Expert Q&A for How to Make Successful Traveling Plans

Assuming that you mean "a little money" and not "literally no money," it's all about hunting for deals. You have to be diligent about digging for the best prices you can find. On top of that, you have to consider your destination's cost of living. Even if you get a great deal on hotels and airfare, meals, drinks, entertainment, and transportation may be super expensive. All of that stuff can add up, so make sure you do plenty of research ahead of time.

You can choose whatever days you'd like, but you definitely want to take the weather into account and make sure that you dress and pack appropriately. The other thing to consider is holidays. Different locations are going to have different attitudes towards holidays. So, if you're flying international, make sure you look up the local customs and holidays to avoid flying during a super busy or uninteresting time of the year.

You absolutely have to look at travel times. On paper, it may seem like two destinations are super close, but they could actually be super far away from one another. For example, a lot of folks think that Rome and Paris are close enough that they can do both in a day, but it's actually a 6-hour drive between them. That can take a huge chunk out of your day!

I usually coordinate with someone on the ground where I’m traveling, even if it’s someone I don’t know personally, like the concierge at the hotel I want to stay at. Spending 15 minutes on the phone asking for recommendations from a local saves hours lost to wandering.