What is a travel route? How to correctly plan a car route for an independent trip to Cyprus. Determine what kind of traveler you are

A car is not a luxury, but a means of transportation!
© Ilf and Petrov. "Golden calf"

This quote from the famous novel is still very relevant today for traveling in Cyprus. If you are determined to rent a car and drive around Cyprus on your own, then this story is for you.

The first thing you need to understand is that rental companies provide a car for at least 3-4 days (in a row, and not in total for a vacation), so you need to approach planning your travel routes around Cyprus responsibly enough so as not to regret later about wasted years of wasted money. .

If you start to think, “Where should we go now?” after the car is already in your hands - consider half a day already lost. The option “to go wherever you look, because Cyprus is a small island, you’ll come across something along the way” should be immediately discarded. It may happen, but you will successfully pass it by.

On the other hand, coming to Cyprus with ready-made routes, on which so much effort has been spent, and not being able to find a suitable car there is also not good enough. Therefore, we advise you to book a car in advance.

Let's finally move on from lyrics to action. First, we’ll tell you a few basic rules for creating a route for independent travel around Cyprus by car.

Having mastered the main postulates, let us now move on to the particulars, which also should not be overlooked.

Summer season

If you are planning to vacation in the summer season, especially in July or August, then you need to consider the following:

In Cyprus it is very hot in the summer, especially in the daytime, so the best route option would be a trip to the Troodos Mountains, where it is ten degrees cooler.
If you still want to visit the coastal attractions of Cyprus, for example, such as Kourion or the archaeological park of Paphos, which involves a fairly long walk under open air, then plan to visit this place as early as possible, while the sun is not yet so strong. Don't forget hats, water and sunscreen. Immediately after such an excursion, plan a visit to the nearest beach.

If you have children with you

There is no danger here. It would just be nice to plan the route in such a way that it would be interesting for them in the end. Of course, a lot depends on the age and temperament of the children. It's up to you to decide who is more suitable. But if the children are small, then there are also certain rules when planning the route.

Plan to visit some children's place at the end of the route. “The last phrase is remembered,” said Stirlitz. It’s the same here, the child will like the trip if last place will be interesting for him. Yes, even if it’s a beach, if nothing else comes along the way.

We hope that our above tips will help you, and you will be able to independently create the most suitable routes for yourself.

If you still have doubts?

If you feel that your head is a little spinning from the various travel options, then you can turn to us for advice - we have come from and traveled Cyprus far and wide, but always believe that we have not yet discovered much here for ourselves. If you agree, then move on to the next section.

Hello.

Traveling on a motorcycle is my hobby, I like it, and I try to go on long trips more often. Probably, any fan of travel, regardless of preferred transport, be it a motorcyclist or a hitchhiker, spends a lot of time over maps, dreaming of a new route, drooling and calculating finances. I’m no exception) I want to go a lot more places, so I look at maps and open the websites of various route planners much more often than necessary. Combined with considerable practical experience in using auto planners while traveling, the advantages and disadvantages of some of these programs have emerged over time.

We’ll talk about this in this article, about auto route planner sites.

Almost any site with online maps now has a built-in route planner, but some are ungodly buggy, others do not take into account such features of the route as, for example, ferries. Finally, many planners have too small a limit on the number of key points.

Yes, and will only be considered here free programs, the paid ones are all cool and work great, it’s not worth talking about them.

In addition, usually route planners have their own “specialization” in a particular region. There are also global autoplanners, but they cope worse with local roads and distances compared to regional ones.

Let's divide the autoschedulers under consideration into several groups:

1) World route planners.

2) Route planners for Europe.

3) Route planners for Australia.

4) Route planners for South America.

5) Route planners for the USA and Canada.

6) Route planners for Africa.

7) Route planners for Asia.

8) Route planners for Russia.

Phew.. A lot happened... Well, let's go point by point:

1) PEACE!

Actually, a planner built into the Google maps engine. It’s not very bad, but it often doesn’t find small objects on the map. The route for a trip around the Baltics on a motorcycle, which I rode this summer, and which you can see in the picture, Google could not create, because it did not find the point border crossing Grigorovichi (this is between Belarus and Latvia).

On the other hand, this same planner did a great job of guiding me along the way when I was riding the regional dirt roads in Ryazan region. In short, depending on your luck. The main advantage of Google is that it searches and builds routes all over the world.

A good global planner and a great US planner. I periodically communicate with Americans through couchsurfing, and since a fool can see a fool from afar, all “my” Americans are completely crazy motorcycle tourists. And they recommend Yahoo when planning travel routes around the United States. I haven't personally used it myself.

This auto route planner is former map24.com. World planner, works very well in the central part of Europe. I tried to use it on a trip to Spain, but it’s not suitable for Spain, because... “knows” too few Spanish roads =)

An excellent auto planner, supports all the necessary options that are needed to build a route. He knows a lot of roads, including local dirt roads and makeshift roads, but is mainly focused on Europe. By the way, this is a very strange thing. MapQuest perfectly sees all the roads, even those that can only be driven by a tractor, but many small settlements are not on the map :)

2) Europe.

Quality planner for Europe with beautiful maps. I really got the impression that this is more likely not a Route Planner, but a Trip Planner, that is, a map-map, and the site is not designed for cars and motorcycles, but simply for independent tourists using any social species transport.

An excellent planner, the advantages of which include a separate search for travelers on a motorcycle. I don’t quite understand what the difference is between a travel route on a motorcycle and a car, perhaps this is just a marketing ploy to attract another category of users =)

As the name suggests, this auto scheduler takes into account ferry crossings and is tailored for traveling around Scandinavian countries. Well, that’s all, this planner can be useful when planning combined tour in Scandinavian countries, that is, for trips whose route includes more than one ferry crossing.

3) Australia.

In general, there are not very many roads in Australia, it is quite difficult to get lost there, so the main advantages that route planners in Australia should have are the addresses of hotels, eateries, gas stations, etc. built into the map. This auto planner for Australia has it all.

It was created on the basis of Google maps, so I don’t see much point in turning to it, it’s easier to go straight to the original source.

A fairly voluminous and powerful portal with information for tourists. In addition to the auto planner, there is also a search for hotels, plane tickets, car rental, etc.

4) South America.

Only works in Costa Rica.

Works throughout Latin America, But! I was not able to test it due to the language barrier, since I still did not understand how to switch to the English version of the site.

5) USA and Canada.

It runs on the Google engine, calculates only the distance, that is, it does only what Google does) Useless.

It is powered by Google and requires registration. I don’t see much point in making extra useless mouse clicks.

Counts distances and produces many more useful information. A good alternative to the world's auto schedulers.

6) Africa.

Builds routes only according to South Africa, runs on the Google engine. That's all I found. Don't go for a walk in Africa, children!

7) Asia.

More of a solo travel planner than a route planner. Not quite on topic, but I didn’t find anything else on Asia.

8) Russia.

It so happens that most often I use this auto-scheduler. At one time I came across it on the Russian website of the Iron Butt Association, and I was very glad about it. Almost all of my motorcycle trips that required at least minimal preparation were calculated using this planner. I can say that this program works just fine, it calculates distances very accurately. Also has enough options to plan a trip with many turning points. Shows the time it will take to complete the route without speed violations =) In general, in my opinion, AutoTransInfo at the time of writing this post is the undisputed leader among auto route planners in Russia.

The same as AutoTransInfo, but worse, as it provides less information. In fact, it doesn’t count anything else except distance. The distances, however, are quite accurate.

It works throughout Russia, and also shows all Lukoil gas stations along the route. Periodically wildly, unbearably buggy (!!!)

There is also great amount regional route planners, but the ones I've listed are without a doubt the most convenient. Also, every search engine has maps, and most often, a planner is attached to these maps. Yandex, for example, works well, but tends to shorten the route a little. But you can also use it, so the final choice is yours.

I will not now highlight any service in first place, and this order does not give preference to one or the other. They all have their pros and cons, more or less equally.

Let's start with Agenda.

A Russian travel planning service that recently began to gain momentum and received investments. The design of the service is pleasing to the eye, it is convenient, nothing superfluous. Excellent calendar grid displaying planned flights.

The emphasis of the Agenda is mainly on the purchase and reservation of air tickets, hotels, transport, there is also the possibility of booking trains and buses, but unfortunately mainly only within the Russian Federation. The service is closely connected with Panaramio, which allows you to see photos of interesting places, and Foursqare for selecting attractions in the city where you are going. Compared to other services, there is a big disadvantage of adding interesting places to view, and if you plan big Adventure, then you will have to work hard to add them to the calendar. It would be great if there was synchronization with the calendar on your phone or tablet, but I didn’t find one. It’s not clear how the creators missed such a moment in all their travels as the lack of Internet. Since there are no applications for Android or iOS, it is not clear how to use it while traveling. Timeline export to pdf is very poor.

Yes, it is quite possible to buy tickets, book hotels and cars here, and besides, the search is also carried out on low-cost airlines. But even during test trips to book a hotel or car in Asia, he didn’t find anything for me.

In general, there are some shortcomings that I hope will be improved in the future.

Next Mygola

An English-language service, also with a good interface, but less convenient. Compared to the Agenda, the calendar grid is less easily understood, but nevertheless quite convenient and understandable.

This same service is more geared towards sightseeing. Large selection of places with detailed description and a link to the original source or website of this place. There is an application, but it is no different from the website. You can look at all the points on the map, but you can’t see each point individually, and this is a minus, since it’s not possible to jump on the link to Google maps and get directions.

A huge advantage of Mygola is the route search and its preliminary assessment. At the very beginning, this really amazed me, because you usually find such information only on some blogs. There are a large number of options for traveling between points, in fact different transport. From a taxi with its cost, to public transport, for which the cost is also sometimes indicated. It is not clear where this information comes from, but it is quite possible to estimate the cost.

Again, there is no export at all. There is also no synchronization. In conclusion, it can be noted that when planning a trip, the Mygola service can be used to find cheap routes public transport.

Youroute

Another Russian-language service. The service attracted me with its simplicity. Nothing superfluous, easy interface, everything is simple and clear, come in and plan. Of course, like all of the above, it also has disadvantages. But let's start with the advantages, the first of which is a large database of attractions from all countries and cities of the world. Conveniently add objects to your route. The service is also connected to Panaramio and you can conveniently view photographs of objects. From each point you can go to Google maps, you can get directions, but then there will be a service in which it is a little more convenient to do this.

A route immediately creeps between points; transport can always be changed. You can also easily change the order of sightseeing.

At the end you get this kind of route

As you can see, the route can be saved as a pdf and printed if desired. The stages themselves look rather boring.

I would add flight times, they can, in principle, be written down in notes, but nevertheless they are not displayed in the PDF, and links to a map for each point, preferably on Google. But there is information about these places, in a completely digestible form.

Well, the service is quite excellent, but it lacks something; if it added a little from the first and second, it could turn out to be a better service for travel planning. Of course, the application is still missing. So guys, developers, I hope you will finish this service in the future.

Gogobot

Initially, I learned about it as an application. The first thing that caught my eye was that he posts all your actions on facebook, but this is disabled in the account settings. The service is English-language and has a large database of attractions that you can easily add to your trip. Add in bulk only from the table view; from the map you have to go to the object page. But in the application this does not cause much discomfort. There are selections of restaurants and hotels that can be booked.

There are interest clubs in which thematic places are selected.

The travel plan looks quite simple, like a pdf file, but nevertheless contains all the necessary information about the objects, with links to the page of these places in Gogobot.

Here is a type of PDF file that can be minimally customized

An undoubted advantage is the presence of an application (for iPhone and Android), where you can view your travel plan and use navigation for each object.

Decent service, unfortunately not native language. Another app for iPad would be great.
Well in the end

Tripomatic

The web service is not particularly striking in design, but the application is quite good (again, the iPad was bypassed), and with support for the Russian language.

It’s quite convenient to add places to your trip plan; the route and approximate travel time immediately creep in between them, which will give you an understanding of the time spent on travel, but unfortunately not about its cost. He also automatically builds the route of the day in such a way (well, at least he tries) so as not to make detours around the city, but to visit all the places along the way with the least amount of time. You can book a hotel on the website, purchase and viewing takes place on Booking.com. You can add travel by transport, for example between railway stations, unfortunately the time is not displayed, and there is no search for ticket prices either. But that doesn't matter here.
I also liked that after completing the compilation, you receive a schedule for your trip. It shows how many of the main attractions you missed.

Export to PDF is good, with all links to Google maps. By clicking, it immediately plots a route. The line of the day is not very clear, but you can figure it out.

The application is very good. With some nice features. For example, the object page shows the distance to it and a rotating compass that shows the direction of movement. Many attractions also display opening hours and prices. entrance ticket. For some reason, the screenshots from iTunes show a translator, but I didn’t see it in the program itself.

In addition, the Tripomatic application has a paid, but very useful for tourist, offline map function. For 129 rubles. you can buy a map of the country, for 449 - Asia and Australia, and for 549 rubles. you can download maps of all countries that are available on Tripomatic (358 places). In general, the application takes place on the traveler’s smartphone.

In conclusion, I will say that there are quite a few services for compiling and planning a trip, in my opinion these are the most prominent. There are still many social travel networks where you can also get a lot of useful information, but they do not have such functions as planning.

Drawing up a route, whether traveling by car or other transport, is a creative and exciting process. You can take a ready-made plan by reading forums and collecting information from experienced travelers. But it’s much more interesting to collect bit by bit information in guidebooks yourself, to note all the most interesting places, choose places to stay overnight, and then plot routes. Road atlases, navigators, the Internet and much more come to help tourists. Let's try to figure it out how to plan a travel itinerary, saving time and money. A little advice: we suggest you create a table in Excel indicating all the most important points. This will help you plan your route and structure all the necessary information.

Preparatory stage: collecting information

The most important thing for anyone independent traveler is the possession of information. Agree, no one goes to a new place without knowing anything about it. Therefore, before your trip, read not only guidebooks, but also authoritative forums (For example, the Vinsky forum) and blogs of other travelers. Pay attention to how experienced people completed similar routes, what they succeeded and what they didn’t. Gathering information and planning are no less exciting than the trip itself. Try to find out as much as possible about the country (or countries) you are visiting. What national holidays take place during your visit? Will there be elections or other major events that could interfere with your holiday? What is the weather like in each region? Also don't forget to read about traditions local residents, accepted standards of behavior and safety of tourists.

When collecting information about attractions, immediately write down:

How to get there? Exact coordinates places.
What time is inspection allowed? Many museums, galleries and other places are only open in the morning, so don't be there in the evening.
What's the cover charge? This is necessary for budget planning.
Find out if you can buy tickets in advance online for excursion sites. This will, in many cases, save you time.

When reading about a city, pay attention not only to famous sights, but also to places that are interesting only to you. You shouldn’t plan your route based on other people’s opinions and tastes. Why should you visit all the cathedrals in Paris if you have absolutely no interest in architecture but love shopping? You shouldn’t see some attraction just for show if it’s not interesting to you at all. Don’t forget to write down the names of the cafes, restaurants and shops you like (especially if they are recommended by other travelers). The same goes for hotels.

Stopping places

When planning your route, you will have to choose only the most interesting and important places. At first you will want to visit every city or village and see every temple or museum. Based on the amount of time you have. You shouldn’t try to embrace the immensity; no one needs a trip in which all participants are constantly tired. List all the cities that interest you in the table.

The places you choose to stay depend solely on your preferences and the information you have. Once you have decided on settlements that you want to see, it’s time to choose housing. There are many websites where you can choose a place to stay overnight. These include numerous search engines for hotels all over the world, sites with apartment rentals, and communities where you will be offered to stay for free. It's a matter of taste here. But pay attention to small details and read the terms and conditions carefully. For example, in some hotels the reception is only open until 11:00 p.m., and you plan to arrive late at night. If you're traveling during the warmer months, consider camping. It's convenient and very cheap. In Europe, in many tourist places There have long been equipped areas where you can park your car and put up a tent. All reserved seats(reservation of the campsite is not necessary) enter into the table indicating prices.

Here are some camping resources. http://www.eurocampings.co.uk/en/europe/, http://ru.camping.info/. For the rest of your search for housing, you can use all well-known services, which we wrote about in the section:booking.com, etc.).

Once again, on visas and tickets

There is only one way to save on tickets: buy them in advance. Keep an eye on promotions and sales on airline websites. The earlier you purchase your ticket, the cheaper it will be. If you have a complex route with many transfers, allow enough time between flights so as not to miss your plane. Read more in the section.

Now about visas. If you are traveling to one country, everything is simple: you need to find out whether a visa is required and for how long it is issued. But if you have created a complex itinerary across several countries, you will have to collect a lot of information. What you need to pay attention to:

If you are flying through a country, find out if you need transit visa. If such a visa is required and you have a long layover at the airport, do not sit and wait for your plane in the lounge. You have a great opportunity to add another city to your travel map. For example, in Istanbul, where there are many connecting flights, you can take a city tour right at the airport and usefully pass the time.
Find out the rules for issuing visas and relationships between countries. Can you visit several countries at once? For example, it will be difficult to get from Armenia to Turkey, with an Israeli stamp to Muslim countries, and a visa from Pakistan may become a problem when obtaining a visa to India.
Make all visa arrangements in advance so that your trip is not disrupted at the last minute.

This is the miracle of Google Map!

Using the Google Maps service, you can plot routes and calculate distances, see what public transport is available. An indispensable thing when traveling! So, in order to understand how to use google maps, go to maps.google.ru and select the “routes” tab. Then we enter the names of all settlements, each time clicking the “Add destination” button. After all the data has been entered, click “Get a route” and we get a ready-made road with a detailed indication of the entire route, availability toll roads and numbers of all highways.

And the second option. On the map, right-click the mouse to select the location we need, click on the “How to get here” menu, then right-click to select the next item and add it to the destination. And so on until we run out of all the places we need. Then we also plot the route. Once the route has been laid out, search the Internet for information from travelers who have used a similar route. Perhaps you will find disadvantages in it or correct it. Experienced travelers can tell you where the best road is, what public transport to use, whether it’s worth paying for the autobahn (if you are) or whether it’s better to make a short detour, etc.

In addition to Google, you can use other resources that will help you plan a route, calculate the distance between points, and even gas consumption:

All selected cities can be entered into a table. Opposite each city, write down all the interesting places and attractions. This way you can clearly see how much time you need to spend in each city. Enter the distance between stopping points in the table. If you see that the distance is too long, it may be better to make an additional stop.

When reading forums, calculate your travel time. If you are not traveling with your own transport, you will have to make many transfers, use different types transport. When traveling around Europe, you can easily look up bus and train schedules on the Internet and get an approximate idea of how much time you will spend on the road. When traveling by public transport in Asia, you never know what time you will arrive.

Take your ready-made table, in which you indicate: the names of all cities, attractions and interesting places, distances between settlements, overnight stays, cost of travel and stops. If you have collected enough information on each point, think about whether you can handle all the moves? If the budget is limited, it is better to remove several places; there should always be an amount of money in reserve for force majeure circumstances. The same goes for time. After spending your entire vacation traveling and rushing, you will remember nothing but transport and the road.

If you take a credit card with you, find out in advance where cards are accepted and where they are not. In which places is it more profitable to pay with it, and in which in cash? Perhaps it would be better to arrange new map specifically for the trip? Open a foreign currency account? Take several cards with you in case you lose one.
For the first independent trip don't build too much difficult routes. Choose 1-2 places and set aside enough time for this.
Whatever you can do in advance, do it. If you can buy tickets in advance, buy them. Don't count on it being easier or cheaper to buy them locally. It will only waste your time. If you have the opportunity to book accommodation, book it. Why will you waste your precious time? To book accommodation, payment is not always required; choose hotels where you do not need to pay right away. Then you will always have room to maneuver.
Have a backup plan. How will you go to the desired destination if you cannot find transport on site, the train is canceled or another unforeseen situation occurs? What will you do in the city if the attraction you want is closed? How to get from the station to the hotel at night if there is no taxi at the exit?
Regardless of your route, be mobile. Traveling is not a clear program; no one obliges you to live according to a schedule. Independent travel is complete freedom, and this is its main advantage! Therefore, be prepared for the fact that you will want to suddenly change all your plans or include new places in your route along the way. It’s good to have a free day or two in reserve in this case (see the previous point about the backup plan).
Most the best option route through several cities - circular. When you arrive in one city and leave the same city. This is convenient, if only because round-trip tickets are always much cheaper.

And finally. Print out your sign and don’t forget to enter all the coordinates into your navigator. Bring a paper map or atlas with you highways. Keep all documents electronic and printed. And go on a new exciting journey!

A well-planned travel itinerary is the basis of any independent trip! Your expenses, your comfort, and your impressions depend on how well you plan your independent travel route. It doesn’t matter where you are going - to one country or several at once... For a European vacation, for Asian exotica or from the capital to the village to visit your grandmother... The main thing is to know where to start and take everything into account important nuances. If you have good route trips- the trip will be successful!

In this article we will not touch on autotrip (travel by car) - this is a big topic for a separate article with its own subtleties and nuances...

So, where to start planning a travel itinerary?

To begin with, do not get hung up and do not consider it a law that must be strictly followed. Nothing good will come of it if you plan your trip too carefully, scheduling every kilometer and every minute of the trip... Why?

Firstly, you will never be able to follow an overly planned route. This is impossible!

Travel is like marriage. The main misconception is to think that you have everything under control... John Steinbeck

Your route will probably change several times during the process of drawing it up, and with a high degree of probability - during the journey. And this is good!

Secondly, You will not enjoy such a planned trip. After all, you must admit, it’s not very exciting to have sex strictly on Tuesday at 23:00 and on Saturday exactly at 15:00... In travel, as in sex, there should be a share of spontaneity, fantasy and impromptu! Only then will you enjoy it.

But you still have to plan the main stages and take into account important nuances...

Good travel route. Stages of compilation

Timelines, target dates and budget.

Decide when and for how long you want to travel and how much are you willing to spend on it? And remember - you can travel for almost any money!

Our experience: We spent absolutely two different travel(including air tickets, transport, hotels and meals) absolutely identical amounts in ruble equivalent... 10 days "honeymoon" in the Maldives(with one round trip) in 2008 and almost 3 months in Asia with two children via Hong Kong, Philippines (Manila and Mindoro), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi), Thailand (Ao Nang, Krabi) and Istanbul (6 flights, ferry, buses, etc.) in 2014. Both of these trips, made 6 years apart, cost us about 150 thousand rubles. Accordingly, the first trip cost 15,000 rubles per day for two, the second - almost 10 times cheaper for four!!!

How longer trip, the cheaper it will cost per day.

Destination.

Decide where you want to go? What are you dreaming about? Travel all over Europe or visit all the sights of Paris? Explore all of Southeast Asia or spend a week in Tibet? Enjoy the beaches Caribbean Islands or the cities of the Golden Ring of Russia? Whatever your dream is, it is your dream and it is achievable!

Open the World Map and the Internet. At this stage, you will already have a preliminary travel itinerary. You will decide on the country/countries and cities.

Be sure to check the climate and weather in the region on the Internet for the selected dates, so as not to fall into the “rainy season” and not hide in the hotel building from a tropical downpour or hurricane.

Visas.

In the majority Asian countries You do not need to apply for a visa in advance - it is issued automatically upon arrival, on average, for a period of two weeks to a month. But in the majority European countries You will need a Schengen visa.

In any case, before traveling, be sure to find out the current visa requirements of the countries you are interested in. The most reliable way to do this is on the websites of consulates and official visa centers.

When traveling to Europe, choose the country of first entry or the long stay those countries for which it is easier to apply for and obtain a Schengen visa. For example: Finland, Czech Republic, Spain...

How to get there?

There are many ways to travel! By car or hitchhiking, by bus or train, and of course by plane... The plane is the most popular option. And, when searching for air tickets to a destination, the traveler will be greatly helped by Aviasales- a search aggregator site that will find you the cheapest air tickets around the World! Moreover, absolutely for free!

Look for tickets in advance. When searching for air tickets, try changing the dates, cities and airports of departure and arrival. Use "Low Price Calendar" And "Low Price Card". Tickets purchased several months in advance, departing midweek and arriving at a nearby airport, may be much cheaper!

You can read more about all the nuances of purchasing air tickets in a separate article: How to buy cheap air tickets?

Sometimes, when visiting several countries, it makes sense to look directly at the websites of low-cost airlines in search of promotions... There are many inexpensive low-cost airlines in both Europe and Asia. And a plane ticket to a neighboring country can often be purchased for literally 10 euros!

When moving around the country or to neighboring countries one region, we should not forget about other transport besides airplanes... In Europe, high-speed rail transport is very developed (for example, TGV trains). And in Asia you can get anywhere very cheaply on buses and ferries.

We had a great, quick and inexpensive trip from Amsterdam to Paris in Europe. And in Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines) they used ferries and buses more than once - to get from Manila to the island of Mindoro, to get from Bangkok to Pattaya or to the island of Koh Chang, to get from the island of Langkawi to Thailand to Krabi and Ao Nang. .. But initially, getting to your main destination is faster and more convenient by plane...

At these stages, your travel route will most likely be adjusted. It will be affected by ticket prices, flight dates, and possibly visa requirements.

Our experience: When we were going to Thailand(Bangkok, Pattaya, Koh Chang island) and picked up tickets Emirates airlines with a connection in Dubai, we learned about an airline service called "Stop in Dubai" (Dubai Stopover). As part of this Emirates service, you can get a very good discount short-term visa UAE, hotel and transfer. Accordingly, we decided to use the Dubai Stopover service and on our way back from Thailand we spent one unforgettable day in Dubai .

Our experience: When we were planning a trip to Amsterdam and Paris, we found out that it is very cheap to fly to Amsterdam from Helsinki, and it turned out to be much easier to obtain a Finnish visa than a French one... And air tickets from Paris to Moscow turned out to be much cheaper not directly, but through Berlin... As a result, we also visited Helsinki and Berlin.

Attractions.

Where do you want to go, where to go and what to see? This is the most interesting and exciting stage of planning a travel itinerary. When planning, you will already learn a lot about the culture and history of the country, its cuisine, nature, beautiful places and sights... And anticipation, as you know, increases your appetite even more...

At this stage, it is very important not only to choose places and attractions, but to find out how they work, how much it costs to visit and how to get to them! Yes, and don’t chase all the attractions or the most popular ones... Choose those attractions that are most interesting to you. And when drawing up a route for visiting them, try to mark the attractions on the map and move towards them sequentially, rather than rushing back and forth from one corner of the city or country to another.

Our experience: We planned three days in Paris during our trip to Europe as follows: one day for one half of the city, the second day for the second half, and the third for Disneyland in the suburbs of Paris. As a result, of course, we wore out our heels, but without rushing anywhere we saw absolutely everything we wanted, missing only one single attraction from the planned ones.

When planning your trip, be sure to find out holidays in the country you are visiting. An unexpected event can radically break all plans, even experienced traveler... A major Catholic, Muslim or Buddhist holiday can result in both interesting festive events and a completely “extinct” infrastructure with closed shopping centers, shops, banks, exchange offices, restaurants and even pharmacies!

Our experience: Twice, completely unexpectedly for us, we found ourselves in such a situation in Warsaw - on the Catholic holiday of the Three Kings and on the eve of Easter... The other side of the coin was the shopping ruined in the bud due to closed shopping centers, the inability to have a meal in a restaurant and even exchange money...

Choosing a hotel.

You can, of course, stay in another country not only in a hotel... It can be free couchsurfing, an apartment on airbnb, or renting a house... But the cheapest, most reliable and convenient way, in our opinion, is booking a hotel on search engine sites Hotellook or RoomGuru . Just enter your request into the search form and get the best hotel deals...

Public transport.

How to get around the city/country/countries? Be sure to search the Internet for information in advance! Otherwise, already being in another country, you will not know anything: neither how to get there, nor where to buy tickets, nor how much they should cost, nor ways to save...

Now your travel itinerary is becoming something whole and complete... It's time to move on to taking out insurance...

Insurance.

Insurance is probably the least expensive, but the most significant component of any trip. Some 10 dollars spent on insurance can save you tens of thousands of dollars spent on medical care, save your nerves, time, health and even life!

When searching for any information on the Internet, use only reliable sources. These are the official websites of the ministries of tourism and the websites of consulates different countries Mira. These are travel blogs of travelers with reports on real trips, Wikipedia, some forums (for example, Vinsky's forum) or good travel portals. Beware of many forums and some even large portals (not to mention small sites), where the same unreliable and irrelevant copywriting information is often reprinted from authors who have never been anywhere...

Check out our page with secret information for travelers. There you will find links to the best and useful services for travelers, discounts and great deals...

You can also use our new section Sales, where you can find great deals on flights, hotels and insurance and put them together...

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