Planning your Trip to Make the Most of your Vacation

La Ronde Ferris Wheel, Montreal, Quebec, 2025

Every now and again it’s time to take a much needed break. A chance to live in the present, enjoy time with loved ones, and make lasting memories together. To do this, most people will go on vacation…usually in the summer. It can be a stay-cation, mini-vacation, an annual cottage retreat, a road trip, a monumental once-in-a-lifetime getaway, or anything in between.

I know this topic may seem like a bit of a stretch for this blog, which usually focuses on being creative and sharing my artwork and photography, but recently I too decided to take a break. I travelled to Montreal, Quebec for a one week summer vacation with my best friend. I realized that I have travelled quite a bit for vacation, my art, and photography. On these trips, there is quite a lot of preparations that need to be made in advance to ensure smooth sailing on your journey (so to speak) and to avoid any obstacles that may result in stress and other un-pleasantries while you are away. I thought I would share some tips that I have accumulated over the years to help plan a pleasant trip.

So how do you start to plan a vacation? First, I would figure out where you want to go and who is going with you. Take time to research the area and find out what there is to see and do there. Compile a list of what you want to do on this holiday. How much time would you need to see all that you are interested in, and can you afford to take that amount of time off work or away from your regular routine? Once these basic questions are answered, then you can work out the finer details.

On a map, look at where all the places are that you want to see on while on vacation. If there is a cluster of places grouped together this might help you to decide on where to stay. If you can find a place to stay near all or most of the things you want to do and see, then this can cut down on travel time, for getting to and from all these places. It may be a bit more expensive, but it often can outweigh the cost, stress, and time it takes to travel back and forth to all these places. Also, if you are close enough, that it is within walking distance, then you will save on the cost of transportation. There are many options when it comes to finding a place to stay. There are hotels, hostels, Airbnb, and more. Find an option that suits your needs the best.

Seeing all the places on a map can also help you to roughly plan out what you want to see and do on different days. You can group together a bunch of things to see in one location instead of bouncing back and forth all over the map and possibly missing out on something you really wanted to see. This method can make the most of your time on vacation. A word of warning, don’t plan your days down to the smallest detail. Leave room for spontaneity and discovery as well as getting lost. You will need extra time to find your way when getting around in an unfamiliar place, and you may stumble across something fun or interesting that you didn’t anticipate.

Figure out which is the best way to get to your vacation destination. Will you fly, drive, take a train, boat or cruise ship, etc. Which option is best for you? And when you arrive at your vacation destination, how will you get around? Will you walk everywhere, is there a free shuttle, public transportation including buses, subway, tram, Uber or taxis, etc.  These modes of transportation are not offered everywhere, so you need to find out what is available to you beforehand. Also, looking into all of this ahead of time will help you to find the right option and you may find you are eligible for a discount or that children and seniors travelling with you may also get a discount or travel free. This tip is not just restricted to public transportation, but for everything. Look for discounts towards anything and everything. Often many places will have discounts for seniors and children for a variety of things, but there may be other options such as tourist deals like a discount card for different places or if you buy package deals to see two or more places while on holiday within a certain time frame. This can be a great option to keep down costs in your travel budget.

This brings me to my next point; a travel budget! How much are you willing to spend to go on this vacation? Do a rough calculation of what it will cost to go on this holiday. Be sure to include as much detail as possible to avoid any surprises and to paint a clearer picture of what a trip like this will actually cost. Include items in your budget like accommodations, transportation (how will you get there and home, plus how will you get around while on vacation), food - how much will it cost to eat while away? Include breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, etc. How much spending money will you need? Will you go shopping, get souvenirs, how much will you spend on sightseeing including on admission and entertainment – will you go to a show, the movies, a concert, etc. Will you need to get a travel sim card for your phone or pay for an add-on to an existing phone plan for when you are away? And please, please please!...Don’t forget to get travel insurance. This may seem unnecessary or a waste of money, but it usually doesn’t cost much to get it, it's relatively easy to get it, and it can save you a lot of money and upset in the event that you are sick or injured while on vacation. Calculating a budget in advance will help you to see if you can afford the trip before you go. If it is out of your price range, look at all the items in your budget and see where you can scale back or make changes to make it more affordable. The other option, is to wait until you are able to save up for this vacation. Other tips for keeping costs down include finding things to do on vacation that are free to do. If possible, pack a lunch and plenty of snacks. If you have a kitchen or kitchenette where you are staying, visit a local grocery store and prepare some of your own meals.  Cut back on the number of restaurants you eat out at. All this can help to save money.

When doing research prior to your holiday, get a travel book. This may seem old fashioned but all the info you need is in one place including maps, addresses, hours of operation, and you don’t need access to the internet, battery power, or electricity; and they are usually small pocket sized books that are easy to travel with. You should also look online – read blogs, tourism sites, and get tips from other people who have already travelled to your destination or even better – find info from a local or someone who used to live there.

Make a list of what to pack for your trip. Check out the luggage allowance for your mode of travel to and from your destination. This will give you an idea of how much you can pack. I suggest packing lighter if you can, that way you have some room in your suitcase for bringing back souvenirs and other goods. What to pack will depend on the season and where you are going. Obviously you will need clothes, perhaps a jacket/umbrella, toiletries, your cell phone, important documents (and remember to make a copy of these important documents – don’t just take a photo with your phone, have a hardcopy such as a print out of your passport, ID, travel tickets, travel insurance and more). You will also want to take cash and card. Bring cash in the correct currency as well as debit or a credit card. Some places do not accept cards and will only accept cash, while other vendors might operate as contactless - meaning they don’t take cash and only accept card payments. Again when packing, remember to bring snacks if you can and wear something comfortable on the day you will be traveling. I would also recommend bringing a luggage scale and wearing your heaviest clothes on the day you are traveling to your destination to make sure your luggage is not overweight. If your luggage is overweight this will cost you extra.

If you are traveling to a place that speaks a different language, then try to learn the basics, even just a few key phrases to help you get around while on vacation. There are also apps such as google translate that can also help with this, but don’t solely rely on your phone. If your phone dies, is lost, or gets broken, then you can use the phrases you learned beforehand. Be prepared! The world outside from there you live can be very different and being prepared can save you from a lot of grief. I’m talking about cultural differences, you don’t know who you can trust, and being in an unfamiliar place, you don’t know what areas are safe or not.

Keep in mind that usually the first day and the last day of your vacation are travel days. Most people normally spend the better part of these days travelling to or from their holiday destination as well as checking in or out of accommodations, so don’t expect to do much sightseeing on these days, and also remember that traveling can be exhausting. You will likely be tired on both these days.  Again I say, be prepared. Life isn’t perfect, when traveling, you can encounter delays, cancelations, and you might miss connections. Having said this, try to have a plan B to get to your vacation and to get home.

Depending on your destination and what you wish to do while you are there, it may be helpful to order, book, or reserve in advance. Depending on what it is, if your destination is a popular area or if places there are in high demand, you may want to book tickets in advance, reserve a certain restaurant for a special dinner ahead of time, as well as other activities that may also be popular. I would suggest doing this usually about a week or more before your trip – again do your research ahead of time to see how far in advance you need to book things. Many attractions offer you an option to buy tickets online ahead of time. This prevents disappointment and waiting in long line ups that suck up your precious time while on vacation.

When you finally get to go on your holiday, keep these tips in mind. While you're on vacation keep an open mind to really get a sense of the place and culture, try new experiences, be flexible and adaptable, try new foods and activities to really get a true sense of life there. You can learn a lot that can be both eye opening and enjoyable. Also, I would encourage people watching, as a way to learn the way of life there, see how they behave, and what is culturally acceptable. It may seem like the ultimate tourist cliché, but I would recommend taking some sort of tour near the beginning of your trip. There are several reasons. Whether you are taking a walking tour, a bus tour – such as a hop on hop off bus tour, or even a boat tour. Often there is a tour guide on board giving you information about the area. This is a great way to learn about the area, the geography, local history and culture, and often there is time for you to ask them questions. This is a great resource to get your bearings in a new place and get an overview of everything this place has to offer. From there, you can use the remainder of your trip to further explore what really interested you from that tour. Don’t underestimate the power of a tour at the early point of your trip. It can be very valuable.

I realize that this can be a lot of prep work to do before going on your trip, but it ensures a smoother, more rewarding experience, and you are able to get the most out of your precious vacation time while you are away.

The Berlin Wall, Montreal, Quebec, 2025

Perhaps one final and maybe the best tip I can offer, is that although you can book everything online yourself from travel arrangements to accommodations and more, consider hiring yourself a travel agent to take care of booking your trip. This may also seem old fashioned, but a travel agent has a wealth of knowledge on many travel destinations and of course they book trips for a living. I would still suggest you work out some of the initial trip details and do a bit of research before meeting with a travel agent, but they can save you the headache of making sure everything is properly booked and they are a great resource too. You can pick their brains for trip advice, places to go, and things to see. There is usually a booking fee for working with a travel agent, but it is usually a small fee and well worth it. If anything goes wrong on your trip they can help you to resolve it. They do a lot of the grunt work, leaving you to relax and look forward to your trip.

I hope you found this helpful and perhaps you picked up some tips that you will use for your next holiday. Below is a gallery of images from my trip to Montreal. Merci and Bon Voyage!