Work hard, travel hard
Gain everlasting experiences each time you travel
@SandorDargo
17th May 2018, RivieraDEV
Agenda
Who am I?
How we used to travel
How we progressed
Showcase(s)
Who am I
Sándor DARGÓ
Software developer in Amadeus
Obsessed clean coder
Enthusiastic blogger http://sandordargo.com
Passionate traveller
Happy father of two
How I used to travel
Beach holidays with some organized day tours as a kid
The same open university every summer with friends
Alone? Never, but I planned to...
How my wife used to travel
Same beach every year in Bulgaria
Cheapest organised travel in Turkey
Became a budget traveller at university
London - Our first common trip
Organisational nightmare
Unprepared
Starved
Budget inferno
Paris - The other extreme
Overprepared
Well-fed
Reasonable budget
Extremely tired
Which style do you prefer?
Wandering around in London vs Purposeful Week in Paris?
Ignore the time it takes to organize it
Which style was better for us?
Paris!
Still not ideal, had to find the golden mean
How to organise your holidays without losing up all your time, yet leaving almost no (bad) surprises
Decide where you want to go
Have a few places in mind
Check dates, routes, fares, hotel rooms, but not in detail
Pick one, 3-6 months in advance
Get familiar with your destination
Search & read without too much detail
Articles
Guides
Free itineraries
Create a map on MyMaps
Look for a place to stay at
Check some hotel booking sites
Make a map based search too
Look for free cancellation & feel free to book many
Set alarms to cancel extra rooms
Check Mummy Sherpa’s blog for more info
Fill your calendar
Review
What you find interesting
What is in your budget
What is too long
What is too far
Don’t mind if it’s too much - for the moment
Know you needs and habits
Deep planning - When? How? How much?
Enrich your calendar with relevant information
Have alternatives
Learn to skim sources quickly
Contact places for information in advance
Check for local extremes
Cancel the excess and book the rest
Cancel the unnecessary hotels
Book your car
Off season -> at the end. Price goes down..
High season -> in the beginning. Price goes up.
Pack your stuff
Choose your suitcases wisely
Pack wisely, pay attention to differences in hand luggage sizes.
Think about how your luggage will change on the go
Don’t overcommit. It’s not that important who you’ll look like at the hotel.
Have checklists!
Some useful tips
Have a data pack!
Prepare your mobile with apps! But print a few docs!
Don’t assume, read!
Learn a few words!
Be flexible when you think!
Your time is expensive!
Ask. KISS! Use alternative communication.
Showcase 1 - Japan
Japan - Decide where to go
Wanted to go to the Far-East
Looked for multi-destination trips: HKK + Philippines; Japan; Vietnam
Possibly to include another city
Booked route: NCE - IST - KIX - NRT - IST - NCE
Searched for hotels, seen that won’t make Kyoto as a base. Too expensive….
Japan - Get familiar with your destination
Read some articles, talked to knowledgeable friends
Confirmed how to book the transportation
Learnt to use their timetable
Japan - Look for a place to stay at
Booked the hotels, multiples ones
Sometimes at different parts of the city
Japan - First problem to solve
Cancelled route by airline -> Cancelled ticket
Rebooked with another airline with a break in Dubai
Swapped the order of visit in Japan
Japan - Fill your calendar and deep planning
Slowly but iteratively updated the calendar with info…
Identified the Local extreme: cheap but high quality food
Michelin star restaurants
Green tea making
Tea ceremony
Beer factory visit

Japan - Second problem
Our room in Osaka cancelled
No proper replacement offered
Booked a studio on AirBnb - partly free cancellation
Japan - Cancel the excess and book the rest
Cancelled everything we had to
Ordered the JR passes Just-In-Time
Decided what to suitcases, backpacks we could carry
Get enough cash
Installed some useful apps
Enjoyed it
Work hard, travel hard
Gain everlasting experiences each time you travel
@SandorDargo
17th May 2018, RivieraDEV
Showcase 2 - Portugal / Hungary
Portugal / Hungary - The decision
Checked what we would be interested in before the second baby
Portugal - Lisbon
Portugal - Faro
Napoli
Sicily
Portugal / Hungary - Flight tickets
Buy tickets with miles, miles and cash
Checking car rentals
Portugal / Hungary - Explore your destination
Populating the map
Checking which city to use as a base
Book hotels
Portugal / Hungary - Get a car and fill the calendar
Book the car
Decided which city to take each day
Getting some information for some stays
Portugal / Hungary - Deep planning
Found a good deal, non-refundable
Cancel all the rest just on time
Expand each day, clean up agendas
Portugal / Hungary - Hardcore packing
How to pack?
More difficult - as low cost
Car seat needed
Take into account each kilos and the pockets
+2 kilos before next flight (diapers and child food)
Conclusion
Know what you want (everything is OK)
Pay for the planning?
Be flexible
Prepare
One thing at a time
Be agile, do it iteratively it’s less overwhelming
Work hard, travel hard
Gain everlasting experiences each time you travel
@SandorDargo
17th May 2018, RivieraDEV