How To Plan Your First Trip To Florida.
I don’t care what people say but America in my opinion is one of the most versatile places for things to do/see/experience, so I’m planning to see as much as possible. Mountains, lakes, snow, the ocean, modern art, music, you name it! Plus, it helps that the main language spoken there is English, closely followed by Spanish, which are two languages that I’m familiar with!
On the plus side, I recently became a country music fan (yes, I caught the bug) which means I want to experience more States as well!
I’ve seen some parts of the West Coast including California, Nevada and Arizona so it’s now time to head to Florida for a change.
The thing that ‘sold’ me to Florida were the never ending palm trees, ocean views, Reggaeton vibes and good food!
On to the Florida trip planning!
If you know me well enough, you’ll know that I plan my trips very well in advance! 6 months to a year kind of advance depending on the trip!
For this one, I will be experiencing part of the trip with a friend that knows Florida really well, so I’m lucky in that sense because I’ll know all the good spots to experience(stay tuned for future blog posts on the the best places to go).
Given that I am that annoying person that likes to plan their trip with great detail, I have some tips for you if you’re planning your first Florida adventure so keep on reading…
Here’s how to plan your trip:
Decide Where To Go:
First, you have to decide what you want to do and see. Do you just want to party or chill by the beach? Do you want adventure? Do you want to explore more like a local or more like a tourist? Do you want to visit the Theme Parks? Do you want to be more in nature or explore the busy cities? What if you want to do all of these?
If you’re more of a beach bum and/or a party person then Miami is the answer. If you want to see the Theme Parks then Orlando is the answer. If you want to avoid many tourists then maybe Tampa/St. Petersburg is the answer. I personally love a combination of activities so my itinerary includes Miami for the art, food and the beach, Orlando for the Theme Parks and Tampa/St. Pete for exploring something less touristy! Plus I always wanted to add a Florida road trip on my bucket list!
When Should You Go?
We’ve all heard about all the hurricanes and scary stuff surrounding Florida’s weather conditions, therefore I’d say you never know what you’re going to get so if you want to avoid the most touristy/humid/rainy months (between May and September) you could visit at the end of September/start of October and cross your fingers that you won’t regret this, which is exactly what I’m doing!
There are different opinions regarding this but generally speaking, I would say Autumn(or Fall if you speak American) would be the best time to go!
How Many Days Should You Spend There?
Again, this depends on what’s on your itinerary, but to give you an idea I would say 3-4 days are enough to see Miami, unless you want to party hard which means there is no limit on how many days you can spend there as long as your liver allows it!
Depending on how many theme parks you’d like to experience in Orlando, 2-3 days should be enough. Obligatory tip for the country music lovers: I’ve heard that the Cowboys bar is a fun place to go in Orlando(my review will come once I experience it myself). 2 or 3 days are also sufficient for exploring Tampa and St. Pete as well!
If you wanted to visit more places, for example the Key West or other areas, then of course I would plan some extra time!
What Should You Do There?
Well, this again depends on what kind of person you are when you travel but these are some categories to consider:
Food Places: This should be on top of the list for all my fellow foodies, because food makes all the experience, hands down! Am I right? Regardless of where I go, I prioritise booking some food tours. Trip Advisor or AirBnB experiences are your best friend when it comes to booking a food tour! You could also search on Pinterest and find some popular restaurants, coffee shops and food markets. One strict rule I have when exploring new food places is that I trust my fellow travellers and reviewers and I don’t tend to visit any place with a rating 4 or below! Call me a food snob, I don’t care haha.
Tours: A Florida tour with a local is one of the first things on my list. The recommendation is to book these at the start of your trip so that you could get a general idea about the place, and then you could experience some areas of interest in more depth if you wanted to! Bike tours are definitely one of my favourite things to do though, so I highly recommend them!
Activities: This could include new or unique experiences that you can’t find somewhere else. In Florida for example, this could include spotting the alligators! In general, you could search for unique experiences to do, again through Pinterest!
Art Or Cultural Events: This is for all my cultural travellers. You could hunt down some local events or art museums/galleries.
Everyday Activities: This category is great if you want to feel like a local somewhere far away from home! One of the things I enjoy doing when travelling is scheduling some everyday things to do. What are everyday things I hear you say? I’ll give you some examples. In Florida, you could try a pottery class, go for a beach run, or go to the local supermarket, buy snacks and picnic by the beach.
Meet Locals & New People: This is a great opportunity to meet new people which makes the experience quite unique! Staying at hostels as well as in an AirBnB with locals is the way to go!
A List Of Other Things To Consider:
Flights
This is a no brainer but I thought I’d include it. Once you book your flights though make sure the next thing to book to be…
Travel Insurance
Believe me, you won’t regret buying this. I had to file claims twice so far during my travels so it’s totally worth it. I use CoverForYou.
Accommodation
One of the first things to consider is where you’d like to stay. I personally enjoy staying at different places when I travel. You could mix up your accommodation by staying at hostels, a night at a fancy hotel, and AirBnB!
E-Sim
Okay, this is important if you like having internet 24/7 whenever you go so I make sure purchase an E-sim prior to the trip. I use Simtex.
Transport
Plan how to get to the airport and how you will be moving whilst on the trip. Florida (and The USA) is not famous for it’s public transport so using Uber or hiring a car could be your best bet! I personally love walking whenever I can but this is not always possible in Florida.
Packing
This will be different for everyone but of course this is your friendly reminded to not skip outfit planning (all you women out there, you know what I’m taking about!), and make sure you pack some essentials such as chargers, passports, adapters, sunscreen, sunglasses, toiletries, camera, notebooks, earplugs, entertainment etc.
* disclaimer: all of the pictures used on this post are not mine.
