The YOLO (You Only Live Once) culture is a popular and highly embraced philosophy of life, especially among the Millennials. Living in the moment, being spontaneous, and letting things flow, is what most people currently do. While it is indeed splendid to be in the present, it does not hurt to have a plan. Keeping a trip planner can benefit you as you travel around Kenya and elsewhere in various ways. Whether you are travelling solo or vacationing with friends, these five few reasons justify the need for a trip planner.

1. Gives Your Trip a Purpose

It may be that the last thing you want to do when travelling is to adhere to a schedule. You may want to just kick back and relax. If that is the case, then do so by all means. However, if you plan on exploring and experiencing your new destination to the fullest, having a trip planner might be useful. This way, you can make a sort of itinerary for the things you want to accomplish by the time you go back home.

Practical Example:

At the university, I was lucky enough to study a course that had trips as part of the curriculum. While the idea of these trips was to put theory into practice, there was still some excitement of going to a new place. One time, we went to Baringo County to study rocks and arid areas. Just before going back to school, our patrons gave us three hours to ourselves. Some people decided to find eateries, others stayed on the bus, and others took random walks.

I, however, had planned to do specific things when there because I did not know the next time I would get the chance. I needed three things: watermelons, honey, and charcoal. I thus used the free time to source for these things, and I went back to school a delighted person. Without having given it prior thought, I would probably have used that time to nap or sit under a shade waiting for the others to come back. The planner gave my trip a purpose.

2. Helps to Keep your Bucket List Current

In a way, a bucket list is also a trip planner. It gives you a structure to use when travelling so that you get to see all the destinations you desire. Having a trip planner allows you to keep your bucket list up to date since you can remove and add destinations, each time you travel. A planner helps you keep track of your travel activities, which in turn allows you to keep track of your bucket list.

3. Helps You to Budget

I always say that the most significant factor in any trip or vacation is your budget. The amount of money you plan to spend dramatically determines how your trip will go. If you travel to a new destination, say Nanyuki for a weekend, you can use your planner to jot down your expenses during your trip. That way, the next time you want to travel to Nanyuki again, you will have an idea of how much money you will need.

On the other hand, with a pre-written budget, you will have the discipline to stick to the activities and perhaps accommodation options that fit into your budget. A temptation most travellers without a plan face is choosing between luxury and budget travel. Most obviously go for luxury and end up either breaking their budget or cutting short their trip without accomplishing everything they set out to do. For responsible spending purposes, you need a trip planner during your travels.

4. Allows you to Record Your Memories

A trip planner can also double up as your travel journal. You can write down a summary or even a detailed description of your experiences after every day during your trip. This practice can help you save your memories, aside from taking photos and living in the moment. The journal can also help you avoid mistakes you made on your next adventure. You can write about new discoveries, words in a new language you got to learn, new contacts you made, and even delicious food you ate. Moreover, you can use it to also make plans for the next time you travel back to the same place. If during a planned trip to Nakuru you discover the not-so-well-known Lake Solai, you could mark it down as a to-do activity for next time.

5. Allows You to Make Informed Recommendations

As a traveller, your friends and family will frequently use you as a travel advisor. They will automatically expect you to know excellent eateries, hotels, camps, and other tourist sites in different places. While it is challenging to have all this information in your mind, you can always use your trip planner as a reference point. Having written down your experiences, you can easily give recommendations of where to go and what to do in various destinations.

For example, while in Naivasha, I learnt that boat ride charges cover the boat and not the number of people. Therefore, if the boat ride is KES 1,000, it will be KES 500 per person if you are two. To save money, you can choose to go with a group of other people, thus reducing the cost per head. With this information in your planner, you can help your friends save money and enjoy their trips to the maximum.

Final Thoughts

For most people, travelling is a form of escape from the schedules and routine of ordinary life. Therefore, most do not think to keep a planner during their trips. While it may seem like a lot of work, a trip planner actually gives you many benefits at the end. It helps you make informed choices, save memories, and even offers useful information to other people. Try taking one with you next time you travel and see if it will help.