3 Steps to Planning a Weekend Trip

#LifeInCzechia When it comes to location, Czechia is in a great position as it’s known as the “Heart of Europe.” With Germany to the west, Austria to the south, Slovakia to the east, and Poland to the north, Czechia has lots of options for weekend trips. However those aren’t the only options for a weekend trip. The main difficulty in planning a weekend trip is figuring out where you want to go. When I plan my weekend trips I follow three basic steps.

Step One: Budget

You might think that deciding where to go for your weekend trip would be the first step but, the first step should be identifying your budget. Without defining your budget first you won’t be able to decide where you’d like to go. 

Perhaps you want to go to Barcelona, Spain but you have a budget of $300 or around 6,607.50 Czech Crowns. Spain is most likely out of your budget for a last minute trip but you could keep it in mind for the future by looking for deals. Traveling to different countries within Europe is much more affordable than traveling from the United States. Transportation by plane, train, or bus is much cheaper so your budget can be much less than a foreigner from the US. 

When planning your budget make sure to include these categories:

  • Transportation: 
    • Train
      • To get to your destination & back
      • To travel within the city
    • Plane
      • To get to your destination & back
    • Bus
      • To get to your destination & back
      • To travel within the city
    • Car
      • To get to your destination & back
      • To travel within the city
        • Parking
        • Gas to get to the destination & back
    • Taxis/Ride sharing services
      • To travel within the city
  • Accommodation:
    • Hotel
    • Hostel
    • Apartment
  • Food & Drinks
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Bar/Alcohol
    • Snacks
  • Events/Entertainment
    • Museums
    • Special Events
    • Clubs
    • Souvenirs
    • Etc.
  • Emergency/Unexpected Expenses

Step Two: Destination

Next, you need to decide where to go. For each person there’ll be different reasons on why they’d like to visit somewhere. Through Czechia’s advantageous location there are lots of options. You could choose to travel to a different city within Czechia like Telč, Pilsen, Třebíč, České Budějovice, Český Krumlov, Prague, Lednice, among many others. You could choose to travel a bit further to one of the countries surrounding Czechia like Germany, Slovakia, Austria, or Poland. However, you also have the choice of going even further because of where Czechia is located. 

You can take a plane from Václav Havel Airport Prague or travel down to Vienna, Austria and take a plane from Vienna International Airport if you’d like to travel further. Through these options it makes visiting other countries like Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, the UK, etc. much easier.

Let’s say you’d like to travel to Krakow, Poland for the weekend. I suggest following these steps:

  1. Decide how you’d like to get there.
    1. Train? Plane? Bus? Car?
      1. (Let’s pretend we chose to get there by a Flixbus)
  2. You’ll need to check the timetables and decide what time and for what price you’d like to take the Flixbus there and back.
  3. After booking your ticket to Krakow you need to find accommodation. Depending on your budget and comfort level you’ll need to decide on what type of accommodation you’d like to stay in. 
    1. Hostel? Hotel? Apartment?
      1. (I’m a university student so I have a limited budget so in my case I would choose a hostel and forfeit some comfort.)
    2. Always double check the location of your accommodation. You don’t want to book a hostel that’s an hour away from where your bus dropped you off or an hour away from the places you’d like to visit. 
  4. Next is the fun part. Do some research on what’s going on the weekend you’re visiting. Maybe there’s a film festival or a concert. If you arrive in Krakow and then find out about the event you might not have the budget or the event may be sold out. It’s always best to do research before booking anything but sometimes you may not learn about an event until after you book your transportation or accommodation so it’s better to double check and see if anything new has popped up.

Step Three: Timing

Something else you have to keep in mind while planning a weekend trip is the timing. While researching where you’d like to go it’s important to think about the dates. Maybe there’s a festival happening that weekend so it’s reasonable to think that the prices will be higher. By doing a little research and finding websites and apps you can find the best weekend to getaway while not breaking the bank.

If you’re going to a destination for a specific event it’s better to book everything as soon as possible. Otherwise you may risk the chance of not being able to find accommodation. You can also book reservations at restaurants to ensure that you’ll have somewhere to eat during the busy weekend.

While timing is important and having a schedule helps, you’ll need to keep an open mind and be flexible with your plans. In my experience plan A never goes as plan and sometimes neither does plan B or C. If you keep an open mind and go with the flow it’ll be less stressful on yourself and/or traveling peers. When things go wrong I often find that going with the flow creates the most memorable experiences and sometimes are better than your original plan.

Tips/Advice:

  • If you’re traveling alone or if you’re a part of a younger demographic I recommend staying in hostels. You’ll be able to meet more people around your age, save money, and have a sense of community.
  • If you’re traveling with your family I recommend staying in a hotel or apartment. Hostels often have mixed dorms and if you’re traveling with children you’ll most likely want a sense of privacy and security. By staying in a hotel or apartment you get the space to yourself and don’t have to worry about the possibility of sharing a room with strangers.
  • Keep your luggage light. You’re only getting away for 2-3 nights so you don’t need to overly pack. You’ll need to keep in mind that it’s harder to travel with heavier luggage so grabbing a backpack and bringing the minimum will allow you to enjoy your trip even more.
  • Make a list of the things you may want to see before going on your trip and put them into a maps app so you can track where everything is. You’ll be able to plan your itinerary easier by seeing which locations are close to each other.
  • Double check that the events/activities don’t need to be pre-booked or a specific time slot. Otherwise you may go to the activity and not get to experience it because it’s fully booked or the time slots are filled.
  • Try the local cuisine. Talk to locals and see what they suggest and try it. If you don’t like the cuisine then try something else. Always allocate part of the budget to eat good, local food. You don’t want fast food that you can get anywhere.

Sources:

External Links Sources: https://www.czechbusinessguide.com/content-of-book-the-czech-republic-the-czech-republic-heart-of-europe/#:~:text=Thanks%20to%20its%20location%2C%20which,the%20%E2%80%9CHeart%20of%20Europe%E2%80%9D.

https://visiteurope.com/en/events/

Source of photos: Canva

Jazmine Rose Scharfenberg

Hello! I'm Jazmine, a telecommunications student from the US. I am interning abroad for the Summer in Brno. I've traveled around the world and love exploring new places. I hope you'll follow my journey as I explore the Czech Republic and other countries during the Summer. I hope you'll enjoy my adventures and the stories that come with!

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