Travel Tips for Stress Free Travel Planning

Tip one: Find a partner. Even if this person has no desire to travel with you, you need someone to bounce ideas off of, and brag to when you get back. It's always good to find someone with travel experience, but it's not necessary.

Tip two: Get a good luck charm. If on your way to the travel agency, or bookstore you stumble on a pebble, this will suffice. Keep in mind that nothing happens without purpose and no stone is there without a reason, and you'll find a good luck charm in no time. Be sure to carry it with you at all times. But never carry two good luck charms at once.

Tip three: Grab a map, make a list. After you've stumbled into the bookstore or agency, it's good to peruse the racks of map until one jumps at you with teeth bared. Does Barcelona sound good? If you're drawn to the map of Barcelona, this is a good indication. Consult your good luck charm or your partner if you have any doubts.

Tip four: Don't spend more than $30 on a travel guide. There is only so much you can read about a place before you've experienced something commonly known as T.M.I. Too much information can be a detriment to any traveling experience, and it should be assumed that anything over $30 is not going to give you any more valuable advice than the $5 guides. Yes, the more expensive one might have prettier pictures but if you're on a budget that $30 just might buy you a meal when you get to Barcelona.

Tip five: keep all of your travel documents in one place. One way to do this is to buy a nice gift bag. You know, the kind you don't feel right throwing away because its made with super-special cardboard with fabric handles. Yeah, those kind. When you have this gift bag, put a nail in the wall and hang it in a prominent place in your home. Not only is it cheap storage, but now a conversation piece you can discuss with your partner.

Tip six: Hit the web, and soon if you want a good estimate of cost. Believe it or not, the best places to look might not be those big web outfits. Refer back to your cheap travel guide. Most of these folks also have websites with links to even better deals.

Tip seven: Stay away from the comfy hotels at all costs. This should be a no-brainer. If you're out to have a cultural experience in a foreign country all you need is a bed, right? So what is the difference between a bed that costs 100EU a night and a bed that costs 15EU a night. No difference at all other than one is simply there to pilfer your pockets and give you a canned cultural experience. Check out what hostels, private apartments, and guest homes have to offer. Usually you get a 15EU bed and a lot more!

Tip eight: With all those Euros youre not spending on a hotel invest in a nice backpack, and pack light. Don't even bother with checked luggage. If you can't carry it on your back what is the point of taking it at all? This is a travel philosophy to live by: you're traveling to get away, so don't take any more than you need. Keeping to the minimum saves you time by freeing you from the luggage carousel hell, or heaven forbid that checked luggage would rather go to Vancouver than Barcelona. Most hostels have laundry facilities, too! Praise be!

Tip nine and ten: Don't dream too small. You can choose multiple destinations and still stay within a budget. Did you know you can have a two week multiple destination trip to Europe for under $1500? Finally, travel is a great incentive to overcome challenges. Leave your fear of heights, dogs, and water at home and open yourself up to an experience of a lifetime. And while you're at it, don't forget to fall in love.

Happy Travels!