Independent travel itineraries. Overview of travel planning services. Floating travel itinerary
In this article:
Features of organizing travel in Germany
The most important thing to know for a traveler who goes to Germany for the first time is that there no problems with transport. Traveling always involves moving around the country, and in Germany this can be done even by car, even by train (tram, metro), even by bus.
Transport in Germany is very well developed. The country occupies a leading position in the world in terms of railway density.
In other words, you can easily get to any corner of Germany, which is a very important plus. Namely, you can make your route as your soul desires. There are no frames.
In general, the standard travel routes that are presented on the Internet make me sad. Some names make you want to hibernate. I don't mind their existence, but sticking to them strictly is just stupid. Leave at least a small element of adventure in your trip, focus on your desires.
In addition, it is also very important to remember that Germany is a fairly large country. If you can safely go around in 2 weeks, then it is impossible to see all of Germany in a few days. What to do?
Choose those places that are of particular interest to you. But how to do that?
Route planning principles
There are probably many ways to make a route. I will tell you about the technique that we used, I really like it. So.
1. We select several large German cities - these are our reference points. In any, even the most provincial city of Germany, you can find beautiful places, and in big cities they are at every turn.
2. Perhaps you have special places in mind that you really want to visit (for example, we made a detour to Amsterdam) add them here.
3. It is necessary to avoid long journeys (the road is very tiring), so if there is a long distance between cities, you must definitely fill it with something. You can see on the map (about it later), what interesting places are along the way.
4. I love medium-intensity travel, so we allocate 2 to 3 days for large cities, and up to 1 day for small cities or intermediate stops.
5. It is better if the place of arrival in Germany and departure is a large city. Upon arrival, do not stay there for a long time, it is better to leave it immediately, but plan to return to this city 2-3 days before departure. So you will save yourself from being late for your return flight and enjoy the city.
6. Try to avoid repetitions and returns, for example, so that the route is cyclic.
Here are some simple tips that will suit most travelers. Let me now tell you how to make sure that you constantly get new experiences during your trip.
How to find points of interest along your route
For starters, you can check out the list of top 100 attractions in Germany.
Mobile applications are also very helpful in planning a route, reviewing sights and orienting in the area. The best, in my opinion, is the Redigo app.
For iPhone, For Android, For Windows.
They will help you find the nearest places of interest, get directions to them. The maps in this application need to be downloaded in advance, so they can work without the Internet.
By the way, if you don't know how to install mobile applications on your phone, you should definitely take a look, where everything is explained in detail.
Our route
I think it is necessary to tell briefly about our route. So:
1. Frankfurt am Main
2. Cologne
3. Fantasyland - amusement park
4. Krefeld - a small town where my husband worked
5. Amsterdam
6. Dusseldorf
7. Dortmund is a city for lovers of thorough shopping
8. Essen - Met a friend who lives in Germany
9. Frankfurt am Main
The trip was incredibly intense. 2 weeks felt like 2 months! The only negative that I would definitely correct is that we were too long in Frankfurt. We stayed in it for 2 days at the beginning and returned a couple of days before departure. Now I understand that a few days at the end of the trip would be quite enough for us.
Other than that, I'm very satisfied with the trip.
I also want to give this advice: do not rush. Even if you don't have much time, don't gallop across Europe, you'll only get tired. Travel at your own pace, don't try to set a record. Believe me, it is unrealistic to travel all over Germany in a few days, and even in a month. And even if you manage to do it, I have no idea what will be in your head. Relax, enjoy, gain impressions, and you will be happy.
And that's all for today, thank you for your attention and bye!
Developing a travel itinerary is no less exciting than the trip itself. Here, in our deep conviction, it is very important to strike a balance. On the one hand, plan your time in an unfamiliar country with the maximum benefit for yourself. On the other hand, do not “overheat” yourself with information and leave room for your own discoveries.
First, let's define terminology. The travel itinerary in this article implies a basic travel plan - the places we want to visit and the logistics of the trip (i.e. the order of visiting places and the way to travel), as well as the number of days in each of the places.
Travel route. Stage One: Travel Framework
The frame of the future journey is the first major decisions of the traveler, which determine the further efforts to prepare the trip. First of all, this is the choice of a country (or countries), the choice of a travel format, determining the number of days on a trip and determining the budget. Moreover, all these solutions are closely related.
Choosing a country and travel format
Where to go is a rhetorical question) Your own tastes and preferences, as well as blogs, photos, travel videos and social networks will help you decide on the direction and format of your future trip.
Tastes and preferences largely determine the format of the future trip - some people want to spend their next vacation blissfully on the beach, the second ones rave about wild safaris and conquering mountain peaks, and the third ones just want to put a backpack on their shoulders and spend a couple of weeks - months wandering around the remote corners of the world.
Stage two: route development
So, you have found the time, money, fellow travelers and proceed, in fact, to planning the route. At the output, you should get a list of places in a certain order, as well as a scheduled number of days for each of the places and a route map. The easiest way is not to reinvent the wheel and choose for yourself.
If you don't like it, proceed in the following order.
Travel destinations
First of all, read reviews of regions and destinations in and decide on the destinations you want to visit (fix the desired destinations in a list in random order). Make an online folder on Pinterest along the current route and save all useful links. It's also a good idea to do the first draft of a card (use google maps) and also save it in your bookmarks.
Number of days and overall travel logistics
Learn more about each of the destinations in the created list. What to do and how to get there are the main questions, the answers to which will help you draft your first route draft. At this stage, you may have to give up some directions.
Determine the number of days for each direction. Build the overall logistics of the trip (from where-to-how long-for how much money). At the same time, understanding that it is possible to get from point A to point B by bus in so many hours is absolutely enough to plan a travel route.
Don't waste time and energy on detailed planning of each day and stay in each place. You do not need to search the Internet in search of exact information on which corner the bus you need stops, in which direction you need to turn from the hotel to get to the attraction you need and where is the restaurant that someone once liked.
The main thing is to orient yourself with the duration of your stay at the place and find out what is important "not to miss" in a particular place (ours will definitely help you with this). The rest - you will see and learn on the spot. Pick up a map from the hotel with the sights marked on it. Walking on foot, you will find a place where you (and not someone else) have a tasty and pleasant meal. On the spot, you can also always buy a tour, find the right markets, shops, salons, massages, etc., etc.
Housing and budget
The next step is to decide on the format of housing, as well as the budget for each direction from the list.
Choose accommodation focusing not only and not so much on your budget, but on the specifics of the place. Very often, the right accommodation makes staying in one place or another brighter. And also, importantly, it allows you to feel the “right” atmosphere. Conversely, improperly selected housing can easily spoil the impression of the place. Please note that this is not about the price, but about the successful choice of the location of the hotel / guest house and the format of housing in “its” price category.
In each of the places you will find reviews of "where to live", for cities - orientation in the city and overviews of areas, for resort destinations - reviews of beaches, for national parks - reviews of nearby villages and camp sites. Each of the reviews highlights different housing formats. This is done so that readers have the opportunity to decide on their desired format.
— If you want to plan everything first, book later, read the reviews, choose the area/beach/place, follow the relevant links, turn on the price filters and select housing already focussed, without wasting time on “shooting sparrows from a cannon”. Save the housing options you like right away in your online bookmarks, so that when the time comes, you don’t have to waste time searching again.
– If you are used to combining search and booking, bookmark our Where to Live reviews so that when you are ready to book everything is at hand, and then follow the above scheme. This approach will simplify and speed up the process.
At this point, it's important to get a budget that looks more or less like the final draft. Although it is possible that you still have to adjust the number of days in a particular place, or change the logistics of movement or the directions themselves (depending on financial capabilities and priorities).
Stage three: route finalization
The main work has already been done at the second stage. You have a route, it remains to buy air tickets and then finalize the travel route. After purchasing air tickets, you may have to make final adjustments to your travel itinerary. Often, the scheduled number of days can change by plus or minus 2-3 days, depending on the air tickets).
It remains to finalize the route by date. There are two approaches.
Finalization and booking along the route
The first is the so-called hard finalization. Schedule your itinerary and make all necessary reservations, including local transportation and lodging. First of all, book domestic flights and trains, as you may have to shift the schedule when booking, depending on the availability and cost of tickets.
After that, book all the accommodation along the route, focusing on your indicative budget (see recommendations above). At the exit, you are all set to travel. All vouchers in hand. Minor issues (a la local buses, boats and tours can be easily resolved locally). It remains to go and have fun without thinking about anything and without worrying.
Floating travel itinerary
The second approach is floating finalization. This approach works best. If you are going on a long trip (a month or two), as well as traveling in the off-season. You have on hand the same itinerary, scheduled by date. adjust the schedule if necessary. Book accommodation upon arrival / arrival on known, non-floating dates.
And then you orient yourself on the spot - somewhere you will want to stay longer, somewhere to leave early. Do not bother with a specific choice of accommodation before the trip. Take with you our Where to Live reviews for each destination. Book accommodation at the next point along the route on the spot, when you know the exact date of departure / arrival. Often you will have to book "today for tomorrow", so this approach does not work in high season. Housing will either be “best of the worst” or expensive. In the off-season, on the contrary, you can book excellent accommodation with good discounts.
Please note that you will have to spend time searching and booking accommodation on the spot. And therefore, if you are going on a trip for no more than three weeks, it is better to do a tough finalization of the route.
