Steps to Plan Your Trip

Some people talk about starting an exercise program and never start it because it leaves it in the air, without deciding to define a place, frequency, schedule and clothes to use. With travel abroad, the same thing happens. We express our desire to go to Paris, Las Vegas or New York, but we do not land the obsession with a series of concrete measures that lead us to achieve the goal.

Decide where you want to go

Many people who want to travel are talking about their vacation project without taking the first and most elementary decision: where to go?

It seems a truism, but once you have determined the place of the foreigner you want to meet, the trip project begins to take shape in a series of decisions that bring the dreamed moment closer. Of course, the place to go depends on the area where you live and the cost. When you begin to fine-tune the budget accounts, you may have to reconsider the destination, but even in that circumstance, you will not have wasted your time, since you have already fired the mental kick-off to somewhere.

Do you want to know fascinating Mexico, with its pre-Hispanic cultures, beautiful beaches in the Caribbean and the Pacific, volcanoes, mountains, and deserts?

Do you want to go through the Argentine pampas, with its plains, meadows, gauchos and exquisite cuts of meat, and Buenos Aires with its handsome, tangos and football?

Decide the duration of your trip

Once you have chosen the destination, the second decision you must take to start budgeting in detail is the duration of the trip.

A trip abroad is usually expensive in air tickets, expenses that increase to the extent that the destination is farther and further away from commercial routes. Of course, being in the American continent, it may not be worth the expense of going for just a week to Europe, let alone to Asia. To the extent that the stay is more extended, the fixed expenses of the trip, that is to say, those in which you will incur regardless of the duration (obtaining passport and visas, tickets, purchase of suitcase, clothing and other items, etc.) will be amortized with a more extended season of enjoyment.

Investigate the costs

We are going to assume that you are a Mexican or a Mexican and that you will make a two-week trip to Paris and its surroundings, starting from scratch. Your approximate costs will be:

o Passport of 3 years validity: 60 dollars (1,130 pesos)

o Large backpack: between 50 and 130 dollars, depending on whether you buy a piece in the range of the lowest prices or one of higher quality and longevity.

o Clothing and accessories: it is tough to estimate because it depends on your availability and needs. For example, if you require a new mobile phone or tablet, the cost increases significantly. We will assume $ 200 for budgetary purposes.

o Air ticket: At the beginning of the summer of 2017, air tickets for a trip Mexico City - Paris - Mexico City could be obtained at $ 1,214. The price of the card varies with the season.

o Travel insurance: $ 30 (this cost is variable, depending on the coverage you want, we have assumed a reasonable minimum value)

o Accommodation: $ 50 per day (the approximate amount of an acceptable hostel in Paris). The price range is extensive, depending on the category of housing. The option of Couchsurfing or exchange of hospitality is usually the most economical. The cost of 13 nights would be $ 650

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o Sort and organize your travel documents, which you must carry by hand. These include passport and visas, national identity certificate, driver's license, travel insurance, credit and debit cards, money in bills and coins, frequent flyer cards, hotel loyalty cards, car rental companies and others.