I like to travel, and sometimes I'd rather go to the city. Sometimes not, but when I do, these are the five basic steps I use to research a city trip! Join me!
1. What mode of transportation will I take to get to my destination? There are always multiple options. I've spent some time recently, trying out several different ways of getting around and for the most part, they're all at least adequate. Here are some things to consider.
First and foremost, if you're going a great distance; you'll fly. That's the most likely outcome of that. However, it's reasonable to figure out how you'll get around your destination before you arrive. If you intend to take the local public transportation like I always do, you'll need to figure out how to get to and from the airport to your accommodations, and then how to get around on public transportation while you're there. These are the things I don't leave to chance. I don't worry about where to eat or what to do as much as how I will get around.
When I take a train or a ferry it's the same drill. How to get to my accommodations from the station or the port. It's all part of the planning. I use maps and websites to intermingle the destinations and modes of transportation until I figure out the basics of making that transfer from incoming transportation to local transportation. You don't want to get stuck at an airport and have to take a cab. It's expensive; always.
By the same token, if you drive to your location; and I don't care if you plan to drive around the destination or just to it and then use public transportation...figure out where to park you car. In large cities, there may not be a garage at your hotel. There may not be free parking at your hotel. If you rent an apartment, there probably won't be parking on site. I've only had that option twice in all my rentals. Is there are lot or garage in the area available? What will it cost per day? Is it a lot that you can access 24 hours a day? Does it close at night or on the weekend? You need to know this beforehand if you intend to drive to your destination. I found myself on an unplanned drive across the United States, and I had to do this research for 7 destinations along the way. It's a lot of work, but important.
What kind of accommodations do you need for your mode of transportation? Say, you're taking a train. Do you need a sleeper? You need to plan that in advance. Most of the time you can grab a coach ticket for a train, but sleepers are booked well in advance. Are you going on a long flight with mobility issues? You might want to spring for business class or even first class for comfort. You don't want to arrive at your vacation destination and not be able to enjoy it. What about a ferry? Is it just across a lake and takes a short time or are you going from Scotland to Iceland? You may want a cabin to sleep in. These are all things you should plan ahead.
2. Decide on your type and location of your lodging. This is important. What good is a trip if you hate where you're staying? It can ruin the whole damn thing. Everyone is different. Each location is different. You need to do enough research to figure this out before you arrive.
I have stayed in apartments, aparthotels, hotels, motels, hostels, and on and on. I've even camped. Just saying. Hotels are the standard, particularly here in the US. Once again, make sure your location is viable for the convenience of the trip. I look to see if it's near a metro station or something so I know I can come and go easily from my lodging. It's also wise to look for a coffee shop or grocery store or convenience store or something near by. If you don't have laundry on site and are staying a while, maybe map out a laundromat or something nearby as well. It's all important.
Amenities. This one is important. I don't like to go out for breakfast. I like to relax. I do it once in a while but not every day. I look to make sure I have at least a refrigerator. I like to at least have some yogurt and I like my drinks cold. It's important. My husband likes to bring back leftovers and eat them for breakfast, so I also look for a microwave. Everyone is different, but make sure the amenities at your lodging is suitable for what you need to have a good trip.
You probably won't use an all inclusive resort on a city trip, but guess what? Some cities have them. If you stay at an all inclusive, always remember to find out exactly what is and what is not included. That can be a rude awakening if you don't do your research. Remember, these are all things you don't want to leave to chance. Check ahead on all this stuff. Other things I check with lodging is if it will save me money to bundle the accommodation of choice with the flight and other things on my trip. That quick check can save you hundreds of dollars.
https://www.goabroad.com/articles/choosing-the-right-travel-accommodations
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/travel-hack-how-to-choose-the-best-hotel
3. How to plan your activities. This is really important, unless you plan on going back to the location multiple times. I just went to Bratislava, Slovakia a while back. I would love to go back again, because it was a great place, but I don't know that I'll ever get the chance. Therefore, planning activities in a location is important, and in a city, it's imperative.
I go to New York City all the time. If I don't get to do it on that day, I'll go back next week. However, if you only have one chance to go to a place like New York, what should you plan to do on that one trip? There are thousands of things to see and activities to do in New York. Most of them don't suck. How do you choose?
You need to make a bucket list for your bucket list. Do your research to find the most important activities for you. Don't plan everything, however. That's where it gets difficult. Most people who I advise on going to New York City, simply don't realize how big it is. They have great transportation and I haven't driven in that city for over 30 years. It's just not necessary. However, you have to remember that all those subways, buses, and particularly ferries can take more time that you think. Anyone who's ever taken the W subway knows what I'm talking about.
I like to plan one, maybe two things per day. Do the activities take all day? Probably not. This gives me time to look around for a local restaurant for dinner. It gives me time to stop and shop for souvenirs. It gives me time to discover the place or activity that I didn't know about. It gives a little breathing room. You need a plan, but you also need time for discovery. It's important. You also need sleep. Don't overschedule, but make sure you get your must sees planned and on your list. Always try to keep a middle ground in planning activities.
https://www.tripunio.com/blog/how-many-activities-per-day-travel-itinerary
https://www.craftmydream.com/blog/en/activities-per-day-itinerary/
https://samantha-brown.com/destinations/how-to-plan-a-day-trip/
https://traveleditmagazine.com/blog/how-to-build-a-simple-travel-itinerary
4. How are you planning on getting around the city you visit? This is probably the most important research and planning you can do. I was in Tallinn, Estonia a while back, and the public transportation was there, but the afore planning was difficult. Once we got there, I found myself spending way too much time figuring it out and not enough time enjoying Tallinn. Don't fall into that one.
You will find that a lot of major airports will provide that crucial transfer transportation into the city of choice. They'll have a train or a bus most likely. However, as with my landing in Vienna, Austria last spring; make sure you're taking the right transfer! Everything in that airport led us to an expensive train that promised to take you to the center of town. We had to then catch a commuter train to Slovakia, so this transfer was important. The center of town was not at the main train station, so we had to ask around and find the metro that took us to the main train station so we could catch our commuter train to Slovakia. And, can't stress this enough, there was a far cheaper train from the main train station to the airport that only took five more minutes to make the trip. Live and learn. We did it correctly when we flew home.
This is why it's so important to check this stuff out ahead of time. Because you will still have glitches! Have as few as possible. Make sure your transfer is possible by public transportation if you don't intend to drive a rental car. Figure out how it works where you're going. Make sure you can easily get to the public transportation from your lodging. Make sure that your main activities are accessible by the transportation you choose to use. If you're driving, God forbid, make sure there's parking everywhere you need it to be. Make sure you know how much parking costs and the hours that it's available. It's all important.
Here's a great rule of thumb. Not in Vienna, but in most cities, there is a central train station. Most of these train stations have public transportation connections all over the place. This makes it easy. So most of the time, just go to the main train station to get started. Lots of guide books and so forth have instructions on how to get to airports, train stations, passenger boat ports, and popular sites to see right in them. Google and other map programs can also normally help you check into all that. There are apps for you to get your tickets on. Most public transportation like the Metros will have options to buy a week pass or whatever for unlimited rides, which makes it cheaper for you. Do the research. It's important.
https://samantha-brown.com/tips/navigating-public-transport/
https://www.nyctourism.com/getting-around/
5. Plan which season is best to visit your chosen destination. Time of year is important. Cannot stress this enough. Yes, I went to Iceland in the winter, but I wanted to see the Northern Lights. I also went to northern Maine in the winter, but I wanted to watch cars race on a frozen lake. I also went to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in February, but I wanted to vacation inside of a super mall, and it the winter; that's a cheap vacation. Purpose and season have to go together when making these decisions.
I visited Washington DC in spring. Why? Because they have the National Cherry Blossom Festival. I also hate how hot it gets there in the summer and the tourists run rampant in the summer there. I don't like to be overrun by tourists. For me, that largely rules out summer travel. I know that if you have kids, you're limited, but still look into what the season does to your destination. Portugal is hot in the summer. We chose fall, and it was great. If you want some foliage, you have to go in fall. If you like to go ice skating or skiing, winter is for you. If you think that there are no cities that you can ski in, you're wrong. If you don't like crowds, stay out of New York City around Christmas time.
It's all relative. If you're going for an event, you have to go when it happens. If you want to see what Christmas season is like in a place like New York City, please go before the two weeks before Christmas. Do yourself that favor. If you want to go to a Caribbean Island, probably look at times other than fall to avoid potential hurricanes. If you want to see foliage, look at fall in New England; it's why we all live here. Do you love the beach? You may need to travel in summer. It all depends, but look into it. Off seasons are normally much cheaper and less crowded, and if you want to see the Aurora Borealis; January really is the best time to go to Iceland.
https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/spring-vacations
https://samantha-brown.com/destinations/best-summer-vacation-spots-in-the-us/
https://trimmtravels.com/best-places-to-travel-in-october/
https://www.worldtrips.com/resources/best-places-to-travel-in-winter
https://travelswiththecrew.com/best-christmas-vacations-for-families/
https://www.timeout.com/newyork/christmas
I'm often asked how I plan my crazy adventures, and this pretty much sums it up. This in no way is about how a choose a location, or what's on my personal insane bucket list. In a nutshell; I try not to plan too much. I try not to go to anywhere particularly dangerous. I avoid serious language barriers, but there are few of those in cities. I travel on a budget, so taxis, uber, bolt and that are usually not part of my travel. Lately, I haven't bothered with rental cars much either. The bottom line is plan how to get there, when to go, how to get around, where to stay, and some main items for activities. Leave the rest to chance I say. It leaves you open to discovery, and sometimes the things you didn't know about become your favorite stories to tell.
If you'd like to see what I'm up to right now, subscribe to my YouTube channel "Adventures for Anyone with Terri Dixon" That's me!
https://www.youtube.com/@adventuresforanyone2026
There's always more from me! Get out there and start adventuring! Enjoy!
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