If you’re anything like the type of traveler I am, wanting to see and do as much as possible since I’m limited with how much time I can spend away, then these tips will help you make the most out of your trip abroad. As of 2021, I’m blessed to have traveled to 47 different countries, although I would’ve added Japan to my list if it weren’t for the shutdown in 2020. But as travel is resuming and things are getting back to a new normal for the most part, if you’re ready to start exploring again and want to make up for lost time, here is how you visit more destinations in one trip.
1 – Take A Cruise!
Taking a cruise is literally the best way to see more cities and countries in one trip! You’re able to see multiple countries and even multiple cities within that country in as little as 4 or 5 days. I find that taking a cruise also helps with giving you a preview of a country you may want to visit and go back to explore more at a later time. I’ve been on 10 different cruises that sailed to the Caribbean, the UK, and Europe on Royal Caribbean (my favorite so far), Princess Cruises (catered to the older crowd), Holland America (also for the older crowd), and Carnival (for younger people and most affordable).
Although you may not spend as much time as you would like in a certain country, it definitely gives you a taste and allows you to visit more of them in one trip. Especially for those who aren’t able to have more time off or have a tighter budget, this is one of the best ways to be able to travel around the world and step foot in more countries. Plus you don’t have to worry about food or accommodations at all! And the entertainment included is very well worth it.
Tips To Visit More Destinations On A Cruise
- It’s highly recommended to spend at minimum 1 night in the country where your cruise is departing before you board cruise so you don’t encounter any delays and miss your sailing date. If you do miss your sailing time, you can always meet your ship at the next dock, but that can become very inconvenient. Also, if your check-in luggage gets delayed, it will be very tough for you to get it to your ship as it starts sailing.
- Spend a couple days after your ship docks at the end of the trip so you can do a little more exploring in that country at your own leisure.
- Remember to get back to your ship on time at the end of each day so they don’t leave without you! I’ve been on a couple cruises where some people don’t make it back to the ship on time and the ship is unable to wait for these passengers.
- The cruise has plenty of excursions to offer at each destination you dock at, but feel free to book your own tours outside of the cruise line. Sometimes it’s cheaper and better that way since the ones on the cruise can sell out as well.
2 – Book A Connecting Flight
If you want to visit more cities or countries in one trip with less inconveniences, but get seasick or just don’t want to be stuck on a cruise, a great option is to book a connecting flight to your destination. With booking a connecting flight and having a longer layover, you can spend at least an extra day visiting a different city or country before settling in at your main destination. To me, it’s kind of like an appetizer before the main course and amps up the anticipation for me.
For example, when I was flying to the Philippines, it was cheaper to have a connecting flight and there were multiple country destinations to choose from. We thought, why not? Since we get to visit more places and cross another country of the list, we chose Taipei, Taiwan – because hello, the food and the history! There were different durations to choose from as well, anywhere from 6 hours to a whole day. We ended up having to select an 8 hour layover instead of the 1 day that we wanted because of a specific time frame we had to reach our main destination. But it was enough for us to see the National Palace Museum that houses 700,000 pieces of ancient Chinese imperial artifacts and stop by the Shilin Night Market for some amazing street food, and get back to the airport on time.
Tips To Visit More Destinations On A Connecting Flight
- Have a minimum of 4 hours between your flights so you can get through traffic, have time to explore, and go through security and customs.
- Take into consideration the traffic to and from the airport and boarding times for your next flight.
- Depending on the country you visit, make sure that you at least know enough of the language to get around.
- Make sure the layover destination interests you and is worth exploring, so do your research ahead of time.
- Don’t have too much carry-ons! You’re going to need to be able to be mobile and get around easily and one of the most annoying things is having to lug around extra bags. If you do, make sure the airport you’re stopping over at can store your carry-on.
- If your connecting flight is more than 24 hours, some airlines offer stopover programs for free or for a nominal amount. Some of these airlines include Air Canada, Swiss International Air Lines, Air China, and Brussels Airlines. There are many more airlines that offer this program so be sure to check as you’re booking your trip!
- Choose an airport that offers a free (or paid) city tour such as:
- Taoyuan International Airport (Taiwan) – You will need at least 7 hours to take advantage of this free half day tour (available twice a day) to explore Taipei. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time but we did have our eye on this and will keep it in mind for next time!
- Hamad International Airport (Qatar) – If you have a layover that’s more than 6 hours, you can pay for a desert adventure and experience the beautiful city of Doha through Qatar Airways.
- Incheon International Airport (South Korea) – There are a range of 8 different tours and the duration of these free tours are between 1 hour or a half-day trip.
- Istanbul Airport (Turkey) – If you have a connecting flight that lasts more than 6 hours, you can take their city tour, free for Turkish Airlines passengers, and see some of the most popular landmarks in Turkey.
- Singapore Changi Airport (Singapore) – If your layover is at least 5.5 hours at you can join 1 of 3 free 2.5 hour guided tours
- Tokyo Narita Airport (Japan) – If your connecting flight is more than a 5 hour wait, there are 12 free transit tours to choose from. They can be either guided or a self-guided tours that you can take for free, but you’ll have to pay your own transportation and museum entry fees.
3 – Book A Multi-City Flight
When you book a multi-city flight to reach your final travel destination, you can visit between 2 to 4 destinations or even more if you’d like. This is what my husband (who’s originally from the US), did for his epic Ireland trip where he booked for a very low price, but stopped in countries such as Canada and Iceland and different cities within those countries.
If you need to take a long haul flight across the world to get your destination but prefer not to be on such long flights, you can book an itinerary that will stop at multiple cities in between so that you can enjoy your time in more places as you go along while being able to split up an 18 hour flight into a few different segments. But here are 22 Travel Hacks To Survive A Long Haul Flight just in case!
Tips To Visit More Destinations Through Booking A Multi-City Flight
- Be prepared, you will have to have the mindset ready to do such an itinerary and be okay with moving at a fast pace and be on the go.
- You can do all this in a single booking and if you’re a seasoned traveler, this will also help you save a lot of money to get to your final destination. For an even better price, remember to select flexible flying dates so the system can give you the best offer for the location you want to go to.
4 – Take A Train
To see more destinations in one trip, take a train! Especially in Europe, it’s easy to go between countries with Eurail. A Eurail Pass is specifically made to give you easy access for traveling by train between multiple destinations across Europe and allows you to travel to 33 countries and 40,000 destinations.
In Asia, contingent on the country you’re visiting, their bullet trains lets you easily visit multiple cities in one trip in a shorter time frame. If you want to travel between countries in Asia, the Eastern & Oriental Express is a luxury train that takes you between Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia. A lot of Asian countries are very advanced with their bullet train and magnetic trains, so if you’re looking at a bigger country such as China or Japan, this will make it much easier and faster for travel. The Trans-Siberian Express goes across Russia and all the way to China. Railbookers allows you to visit over 20 countries by train and all the cities in between.
Of course, most countries have their own train system that takes you to multiple cities and sometimes even across the country. This easily allows you to visit more destinations in one trip, especially if you don’t like bumpy bus rides, being on a boat, or taking more planes. Once you decide which country you want to visit, take a look at their train system and how advanced and convenient it may be for you to get around.
Tips To Visit More Destinations By Train
- Check your train times and arrive at least 45 minutes before departure, but remember to check the details with the specific company you’re taking.
- For the most part, there is no luggage limit but be practical and take with you what you can actually carry. Here are Packing Mistakes To Avoid When Traveling.
- Some trains make it mandatory for you to label your luggage, so if you don’t already, get a luggage tag.
- Some train stations in certain countries allow you to leave your bags at a luggage facility, but if you’re on the go and don’t plan to backtrack, it’s best to take it with you.
- Like you do with flights, plan for possible train delays.
- Check which direction your train is going ahead of time so that you can book a seat with the best views.
5 – Literally Just Plan For It
If you’re really adventurous and want to call all the shots yourself to visit more destinations in one trip, literally just plan for it and make it happen! Aside from booking a cruise, my other favorite option is to choose a travel destination, see what countries or cities or close by and plan out my itinerary. I usually go by destination and research all the places I want to see in that particular city, plan the number of days I need to do it all, and then add a second destination and so on until I reach my allocated days off.
For example, there were a few countries I wanted to visit in 1 trip to make it an epic vacation. I was able to visit Vietnam, Thailand, the Maldives, and Dubai before heading back home in just over 2 weeks. I also traveled between some cities in Thailand while I was at it. And for my trip to the Philippines, since there are thousands of islands, I chose a few of the more popular ones in Palawan such as Coron (amazing for diving), El Nido, Puerto Princesa, and Cebu where the international airport is. To help you with planning a detailed trip, you can download my free Pre-Trip Planner And Checklist.
Tips To Visit More Destinations By Planning For It Yourself
- Choose countries or cities that are within the same vicinity or easy to get to by public transportation or a short flight.
- It is possible to have a flight delayed or canceled completely (which it did for me while I was in Krabi, Thailand and had to leave a day early to get back to Bangkok in order to catch my next flight out of the country) so have a contingency plan or at least an airline that will accommodate your hotel stay if you have to rebook an entire flight like I did.
- Going on a multi-destination trip on your own will require meticulous organization and logistics planning so do a lot of research and allocate enough time for you to get between places.
- Don’t overbook your itineraries just in case there are delays and you can’t get a refund for any excursions.
- For the most part, things will go as intended but it’s always good to have a contingency plan. You’ll need to take into account transportation to and from airports, between cities and countries, hotels, excursions, money exchange, and more.
- It will be a tiring trip so give yourself at a least a day to recover when you get home!
To help you better plan your trip, here’s The Ultimate Guide To Planning Your Trip Abroad.