Plan a vacation with multiple destinations

Where to go this summer? This can be a tough question when you’re deciding on a vacation. Whether it’s to the beach, a national park, or somewhere in between, there are a few different factors that need to be taken into consideration before you book your trip.

Sure, you want to spend some time away from home — but you also want your vacation to be something that the entire family will enjoy. To help make this decision easier, consider the following factors: How many people are going? Cost Budget including flights and lodging Do you have kids? Will your kids have fun? Is the destination kid-friendly? Age

When choosing a vacation destination and planning family trips, many parents and grandparents have in mind relaxing at the beach or going to fun theme parks and other attractions.

Tips to plan a vacation with multiple destinations

Choosing Your Destinations

One of the most important aspects of planning a multiple destination trip is…well, the actual destinations you’re going to visit.

So, how exactly should you choose these places?

The easiest way to start is decide where you want to go the most, whether it’s a specific city or a country, or even an entire continent. It might be that you want to plan a trip to Europe to see as much as possible of the continent, or maybe you really want to see Paris and a few other cities since you’re already there.   

Once you’ve established where you want to go the most, you can start researching where else you can go – and there’s no better tool for this than Google Maps:

Make a list of the cities and countries you’d like to visit, as many as possible. You most likely won’t be able to visit all of them in one trip, but you can then research each one to see which ones would best fit, both in terms of budget and in terms of transport.

Researching & Picking Your Trip Destinations

For each destination you’ve chosen, research transport for each one (or your top priorities) to see which is the cheapest to get to initially. Then, start researching each destination in your list to see how expensive they are. You can easily do so by googling “prices in your destination” to see what the expenses are like in that city:

Furthermore, research the costs of potential hotels, hostels, Airbnbs and so on to get an idea of how expensive accommodation is. If a city is really expensive in terms of accommodation but you really want to see it, you can always plan a day trip there and stay in a cheaper location.

Another important budgeting factor is, of course, transport. Take the time to research flight prices to those locations (make sure to also check local airlines as they can be cheaper in some cases), as well as other transport methods such as trains and coaches (for example, with Megabus you can find coaches for a few dollars or euros, depending on when you buy the tickets). Check out our tips on finding cheap flights!

Save Money & Get Rewards w/ Travel Credit Cards

When you travel to multiple destinations you can lose quite a bit of money with exchange rates, credit card rates and so on.

However, if you plan ahead, you can find a payment method that works best for you and saves you the most money.

For example, there are numerous options for reward credit cards that are perfect for travellers that give you rewards like twice the miles for flight, double or triple points for eating out and so on.

Simply Google “travel credit cards” for your country to see what kinds of options you have and choose the best one. If you travel a lot, you can get a lot of benefits for the money you spend on your card; if you don’t travel that much, you can instead use a Revolut card which has a free plan. Not only that, but you can also withdraw money while abroad for free and whenever you use your card in a different country, Revolut will use the best possible exchange rate (the real-time, interbank exchange rate) so you don’t lose money every time you use your card.

Plan Your Itinerary Ahead of Time

When you’re visiting multiple destinations and only have a few days for each one (or even just a day), it can get very overwhelming if you don’t know where to go and what to do. If you want to make the most of your time there and not lose it on trying to find a good restaurant that fits your budget or trying to figure out what attractions there are, then spend some time researching each location before your trip.

1. Which attractions do you most want to see? Simply Google “what to see in your destination”, as well as keywords like “alternative guides to your destination”, “things to do in your destination”, “hipster’s guide to your destination” so you can find not just the top tourist attraction but also hidden gems that are worth a visit

2. Where should you eat? Research food markets, restaurants and so on to find great food at affordable prices, preferably near the attractions you want to see

Then, you can very easily plan your entire itinerary using Google My Maps; simply add pins where you want to go and easily colour code them and add the right icon to make it easier to organise (restaurant, accommodation, parking, etc.):

Once finished, your Map will look something like this:

You can even collaborate with the friends and family that you’re going to travel with so that everyone can add their input and the locations they want to get to.

Leverage Layovers

A lot of the cheaper flights you can find usually have a few layovers. So while they might be cheap, they can also take a very long time.

What you can do though is pick flights with long layovers – or make your own longer layovers. For example, you might want to go to both London and Athens. It’s a long flight – but, you can always look for connecting cities that you can stop in for a few hours or a even a full day or two.

Plus, this can lead to some fun unexpected surprises as you’ll get to visit countries and cities that you might not have thought of.

Summer Vacation Ideas

Planning a Trip: Plan a short trip to your favorite location to relax and rejuvenate yourself after the yearlong labor. Choose any new or your favorite location to travel and have fun with the family.

Summer Camp: Summer vacation is the best time to stay active and enjoy yourself with friends. Do a bit of research in the local newspapers and magazines to find out about various summer camps and choose the one that best suits your interests.

Go Swimming: It feels great to go swimming in the cool pool water for relaxing and rejuvenating during hot summer days. I enjoy going for swimming with friends and playing pool games.

Hobby Classes: Try learning something new and fun. Join hobby classes like singing, dancing, painting, photography or whatever activity interests you. This will be the most fun way to spend your vacation doing what you actually love.

Enjoy Nature: During school days we don’t get enough time to enjoy the scenic beauty of nature. Summer vacation is the best time to take a long walk in nature and smell some roses or plan a camp in the local park with siblings and friends.

Classic Film and Shows: If you are spending the vacations at home the best way is to rediscover classic films and TV shows. Organize a pajama party and enjoy your favorite movies and shows.

Explore the Options in the City: Get out and get going, explore your city clubs, art and science museums and parks etc. If you love shopping visit malls and your favorite shopping stores with your friends and check out for the new collections.

Go Biking: It is super fun to go biking in nature to enjoy the weather. It is also the best exercise for your body. You can also visit your friends riding a bike.

Best places to go during summer vacation

Maldives

The Maldives is an island country located in the Indian Ocean, just north of Sri Lanka. There are over 1,200 islands in the chain and they are known for their pristine beaches and clear blue waters. The Maldives are also home to many luxury resorts that offer excellent diving opportunities and luxurious accommodations.

Hawaii

Hawaii is a U.S. state made up of 8 major islands, including Oahu, Maui and Kauai. The island chain is famous for its beautiful beaches and tropical scenery, but there are also plenty of volcanoes and other natural landmarks that make this destination unique. The islands offer excellent opportunities for hiking as well as surfing and snorkeling on their many beaches.

Koh Samui, Thailand

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Koh Samui is one of the lesser-known spots on our list but this hidden gem is an all-time favorite. Koh Samui is Thailand’s second-largest island, known for palm-lined beaches, coconut groves, and lush jungles. 

Koh Samui features some of the most luxurious spas and resorts, for a significantly smaller price tag than ones on more well-known islands like Hawaii or Bora Bora. The famous Thai hospitality will follow you to this paradise, and you’ll feel spoiled at any of the hotels. 

Koh Samui also has some unexpected cultural sites. One of the most breathtaking is the 12m-tall golden Big Buddha statue at Wat Phra Yai Temple, located on a small island that connects to Koh Samui. 

The Azores

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Looking at google image results for The Azores will make you feel like your watching a fantasy movie. The Azores are a group of nine islands off the coast of Portugal that features the best of Southern European culture with some of the most breathtaking scenery on the continent. 

The Azores’ landscape is converted into lush green trees all year, and wildflowers dot beautiful meadows in the spring and summer.

Each island features gorgeous beaches, multi-colored lakes, and centuries-old Portuguese villages. A trip here will feel like you’ve stepped back in time to a place untouched by modernity. 

Bali

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Bali is one of the most popular island vacation spots worldwide, and rightly so. Bali truly has it all: towering volcanos nestled in green jungles, quaint fishing villages with beautiful pagodas, and sandy beaches that look out over some of the bluest water you’ll find anywhere.

This Indonesian island also has delicious food and some of the friendliest locals.

While some locals resent tourists, those in Bali are welcoming and always excited to meet people from far and wide. Don’t be surprised if you get invited to dinner at someone’s home as soon as you meet them.

Galapagos Islands

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The Galapagos Islands were made famous by Charles Darwin over 200 years ago when he used the wildlife there to discover and explain evolution. Centuries later, these islands are still as awe-inspiring as they were to Darwin.

One of the best parts of the Galapagos is the unique wildlife. Massive tortoises that slowly wander the beaches, intimidating but fascinating iguanas, and playful sea lions all line the shores of the Galapagos.

The islands also feature exciting hikes up rocky cliffs and the second-largest crater on earth. 

Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay Area is a popular American tourist destination, with St. Petersburg serving as its unofficial hub for business and leisure travel throughout Hillsborough County and Pinellas County. The area has experienced growing popularity throughout the years, and draws tourists from nearby Orlando as well as internationally. There are many beaches to relax on here, as well as historical sites, and unique Florida wildlife to view.

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom is located in Orlando, Florida. It is owned by Walt Disney World Resort, which is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. The park gets more than 18 million visitors each year and more than 50 million people visit all four parks combined each year. The park has many rides and attractions including Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. The park also offers live music performances throughout the day as well as fireworks shows at night.

Epcot Center

Epcot Center has two theme parks called Future World and World Showcase that represent different countries around the world such as China, Norway and Mexico among others. It also has an indoor theme park called Innoventions where you can find educational exhibits about technology and innovation during your visit to this location which is located inside Epcot Center itself instead of being separated from it like most other theme parks tend to be located nowadays because those would be too expensive for most people if they had been built outside but that’s not something we

Panama City Beach

Panama City Beach on the Florida panhandle offers 27 miles (43 km) of white sand beaches on the Emerald Coast. The beach is a popular destination for residents of the southern United States as well as tens of thousands of high school and college students on spring break.

Besides having fun in the sun in the emerald green waters, this town of just over 12,000 permanent residents offers sports fishing on the gulf, plenty of golfing, marine parks including one for alligators, amusement and water parks …in short, something for everyone in the family.