Projects - Plan a Trip for Someone

Problem solving group activity - plan a “dream trip” for someone. You have 30 mins to research, then you will present your ideas to the class.

Example

• Polar bear
  • “I want to see a polar bear in the wild”
  • 10 days
  • Any country with bears OK.
• Europe and a phobia
  • “I want to see as much Europe as possible, but I hate flying, so I want to fly as little as possible”
  • 30 days graduation trip
  • Winter only
  • Trains and buses preferred
• “I want to see my favourite football team play
  • 10 days in Barcelona
  • Include at least one game
• “I like weird attractions, and I’ll be in UCLA for a study abroad next semester”
  • Two or three weekend trips, spread across a 3-4 month stay.
  • Accessible from Los Angeles, 1-2 nights away maximum
  • Examples of weird given “like mystery houses, haunted places, magnetic hills, that kind of thing”
• “I want to hand feed a red panda”
  • 10 days
  • No other requirement. Just feed a panda.
• Your own idea.

3) Research you could do to inform the trip

• Preparation
  • Visas
  • Language: Is English enough? Or will you need phrasebook
  • Customs: What customs/manners/cultural things do I need to know? What are people like?
  • Packing: What do I need to take? (special clothes/medicine
  • Warnings: Are there any dangers? (food/water/place/animal/diseases/people/time)
  • Can you think of any more things you might need to know?
• Itinerary
  • Plane or train?
  • Boarding / Departing / Arriving times.
  • Commuting (i.e. how to get to airport)
  • Other things you can do/eat/see/buy (as travel) while you are there
• Budget:
  • Transport
  • Accomodation
  • Food and Drink
  • Entry fees
  • Permits and visas
  • Is special insurance needed?

Research time: Recommended sites.

Here are some tools I use, you can try these if you’re not sure where to start.

• Finding Flights
  • Skyscanner
  • Google Flights
  • Some budget airlines (“LCC”) don’t always appear in search, check them separately e.g. Easyjet (Europe)
• Finding trains
  • Check Seat61
  • Usually you book through individual country websites.
• FInding places to stay
  • Expedia
  • TripAdvisor reviews
  • hotels.com
  • Hostels: hostels.com
• Finding things to do.
  • Tripadvisor for top 10s in each area
  • Atlas Obscura for unusual places
  • Just google “top ten things to do in…”
• Other tools
  • Research possible risks - FCO
  • Insurance
  • Offline maps (when no data)
    • Google maps download (doesn’t always work)
    • Try maps.me: https://maps.me

Prepare your presentation

• “This trip’s focus is “
• “Before they leave, they should”
• “The itinerary is as follows”
• “The budget for the trip is $???, which is includes”