2019’s biggest travel trend are micro trips. The fact to travel somewhere for only a short period of time.

For a successful micro trip, you need a minimum of organization.

The first thing to check for is travel time and travel schedule. You might prefer late night flights or early morning flights, as well as short distances destinations. You won’t want to spend half a day just reaching your destination.

Your micro trip destination should also be not too big so that you won’t be overwhelmed by things to do but also you won’t need to spend to much time to go from A to B.

Don’t miss my article for inspiration for Micro Trips in Europe featuring the best cities for such a short break!

Also below, 10 tips for a micro trip from travel bloggers to make the most out of your short break.

Check offers from budget airline – Tips for a micro trip

by Ellis Veen from Backpackadventures

My best tips for planning a micro trip is checking the offers from budget airlines. They sometimes have incredibly cheap tickets to cities that are maybe less popular, but certainly not less interesting. It is a great way to explore places that you may not have heard of before and wouldn’t have visited otherwise. Visiting areas that you know little about can be a rewarding experience.

Such micro trips often bring positive surprises of beautiful cities that are off the beaten path and are not yet overcrowded with tourists. It results in a more authentic experience at a fraction of the price you pay in the more touristic cities. They are the perfect micro trips because the cities are often not that big and it is easy to explore them in just a few days. You will come home with a lot of new experiences and inspiration from unknown places that will open up new ideas for other micro trips in the future.

Pack light, tip from Ali Garland from Travel Made Simple

When taking a short trip, keep it simple and go carry on only. If you’re flying, this will save you time at check-in and once you arrive. Even if you aren’t flying, it’s less stressful to have less stuff to lug around with you. Pack only what you need, so decide what you’re going to wear and don’t pack extra clothing options. And don’t pack a bunch of shoes. Choose outfits that can all match with one or two pairs of shoes so you can wear one pair and at most have one other pair of shoes to pack. For a short trip, you can definitely pack a minimal amount of shampoo, toothpaste, and other toiletries, so if you’re flying, you can stay within the liquids limit. I recommend using a small bag, like a daypack, so it’s easy to carry around and clearly fits within the carry on limits of any airline. A daypack can also double as your bag for when you go sightseeing so you can have your camera, water, ID, money, and other essentials with you. So leave that big suitcase at home, and enjoy the short time you have!

Hotel tips for a micro trip

by Elisa from World in Paris

When planning a micro trip, time is gold, that’s why I suggest booking a central hotel, in the touristy area of the city. This probably means spending a bit more in accommodation but the advantages are obvious: you are close to the main sights, there is no lack of restaurants, bars or other places of entertainment plus you are well connected to other parts off the city in case you want to go off the beaten path.

If you are considering a micro trip to Paris for example, Le Marais could be a good place to set your basecamp. Paris 3 and 4 are two central Arrondisssements of Paris with some of the city’s top sights like Notre Dame, Centre Pompidou or the Sainte Chapelle. In addition, this is a very beautiful area to explore, with nice hotels particuliers, and cute cafes plus is very well connected to the rest of the city.

Take a staycation

by Gemma from two scots abroad

Exploring your own backyard can open up a variety of new experiences such as road trips (like we did in Scotland with the famous North Coast 500), ski breaks and spa weekends. It gives you the chance to explore local food, drink and activities you wouldn’t do at home because you are too busy with work and everyday life.
Since you are staying close to home, friends and family who wouldn’t normally travel far may join you too!

Bring your own food

By Diana from Discover disconfort

Whenever I go on any small trip — even overnighters, or backpacking hikes — I think “Where will we get coffee?”. I have tried many solutions, including special apps, custom maps and different kinds of high-grade instant coffee, but finally settled on packing fresh coffee beans, a portable grinder, tiny scales, a filter and a travel thermos. For hikes, I pack a Jetboil too. It might sound like a lot, but the net effect is we can be on top of a mountain, in a remote village or country or at a rest stop on a long road trip and always have incredible coffee, fresh brewed and hot. It’s life-changing.

Ask locals! By Paul from Journey Compass

My tip for a micri trip is, when you love food and are traveling to an English speaking destination, don’t rely on online restaurant reviews. Instead, take 30 minutes to hit the city streets and ask locals about the best places to eat. You’ll find absolute gems this way. Locals know this stuff better than Google does, trust me 🙂 Plus it’s a fun way to interact with the locals as well.

Food tips for a micro trip

Danielle from Live in 10 countries, recommends to forget wandering around and getting too hungry, then falling back into fast food or whatever restaurant is closest to where you’re standing. Instead look for meals that are inside attractions or one of the more famous spots of a destination.
The great thing about this is that while you’re grabbing lunch, you’re also doing that thing you’ve always wanted to tick off your bucketlist. So, for example, in London, you could eat inside The Shard. Or, you could picnic in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris – with romance just oozing off you. If you find yourself in Florence for just one day, sip evening drinks with the best view of the stunning cathedral from a rooftop bar. It’s the perfect way to see more, and never suffer the pangs of an empty stomach.
Maire from temples and treehouse recommends authentic cuisine as discovering delicious local specialities are one of the best parts of traveling. But on a micro trip, if you’re serious about food, you need to be a bit more organized! I recommend doing a bit of research into the best restaurants, markets and even food tours as an important part of planning your trip before you leave home. If there’s somewhere that you particularly want to visit, make a reservation in advance and map it on your phone so you can see where it is in relation to other sights and attractions you want to visit, and plan your day accordingly.

Booking a Guided Tour for Micro Trips

by Nitha from the Trailing mom

While going on micro trips, booking a guided tour or getting a local guide can massively help you make the most of your time.
Guided tours work well with time-strapped tourists as it can cover the top attractions in a short time frame which wouldn’t have been possible on their own. Bundling together sightseeing trips, accommodation, meals and transportation are common among guided tour companies. Apart from convenience, you may also get major discounts while booking with them.
If you are not up for guided group tours, you have the option of getting your own local guide for the trip. Having a knowledgeable guide plan your trip itinerary along with pre-arranged transportation and entry tickets to sites can spare you the headaches for making arrangements every single time. In this case you will have the flexibility to customize the trip according to your personal interests. Discuss with your guide about the specific cuisine or hotel you like.

Check opening times

by Tiffany from A girl and her passport

My tip is to check opening days and times for anything you must see before planning your trip so that you assured you will see everything you wanted to see on the trip. This is especially important if your travel days are also sightseeing days. Make sure you arrive at the attraction well before closing time as sometimes they limit entry close to closing time.

Download an offline map

by Anna from Anna Sherchand

My personal tip for micro-trips would be to install maps.me
For non-tech savvy, it is an app that works offline both on iPhone and Android.
The app can identify automatically where you are and will prompt you to download the map and data for that area. It will also let you know how much space you need in your device before downloading offline maps. Best thing, there is no limitation on the areas you want to download. If you want to download another location, search for it and then tap download. Just make sure you’re online first.

You can also save and a bookmark if you tap the star button at the bottom of the screen. After you save a bookmark, you can tap “Edit Bookmark” and create different categories (say, museums or cafes).Similar app is Google maps!