No, You Don’t Have To Rely On Big Travel Corporations To Have A Great Holiday

So, you want to get away but you have never done it without the help of a big travel agency. One who will set you up with flights, hotels, food, cars and all that other great stuff. That’s okay, those agencies can be very helpful. But do you need them? No. Having a perfectly good holiday independently is far from impossible. You just need to have plenty of planning done. Here, we’re going to look at what you need to know.

Plan it all yourself

One of the most intimidating parts of a travelling far for a holiday is sorting out the logistics. In particular, getting from the airport to where you need to go. However, a bit of light reading can help a lot with that. For example, Wikitravel has a lot of advice to offer. Not just in general, but for particular locations. It helps you not only understand how to get into whichever city, region of country you want. It can also help you understand a bit about culture and customs before touching down.

Don’t overestimate the beaten path

You might be paying for a trip that takes you to all the sights you’ve wanted to see. However, the sad fact is that a lot of those sights don’t exist anymore. The places are still there, but they are always so crowded with tourists that they’re pretty much ruined. So don’t be afraid to miss the bigger sights. There are plenty of great gems to be discovered if you explore a little.

Make your own itineraries

You don’t need to stand in an overcrowded place to see a particular sight up close. Nor do you need to be told where to go. Itineraries can be a fun and neat way to organize your holiday. But you can just as easily make them yourself. There are a lot of resources on the net that can help you put together your own itinerary, like Tourist Eye.

Do all your own catering

This might be a controversial sentence for hoteliers. Hotel food is way overpriced. In a lot of cases, you’re paying for decent meals, but the convenience of them bumps the price well up. Do your own shopping and your own catering. You can find guides for local places like Lidl stores very easily. This makes you all the more able to spot cheap deals and cook your own meals.

Meet and share

Even if you’re well prepared, it’s not too impossible to feel like you’re a bit lost. Sometimes an experienced hand can be very helpful. If that’s the case, get in touch with other travelers in the area. Apps like MeetUp can help you find people wherever you are. Often, they’ll be more experienced and can help you navigate. Otherwise, you can at least find a friend to share the journey with.

We hope this article has demystified some of the processes of really planning your own independent holiday. There is always help available, you just need to know where to look for it.