Traveling is one of the greatest adventures in life. Some families do it several times a year. Some families can only get away once every few years. Regardless of how often you travel, some of your favorite memories will undoubtedly be from one of the trips you took with your family when you still lived with them. However, there comes a time in every college student’s life where they will plan their first trip without their parents. It may be just a small overnight or weekend trip. It could be somewhere nearby. It could be with two friends or it could be a big group. Or it could be a weeklong, cross-country trip with only one other person. No matter what kind of trip it is, a lot of time and planning will go into the trip and you need to think about all the small details before you leave.
The first thing you need to think about is where you want to go, how you’re going to get there, and where you’re going to stay. Deciding where you want to go is probably the best part because you get to choose where you’re going to have your next big adventure. Depending on your budget, the options are limitless! You could go to the beach, the mountains, a theme park, the Grand Canyon, New York; the world is your oyster. How you’re going to get there will probably be an easy decision once you figure out how many miles you’re going to be traveling. Remember to add in the cost of plane tickets or gas to your budget! Lastly, where are you going to stay on your trip? The best way to go is by staying with a friend who lives where you’re visiting. However, this obviously isn’t an option for everyone so you have to shop around for the best hotel prices. I recommend Priceline or Kayak. Check prices for different areas of the city that you are visiting and check over the course of a few days. Prices fluctuate pretty often. Once you have these three things figured out, you have the necessities of the trip taken care of.
The next thing you need to think about is what you are going to do while you are on your trip. If you’re like me you will want to have every day planned out. It’s not a bad idea to have a rough outline of what you want to accomplish each day to ensure that you don’t end up missing what the destination has to offer. Try to estimate how long each activity will take so that you don’t end up over-booking each day. Do your research and figure out the must see attractions of the city. If you’re traveling with a group it can be a good idea to make them each come up with a few things that they want to see. This ensures that everyone gets to see something that they were looking forward to. Look into the cost of each activity and don’t forget to add it to your budget. Buy as many tickets in advance as you can. If you need to book any tours, try to do this as soon as possible. It’s better to be proactive than lazy.
Some other things that are good to think about when traveling without parents are possible restaurants and how you are going to travel from place to place. In some destinations you will just drive from one attraction to the next. However, if you are going to a big city you may rely on the subway system. If you are going to be seeing multiple attractions that are quite a ways apart, it’s a good idea to check into the subway routes or time it will take to drive from one place to the next. It can also be difficult to pick places to eat if you are picky or indecisive. It’s a good idea to research top restaurants in the area or make a list of possibilities. After you’ve spent a long day of exploring you will be too tired to make a decision so it will be nice to have your list of restaurants handy. Once you have looked into all of these things, you are ready to embark on your journey.
Going on your first trip without your parents can be kind of scary. It will probably seem impossible to remember all of the small details that go into planning a vacation. You will probably get stressed out at some point and think about inviting your parents on the trip. But once you do the research, make the lists, and plan out all of the details, you will feel so accomplished and proud of your adulthood. If you have decided where you are going and how you’re getting there then you have already accomplished step one. Once you figure out where you will stay and what you will see, that’s really all you need. If you have a Type A personality, don’t forget to look into transportation and food options. The most important step of all is making a budget and sticking to it. Now there’s nothing left to do except make memories and have fun with your friends. Don’t forget to buy your parents a souvenir or two.
