How design methodologies can help you plan a trip

by Maria Lopes, Designer

Published July 12, 2021

| DESIGN METHODOLOGIES | PLANNING | TRAVEL |

For a long time, designers have come up with strategies to tackle the problems and challenges they aim to fulfil and, surprisingly, these methodologies and processes can be applied by everyone in most situations.

Suppose you’re looking to plan a trip abroad. A lot has to be taken into consideration and applying one of the strategies of Design might just be what you need. We’re going to be talking about the Agile Methodology. This approach is based on an incremental and iterative process that adapts well to unknowns and where the phases follow parallel instead of following each other.

The trip planning process consists of:

Photo by Firmbee.com on Unsplash

1. Define a budget

It is said that money flies, so it is very important to establish a spending limit. While it is possible to take a low-cost approach at any destination, some countries/cities are more expensive than others. We must start by identifying the main sources of expenditure: flights, accommodation and food. Subsequently, analyse the money that we have available to make the trip and define a cost limit for each of the main sources of spending.

2. Choose a destination

The most important step in planning a trip is choosing your destination. There are several factors that must be taken into account like, for example, the duration of the trip, the budget available, the time of year that you are going to travel, but above all, your personal preferences - countryside, city, beach, etc.

Since the city of Porto was elected as the best European destination in 2019, we’ll use it as our destination in this example. It has its charm at any time of the year and it is possible to be well enjoyed regardless of the budget.

3. Establish the duration of the trip and book the flights

The ideal duration to visit and get to know the city of Porto is 3 days. However, it is perfectly possible in 2 - 4 days. Thus, if the time available is just a weekend, the ideal would be to arrive in Porto on a Friday and leave on Sunday at the end of the day.

Having defined the duration of the trip, we can use search engines such as Skyscanner or Momondo to find the cheapest flights on our dates of interest, and finally, book the outbound and return flights. It should be noted that the closer to the dates we plan to travel, the more expensive the flights will become.

4. Make a list of points of interest to visit

Defining a list of places to visit is essential, although we must always save time so that we can “get lost” around the city and explore. For this, it is important to do research on travel blogs, speak directly with people who have already visited the city and can give us some tips, on Pinterest… On the internet there is no lack of information of this type, so make sure you find the best and get as informed of these searches as possible in order to make the most of your trip.

Photo by Kinga Cichewicz on Unsplash

5. Choose and book accommodation

After analyzing the points of interest, you need to make a decision regarding the accommodation. The local cost of living and your defined budget can also influence since rooms or apartments that include an equipped kitchen and/or breakfast allow you to save some money on meals in the most expensive destinations. Another factor to consider when choosing accommodation is the distance to your points of interest. Usually, the closer to the centre, the more expensive it is. However, it is important to keep in mind that if the accommodation is far from the places of interest, you will certainly have an extra expenditure of time and money on transport (metro, bus, etc.), so it is best to understand what is most important.

6. Decide a roadmap

While deciding your roadmap you notice that there is a huge time gap between flights and check-in and check-out hours. Using the design Agile methodology, you can go back and try to find a way to fix this problem. This is where a platform like LUGGit comes into your life and changes it for the better. LUGGit allows you to enjoy the city without the worry of having to carry your luggage everywhere. The best part is that they’ll collect and deliver it wherever and whenever you want.

7. Have fun!

Now you just need to go! Whether in Lisbon or Porto, you can count on LUGGit to provide you with a luggage-free holiday.