Build Your Own Trip: Step-by-Step Guide

When I travel, I rarely or hardly know the places I am going to visit. However, I know what type of activities can be done. In this article, I will give you some suggestions for building your itinerary in Mexico.

Building your own itinerary in Mexico.

You must first define several criteria: the duration of your stay, the activities you want to do, the way and the time when you will go.

Let’s take my example:

• My trip to Mexico will be in March next year. So I looked to see if it was relevant to go during this period on the site quandpartir.com. The chosen period is good. You can read other information about Mexico there. The ideal period to go is from September to May (dry season).

• I don’t really know the exact places for my itinerary in Mexico, but I have heard of interesting places to see. For example, the Mayan and Aztec temples including one of the most beautiful wonders of the world “Chichén Itzá”, there are also cenotes which are natural wells, I would like to take a tour in Cancún and also in Mexico City. Most of these activities can be found in southern Mexico.

  🗣️ My experience: For my trip to Patagonia (3 weeks), I compared two agency quotes (4,500-5,200 €/person) with my own arrangement: flights on Skyscanner, AirBnb in Buenos Aires-El Calafate-El Chaltén, local activities. Total: €2,800 for the same itinerary, more room for maneuver. Savings of €1,700 for 8 hours of preparation. My highest hourly ROI of the year.

• I very rarely use travel guides; I create my trip based on what I hear through word of mouth and also on information I find on the internet (travel blogs, tour operator websites, informational travel sites, etc.). To complete my trip, I often go to tour operator sites where you can find organized tours; for example, you can check out the Vacances Transat website for your next trip to Mexico. You will find various tours and stay ideas there. On the proposed tours, there is often a program of the stay, so you can know how many days it is necessary to stay. Knowing that I travel backpacker-style, I plan a longer stay in certain places or to take public transportation and find accommodations, etc.

• Now that I know the main tourist spots I want to visit, I will focus on the means of getting around. With limited means, I will prioritize the bus. In Central and South America, there are good road networks and bus lines. I generally find this information on travel forums. By typing on Google, I quickly come across the Lonely Planet site for transportation in Mexico. You can check the sites of different companies to build your trip. Personally, I get a minimum of schedule information and organize myself directly on site by moving around the bus stations.

  🍀 Build it yourself

  • 20 to 50% savings
  • Total freedom (stops, duration)
  • Precise choice of accommodations
  • Useful learning for future trips

  🔻 Tour operator

  • Zero prep effort
  • 24/7 assistance included
  • Strong legal security
  • But 30-45% more expensive on average

  🌍 Did you know?

  A trip with a classic tour operator contains on average a 30-45% margin split between the agency, the wholesaler, and commissions. The same trip built yourself therefore costs 30-45% less, with equal comfort. The downside: no 24/7 assistance and more preparation time.

• For accommodations, I usually only book the first few nights and decide on site for the rest. I consult sites such as the youth hostel site hostelworld.com to get reviews on accommodations or Tripadvisor.

  ⚠️ Classic trap

  Booking the flight before checking accommodation availability. In some destinations during high season (Bali in July, Iceland in summer), good hotels are fully booked months in advance. You arrive with a locked flight and the only remaining options are €200/night. Book flight and first 2 nights together.

This is how I build my own itinerary each time. I gather as much information as possible while giving myself maximum freedom, as I only book the first few days.

And how do you organize your next trip?

For a longer format, preparing a long trip covers the steps that go beyond the classic stay. On the flights side, choosing your ticket with or without a stopover compares options to save time and money. And for those leaving for several months, managing accommodation on a long trip helps structure the accommodation topic.

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