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A Type-B Person’s Guide: Planning the Perfect Trip

When traveling, I am an extremely Type-B person. Strict itineraries feel overwhelming. However, arriving in a new city with nothing planned feels like I’m not making the best use of my time. Having the perfect amount of planning can provide structure and intention to a trip, while also allowing the freedom to go with the flow, meet new people, and discover hidden treasures!

Through my own experience, here is how I plan a perfect trip:

Before Arriving

1) Decide Your Destination

My trips are almost always booked through , a search engine that helps to find the cheapest flights available. On the website, there is an “explore” option that allows you to play around with dates and suggests different destinations. This is the perfect opportunity to be flexible and travel to an unexpected place. (, a well-known budget airline, also has this feature labeled “Any Destination”)

is another option for inexpensive trains, buses, and flights. Especially when traveling between neighboring countries or within a country, this is the website to check out. 

2) Accommodation

is the accommodation website I use for every trip. It allows you to find hostels, explore events, and chat with other travelers.

I recommend booking all-girls rooms if you are a solo female traveler. I have stayed in many mixed rooms with no issues at all, but in my experience, it has always been easier to meet new people and gain travel buddies in the all-girls rooms!

3) Book in Advance

Start doing some research (most of my “research” is TikTok) on the must-do attractions or sites of your chosen destination. I like to have one thing pre-booked or predetermined that you will do per day. Having one thing booked a day gives your day some intention and helps you to build your schedule around it.

4) Google Maps

Before every trip, I create a  list for the destination on the app. After my extensive, intense research (TikTok), I save all of the recommendations to this list. After comparing the list to my main activity booked, I can see what shops, attractions, and food options are also in the area that I might visit the same day. 

When you are solo traveling in a foreign city, you are making a million micro-decisions. Having a collective space where you can save these sites is a great way to help decision fatigue without directly adding these things to your itinerary. 

After Arrival:

5) At the Hostel

Most hostels have bulletin boards filled with events and their own lists of "best" restaurants and attractions. On these boards, you can also find promotions and discounts. 

The receptionist is a great source for suggestions. As someone who lives there, they probably have their own favorite places they can recommend that you wouldn’t expect.

6) Seek Advice

You will meet people who have already been there for a day or a few. Ask them what they have done, what they thought was worth it, etc. Because of the advice from other travelers, I have been able to avoid tourist traps and explore options I didn’t even know were available.

7) Time to Explore!

You have your main attractions booked, your Google Maps lists, and advice from others. Now it is time to do your own exploring! Here are a few of my personal tips: 

• Keep your eyes open. The cool stuff is always behind the flashing lights of the tourist attractions. Whatever the main street is, go one or two streets over, and that is always where the hidden treasures are. 
• If you visit in the off-season, most attractions allow you to buy a ticket at the door with little to no wait. So if you stumble upon something interesting, be sure to check it out. 
• Talk to everyone! The best experiences are the ones you can share with others, even if you are solo traveling. Investing in conversation with locals and other tourists will become the lasting memories of every trip. 

Now that you have all the steps for a perfectly planned “unplanned” trip, it's time to start organizing your next favorite trip!