Most of us love to travel - especially with all of the amazing extreme sports that can be practiced all around the world and all the beautiful places we can visit. And before COVID hit the world we did it regularly. Low-cost flights made it possible after the year 2000 and millions of people got to see their dream destinations in real life. But before the trip itself comes, there is the time of planning! And we’re here to share some secrets on how you can do it yourself - and succeed!

Why do we think self-organized is better?

It is not a secret that we root for self-organized trips - big time. But of course, we know full well there are passengers for every train - including the one where you prefer for everything to be set by a travel agency and your only job to be just to relax and have an as good time as possible. Contrary to popular belief that using agencies has become a thing of the past or is used mostly by elderly travelers though, a lot of people choose this option even nowadays - and plenty of them are young too. 

So you set your mind on a destination and you make a list of things you want to see - or you don’t and leave it all to the travel agency. Next thing is to find a good agency and carefully browse their offers. Keep in mind they will offer you packages that include plane and/or bus tickets, accommodation, leisure, and sightseeing at a fixed price, but it is not a bad idea to check their cost separately for the time slot you’re traveling too, so you are sure you’re not being overcharged way too much. It is true that your only care in this situation about being on time and having your travel documents fixed in time, but let’s face it - do you want to travel with strangers and have every second of your trip scheduled and everything outside of your control? Well, in our opinion, you can have a much better trip if you plan it yourself - with not that much of a trying time before that. 

And yes, we do not deny that when you travel in an organized group, there are quite a few positives - as we stated a few lines up. As well as that, there is a usually tight schedule you will have to follow so you can see as much as possible of the city/country you’re visiting. Does it sound like a tiring experience you have tried? So you understand why this is a positive thing as much as a negative one. Because when it comes to traveling to practice an extreme sport though, a tight schedule is the last thing you need.

When you self-organize, though, you have all the freedom in the world. Destination, accommodation, the timetable for every day, and the luxury to shift it around. Not bad, right? Because these spontaneous moments are the ones you will remember forever. 

How to begin planning a self-organized trip?

You might say that planning a trip when you go on a short vacation is not that hard, although there certainly are some tips and tricks you may or not may know that we will uncover in the next rows. Planning a trip you are going on to practice your favorite extreme sport though is a whole other level of planning. You can say it’s a part of sports tourism and it can be quite a handful. So with what should you begin?

First of all, depending on the sport you want to practice, you might want to plan your trip at the best time in the year for it. That means that you shouldn’t forget to check:

• the best temperatures or the water/air for your favorite sport
• is there humidity or dryness and will it affect your sporting activities
• when is the snow / ground the best for practice
• will it be tourist season or will you have more space for yourself
• will there be tournaments or races of some sort there at that time
• any other specific questions, related to the specifics of the sport

Nevertheless, the work does not stop here. There are a few other questions you should consider before starting to plan the trip: just like for a usual vacation. Among them are the following.

 

How many days will you be going for? 

This is very important because of quite a few reasons. For one - there are destinations that you cannot possibly see and enjoy properly in just 2 or 3 days. What is more - in this case, it is usually far too expensive to just get there for only a quick trip.

 

Do you need a license in the chosen country to practice your favorite extreme sport? Are there any additional regulations for equipment or safety you should follow? 
Also, an extremely important point before you leave. Imagine getting to your dream destination only to find out you cannot practice because you don’t have a license or you’re missing a piece of equipment?! Sure, you can buy it on-site, for probably a much larger amount of money than at home or even at some other, non-resort part of the country. The license though - much harder to acquire and a huge possibility to ruin your trip. 

Talking of which, don’t forget to check the validity of your personal identification documents - ID, Passport, Driver’s license. Keep in mind some airlines do not let you travel if your passport expires soon! Not a nice thing to find out while boarding - we’ve heard!

Don’t forget to check if there is a visa required and if it should be issued before you go to your destination and how much time will it take you to get it issued. 

It is also a good idea to make a travel insurance - especially if your sport requires you to carry tech and more luggage than a regular passenger.

 

How to choose the time slot of the trip? 
Start with the requirements for the sport you’re going to practice. That way you’re going to choose a season or at least - a 6-month slot you can place the trip in. Our advice: make your choice of travel - both arrival and departure, outside of the most popular traveling times and holidays, and avoid traveling on Friday and Sunday. This way you will probably be able to score cheaper plane tickets and accommodation. 

What you should also consider, is choosing a daytime arrival and departure. Don’t forget you’re going to a foreign place and no matter if you have a GPS or a great sense of space. It is better to have enough daylight to find exactly where you’re going to - especially if you’re traveling with a lot of luggage or equipment.

 

How do I choose accommodation? 
This question is more about personal preferences but when you’re self-planning a trip, our advice is to look around for a private residence or one of those places on Airbnb. Of course, nothing’s wrong with a hotel - especially if you want to have a meal or two planned. If you’re more of the type to try the local cuisine and walk around though - it’s better to choose a private residence of some sort.

Be sure to have the phone number of the person, renting the place, on hand, or clear instructions on how to find the apartment key. Otherwise, if you arrive at some hour when you cannot make a connection with your landlord you can be in trouble.

An additional tip: search for a good app that shows the way public transportation goes around the city. And in addition, don’t forget to also download one with all the things you should visit and try!

 

Any additional tips?

• First of all - remember that there is no wrong way to self-organize. The only way you might fail is only if you don’t plan at all. 
• You might want to print out planning sheets that can help you with dates and lists. 
• One additional thing you might want to check and plan in advance is if there will be transfers for the flight - or bus ride. 
• It is essential to prepare a small travel kit of some sort that contains travel-size hygiene products and a small amount of money separated from your main documents - if something gets lost, you should have the means to get by while you (potentially) get it back.
• Additional advice for all travelers states that you should pack as light as possible and just as well - check the dimensions and weight of the bags you’re allowed to carry by the chosen company to avoid additional fees.
• Last but not least, always make sure to take notes on the closest embassy for your country as well as the emergency contact numbers for it. It will be invaluable if your ID documents get stolen or if you find yourself in any kind of legal or other trouble. Trust us - you will be thankful to have them!

 

What are the cons of self-organizing a trip?

Let’s be honest - self-organizing a trip is not easy for some destinations and this is probably the biggest con of all. The most time consuming things are researching and dealing with documentation. This is why you should start early - and also so you can get the best prices on tickets and accommodation. If you use XTREEMO.COM though, this process becomes easy as pie! Everything you need is neatly integrated in one place - no need to shuffle between websites! Try it out today on www.xtreemo.com/map