How I Travel
By Raistlin van Spronsen
January 8, 2026
By Raistlin van Spronsen
January 8, 2026
Traveling can be nervewracking and rewarding at the same time, however having planned everything out will make it much smoother and make for a more enjoyable trip.
Here is how I plan my trips
The first step to planning that unforgettable trip is to first figure out where you want to go explore and visit.
To start researching, simply select 2-4 places you’d like to visit and research more details about these places including
Peak Season is the hight of the busiest travel season where it will be the busiest and attractions and accomodations will be more expensive.
Shoulder Season is the time between peak season and off season. It’s not quite off season but it’s not peak tourist season. For example our tourist season is June to August with the shoulder season being April/May and September and October. Our visitor information centre is usally open from May to October
Off Season is the slowest part of the year regarding tourism. We get cold winters so the dead of winter we don’t get as many tourists traveling through as we do in the summer time
Once you’ve determined where you want to travel to it’s best to book your travel and accomodations as soon as possible
It’s best to start to research flights and travel options as soon as possible. You can use sites such as Expedia, Trivago, Kayak to find affordable options to get to your destination. Always book directly with the airline
It’s best to start to research accomodation options as soon as possible. You can use sites such as Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com and Hotwire to find affordable and reasonable hotel options for your stay during your trip. Remember to read the reviews and book directly with the hotel for the best price.
If a vacation rental is something more you are looking for check Airbnb and VRBO to see options ranging from a single room to a full basement suite or even a full house for your trip. Depending on the city, they may also have websites for short-term rentals. Our family once rented an entire house in Palm Springs for a week or so and it was a great option for our family.
After booking your accomodations it’s the fun part of the planning process to plan your itinerary
Google maps is a great option for planning your adventure. While it is a great option there are many features that other options have
There are bunch of travel apps out there including Wanderlog, TripAdvisor and TripIt. My favourite byfar is Wanderlog. This app allows you to create itineraries for your destination. The added benifit is it adds the hours of operation for certian attractions
Plan to do 1-2 activites per day and build each day with some flexibilites during the day in case there are delays, or you are running behing schedule
Also plan to have a slower day, you are on vacation. I usally plan to do this on a Sunday where I go to church and then head to the mall
Getting around is important and getting to and from the airport is crucial
Getting to and from the airport is crucial especially for your flights to get your journey can be challenging especially in rural areas. The most common is public transportation in larger centers. In smaller cities, most transit systems may not serve the airport so you may need to use a taxi, ride share, hotel shuttle or friends and family members
Once you arrive in your destination there are several options for getting around, assuming you are visiting a larger city.
Public transit is the obviously the easiest to access and most affordable and reach most areas of the city. When I visit Vancouver I can get from the airport to my family member’s house entirely on transit.
Staying connected is key as there are many people that you need to keep in touch with; family, close friends, employers and any accomodations and service providers
An eSIM is the newest generation of SIM technology keeping our world connected. When traveling within Canada, there is no need to add another eSIM to your carrier. However if traveling internationally you’ll need to add an eSIM for that country. This is simple to do with countless of different services
There are countless of places with free Wi-Fi in many major cities, coffee shops, malls and so much more. There are mobile apps such as Telegram, WhatsApp, Messenger and so much more