Introduction
Planning a trip involving multiple countries can be more complicated than planning a trip to just one place. But if you do it right, your travel experience will be even more exciting! Follow these steps to make sure that happens:
Know where you want to go.
Before you start booking flights, you need to know where you want to go. You can't just say "I'll go anywhere!" Well, okay, maybe if this is your first time traveling abroad and/or don't have many expectations for what kind of trip you're looking for. But if you're planning a longer trip (two weeks or more), then it's important that each country on your itinerary has something unique and appealing about it—otherwise why would one choose to fly all the way there?
For example: If I'm going on a two-week trip around Europe with my friend Katie and she wants to visit Italy while I'd rather visit Spain and Portugal, then our choices will be entirely different when it comes down to planning our itineraries. She's bound to be disappointed if she gets there only to find out that we won't get much time together because she wanted us both in Rome but I wanted us both in Barcelona.
Decide how much time you want to spend in each place.
Decide how much time you want to spend in each place.
Depending on where you are going, you might need a few hours for a layover or overnight stay, or perhaps you'd prefer not to spend any of your precious vacation days on traveling between destinations. In this case, plan for an extra day or two in transit so that all of the other days are spent exploring the actual places on your itinerary.
If it's possible for some reason (costs money), choose flights with layovers that correspond with multiple countries' time zones so that there's no need for a long layover during daylight hours; this will allow more flexibility in when you arrive and leave without having to worry about missing something important due to poor planning!
Find all the possible routes that get you to your destinations.
The first step to planning a trip to multiple countries is knowing which websites can help you search for the best flights. Google Flights, Kayak, Hopper and Multi City Flights US are all excellent options for finding the best prices on airfare. They also have some great features that make it easy to sync your itinerary with other people's calendars or share your search results with others so they can see what flights work best for everyone in your group.
If you're looking to save money on hotels during your multi city trip abroad, check out Hotelwatchdog or Hotelopia. These sites allow travelers to book rooms in advance at lower rates than what most hotel chains offer online directly through their websites (and often even cheaper than booking directly with that hotel chain).
Choose a route and flight times that will let you see the most and do the most, but don't forget about the time change.
Before you start planning, consider the time change. If you fly east, you will lose time and if you fly west, you will gain time.
As an example: You want to spend two weeks in Europe and visit four countries. Because there are three time zones between Italy and Germany, it would be best if your flight went through Italy first before heading onto Germany or vice versa (depending on whether or not traveling towards the east or west). This way, when arriving in Italy from New York City—which happens to be five hours behind London's time zone—you'll still have enough daylight left for sightseeing rather than learning about a new city in complete darkness!
However ... what if instead of flying into Berlin from Rome's airport at 7 pm local time (2 pm EDT), you arrive at 11 am (7 am EDT)? Wouldn't that mean that although it's still summertime back home where day lengths aren't affected by daylight savings time changes yet?
Research accommodations and sightseeing options for each of your destinations.
Researching the best accommodations is one of the most important parts of planning a trip. When choosing accommodations, think about how close they are to the main attractions in each city you’ll be visiting. Ideally, you want them to be within walking distance or close enough that you can walk there in less than 30 minutes.
You also want to look for good reviews online and ask friends if they have any recommendations or favorite hotels in certain locations that they might have stayed at before. If possible, ask about their experiences with different accommodations so that you know what to expect when researching your own options!
When choosing accommodations for your trip, it's important to consider affordability as well as comfort level and amenities like free WiFi and breakfast included with the room price (if applicable). Some hotels offer discounts if booked through third-party websites; if this is something that interests you then keep an eye out while browsing around online!
Pack light! You don't want to be stuck hauling around a bunch of heavy luggage all over the place.
Packing light is one of the best ways to keep your travel costs low, and it's also a good idea if you're hoping to minimize your stress levels during the trip. Not only does it allow you to avoid extra luggage fees, but it means that when you arrive at your destination, there will be less waiting around for things like luggage drop-off and loading onto buses.
Be flexible with your travel plans.
While it's important to have a plan, you should also be flexible with your travel plans. For instance, if you decide to do a side trip and visit another country on your itinerary, it's better to take the time off than rush through it. If something happens and delays your travel plans or causes you to change them completely, don't worry about it! Plans often change throughout the course of a trip; just make sure that when they do change for whatever reason (and they most likely will), you are able to adapt accordingly.
With careful planning, you can have an amazing vacation in multiple countries.
Know where you want to go. Have a list of cities or countries that you want to visit and their names in your native language.
Make sure you have a plan for how much time you want to spend in each place. Some places might require more than one day, so make sure that both your budget and schedule can accommodate this need.
Know what activities you want to do while there, if any (i.e., sightseeing, visiting museums). If there are any special activities that are required for some of these things (such as going up in the Eiffel Tower), make sure you find out what they are and how much they cost before booking anything else on your trip!
Plan an itinerary that works best for everyone involved - including kids!
Conclusion
With the right planning and time management, you can have a memorable trip to multiple countries. Choose where you want to visit and how long you'll spend in each place, create a basic itinerary for your trip, and use this guide as a starting point for researching accommodations and things to do at each of your destinations. If you're flexible with your flight times and travel dates, you might even be able to squeeze in an extra stop on your trip!