Four steps to becoming an independent traveller

Those who have once tried it know that journeying independently takes your travelling experience to a whole new level. After being able to plan your own route and adjust the pace of your vacation you will probably never go back to organized tours that normally compromise your freedom in some ways. Besides flexibility, self-planned tours come with many other advantages such as authenticity of experience and reasonable budget savings. The only thing that you will have to do is some planning, but as you start to plan you will notice that it is an exciting activity that can be considered the first phase of your voyage. If you are only about to become an independent traveller, then take account of these four basic steps that you should follow in order to succeed.

Define the purpose of your trip 

First of all, define the main purpose of your trip whether it is adventure, cultural exploration, sightseeing, or mere relaxation. Depending on your prime goal you can pick a destination and go on planning your schedule and pace. For instance, if you want to explore you should plan to see as many cities and places as you can, while if you want to relax you should minimize your moving around and enjoy the deliberateness.  

Plan transportation 

Once your destination is settled you should decide how you are going to move around there.

Depending on your budget and plans you can either rent a car or use public transportation. Most developed European countries have advanced transportation infrastructure. Frequent and comfortable trains with fast connections will quickly get you anywhere. If you are going for at least a week you should also consider buying a travel pass – a universal ticket to all means of public transportation that will let you save money. You should also look into weekend specials for train fares that can give you up to 50 per cent off the regular ticket price.

Another way to get around abroad is renting a car. To get better rates you should always book it in advance. Besides, before you rent make sure to inquire about such things as weekend deals, late penalties and exact time of car drop-off. You should also look up gas prices in the county you are travelling to for precise planning of your expenses, as well as check for specific local driving rules and whether you would need an international driving permit.

Plan accommodation

Next step is finding a place to stay. To begin accommodation search start with defining your budget and determining your priorities may it be location, comfort, authenticity etc.

You can use different booking web sites to find regular hotels and hotel deals. In case you prefer smaller, cozier and often cheaper housing you can look up B&B types of accommodation, privately owned cottages or condos. Those are harder to find, thus you can use Google Earth service and travel review web sites to fish them out. For those who are travelling on the budget there are hostels, many of which can offer good living conditions for a very moderate price. Regardless of what type of housing you decide to book always read reviews from other travellers on specialized Internet sites. In fact, what can really make your life easier are web platforms such as http://well-way.com/ where you can find a lot more than just accommodation recommendations but all kinds of valuable travel advice from experienced explorers that will help you to plan your trip most effectively.

Ensure safety

The last but not the least important step in planning your trip is taking care of safety.

Part of being safe is keeping your money and documents secure. Therefore, you should make use of such accessory as money pouch that you can carry on your waist where it is hidden underneath your clothes. There you can store your money, credit cards and documents. Just in case, one other credit card should be kept separately elsewhere. You should also make two copies of all your documents, leaving one set at home and taking another one with you placing it apart from the originals. You may also bring a flash card with electronic copies of your papers. When travelling, always make sure you have not only credit cards but also cash money in most popular currencies such as USD and EUR.

To protect yourself you should consider buying medical insurance that covers health emergencies. Read insurance policy carefully before purchasing it. If you are planning an adventurous journey make sure insurance has coverage of evacuation transportation – in case you need to be relocated for treatment. If you plan to travel frequently and internationally an annual insurance may be a more economical solution than purchasing separate coverage for each trip. Usually, annual insurance covers medical evacuation and treatment costs for illness or injuries. 

Finally, research weather conditions and political situation in the region before you make final decision to travel. Make sure there are no travel warnings from the government regarding the country of your choice. If there are travel advisories read them carefully and take all the information into consideration prior to finalizing your plans.