Tip: 5 steps of planning the perfect weekend getaway

Even though the best holiday is never overly planned and definitely not scheduled, sometimes it's essential to ensure an easy going trip by writing down a schedule to follow. One of these times is during short weekend trips. You'll know in advance when and where you must be and when it's time to leave. Many people seem to think that it's not worth it to fly somewhere just for the weekend but we'll ensure you, with these tips it'll be easy, comfortable and effortless.

Try it once and you'll love it forever!


Weekend trips are perfect to visit your favourite cities again and again, especially those within a 1-3h travel time. There's no need to take days off if you travel after work on Friday afternoon or take a couple of hours off.

            

1. Plan your Airport -- Hotel transportation (at location) ahead

Plan and schedule your travel from the airport to the hotel (and back) in advance for both ways, leave some time for cancellations, delays and traffic & plan your trip in between the transportation schedule. Choose the best option for your hotel. Make sure you do your homework here and compare several options!

Sometimes, when you're short on time, it actually becomes smarter to pay a little extra for a taxi than using public transportation.

Also, always Google the best options (especially bus companies offering Airport Shuttle) and check options on Google Maps and Rome2Rio.

Tips to pick the best transport options to and from the airport:

- Ask your hotel

- Google (always!)

- Google Maps

- Rome2Rio

- WikiTravel

2. Book a hotel close to transportation options and your plans

Needless to stay, hotel location is the key. It has to be close to everything you'll need; transportation, sightseeing/events and restaurants.

Most central location to sights is not always the best as you need to be centrally located for your plans. If you need to be able to travel to several locations in the city, stay near the central station, that's often a great option.

3. Find and book restaurants in advance

When your time is limited, it's better to know where you're going! Find restaurants nearby your hotel or event, and book in advance! You'll have a table waiting for you at the time most convenient to fit your plans. Depending on the restaurant, give yourself 1-3 hours time to enjoy your meal.

We absolutely love the Browse Nearby feature on TripAdvisor. We always find great restaurants just around the corner from our plans.

4. What to plan

There are a few things you need to work out:

- How to travel from and to the airport (also have a plan b, just in case)
- Number of pre-planned taxi company or a general taxi number

- Hotel address and phone number

- Addresses and the time of your restaurant reservations
- Phone numbers of the restaurants in case you're running late or need to call for directions

- Transportation to and from your plans/destinations during the stay

- Other things you need to remember, buy or take a long

- Make a schedule

Here's a schedule sample; as you can see, not too strict, not too planned.

Highlight critical points, such as the time when you need to get on your way.

morning - 16.00 sights, shopping
16.00 - 17.45 lunch / dinner at restaurant XX (500m from the hotel)

17:50 Leave restaurant now
18.00 - 19.15 getting ready for the concert at the hotel

19.30 Leave hotel now
19.45 Get a subway to concert now
20.45 concert

Find and print routes from hotel to all your destinations or mark them on your map in advance. This will save you loads of time.

Although planning too much might leave you feeling rushed, a little planning here and there will make it much smoother! Don't make the schedule too tight, it's a weekend after all!

5. Take it to another level

For those who like to take it on a completely different level, check out my travel plan (click on the thumbnail of the text file) for a weekend in Rome a couple of weeks ago. It's all on one A4 sheet with the schedules, addresses and even a map of some of the locations near the hotel with walking times from hotel. Make it a 2-sided print and carry it with you. If the place you're visiting is small enough, you can even print the city map.

The map has our hotel, the restaurants, an important bus stop to reach the Palalottomatica where the concert was at and finally the Termini station where we were supposed to catch a bus to the airport. We didn't make it on the bus and ended up taking the taxi.

Always have a plan B when it comes to transportation. And always Google the shuttle services to avoid unpleasant surprises.