The Ultimate SMARTIES Travel Checklist for Stress-Free Trips

As a frequent traveler and someone who is somewhat Type-A, I needed to have a checklist, an acronym, if you will, to go by when deciding to travel, and thus I came up with “SMARTIES,” season, motivation, access, resources, time, invites, ease and safety.

S – Season

Season, probably the most important one. For me, I’m not too particular on what type of place I go to- beach, city, island, countryside (I like them all) but unless I’m seeing Northern Lights or polar bears, count me out for the cold seasons!

A scenic view of a waterfall cascading down rocky cliffs, surrounded by autumn foliage and a winding pathway.

And even if it’s not about the cold- it’s also about the intent (which I’ll get into later). Last year, I had gone to Upstate New York and wanted to see some of their stunning waterfalls, such as the 215-ft tall Taughannock Falls, and while it was still amazing to see- the water flow was small due to a recent drought. So the trick with waterfalls? If you want to see them luscious and voluminous, go in the Spring or Early Summer. It’s the time when there is more rain or when the waterfall is beginning to melt after the winter.

Other things you might want to think about is global warming. When I was a kid, I would frequently go to the UK and remember it always being cold and wet! So if you were to tell me that at 27, I’d travel to Europe in November, I’d tell you it’s far too cold to do that then. However, I did in fact go in November and it was averaging 70-80 F degrees per day. Back in Maryland (USA) it was 50-60s I believe in November. So it’s not just about the season, but what it really means in the country you’re going to for that season.

Lastly, the intention– this is probably quite obvious and I already talked about waterfalls, but it’s also about what you want to do. Do you want to see the flowers blooming or go during a lavender (May to August) or sunflower festival/event (July to September)? Do you want to go to the European Christmas markets (December)? What about seeing the gorgeous fall colors in Upstate New York (autumn) or skiing in the European Alps (January- April), and the list goes on…

M – Motivation

Why do you want to travel?

Do you want to hit as many countries as possible in a short span? Go on a CRUISE!
- Click here for my 5-day RC Cruise to Bermuda or click here for all posts about RC
- Click here for my 7-day 4-county MSC Cruise (France, Italy, Tunisia & Spain) or click here for all posts about MSC
- Click here for the difference between RC and MSC
Do you want to really relish in one country and relax? (Take a flight to one or two places).
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Do you want to relax? Head to the beach? See wildlife? Immerse yourself in a new culture? See the Northern Lights? Finally go to that country that’s been on your bucket list for the last 10 years? Go off the grid?

A – Access

What can you access with what you have? Now, this can mean several things depending on who you are, where you’re from and what you need. This may mean what visa rules, passport strength, length of stay allowed a country has and what you want. Just to mention a few…

The USA is now requiring any non-citizens to show 5 years of social media handles and 10 years of emails.
China is requiring most travelers to get a Visa prior to coming
Ukraine does not have any flights into the country due to the ongoing war. It is possible to fly to a neighboring country and then use ground transportation to get into Ukraine.

Most countries allow stays up to 90-days without needing a Visa.
- Mexico allows 180 days without a visa
- Georgia allows 1 year without a visa
Japan, Singapore, Germany, France and South Korea citizens have strong passports and can enter most of the world with few restrictions, whereas Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Somalia and Yemen typically have weak passports, needing extensive pre-approval requirements.

This may also bleed into my next topic of resources- but if you have a certain budget, you may not be able to have a long stay, restricting “access” to monthly etc. vacations.

R – Resources

Resources depend on several factors:

How much money do you have saved up? (More money = more luxurious and longer trips, and vice-versa for less money)
- OR How can you cut on costs?
  - Staying with a friend
  - Airbnb versus hotels
  - Hiring a travel agent, like me 🙂
  - Groceries and less eating out
  - Travel with a friend
  - Cashback/sales/discounts
  - Finding ways to cut back on commuting (drive your own car, rent a car, public transportation, instead of Uber/Lyft, etc.)

A close-up of a light brown and white cat sitting in a partially open suitcase, with a beagle dog in the background on a couch.

Do you have enough time-off to take from work? (Typically in the US- if you’re a W-2 employee, you may have paid time off after x amount of months employed. If you’re like me and a 1099 employee, you typically don’t get time off and need to figure out if you can do that long without a paycheck or if it’s ethical to leave for an extended period. (I’m a therapist, for example so I typically can’t just leave my clients for months on end)

Pets! Do you have a pet sitter to help care for your pets if you’re not taking them along?

T – Time

This is more of a personal decision, but everyone has their own version of how long they can go and what that means for distance.

My personal rules are if I’m driving more than 5 hours, I spending a night somewhere. If I’m driving more than 8 hours, it’ll be a 2-3 days at a MINIMUM. As I’ve gotten older (yes, I know I’m still young), my driving capacity has decreased and my stays have increased. I remember when I was 18/19, I had no issue driving 15 hours in one sitting. I now have an issue with that LOL!

For flying, I typically don’t fly places if it’s close- (I have a friend who lives in New York and will fly to DC, which is about a 5 hour drive, so that feels silly to me!) but 5 hours and I usually stay a couple days, 10 hours and I need 6-7 days, 15-20 hours flight likely 2 weeks or so and I typically can’t take more time off, so I avoid going on flights over 20 hours, but if the opportunity arises, maybe…

So depending on how much time I have off… will determine how far I want to go.

I – Invites

This one goes both ways. If I have friends who invite me to travel, I will likely jump on that bandwagon, because why not! And alternatively, if I want to travel with friends, I will generally choose times that are easier for their schedule; weekends, slow months, or school breaks. Generally, I solo travel simply because I prefer it but of course there can be pros with traveling with friends.

E – Ease

For several trips last year and at least one this year, I travel based on what’s convenient. If you have to go somewhere, why not make a trip out of it?

In September, I had planned a trip to Boston– so why not visit Rhode Island on the way there?
In October, I had a work conference in NYC, so why not visit upstate New York to hit some of those national parks before I head back home?
In November, my cruise port was in France– so why not arrive a day early to explore?
Three to four times a week, I head over to DC for some meetings and always try to make the most of it if I have time!

A giant panda walking on the ground, surrounded by bamboo leaves, with wooden structures in the background.

This year, I have to head I’m traveling to Ukraine, stopping in Poland (because I can’t fly directly there, as shown above) and have a layover in Germany, so you better bet I’m leaving the airport during the layover!

S – Safety

This is definitely not last because of it’s importance, but rather probably one of the least enjoyable things to think about when planning for a trip.

Depending on who you are, this can mean several things.

Being a female traveler comes with it’s own host of “what countries not to go to,” especially solo travelers!
Racial/Ethnic/Religious safety concerns may mean feeling unsafe in certain countries, whether it’s because you stick out from the crowd or because there is more racism and/or violence in those countries currently.
A perceived sense of unsafety. Often times, this comes from people who have never left their home country and feel like venturing out is unsafe.
Understanding what parts are less or more safe…maybe don’t go to the roughest parts of the neighborhood, not speaking the country’s language at 12pm at night… but I don’t know, who am I to tell you want to do!
Less developed countries pose a risk of diseases that you may not be used to; malaria, cholera, to name a few.
Going to countries where there is active violence whether that be from war or… something else.

I hope this checklist helps you better plan a trip. I know it helps me whenever I go! Let me know below in the comments if there is anything you’d add!