Steps for Planning a Multi-Country Trip

by Heather M. Heikkinen
Steps for Planning a Multi-Country Trip

Arranging travel plans can be complicated, especially if you aim to visit more than one country. Multi-country travel requires you to arrange travel insurance, health insurance, a visa, flights, and accommodation for each destination.

As complex as arranging multi-country travel can be to arrange, it’s worth your time and energy. Visiting several countries within a single trip enables you to make the most of your time and experience as many parts of the world as possible.

The Earth has so much to offer, and every country is unique in its culture and appearance. Arranging a multi-country trip provides the opportunity for you to sight see and explore your heart’s content, whether you want to explore the ancient wonders in Europe or backpack across Australia.

To make planning multi-country travel as smooth and simple as possible, we’ve got some top tips below.

Identify How Much You’ve Got to Spend

Before you can start booking flights and hotels or arranging excursions, you will need to identify your total budget. When you know the total amount you have available to spend on your trip, you can ensure you don’t overspend when booking travel insurance, flights, and accommodation.

Consider all of your expenses, including food, transportation, hotels or room shares, activities and excursions, insurance, and legal expenses. Break down your total amount of money to see how much you have available to spend in each of these areas.

Keep a small portion of your money aside as an emergency fund. You can use this in unexpected events when you’re travelling to stay safe and avoid a financial crisis.

Plan Your Destinations

Your next step is to decide where you want to go. Choose the countries you’ve always wanted to visit, considering your budget and available time.

Maybe there’s a particular sight you want to see, cities you want to explore, or cultures you want to learn about. Consider what each country has to offer, and aim to plan your journey so that you can easily travel from one destination to another. To get the most out of your trip, plan to visit countries with different cultures and historical features.

Organise Travel and Health Insurance

You’ll need to compare international annual travel insurance plans if you’re aiming to travel continuously during the course of several months. An annual plan covers you for 12 months, and a global policy enables you to enjoy seamless insurance coverage across several countries.

Travel insurance protects you in unexpected travel related events, such as cancelled flights, lost luggage, stolen baggage, and natural disasters. You can make a claim on your travel insurance in any of these scenarios and gain compensation inconvenience and financial losses.

Health insurance is also a must-have when you are planning a multi-country trip, and it will enable you to access healthcare services in each of your destinations. As with travel insurance, you will need to take out an international policy for seamless coverage across borders.

With health insurance, you can enjoy top-quality healthcare and medical treatments for chronic and acute illnesses and injuries. Your health insurance provider may also subsidise the costs of your medical bills, potentially saving you a significant amount of money.

Check Visa and Entry Requirements

Every country has unique entry requirements, so you will need to research each individual destination to understand your requirements before you head off on your trip. Many countries require visitors to obtain visas to enter the country, and you will need a valid, in-date passport to get through security at most airports.

Some countries require passports to have at least six months left in order to be valid, so if your passport is soon to expire, it is worth applying for a new one to be on the safe side.

Book International and National Transportation

You should first book your international flights to ensure you can get to your initial destination. You can then move on to booking travel within each of your destination countries. Consider searching for budget flights to save money and multi-day passes for local travel on trains, buses, and subways. 

Booking travel in advance enables you to secure the best deals, relax during your journeys, and avoid the last-minute rush to buy tickets. It also helps you prepare and plan what to do and where to go during your multi-country trip more easily.

Secure Your Accomodations

Whether you want to stay in fancy five-star hotels, budget air BnBs, or cheap and cheerful hostels, you will need to book your accommodations in advance. It might take several weeks to thoroughly research the best accommodations within each country you plan on visiting, but it’s worth spending the time to find places that are within your budget and suitable for your needs.

Make sure to choose hotels or hostels that are in safe areas and have adequate security measures. This is especially important if you are visiting brand-new places that you don’t know your way around. 

Ideally, your chosen accommodations should have outdoor security measures, such as CCTV cameras, and individual locks for each room, so you can secure your belongings when you leave to explore each day.

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