8 Easy Steps to Plan a Trip

How to Plan a Perfect Trip to Abroad

Planning for an international trip can be overwhelming and time-consuming. Although it should be something fun and positive, it can easily become a stressful task whether planning a short trip or a long one.

It's very easy to get confused in the beginning, especially when you haven't done something like this before.

A lot of information can be found on the internet but the question is where to start. So, here we've created a step-by-step travel planning guide on how to make a trip easier and less stressed.


Step 1 - Choose your destination (where you want to go)

Finalise a destination where you are planning to travel. Think about the vacation you really want. Don't be like "I don't know, I just want to travel". This way, you won't be able to plan a trip that will really execute. So, pick a destination, as it will give you a definite goal. Make sure to choose a destination that fits your budget as well.

Step 2 - Decide the length of your trip

Before you jump to your cost research, decide the length of your trip. Once you've decided whether you want to go on a short trip (a few days) or a long one (a few weeks), it will become easy to figure out how much it is going to cost.

Step 3 - Research your travel costs

Do thorough research on the prices in your destination. Include the following in your cost research:

  • Flight ticket
  • Accommodation
  • Getting around (by local transport or taxi)
  • Sightseeing & attractions
  • Places to eat & drink
This will provide you an estimate of how much money you'll need for your trip.

Step 4 - Book flight and accommodation for your trip

Search for online deals and packages for your chosen destination. Compare the price across various booking sites. And you can save money by booking in advance. Another tip to save money is to travel off-season.


Step 5 - Plan and decide your trip itinerary

Start with making a list of all the major places you would like to see. Plan your activities and calculate how much they cost. It will help you make any adjustments to your savings. Ask family & friends who have been there.

Use online resources like Travel blogs, Google, and Trip Advisor for ideas while planning your itinerary for your destination. But make sure your research is up-to-date. 

Step 6 - Cross-check your documents

Before you pack your bags, make sure to cross-check all your required documents. Mentioned below is the document checklist:

  • Passport
  • Visa (if applicable)
  • Flight & accommodation tickets
  • Travel insurance
  • Travel vaccination proof (find out in advance if any immunizations are required for your destination and get vaccinated if mandatory)
  • Credit Cards
  • Driving License
  • A few passport size photos
Please note: Take copies of your important documents.

Step 7 - Pack your stuff

Now it's time to pack your bag. The best thing to do here is to pack minimum because you can always buy the needful there. The more I travel, I realize we don’t need to pack a lot of stuff.

  • Pack your clothes according to the weather at your destination place.
    • Don't forget to add sunglasses, scarves, belts, and socks on your list.
  • The most important toiletries to pack are:
    • Toothbrush, toothpaste & floss
    • Shampoo & conditioner
    • Shower gel/soap & face wash
    • Comb, hair ties & hairpins
    • Towel
    • Deodorant 
    • Sunscreen, face lotion/gel & moisturizer
    • Personal hygiene products
      (Some of the toiletries can be skipped if you are staying in a hotel.)
  • Electronic items like mobile, chargers, laptop/iPad, camera & universal power adapter.
  • A small medical kit including band-aids, eyedrops, earplugs, doctor-prescribed antibiotics, painkillers, and hand sanitizer.
  • USB card reader and memory card.
  • Keep your house keys safe with you.
  • Download important mobile applications:

Step 8 - Enjoy your trip

Now, the last step is to enjoy your trip and have fun. Take some photos, buy some souvenirs, and create amazing travel memories.

You're more likely to have a great vacation if you plan your trip with care. Now, start saving money for your trip and enjoy every single second of it.

Love Lake in Dubai - All You Need To Know

Love Lake Dubai

Love Lake is one of the beautiful hidden gems in Dubai. The lake looks like two interlocking hearts from above, making it one of the most romantic places in Dubai.

Love Lake is in the Al Qudra oasis in Dubai. Though you need to drive through the desert to reach there, the best part is that you don't need a 4x4 for that. You can drive a sedan as well.

Beautiful Love Lake in Dubai

It's a very beautiful place to enjoy with your family or friends. There are some designated areas for barbeque as well. 

Love Lake is a home to a huge variety of plants and birds. You can spot swans, ducks, eagles and falcons. Visitors can also see goldfish and other fish species swimming around in the lake.

Fishes in Love Lake

Things to do in Love Lake:

  • Camping
  • Barbeque (only in designated areas)
  • Picnic
  • Jogging
  • Photoshoot
  • Witness Sunset
Love Lake Photo

Love Lake location:

The Love Lake is a pleasant 10-minute drive away from Dubai’s Al Qudra Lake. Love Lake Dubai is located along the Al Qudra Road (D63). Al Qudra Road can be easily accessed via Dubai-Al Ain Road (E66) or Emirates Road (E611), depending on which way you are coming from.

Love Lake timings:

The Love Lake is accessible 24hrs a day.

Love Lake Dubai entry fees:

There is no entry fee for visiting the Love Lakes. It's FREE

Love Lake parking:

Plenty of parking is available just outside the Love Lake.

Most frequently asked questions about Love Lake Dubai

Is there toilet in Love Lake?

Yes, toilets are at the entrance. (located in the car park area)
Washroom Facility in Love Lake Dubai

Is there any shop or restaurant nearby?

There is no shop or restaurant facility available in the area as of now. So, always remember to bring food and water with you when you come.
However, the nearest food spot is Al Qudra's Last Exit by Meraas, which is approx. 15 min drive from the Love Lake.

Is BBQ allowed in Love Lake?

Yes, barbeque is allowed in the designated areas of the lake. It is one of the best spot for camping and enjoying picnics.

Check out more photos of the gorgeous Love Lake:


Heart Shape Tree in Love Lake

Photogenic Love Lake

Love Lake - Romantic Destination

Love Lake Photo

AL Qudra Love Lake

Best Time to Visit Dubai Miracle Garden

Dubai Miracle Garden

The Dubai Miracle Garden operates from October to April. But the best time to visit Dubai Miracle Garden is between November to February while it is still winter in the UAE. The garden remains closed from June to September due to high temperatures.

If you haven’t yet been to Dubai Miracle Garden, you must. You can also check my Dubai Travel Guide if you are planning a trip to Dubai sooner or later.

9 Best Travel Books to Inspire Wanderlust

Travel book

If you are a book lover and love to travel across the world, then you have come to the right place! Have you ever asked yourself why you pick a specific city or country to travel to? Almost certainly it is just because someone you know went there, a photograph/video on social media platforms, or a travel book you have read that inspired you. There are several ways to fuel your desire to travel and the great one, in my opinion, is diving into a good travel book!

Reading travel novels/books are a brilliant way to get motivation for your next destination in the world. These wanderlust-exciting reads are a real combination – old and latest, fiction and non-fiction, masterpieces, and relaxed beach reads. But what they all have in mutual is that they transference you to another place. These books might educate, inform, or entertain you, but surely, they’ll all make you want to see more of the world. Hopefully, these amazing travel books will trigger your wanderlust too.

The Alchemist - by Paulo Coelho

Paulo Coelho’s fascinating novel, The Alchemist, in the eclectic “enchanted realism” category, has encouraged a devoted following around the globe. This beautiful story, appealing in its influential simplicity, powerful emotions, interesting characters, and heart-touching wisdom, is about a young shepherd boy called Santiago who travels from his home in Spain to the Egyptian desert in quest of a gem hidden nearby the Pyramids.

Vagabonding - by Rolf Potts

If you have ever thought about wandering for more than two weeks at a time – Vagabonding is a must-read. What attracts this book is the way it supports long-term travel as a lifestyle choice. Especially for those who may be shy about trying a digital traveler lifestyle, this travel book worth looking into. Rolf Potts beautifully makes a convincing case for this kind of lifestyle and how it can be perfect for those who have been looking for a way to travel the world over a very long period.

Into the Wild - by Jon Krakauer

A delightful page-turner is very well-written with modesty, imminence, and great style. Into the Wild is the actual story of Christopher McCandless, a young American, who was a top student and amazing athlete, decided to travel the desert of the United States after graduating from Emory University in Atlanta and who eventually died of starvation in Alaska, aged 24.

In A Sunburned Country - by Bill Bryson

Has In A Sunburned Country been standing next on your book bucket list? Read here the key message of the book with this quick summary. This Bill Bryson’s book is a smartly written travelogue about Australia, sprinkled with so much local and unclear Australian history, almost all of it interesting. Bryson finds Australia is a unique, multi-layered country with amazingly beautiful geography, welcoming people, yet a shady past of the disturbing treatment of its native people. But by and large, Australia is a gigantic and privileged land, and it has found in untiring explorer Bryson its picture-perfect guide.

The Lost City of Z - by David Grann

In The Lost City Of Z, David Grann takes us on a classic journey to one of the distant places on Earth. A rugged explorer Percy Fawcett and his search to find the mythological city of El Dorado in the Amazon appeared in The New Yorker. This colorful tale has everything to fire the imagination: romance, true adventure, lost civilizations, hardship, madness, mystery, tragedy, bravery, nostalgia, science, unexpected twists, turns, and abundantly of dark warnings.

50 States, 5,000 Ideas - by National Geographic - by Joe Yogerst

This paperback is enriching and beautifully presented, which a traveler will be using to plan road journeys in the United States and Canada for years to come! In 50 States, 5000 Ideas, a reader can hangout in each state to get the highpoints and find rare hidden gems in the main cities, as well as some off the crushed path locations. This book also highlights the tourism department information of major cities along with unseen treasures and other important things you will want to know before you go like festivals, highway journey ideas, music & movie trivia, and interesting facts you might not have known.

Shantaram: A Novel - by Gregory David Roberts

Bold, thrilling, giddy, lyrical, racy, philosophical, romantic, and heartbreakingly tragic – all these words can define one book, Shantaram. This masterpiece is broadly based on author Gregory David Roberts’s life, an armed robber, and a heroin addict from Australia who ran away from prison and came to live in the city of dreams – Bombay (India) and travels it through its slums and the underground mafia world. This is one of those unpredictable books, which can make one rethink life from a completely different perspective.

A Walk In The Woods - by Bill Bryson

A Walk In The Woods is a real story about the author Bill Bryson’s wonderful experience crisscrossed the Appalachian Trail. Back in America almost after 20 years, the author decided to reintroduce himself to his inherent country by hiking around 2,100-miles Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. This travel book is more than just a lol (laugh-out-loud) hike. Bryson’s sharp eye is a wise onlooker to this fragile and majestic trail, and as he beautifully tells its mesmerizing history, he makes a moving appeal for the conservation of America’s last great desert. An adventure, humor, and a carnival, this book is destined to become a contemporary masterpiece of travel literature.

Wild: From Lost to Found - by Cheryl Strayed

Halfway on her life’s voyage, the author Cheryl Strayed found herself in the dusky woods. However, Strayed’s story is inspirational, it’s not aspirational. Wild: From Lost to Found is a story about loneliness, getting away from the actual world when it seems dreadful, and reviewing ourselves that we can do hard things. Through this book, the author takes the liberating nature of travel – a theme as ancient as literature itself – and makes it her own. For almost 3 months, the author hiked around 1,100 miles to save herself. This isn’t a fancy paperback, but it is a book that makes you sit up and take notice for sure. It’s a marvelous book a traveler should read.

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Top 7 Happiest Countries In The World

Probably your idea of happiness is an emerald blue beach of the Caribbean, a glass of vintage red wine on the French Riviera, or a surprise hotel upgrade, but what about the happiness of a nation? Yes, you read it right. Have you ever thought about your own country's happiness? Possibly, NOT! Now you wonder if certain countries are happier than yours. YES, is the answer to this question!

Health, wealth, love, companionship, freedom, and security – happiness means something different to everyone. Some people are happier than others. Similarly, some countries are happier than the rest. It is tongue-in-cheek that some of the coldest countries with the most depressing weather are actually the happiest countries in the world.
Happiest Country in the World

What Makes A Country Happy?

Most of the people in the happiest countries live longer, better, healthier, and happier lives. These happy countries have a better work-life balance. From a four/six-hour workday to a lot of paid vacation, people have more time and energy for their families, friends, and communities. Financial support is another the most important factor which contributes to the country’s happiness score. In countries that offer well pay, public pension, or almost free health coverage, people are comparatively happier.

Want to be surrounded by joyful locals on your next holiday trip? Head to these world’s happiest countries and experience them for yourself:

Finland - Hidden Gem

Finland is a pandora’s box of experiences! From the lively art-filled cities of Helsinki to the depths of the boreal forests, from the sea to the snow, from rivers to vast wilderness areas, the thinly-inhabited outer archipelago, for the young and old alike, Finland is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered. This is likely because it is so far from the normal tourist routes, but the country’s various cultural and historical attractions add to the unspoiled natural surroundings to make it a perfect destination. Your next trip to Finland will certainly be thrilling and will leave you coming back for more.

Denmark - Cool and Calm

Denmark is a small but one of the happiest country that comprises of mesmerizing landscapes where the visitors can soak in the natural beauty of the surroundings. This country is blessed with a perfect mixture of artistic architecture, breathtaking landscapes, glorious beaches, lush green forests, striking islands, colorful harbors, beautiful cathedrals, fairytale castles, and medieval complexes that make visitors fall in love with Denmark instantly.

Switzerland - It’s Swiss

Banks, trains, watches, army knives, chocolates, melted cheese, cakes, Federer, beautiful childhood fantasies – if there is a single word that can describe all of these, it’s Swiss. Switzerland, to be clearer. Ravishing alpine scenery oozing out from storybook villages, sparkling turquoise lakes, emerald valleys, glaciers, snow-capped peaks of the Alps, and picturesque lakeside hamlets – the dreamland Switzerland is an extended metaphor for all the fairy tales one could ever imagine. So, if you're planning your next holiday, then Switzerland is an ideal destination for you.

Iceland - Island of Fire and Ice

Wild, windswept, and covered with ice caps right from south to the Arctic north, Iceland is a place of hot volcanoes, enthralling fishing towns, rugged canyons, glaciers, waterfalls, massive fjords, blistering hot springs, and buzzing vodka bars. This land has a distinct cultural heritage of music, songs, art, literature, and cuisine that you’ll surely find captivating too. This happy Iceland offers you a wonderful travel experience unlike anywhere else on the planet.

Norway - Dreamland

One of the most prosperous and happy countries, Norway has made its way into the bucket list of each passionate traveller around the globe. From snow-capped mountains, magnificent fjords, and plenty of churches and lighthouses, there are so many places to visit in Norway for that perfect trip with family, friends, and couples. Above everything else, it is the dream come true for many travellers to catch a rare glimpse of the breathtaking Northern Lights at least once in their lifetime. I hope Norway given you a sense of wanderlust and helped you plan your next trip.

Netherlands - Crown Jewel of Europe

One of the happiest lands of Europe, Netherlands is an amazing holiday destination that steals away the heart of every traveller. It’s a treasure trove of heritage – of rich history and unique cultural legacy along with astounding architecture, scenic water canals, classic windmills, and magnificent flower fields. This is a quick glance at some of the best things to see in the Netherlands that will ignite your wanderlust and make you pack your bags right away.

Sweden - Winter Wonderland

How does one describe a nation that has given the world the Vikings… well, you get the idea. Sweden - a traveller’s paradise. This happy place is famous for its spectacular landscape, rich history, majestic lakes, stunning scenery, exotic cities, beautiful fishing villages, tempting Swedish cuisine, and being the land of reindeer and endless summer sun. One thing is sure that you'll never be bored in this joyful country because there are several things to do here right from outdoor adventures like trekking, boating, hiking, camping, etc to explore the historic treasures.

A memorable vacation is nothing short of a dream come true for the travellers looking for striking experiences and out-of-the-world landscapes. So, try to leave behind your monotonous schedule and plan your next trip to one of the happiest countries right away!