An international vacation can sound like a lot to figure out. Which country? How many places? Trains or flights? Guided or on your own? Where should you stay? And how much can you realistically fit into the time you have?
You don't need all of those answers before you start. Some travelers already know they want Italy, Japan, Africa or another specific destination. Others just know they want great food, history, scenery, wildlife, famous cities or the chance to experience somewhere completely different.
You don't have to start with a country. Sometimes it's easier to start with what you want the trip to feel like and work backward from there.
That's how I like to look at international vacations. Where you go matters, but so do the pace, the route, how comfortable you are getting around on your own, and how much of the vacation you actually want planned ahead of time.
Forget about choosing the exact country for a minute. Think about what would make you come home and say, “That was exactly the trip I wanted.”
Museums, neighborhoods, landmarks, local restaurants and days spent exploring places you've heard about for years.
Smaller towns, coastlines, countryside, islands, scenic drives or train rides with enough time to actually enjoy where you are.
A safari, dramatic landscapes, wildlife, local culture and the kind of experiences that don't feel anything like a normal vacation.
Markets, local restaurants, regional specialties, neighborhoods and experiences that let you get a better feel for the place you're visiting.
A guided or more structured trip can take care of transportation, routes and some of the logistics while still giving you plenty to experience.
Build the trip around your own interests with flexible days, your own route and more control over where you go and how long you stay.
There isn't one right way to travel internationally. The right trip is the one that gives you enough structure to feel comfortable without planning the fun out of it.
You may already know exactly where you want to go. If you don't, these are some very different directions to think about while you're figuring out what sounds good.
Big cities, small towns, history, food, coastlines, rail travel and enough variety to build completely different trips within the same region.
Safaris, wildlife, landscapes, culture and trips that can combine major experiences with time to slow down and take it all in.
Huge cities, temples, food, history, beaches, mountains and destinations that can feel completely different from one another.
Cities, coastlines, outdoor adventures, scenery and longer trips where the travel time makes planning the route especially important.
Mountains, cities, wildlife, food, history and bucket-list places that can be combined into some pretty memorable trips.
See several countries or ports while keeping the same room and ship as your home base throughout the trip.
It's tempting to look at a map and start adding places. But every extra stop means another checkout, another train or flight, more luggage to move and another chunk of the vacation spent getting somewhere.
Seeing more places doesn't always mean you'll get more out of the trip.
Sometimes three nights in three different cities makes perfect sense. Sometimes it turns a vacation into a race. How many stops work depends on the length of the trip, the distance between them and how quickly you like to travel.
The way you move through the trip can change the experience just as much as the destination itself.
Spend more time in fewer places, settle in a little and cut down on the number of days spent packing and moving.
A good option when seeing different places is part of the reason for the trip, as long as there's enough time for transportation and the occasional delay.
A planned route, local guides and included transportation can make an unfamiliar destination much easier to experience.
Choose your own hotels, transportation and daily plans while keeping more control over the pace of the vacation.
Trains can make getting between cities part of the experience, but stations, luggage, schedules and seat reservations still need to fit together.
Visit several ports without changing hotels every few days, while using the ship as a consistent home base.
These aren't the exciting parts of international travel, but getting them right can make a big difference in how smoothly the vacation goes.
Don't wait until the last minute to look at passports and destination entry requirements. The rules aren't the same everywhere, and they can change.
An overnight flight, a connection and a time change can make arrival day feel very different than it looked when you were building the itinerary.
Moving every day or two can look exciting on paper and still leave very little time to enjoy the places you traveled so far to see.
Flights, trains, ferries, rental cars, transfers, luggage and check-in times all need to work together.
A cheaper hotel isn't necessarily a better deal if you're spending extra time and money every day getting to the places you actually came to see.
Cards may handle most purchases, but local currency, exchange rates and small cash needs can still vary depending on where you're going.
Figure out your international phone plan, eSIM or other connection before you leave. Maps, confirmations and transportation are a lot easier when your phone works.
International trips can involve more nonrefundable pieces and more ways for a delay to affect the rest of the itinerary, so travel protection is worth considering.
You don't have to figure out the entire route before talking to me. Even if all you have is a country you've always wanted to see — or just an idea of the kind of trip you want — that's enough to start.
I can help compare destinations based on your dates, travel time, interests, weather and what you actually want to experience.
We'll look at how many places comfortably fit into the time you have and whether the transportation between them makes sense.
Guided tours, independent trips, cruises, rail travel and staying longer in one area can all work. I can help you compare what fits you best.
Hotels, transportation, flights, dates and the major parts of the trip need to work together. I look at the vacation as a whole instead of treating each reservation separately.
My job doesn't end when the reservations are made. If questions come up before the trip — or something needs attention while you're traveling — you still have someone to contact.
You don't need to have the country, route or every detail figured out. Tell me who's going, when you're thinking about traveling and what sounds like a great trip. I'll take it from there.
Start Planning My International Vacation →