If you absolutely have to purchase “trip killers” from the black market, you must test them using — at the minimum — a fentanyl test kit. We cannot stress this enough. 

You can also buy benzo test kits to help identify what adulterants may be contained in your pills. 

You should check your benzos before you need them. You’re not going to have time to test them for safety if using them as a trip killer. 

Another safety aspect to consider is, of course, dosage. Getting the correct dosages for each substance is critical to avoid overdosing . However, you also need to consume enough of the substance to kill a trip. 

Several individual drugs fall under the benzodiazepine classification; although similar, the required dosage for each differs. 

It’s important to note that your weight, gender, and familiarity with the drug will affect the exact dose. A heavier person that regularly consumes benzos will need a far larger dose than a small-framed person that has never tried the substance before.

Below I’ve listed the recommended dosages of the four most popular trip killers based on first-hand reports and prescribed dosage guides. However, you should take these numbers with a grain of salt and do your own research outside before consuming anything to kill a trip. These substances can be dangerous. 

• Alprazolam (Xanax): 0.5 to 1 mg
• Lorazepam (Ativan): 0.5 to 1.5 mg
• Diazepam (Valium): 5 to 10 mg
• Clonazepam (Klonopin): 1 to 1.5 mg

As you can see, the recommended dosages for killing a trip vary and depends on where you are on your trip.

Again, I can’t stress this enough — everyone’s required dosage will be different because of a variety of factors. Unfortunately, your required dose will be something you’ll have to find out through experience. Just be aware that trip killers of this nature don’t work immediately, so don’t keep dosing if you don’t experience any trip-calming effects right away . This is how overdoses occur. 

How To Minimize the Risk of a Bad Trip

Trip killers should only be used in an emergency when a trip takes a dark turn that could harm you or others around you. It’s best to avoid trip killers at all costs, and these steps can also help you have the best trip possible.

Preparation is key. If you’ve experimented with psychedelics before, you must have heard of set and setting.

The set is the frame of mind you’re in. When consuming psychedelic substances, you should never be in a negative, anxious, or unstable state of mind. Entering a trip with negative thoughts in your head is a surefire way to a nightmarish trip.

It’s important to relax your body and mind before entering a trip. This can be done by simply putting yourself in a good headspace by recalling a positive memory or experience. Practicing meditation and/or yoga can also help you relax into a positive state of mind.

The setting is the space you’ll experience the trip in. The setting is extremely important in psychedelics and will help you stay in the right “set.” Playing relaxing music, putting beautiful pictures around you, and lighting a few candles can make the setting more relaxed and inviting.

Many people also like to trip out in nature. This is a fantastic way to do it; however, several variables can affect your trip. 

If you head out into nature for a psychedelic trip, ensure it’s in a safe area with no foot traffic. Make sure the weather is good, and there are no external factors that may “freak you out.” The last thing you want is bad weather (a storm, for example) or a stranger entering your space — this will likely lead to a bad experience.

Another way to ensure a smooth trip is to have an object nearby that means something to you. This object helps connect you to the physical world and can get you back on course if your trip dives into a dark place . Simply holding the object and looking at it may just be enough to snap you back to reality. 

This technique is definitely something to try before resorting to the use of trip killers.

Trip killers may be an important part of the psychonaut’s tool kit. Hopefully, you will never need to use them, and you should strive to work through difficult experiences rather than chemically halt them. 

However, if you have a truly terrifying psychedelic experience, they will help you get back to reality as quickly and safely as possible.

The most popular and effective trip killers are benzodiazepines or Z-drugs, but some antipsychotic medications are also effective and a good alternative for people with addictive personalities.

When sourcing trip killers, it’s important to test their purity. Several drugs on the black market are contaminated with fentanyl — an extremely dangerous synthetic opioid that’s similar to morphine but much stronger. This drug can be life-threatening, so it’s of paramount importance that any drug sourced on the black market is tested thoroughly.

Regardless of whether you have trip killers available, you should always practice safe psychedelic use. Ensuring that your set and setting are perfect before a trip helps mitigate the risk of a bad trip occurring. As we said, you should never need to use a trip killer, but they should be available as an absolute last resort.

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How to Stop an Acid Trip

We'll be blunt: you can't fully "stop" an acid trip. but you may be able to charter a more compassionate course.

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Acid trips. Sometimes they seem to go on forever–we promise you they don’t. Out of all psychedelics, acid (another name for the compound LSD) has the gnarliest reputation for grabbing ahold and not letting go until it’s good and done with you. Of course, this can be an amazing, beautiful, and life-changing experience. Still, it can also involve a lot of stress and anxiety in some cases. It’s normal to wish that your acid trip would just end already. Maybe you want to get to sleep, feel calmer, and relate to the people around you more easily—or maybe you simply want to be able to look at a popcorn ceiling without feeling like it’s a portal to the sixth dimension.

After taking acid, you can expect to feel the effects for eight to 12 hours. The peak of the trip typically occurs two to four hours in, after which you’ll experience a gradual return to “normal consciousness.” In some cases, however, the effects can linger or re-appear for up to 24 hours, according to experts who generally recommend only taking the drug under controlled clinical conditions. (Remember that the drug is illegal in most jurisdictions, including all of the United States. It is also important to test your LSD—and other drugs , too.)

If your acid trip feels like it’s going on too long, the first thing is to remember that you’ve taken a drug that your body is actively metabolizing. In simpler terms: It will end. You may not have the power to control exactly how and when, but you can do some things to soften the comedown—and reduce the subjective experience of tripping. Here are our tips on “shortening” an acid trip to the best of your ability.

So, Is It Possible To Stop An Acid Trip?

While there are actions you can take to make an acid trip feel less intense, the short answer is no . You can not “stop” an acid trip at will. The effects of LSD last a minimum of eight hours, and even after that, the effects can be like a “bouncing ball” for several more hours, as John Hopkins University School of Medicine psychologist Bill Richards told us. Richards is the person to ask: He’s studied psychedelics since the ’60s. Today, part of his work as a research psychologist includes curating playlists for clinical trial patients at the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins.

This “long tail”—the bouncing ball period of the acid trip—is probably the part of the trip you can most affect. You’ve passed the peak. The choices you make during this time will influence the after-effects of your LSD experience. You may want to change your environment to one that is quiet and comfortable–and set the tone with the right music. You may also want to avoid taking additional psychoactive substances (more on that later).

While there are actions you can take to make an acid trip feel less intense, the short answer is no . You can not “stop” an acid trip at will.

Research shows that LSD molecules wedge themselves into our serotonin receptors at an unusual angle. This awkward position is why scientists believe the effects of LSD last longer than those of other psychedelic drugs like psilocybin mushrooms. (On any psychedelic, time may seem to pass slower than it really is, thanks to the sensation of time dilation .) As one scientist told Wired , “once LSD gets in the receptor, you can think of it as a hole in the ground. LSD jumps into it and then pulls a lid down over the top … it can’t get out.” However, that “lid” does move around, so the LSD molecules eventually escape and are broken down by the body.

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According to Richards, psychedelic researchers in controlled clinical trials have tried using antipsychotics and other “rescue meds” to try to stop patients’ trips with only varying degrees of success. There is really no silver bullet. Before trying to stop an acid trip, you’ll want to ask yourself whether you really want to.

READ: Set and Setting: Here’s How to Prepare Your Mind & Space Before Using Psychedelics

Should You Try To Stop An Acid Trip?

Richards says that in the early days of LSD research, there wasn’t much recognition of the importance of a patient’s mindset and physical environment (otherwise known as set and setting ). Nor was there a full understanding of how advantageous it can be to experience the drug within a supportive therapeutic relationship. Thus, when patients faced major challenges during a trip, some doctors would attempt to “terminate” it using other drugs—which would typically “[leave] patients with an awareness of unresolved personal conflicts,” says Richards. In other words, trying to force a trip to end early might result in a lack of closure that is ultimately not in your best interest.

Some patients try to end their trips early by insisting on keeping their eyes open. They may also refuse to listen to music, compulsively talk, or pace. From a therapeutic viewpoint, says Richards, such people are “missing an opportunity” and “most likely were insufficiently prepared for a psychedelic journey.” Contemporary researchers do have “rescue meds” on hand. Yet, clinicians rarely use these medications—presumably because working through whatever the experience brings up is considered more beneficial. 

If you find yourself desperate to stop your acid trip, that might be a sign to slow down.

If you find yourself desperate to stop your acid trip, that might be a sign to slow down. Take a breath and connect with your intentions. If possible, take steps toward acceptance of the fact that the situation is not totally within your control. From there, you can work toward focusing on what you can control, like your set and setting . A shift in your mindset can help you begin to resolve whatever the trip is bringing up. Avoidance might leave you in an even worse state. If you find yourself struggling during or after an LSD experience, remember: You are not alone. A trusted friend, a psychedelic integration therapist, or another safe person can help you process and make sense of what you’ve experienced.

If you don’t have access to a supportive friend or professional during your trip, you might consider calling the Fireside Project’s psychedelic peer support line to reach a trained volunteer who can sit with you, listen, and talk you through this process. (In fact, it’s a good idea to download their app before you partake.)

If you don’t have access to a supportive friend or professional during your trip, you might consider calling the Fireside Project’s psychedelic peer support line to reach a trained volunteer who can sit with you, listen, and talk you through this process.

What Can I Do To Slow Or Stop An Acid Trip?

Trip length varies based on many different factors. Your dose and individual tolerance matter. So does the general state of your set and setting . Being surrounded by a lot of uncontrollable stimuli—like being at a concert, festival, or loud party—might also make it difficult to come down. In contrast, being in a safe, quiet, and comfortable environment where you can shift the position of your body or change the music may help you transition back to normal consciousness.

Vanessa Cruz, a nurse who supervises Fireside Project peer support volunteers, says they receive calls from people wishing their trip would end “all the time.” A volunteer might respond by asking if the person can change their environment—are you too cold? Too hot? Would you like to go somewhere quieter? Can you get a safe ride home? They’d also check to see if the person tripping has recently had water or eaten: These are things people often forget to do while tripping. Being dehydrated or too hungry might make them feel worse.

READ: Here’s What’s Missing From Conversations About Psychedelic Integration

Fireside doesn’t recommend taking any additional substances as “trip-killers” besides, perhaps, a cup of herbal tea. On the other hand—in contrast to the advice of Fireside and some experts—many psychonauts sometimes do use a strong “downer” like Xanax (which is itself a psychoactive drug). We don’t recommend taking any medications you haven’t been prescribed since you can’t be sure how they will affect you.

Someone concerned that their trip is going on too long shouldn’t smoke cannabis, says Cruz. Although some people are used to weed calming them down, it has a strong chance of re-activating psychedelic effects. 

What Should I Do After An Acid Trip?

So you’ve come down, returned to equilibrium, and maybe even gotten some sleep. Now what? It’s important to make sure you are properly fed and hydrated, since these needs may have fallen by the wayside during your trip. You’ll also want to check in with anyone who may be waiting for the “all-clear” to know you’re OK after tripping.

An oft-overlooked stage of the psychedelic healing process is  integration. Integration is the process of applying the insights of a psychedelic experience to one’s everyday life, usually through conversations with professionals, friends, and yourself (journaling can be helpful). In fact, proper integration can be the difference between remembering your trip as “good” or “bad.” A psychedelic-informed therapist is ideal for aiding trip integration. For those without access, the Fireside Project’s peer support line is a great alternative; many of their callers seek to process a past trip, rather than manage an ongoing one.

“The basic philosophy in psychedelics is, any time you push up against something you’re not ready to face, that’s where some difficulty can come in, because you’re resisting,” says Cruz. “The question is, can we encourage someone to feel into it? Can we invite in music, invite them to journal, invite them into another room, or other ways of comfort? If someone is still resisting, we say just do what you can for now and invite them to call back for integration.”

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• 12 Best Things to Do on Acid
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How to End Travel Content With a Bang: From Smart Callbacks to Shock Reveals

In travel content writing, endings matter. They are the last words the audience will read and, when done well, they have a tendency to linger. Great closing lines leave the reader with remnants of feelings and images, keeping the content alive in their minds long after they finish reading. A memorable ending is an asset to all forms of written travel content, whether you are penning a travel article or blog, a travel guide intro or even travel web page copy.

In a previous blog for World Words , we looked at the best ways to start your content. This time, we are turning our attention to the equally important conclusion. It may come last, but your ending should never be an afterthought…

Travel writing endings need not only to notify readers that the content is coming to end, but also to reinforce the main points of what has come before. The chronological end to your experience is usually not the best choice (for a first-person article, embarking on a return flight does not make a good finale); you will need to come up with something better. Anyone who regularly reads travel content in print or online will be aware that the quote has become a standard way of wrapping things up, but that’s just one of the ways to neatly parcel up your content.

Here are three other travel writing techniques that can help spice up your finale.

1. Reinforce your point with a memorable fact, a detail or an image The ending should reinforce what has gone before and reiterate the central point of your travel article, yet you shouldn’t just repeat what you’ve already said. Instead, try using a memorable image, fact or anecdote that helps summarise and demonstrate all that has gone before it, while simultaneously hammering home the main point.

In this Wall Street Journal article on climbing Sri Pada in Sri Lanka, Henry Wismayer ends by conjuring up a striking image of grandfather and grandson — one that continues to resonate after reading: “The bell was still tolling as I headed back down the stairs. Rounding the first corner was the man from Galle, a grandson at each arm. Together they stood and breathed in the dawn.”

David Sedaris employs a similar trick in this  ‘Journey Into the Night’  essay for the New Yorker. Having told the story of a first-class passenger crying over the death of his mother, he wraps it up by accentuating a memorable situation: “Here we were: two grown men in roomy seats, each blubbering in his own élite puddle of light.”

And when it comes to other forms of travel content, this technique works just as well. Lonely Planet use it in some of their destination overviews, such as this one on  Vietnam , which ends with the following memorable image: “Vietnam’s allure is easy to appreciate (and something of a history lesson) as ancient, labyrinthine trading quarters of still-thriving craft industries are juxtaposed with grand colonial mansions from the French era, all overseen from the skybars of 21st-century glass-and-steel highrises”

Here at World Words, we have also used this method when creating copy for our Ibiza travel guide for Oliver’s Travels . After emphasising how Ibiza is more than just a clubbing capital, we finished up with an image of the island that emphasises its non-nightlife related appeals, saying “Unfrequented coves and pine-carpeted hills explain its heady hippie-era allure, while its medieval citadel and rural one-horse hamlets recall its rich Mediterranean history.”

2. End with a lesson, a discovery or a revelation What have you learnt? Has your travelling experience given you any new insight? Has it changed the way you view something or the way you think about it? If so, tell your audience and save it for the end. These discoveries are the things readers want to know.

For example, in this travel piece on Fukuoka, Japan ,  Pultizer Prize-winning author Junot Díaz finishes up by telling us what he has learnt about yatai (Japanese food stalls that serve home-style cooking): “Sit in a yatai, shoulder to shoulder with locals and, yes, with tourists, and what you will hear, smell, taste, and participate in will be nothing less and nothing more than the simple magic from which nations like ours are born.”

Writer Danielle Henderson also uses this technique in this article on Macau for Afar magazine, which ends: “Back in my hotel room, I thought about my relationship with Macau, a misfit traveler trying to cobble together an authentic experience in a city that keeps a poker face, and how the closed culture had guided me into quiet, reflective moments you rarely get when you travel. That, I thought, as I packed my bags and munched on another order of French fries, is a gift.”

Alternatively, you can end with a revelation. It can be shocking, surprising, humorous or amusing. In this chucklesome travel piece from Vice , the writer makes sure the final words of the article won’t be quickly forgotten. They read: “Although, if you are really looking for a reason to leave an angry comment, I did eat a dog in Vietnam like three weeks later.”

This technique can also work wonders on web copy and online destination guides. We used it in our Hong Kong mini-guide for HomeAway , when we wrapped up our copy by saying: “Sometimes the journey itself is part of the Hong Kong experience, something you’ll realise as you take a 125-year-old tram up Victoria Peak and peer down at the city far below.”

3. Callbacks: Return to the opening Another useful travel writing trick is to tie your ending to the opening. Return to the story you began with — a nice, neat circular narrative. In this article for The Telegraph, Patrick Symmes goes searching for the mythical kingdom of Shambhala in central Asia. He opens with “I won’t tell you where it is,” goes on to describe his lengthy quest to find the elusive and fabled paradise, then concludes with this gem: “I tell you, I was there.”

Ingrid K. Williams also uses this method in this recent Frugal Traveler article for the New York Times, where she opens with the following: “White truffles from Alba and red wine from Barolo are not usually part of the frugal traveler’s diet.” She then goes on to describe her frugal food travels around Piedmont and concludes by circling back to that opening sentence:

“In our kitchen that evening, Dave uncorked a bottle that I’d purchased at Il Bacco: a barbera d’Alba from G.D. Vajra, another small producer that Eric Asimov had recommended. It wasn’t Barolo, but it was delicious to drink while preparing dinner: thin, ribbonlike egg pasta called tajarin that we buttered and topped with generous shavings of our white truffle. Surrounded by the wonderful aroma of truffles, we sat down to an indulgent meal that, before exploring Piedmont, this frugal traveler never imagined she could afford.”

This is another trick we’ve used at World Words. This article we wrote for Luxe Magazine begins: “Back in the 1960s, Búzios was just a backwater village when French starlet Brigitte Bardot rocked into town…” After extolling the virtues of Búzios’ beaches and dining, the article returns to Ms. Bardot. “Tamer late-night activities include a stroll down the Orla Bardot promenade, where Búzios’ celebrity fan, Brigitte Bardot, is cast in solid bronze with her gaze fixed out toward the sea. Camera-toting tourists line up to pose with Bardot, and a few are struck with an irrational twinge of jealousy. And who could blame them? After all, she gets to stay here indefinitely.”

This tactic also works for other travel content, such as web copy. When writing Off the Map Travels ’ homepage, we opted for a circular structure, opening with the line, “There is no fixed definition of a ‘traveler’”, and closing with further emphasis on the company’s individualised approach. “Off-the-beaten-path destinations, one-of-a-kind experiences and second-to-none support: we supply everything you require for a unique, unforgettable vacation.”

So next time you’re fretting about how best to structure your travel content, try using the above techniques (for the ending) and these helpful tips from our previous blog (for the beginning). We’re afraid the middle’s up to you!

Do you have any other secrets for writing a captivating conclusion? We’d love to hear them. Share them with us on Twitter . To see some of our travel writers’ own expertly-crafted endings, check out our latest projects .

This article was first published in January 2015 . Image credit: Shock-ed  CC courtesy of David Goehring via Flickr.

4 thoughts on “ How to End Travel Content With a Bang: From Smart Callbacks to Shock Reveals ”

Cool post MANDY! I am really interested in traveling too 🙂 Thanks again !

Really interesting stuff – will be using this in my own content marketing

thanks, really interesting!

thanks, this is great

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Zipcar App 101

Things just got a whole lot better in the Zipcar mobile on-demand car rental app. We’ve made some exciting updates to make booking, managing, and ending your trip quick and easy. 

Before your trip      During your trip       Ending your trip

Using our car rental app before your trip, whether you’re on the go or planning ahead, our app’s new design makes it easy to book a round trip car anytime. , book your round trip zipcar .

Whether you’re on the go or planning ahead, our app’s new design makes it easy to book a car anytime.

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Use the app during your trip to make unlocking, reporting, and extending even easier., unlock with the zipcar app.

Unlock and lock your Zipcar right in the “Drive” section of the app. Just be sure to always bring your Zipcard in case phone service isn’t available.

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To help keep Zipcars ready to go, please tell us about any issues right in the mobile car rental app. That way, you’re in the clear and we can fix it up as soon as possible.

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Ending your trip should be as easy as 1,2,3. that’s why we’ve made some updates to our app so you can end your trip smoothly. , check parking spot .

Remember to always return your Zipcar to the same spot you got it from. Can’t find the spot? Our app can help—just tap "End trip." 

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What’s an eSIM and How Do I Install One?

eSIMs (the e stands for “embedded”) are simply digital versions of the traditional SIM cards that store your cell-phone number and customer data. Rather than making you physically switch cards every time you change networks or numbers, eSIM-compatible smartphones are able to store the data of multiple plans and providers internally.

They’re ideal for travel. Whereas accessing internet in a foreign country used to mean paying exorbitant data fees, buying a physical SIM card from a local store, or just desperately asking random café workers for Wi-Fi passwords throughout your trip, eSIMs allow you to switch to a new cell-phone network without jamming one of those annoying little metal pin things into your iPhone. Starting at around $5 for a week’s worth of cellular data (the plans are usually pay-as-you-go, so you’re not locked into an extensive contract), they tend to be both cheaper and more reliable than the physical SIM cards available for tourists to purchase in airport arrival malls.

I have been buying eSIMs for years now, and for better or worse have been able to use Instagram and Google Maps in rural Turkey, remote Patagonia, and the mountains of Morocco. Not all those who wander are lost, especially if they purchased 30GB of cellular internet before leaving home.

eSIMs let you switch between cell-phone networks more easily

You can toggle between different eSIMs (and also the number on your physical SIM card, if you have one) using your phone’s cellular settings. As with a physical SIM card, some eSIMs give you a new number that lets you send texts and make calls as well as access cellular data, while other cheaper ones just provide internet. Online eSIM stores like Airalo and Holafly simplify the process of purchasing eSIMs for international travel, offering eSIM plans for hundreds of countries within a single hub.

Most newish high-end smartphones are eSIM-compatible

If you’ve purchased an iPhone, Google Pixel, or Samsung Galaxy in the past three years, it’s probably eSIM-ready. In fact, the newest iPhones only work with eSIMs, and don’t have physical SIM-card slots.

To check whether your iPhone is eSIM-compatible, look for “ESIM” in the General>About menu. On Android, dial and call *#06#, which should reveal a “Device Info” screen. On eSIM-compatible Android phones, an eSIM unique identification number will be listed among that info. Note that your smartphone will also have to be carrier-unlocked in order to switch between different eSIM plans.

They’re reasonably easy to install

eSIMs can only be installed once, so if you don’t get it right, you lose whatever money you paid. The process only takes a few minutes but does require a certain degree of concentration; the precise steps required will vary across different models of smartphone. You can purchase an eSIM and begin the installation process before leaving on your trip, but the final step will require Wi-Fi or internet access of some kind — I usually just use whatever’s available at the airport.

I’ve purchased eSIMs from the websites of local carriers while traveling, but most of the time prefer to shop through Airalo, which has a slick app that makes it easy to choose between eSIMs for different countries and regions, and prepaid plans for different lengths of trip. The plans are reasonably priced, and Airalo provides extensive installation guidance each time, which is key. Probably the best thing about Airalo is how easy it is to upgrade your plan on the go should you happen to use to post too many Stories and run out of data — it all happens within the app.

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‘Get Ready to Scream’: How to Be a Baseball Fan in South Korea

The country’s raucous fan culture will be on display when Major League Baseball opens its season in Seoul. Here’s how to cheer and what to eat.

By John Yoon

Photographs by Jun Michael Park

Videos by Shawn Paik

Reporting from Seoul

In the United States, many Major League Baseball games feature long periods of calm, punctuated by cheering when there’s action on the field or the stadium organ plays a catchy tune.

But in South Korea, a baseball game is a sustained sensory overload. Each player has a fight song, and cheering squads — including drummers and dancers who stand on platforms near the dugouts facing the spectators — ensure that there is near-constant chanting. Imagine being at a ballpark where every player, even a rookie, gets the star treatment.

“You should get ready to scream,” said Kim Seongjun, 26, a fan who attended an exhibition game in Seoul over the weekend. “It’s fun to get on your feet and cheer.”

Also, the food is on another level. Think of the ballpark as a giant buffet of Korean street food.

All of this awaits the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres when they open the M.L.B. season in Seoul this week. Here’s a guide for visiting fans.

Get on your feet

Step into any South Korean ballpark and you’ll be encouraged to get up and participate in cheering routines almost constantly from first pitch to last out. Fans typically watch their respective team’s cheering squad and repeat the chants, songs and dances performed by its cheerleaders, drummers and their leader, the “cheer master.”

The Korea Baseball Organization professionalized cheering squads in the early 2000s, partly to attract new fans. That has helped to make ballparks welcoming spaces in a country where many people work long hours and face immense societal pressures .

“Our huge cheering culture is part why baseball is such a popular sport here,” said Jung Jihoon, 22, who led the drum section for the Padres’ exhibition game on Sunday when they beat South Korea’s national team, 1-0.

“It’s fun to lose yourself in the atmosphere,” Jung said, as he sat with his drum sticks and bass drum in front of where the Padres cheerleaders danced.

To fully immerse, follow the cheer master’s lead. Among other duties, cheer masters write fight songs and chants, and shout them during games, even when their teams are losing badly.

When the Kiwoom Heroes played the Dodgers on Sunday, Kim Jung-suk, 39, the South Korean club’s cheer master, yelled, “Home run ball! Home run ball!” Fans repeated that while rhythmically hitting empty plastic bottles and toy baseball bats together.

Whenever a batter hit the ball, the crack of his bat turned the chanting into a roar.

“Game-wise, everyone might be interested in the Dodgers,” Kim said of the contest, in which the American team trounced his team 14-3 . “But in terms of cheering, the Kiwoom Heroes won’t be left behind.”

Learn the fight songs

Customized fight songs are played whenever a player steps up to the plate. They typically feature the player’s name and a short melody.

Local fans can sing them by heart.

Kim Soowon, 38, who attended the Heroes game with her husband and children, said the team’s songs were so easy to learn that even her 2-year-old twins knew them.

“Here, baseball games are a great place for office workers to go after work to scream,” she said.

For this week’s games, cheer masters spent weeks crafting each M.L.B. player’s fight song, adapted from widely recognized melodies used by South Korean teams.

Fight songs are sung when a player steps up to the plate. Then, as he squares off against the opposing pitcher, the cheer master leads chants that call for hits — or, if the team is down, a home run to turn the game around.

“Ohtani infield! Ohtani infield!” fans chanted in Korean when the beloved Dodger Shohei Ohtani was batting during the exhibition game on Sunday. He struck out twice.

Feel free to dance

A dance goes with each song. Don’t worry if you don’t know the moves. Each team has a troupe of cheerleaders demonstrating them.

“I love the energy that we send and receive when the fans follow our movements,” said Kim Hana, 25, a Heroes cheerleader. “We’ll help you learn all of the dances.”

The cheering, dancing and signing has attracted young fans to baseball who might otherwise find the sport boring. “In the age of YouTube and TikTok, it’s hard to sit through a three-hour game,” said Barney Yoo, the director of international operations at the K.B.O.

The rituals also strengthen the bond between the teams and their devoted crowds, said Bae Soohyun, 39, a cheerleader for South Korea’s national team on Sunday.

“It’s a ballpark experience that only South Korea can offer,” she said.

Eat something new

Baseball here can be a full-on dining experience that features Korean staples like deep-fried spicy rice cakes, braised pig’s trotters and “chimaek,” Korean slang for the pairing of fried chicken and beer. Many fans carry multicourse meals to their seats, and some stadiums have barbecue zones for those who want to grill.

Each South Korean ballpark also serves its own specialty dishes. Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul is known for its spicy noodles in kimchi broth. In Suwon, south of the capital, fans rave about the dumplings and deep-fried whole chicken.

And at Gocheok Sky Dome, where the M.L.B. season openers will be played, hundreds line up for crispy fried shrimp covered in a mayonnaise-based sauce. If you’re not afraid of spice, consider the “mala” sauce version for a tingly zing.

Stay for the end

There was some concern among officials planning this week’s games that all the chanting might bother non-Korean players. But the exhibition games over the weekend were more subdued than a usual Korean game. That might have been because fans were not fervently rooting for a particular outcome.

After the Dodgers played on Sunday, the team’s manager, Dave Roberts, told reporters that his players had not found the cheering distracting. On the contrary.

“The environment, the atmosphere was great,” he said.

One aspect of Korean fan culture will be comforting to the losers in the M.L.B. games. While American fans might dejectedly file out early if their team seems too far behind to win, fans here typically stay put until the last out.

John Yoon is a Times reporter based in Seoul who covers breaking and trending news. More about John Yoon

Shawn Paik is a video journalist for The Times based in Seoul. More about Shawn Paik

Inside the World of Sports

Dive deeper into the people, issues and trends shaping professional, collegiate and amateur athletics..

No More  Cinderella Stories?: Expansion of the N.C.A.A. men’s basketball tournament has been a popular topic. But adding more teams could push small schools like Oakland, which upset Kentucky, out of the action .

Caitlin Clark’s Lasting Impact: People have flocked to watch the Iowa basketball star  on TV and in person. But will her effect on the popularity and economics of women’s sports linger after her college career ends ?

Gambling Poses Risks for Leagues:   The situation involving the former interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger and pitcher, shows that when it comes to wagering on games, professional leagues have more than just the players to watch .

Unionization Efforts: How is a football team different from a marching band? The National Labor Relations Board is considering this question as it tries to determine whether some college athletes should be deemed employees .

Delayed Gratification: Doping rules, legal challenges and endless appeals have left some Olympic medalists waiting for their golds .

GOBankingRates

10 Travel ‘Dupe’ Destinations That Will Save You Money on Your Next Trip

Posted: December 12, 2023 | Last updated: December 12, 2023

Amid high inflation, the trend of searching for "dupes" -- duplicates of higher-end items -- has risen in popularity. This extends to everything from beauty products to designer goods to even vacation destinations . "Dupe" destinations can save travelers big money versus vacationing in a hotspot.

See: 8 Tips to Fly Business Class for the Price of Economy Be Aware: Don't Buy Airline Tickets at This Time of Day

"In 2024, Americans are more likely to choose hidden-gem destinations over tried-and-true tourist hotspots for their vacations," Jon Gieselman, president of Expedia Brands, told CNBC .

If you're planning ahead for travel in the new year, consider one of these travel "dupe" destinations to save serious cash .

Instead of Bali, Indonesia, Visit Lombok, Indonesia

Travelers looking for beautiful beaches and stunning natural surroundings have flocked to Bali -- but this destination can get very expensive.

"Most people travel to Bali when visiting Indonesia [at] an average of $1,000 for a week's trip," said Alexandra Dubakova, travel expert and head of marketing at FreeTour.com . "Lombok is a great alternative that offers the same vibrant culture, attractive beaches and hiking trails, and [it] costs around $600 for a week's visit."

More: 11 Expensive Vacation Destinations That Will Be Cheaper in 2024 I'm a Luxury Travel Agent: 10 Destinations My Wealthy Clients Are Booking for 2024

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Instead of New York, Visit Montreal

Those looking for a city destination should skip NYC and head farther north.

"Visiting New York City comes with a hefty price -- $2,500 for a week's trip," Dubakova said. "Montreal offers a rich history, a great food scene and vibrant city life for almost half the price -- $1,500."

Check Out: 14 Affordable Christmas Getaways Under $100 a Day

Instead of Paris, Visit Lisbon, Portugal

When you think of romantic European destinations, Paris is likely top of mind -- but it's far from the only option.

"Paris, the City of Love, is a great choice but [it's] expensive," Dubakova said. "It costs around $2,000 to visit Pairs for a week, [while] Lisbon costs $1,200 and offers the same romantic aura and architectural beauty."

Instead of Bora Bora, French Polynesia, Visit Zanzibar, Tanzania

Planning a honeymoon for 2024? Consider Zanzibar for an affordable destination.

"Bora Bora is renowned for its luxurious overwater bungalows and stunning blue waters," said Jim Campbell, CEO of Honeymoons.com . "Zanzibar offers a similar paradise with beautiful beaches, rich cultural history and exotic wildlife. The cost of a trip to Zanzibar can be up to 50% less than a trip to Bora Bora, making it an excellent choice for a romantic and adventurous honeymoon."

Instead of Venice, Italy, Visit Ljubljana, Slovenia

Avoid the crowds -- and the hefty price tags -- by opting for Ljubljana over Venice.

"Venice is famous for its canals, historic architecture and romantic ambiance. Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, offers a similar charm with its picturesque waterways, vibrant cultural scene and less crowded streets," Campbell said. "Traveling to Ljubljana instead of Venice can save you about 30-40% on accommodation and dining."

Instead of The Maldives, Visit Palawan, Philippines

If an island getaway is calling your name, consider booking a trip to Palawan.

"The Maldives is known for its stunning islands and luxury resorts. Palawan provides a similar tropical paradise with breathtaking lagoons, rich marine life and more affordable accommodation options," Campbell said. "Choosing Palawan over the Maldives can result in savings of about 40-50%."

Good To Know: 9 American Travel Brands to Stay Away From

Instead of Santorini, Greece, Visit Puglia, Italy

Puglia is one Italian destination that isn't yet overrun by tourists, so you can still book an affordable trip here. Conversely, Santorini has become increasingly pricey.

"Santorini is famous for its iconic white buildings and beautiful sunsets. Puglia offers a comparable Mediterranean charm with its beautiful coastlines, historic villages and delicious cuisine," Campbell said. "A [vacation] in Puglia can be up to 35% cheaper than one in Santorini."

Instead of Dubrovnik, Croatia, Visit Cavtat, Croatia

If Croatia is on your travel list, consider booking a trip to Cavtat over the more popular Dubrovnik.

"Though not as publicized as Dubrovnik, Cavtat is an excellent alternative to this now overpriced Croatian destination," said Danielle Rudic, director of marketing at Travelive , a luxury destination management company. "You can find both four- and five-star properties, great traditional taverns [and a] more traditional feel, and you will not have to elbow through rivers of tourists holding a selfie-stick as you would in Dubrovnik."

Hotels in Cavtat are $150 to $300 cheaper per night, and Dubrovnik is just a 20-minute drive away. "This price difference is also noticeable in restaurants and bars," Rudic said. "On average, you can expect to pay 30% less."

Instead of Kyoto, Japan, Visit Hoi An, Vietnam

Kyoto is a popular Asian destination, but you'll find much better prices elsewhere.

"Kyoto is famous for its historic temples, gardens and traditional teahouses. However, a trip here can be quite costly, with hotels averaging $120 per night and meals around $30 per person," said Augustinas Milaknis, head of PR at Ratepunk , a travel booking app.

"Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Vietnam, is a delightful alternative with its well-preserved Ancient Town, lantern-lit streets and rich history," he said. "Accommodations in Hoi An can be as low as $50 per night, and a delicious meal can cost around $15 per person."

Instead of Napa, California, Visit Sonoma, California

Even though these two wine country destinations are located close by, the prices can be worlds apart.

"They're comparable due to them literally being right next door to each other and offering many of the same amenities," said Jared Benoff, founder of Vacationeeze , a family-owned travel agency.

"You have to look a little closer to see some key differences between the two charming regions," he said. "For example, the Bardessono in Yountville, Napa will be approximately $1,500 per night while the Madrona, recently named one of the best in the world by Travel + Leisure, will be about $690 per night. People visiting Sonoma will also find generally more affordable wine-tasting fees and dining options."

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2026 DE Daniel Jennings calls receiving Penn State offer an 'unreal' moment

On Saturday, Penn State extended an offer to Princeton (WV) defensive end Daniel Jennings. It's the second offer for the 6-foot-4, 235-pound standout out of Princeton High School in southern West Virginia.

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After receiving an offer from the Nittany Lions, Happy Valley Insider was able to catch up with the defensive end prospect to discuss his trip and what it meant to receive an offer from the Nittany Lions.

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Get ready to explore new destinations and start your next adventure with Qatar Airways.

For a limited-time, enjoy our exclusive Click Frenzy Travel offers and enjoy  savings of up to 12%* on flights to England, France, Spain, Greece, Germany and more. Privilege Club members will also earn up to  5,000* bonus Avios  on bookings. Not a member?  Join today

Simply use the promotional code  FRENZY  when you search for your preferred flights to enjoy this exclusive offer.

Book by 24 March 2024 for travel between 19 March 2024 - 31 January 2025.

Experience award-winning excellence as you prepare for an unforgettable journey on board the World’s Best Business Class, as awarded by the 2023 Skytrax World Airline Awards, and the World’s Best Airline, as awarded seven-times by the Skytrax World Airline Awards (2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022).

*The discount applies to base fare only and does not apply to taxes and all other standard market surcharges. See below for full terms and conditions

Unlock a world of possibilities

Privilege Club is bringing you more ways to collect and redeem your loyalty than ever before. Become a member today.

Explore the world with us

Prepare for an unparalleled travel experience when you fly with Qatar Airways. Spacious cabins, destination-inspired cuisine and world-class hospitality are sure to elevate your experience. Find out more about what you can expect on board our flights below.

A world of comfort in Economy Class

Whether you wish to dine, sleep or immerse yourself in the vast selection of entertainment options on offer, our spacious seats give you more than enough room to enjoy your journey.

The World's Best Business Class

Embark on a truly remarkable journey with us and experience a new level of comfort, attention to detail and unparalleled service in Business Class.

• Sales Period : 19-24 March 2024.
• Travel Period : 19 March 2024 - 31 January 2025.
• For travel originating from Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth only.
• Europe:  Amsterdam, Ankara, Athens, Barcelona, Belgrade, Berlin, Birmingham, Bodrum, Brussels, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hamburg, Istanbul, Larnaca, Lisbon, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Lyon, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Munich, Mykonos, Nice, Oslo, Paris, Prague, Rome, Sofia, Toulouse, Stockholm, Vienna, Warsaw, Venice, Zagreb and Zurich. 
• Middle East:  Abu Dhabi, Amman, Beirut, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait, Muscat, Tbilisi, Ras Al-Khaimah and Riyadh.
• Africa:  Algiers, Casablanca, Durban, Dar es Salaam, Cape Town, Cairo, Johannesburg, Kilimanjaro, Marrakech Nairobi, Seychelles, Tunis and Zanzibar.
• North America:  Boston, Chicago, Dallas Fort Worth, Houston, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington D.C.
• Saving applies to base airfare fare only.
• Saving does not apply to taxes, surcharges and all other standard market surcharges.
• Purchases can only be made through www.qatarairways.com/au by entering the promotional code  FRENZY  at the time of booking.
• Qatar Airways will not be responsible for any fare differences if customers fail to enter the given promo code at the time of booking.
• Flights eligible for the saving are clearly marked with a sales tag beside them. Please ensure only flights eligible for the saving are selected when booking.
• Fares displayed will already include the applicable savings.
• Customers who did not receive a saving, cannot be credited retrospectively.
• Valid for return and one-way fares.
• 10% savings on the base fare amount in Business Class will apply to booking classes: D, I (Business Comfort) for travel between 17 April - 31 May, 1 October - 10 December 2024 and 11-31 January 2025.
• 10% savings on the base fare amount in Business Class will apply to booking classes: R (Business Classic) for travel between 1 October - 10 December 2024 and 11-31 January 2025.
• 8% savings on the base fare amount in Business Class will apply to booking classes: D, I (Business Comfort) and R (Business Class) for travel between 1 August - 30 September and 23 December 2024 - 1 January 2025.
• 7% savings on the base fare amount in Business Class will apply to booking classes: D, I (Business Comfort) for travel between 19 March - 16 April 2024.
• 7% savings on the base fare amount in Business Class will apply to booking classes: R (Business Classic) for travel between 19 March - 31 May 2024.
• 5% savings on the base fare amount in Business Class will apply to booking classes: D, I (Business Comfort) and R (Business Class) for travel between 1 June - 31 July, 11-22 December 2024 and 2-10 January 2025.
• 12% savings on the base fare amount in Economy Class will applying to booking classes K, M, L, V, S, N (Economy Convenience) for travel between 17 April - 31 May, 1 October - 10 December 2024 and 11-31 January 2024.
• 10% savings on the base fare amount in Economy Class will apply to booking classes Q, T, O (Economy Classic) for travel between 1 October – 10 December 2024 and 11-31 January 2025.
• 8% savings on the base fare amount in Economy Class will applying to booking classes K, M, L, V, S, N (Economy Convenience) and Q, T, O (Economy Classic) for travel between 1 August – 30 September and 23 December 2024 – 1 January 2025.
• 7% savings on the base fare amount in Economy Class will applying to booking classes K, M, L, V, S, N (Economy Convenience) and Q, T, O (Economy Classic) for travel between 19 March – 16 April 2024.
• 7% savings on the base fare amount in Economy Class will apply to bookings classes Q, T, O (Economy Classic) for travel between 17 April – 31 May 2024.
• 5% savings on the base fare amount in Economy Class will applying to booking classes K, M, L, V, S, N (Economy Convenience) and Q, T, O (Economy Classic) for travel between 1 June – 31 July, 11-22 December 2024 and 2-10 January 2025.
• The following booking classes are excluded from this offer: Y, B, H, J, C, P (Economy Comfort and Business Comfort, Elite and Lite).
• A credit card transaction fee of 1.5% applies, with a maximum of AUD $80 per person for bookings. There is no charge for debit cards and other forms of payment.
• Not valid in combination with any other promotion or any other market fares.
• Changes and cancellation: see detailed fare rules at the time of booking.
• Seats are limited and might not be available on all flights, and are subject to availability in the respective booking class at the time of booking.
• Customers may use this offer more than once during the offer period.
• Minimum Stay / Maximum Stay - Depends on the class booked. Please review at the time of booking.
• For full terms and conditions, please review detailed fare rules at the time of booking.
• Booking Period : 19 March 2024 – 24 March 2024
• Travel Period : 19 March 2024 – 31 January 2025
• To be eligible for the offer, the member must book through Qatarairways.com or Qatar Airways Mobile App.
• This offer is applicable to members residing in the following countries: Australia or New Zealand as per the Privilege Club account.
• To be eligible for this offer, members need to ensure to quote their Privilege Club membership number at the time of booking or check-in.
• If the passenger is not a Privilege Club member they can join at qatarairways.com or Qatar Airways mobile app and update the booking with their membership number to earn bonus Avios.
• Members will earn bonus Avios on the base Avios earned on Qatar Airways flight during the offer period.
• Tier bonuses, promotional bonus and family accrued Avios will not be considered in the calculation of the offer bonus.
• Bonus Avios are calculated based on the combination of booking date, flight date, cabin, fare family purchased.
• Offer is applicable only for flights marketed and operated by Qatar Airways.
• In case of overlapping campaigns, members will earn the highest bonus currency.
• Members may use this offer more than once during the offer period.
• Offer is not applicable for tickets issued prior to booking period start date and after booking period end date.
• Existing tickets issued prior to the offer booking period, reissued during the offer period will not be eligible for the promotional bonus.
• In case of any queries regarding this offer, please quote the offer code: 2403EE099 when you contact our Member Service Centre.

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