🏆 Don't forget these 7 steps to love your next vacation
Inspiration Postcard #8: My wife and I followed these steps on our recent honeymoon and they work!
Hey friend,
Welcome back to another edition of Itchy Feet.
As always, thank you for reading and your time.
This week’s post is a SPECIAL EDITION post. In other words, it’s an Inspiration Postcard. The last Inspiration Postcard talked about the wonders of slow travel.
You can read it here:
This month’s Inspiration Postcard, is just as essential.
Let’s talk about the 7 essential steps you need to plan an incredible trip
This formula was recently battle-tested when my wife Yesi and I had our honeymoon in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.
We spent five nights in the country’s fifth-biggest city and had a blast.
Some facts about Cartagena
Founded in 1533 by Spanish conquistador Pedro de Heredia, Cartagena is the country’s principal port city.
Besides a strategic location along the Caribbean Sea, it’s a top vacation for local and international tourists.
Countless cruises, tours, backpackers, honeymooners, and many other vacationers frequent Cartagena.
Although there are areas filled with huge modern hotels like Bocagrande, the biggest draw is the Walled City of Cartagena.
This UNESCO World Heritage site feels like you’ve been transported into a parallel universe that mixes Latin America and Europe.
The colonial buildings, modernist architecture, and gorgeous balconies you encounter on every corner feel like Italy.
However, when you roam the streets, you see local women walking around with fruit on their heads (palenqueras), street vendors selling different goods, and the oftentimes loud salsa or reggaeton music will be blasting from various storefronts.
Cartagena is touristy.
But it’s worth a trip if you ever get a chance. It’s also a prime destination for a romantic trip, which is what we wanted.
Yesi and I also learned of places outside the city center where fewer travelers go.
How we planned our trip
Below is how we planned our trip. Follow this blueprint for your next trip!
Step #1: Establish vacation dates
Yesi and I needed to determine when we could actually have our honeymoon.
Our wedding was in October, but Yesi couldn’t get time off until December.
We opted for December 1st to the 5th because she got the whole month off and a series of family events were happening starting on December 7.
Step #2: Set goals for the trip
Before deciding where to go, we focused on what we wanted to do on our honeymoon.
It was an easy decision - beach. We’d never been to the beach together, so this was the primary objective.
We wanted to swim in the ocean somewhere. We also wanted to do an all-inclusive hotel for part of the trip.
Step #3: Create a budget
Friends and family were very thoughtful in giving us some money as a wedding gift.
We agreed that the wedding money would strictly be trip money.
Combined, we received Colombian pesos and US dollars. We decided to save USDs for a different trip in the future and use all the pesos for this one.
We had enough pesos to spend on the trip.
Step #4: Decide where to go
We had a budget and specific goals for our honeymoon. Since we live in Colombia, we knew our budget was enough for a domestic trip.
The two most popular cities for beaches and all-inclusive hotels were Santa Marta and Cartagena.
We scoured Google, Booking, Airbnb, and the internet for all-inclusive hotels in both cities.
We opted for Cartagena because we found a hotel that was available and within our budget.
Also, airfare to Cartagena was more affordable than Santa Marta.
Once we determined Cartagena was our place, we quickly booked flights. We also made a reservation at the all-inclusive we could afford for two nights.
We still had three nights in Cartagena to figure out.
We stayed true to our first goal: to be near a beach.
Cartagena is replete with beaches. Some are very busy. Some aren’t very safe, especially at night. Some are full of vendors trying to sell you something.
Yesi asked her family and friends for any ideas. Her uncle Omar shared his favorite beach because he's well-traveled.
Yesi made another smart decision and consulted Facebook. She found a Cartagena Facebook page for travelers and asked about the best beaches.
The Facebook forum and Omar were in unison about the best beach to visit in Cartagena.
Finally, we went on Booking and found a hotel within our budget and our personal hotel preferences.
Step #5: Make a list of all projected costs to see how much we have left to spend
We now had hotels and flights booked.
Next, we went on Uber and DiDi (their Colombian competition) to estimate each ride cost for the trip.
We also made a list of every meal we still needed to pay for after the all-inclusive and set a meal budget.
This gave us a good idea of how much money we’d need to spend.
Step #6: Research what to do
If our budget was more flexible, we’d have considered visiting a nearby island like Barú or Rasario, but it wasn’t in the cards for this trip.
However, to get some general ideas, Yesi asked in the same Facebook group and got lots of interesting ideas.
Cartagena offers cooking classes, history walks, museums, kayaking, snorkeling, jet skis, sailing, and dinner cruises (just to name a few activities).
We also checked Instagram and asked around in our immediate network.
It wasn’t too hard to research since we already had set goals for the trip: Beach, some wandering, and relaxing.
Step #7: Pack for the trip
Packing for a trip depends on multiple factors: How much luggage you’re bringing, where you’re going, and what activities you want to do.
We didn’t pay for carry-on or checked bags, so we mastered the art of using personal backpacks.
For a five-day trip, this seems like hardly any space.
But when you’re plan is to be at the beach, you just need the bare minimum.
I packed one nice shirt, two shorts, one pair of jeans, one pair of sandals, one pair of shoes, underwear, two pairs of socks, and a hat. We brought a shared bag of toiletries in travel-sized containers.
Next, some Cartagena travel tips and what we did on the honeymoon
#1 Be ready for people to try and sell you things.
Cartagena is notorious for this. Whether it’s a tour, a massage, a bracelet, sunglasses, street rappers spitting some rhymes at you, or a photo op with palenqueras, you’ll most likely have a few encounters.
If people ever come up to you, just say with a smile “gracias” and keep walking. “Gracias” in Colombia is another way of saying “No, thanks.” You have to not appear interested in what they offer to make this work, though.
Be confident, keep going, and you probably will be ok!
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