Now let’s be real – I love a spreadsheet. But when it comes to planning a holiday, some of us (James) have a more ‘light-touch’ approach.
In fact this is something James has coined Panic and Pay. But let me tell you – you don’t have to pay a premium to keep things simple. You just need a few little hacks up your sleeve!
This lazy person’s guide to planning a holiday will keep logistics to a minimum without busting the holiday budget.
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The Ultimate Lazy Person’s Guide To Planning A Holiday
Whether you’re lazy and proud, or just overwhelmed with too many options, this guide will help cut through the chaos and make your holiday dream a reality.
1. Make smart destination picks
You can afford to be lazy with your holiday planning if you choose a destination that’s well set up for visitors – think strong tourist infrastructure with plenty of accommodation options, good transport links and plenty of leisure activities.
For example, choose cities like Barcelona, Amsterdam and New York. Or resorts in places like Mexico, Mallorca and Turkiye. These places are all easy to navigate, with lots to do – and you can enjoy them even if you haven’t planned ahead.
Once you start needing to pre-book activities, decipher a bus timetable or even rent a car, it’s harder to be lazy AND get the most out of your destination.
2. Be led by the flight price
Your flight is one of the key expenses of your trip, so if you’re looking to reduce your decision-making – let the flight price be your guide.
Bagging a cheap flight deal can leave you with more to spend on accommodation and extras. Use the ‘everywhere’ destination option on Skyscanner or ‘explore’ on Google Flights.
Lots of popular European cities have well-priced flight options year-round – try spots like Milan, Porto and Krakow.
3. Stay somewhere central
If you don’t want to plan too much in advance, then staying central means you’ll never be too far from anywhere.
Central accommodation is typically more expensive, but you can hack this by choosing a destination that’s cheaper overall – a city break somewhere like Wroclaw, Tirana or Ljubljana for example. Also, if you’re staying central, it’s much quicker to get around, so you could plan a shorter trip, and save on accommodation that way.
4. Book accommodation with extras included
Pay attention to the facilities when you’re booking accommodation, as these can stack up to make your stay super comfortable – a lazy person’s dream.
Things like breakfast and luggage storage included mean you don’t have to think about sorting these things out – which can feel like a right pain when you’re hangry or facing a busy day of sightseeing with a heavy bag in tow.
For a resort stay, a half-board or all-inclusive deal helps to manage costs up front – and you don’t have to worry about mentally tracking a budget while you’re there.
For all my fellow planners and penny pinchers who have somehow stumbled onto this article, here’s a fun trick for you – go through this list and you’ll discover areas where you can save money! However, you absolutely won’t have as chilled a time as the lazy travellers – and actually, sometimes I’m a bit jealous of them!!
5. Plan one thing per day
If the thought of planning a full itinerary makes you shudder – then strip it right back. Pick one thing to definitely do each day, then see what comes up when you’re there.
That way you have an anchor point in the day to get you up and out, but you aren’t rushing to tick everything off your schedule. And whether you choose to bulk out your day with more activities or keep things chill, you’re still sticking to the plan. So pat yourself on the back!
6. Eat like a local
If you’ve read about somewhere on a blog, or seen it on TikTok, it’s very likely to be overhyped and have ginormous queues to match.
Ask your accommodation for recommendations, look up nearby restaurants on Google Maps – or just keep an eye out for the spots that fill up with locals. You don’t need every meal to be perfect – but you want it to be decent and worth what you paid for it.
7. Prep wisely
Some things you will have to plan – be smart with what you focus on and you won’t feel like you’re having to deal with everything all at once.
The main things to check are:
- Is your passport valid for travel to your destination?
- What’s the UK government’s travel advice for your destination?
- Have you got valid travel insurance?
- Have you booked transfers (or checked your route from the airport to your accomodation)?
- Is you first night’s accommodation sorted?
- Can you use your phone data or do you need an e-sim?
8. Lean on travel buddies
If you’re a lazy traveller, and you’re on a trip with other people, figure out what makes them tick and lean into it!
For example, a lot of people ARE planners, and love nothing more that getting a spreadsheet going. So if you’re lucky enough to find yourself travelling with someone like this – let them crack on! They’ll be happy they get to dictate the plan, and you’ll benefit from having your whole trip planned out for you – win!
