How To Plan a Trip in 4 Easy Steps
Ready to plan your perfect vacation in Maine? It’s easy — you just need to follow a few simple steps to create the ideal itinerary for a memory-making trip.
It may help to start determining what region of Maine you prefer. It can be a bit like a Choose Your Own Adventure book. Perhaps you’ll pick coastal — do you want the sandy beaches of the south or the dramatic, rocky coastline of the DownEast or MidCoast regions? Or maybe the mountains are calling to you — you can choose Maine’s Lakes & Mountains, or possibly the rugged slopes of Katahdin in the Maine Highlands is your next chapter. Follow these four steps to create your travel plan for your best Maine adventure.
Step 1: Determine What To Do
Make a list of the top three things you want to do while you are visiting Maine. This is the tricky bit. If you’re traveling with a group or your family, you could ask everyone to write down their top five things they’d like to do. The three with the most votes get put on the list. Make sure you factor in the season — it’ll be a bit chilly in October for a swimming vacation.
If you’ve picked a region to visit, think about what’s best about that part of Maine. Aroostook County, the largest county east of the Mississippi, offers vast tracts of land ideal for cycling with little traffic, and there’s 2,300 miles of groomed snowmobile trails that offer days (or weeks!) of sledding magic. You’ll find wilderness in the Maine Highlands along with Baxter State Park and Maine’s largest lake, Moosehead. The Kennebec Valley is home to Maine’s best river adventures, with class III to V whitewater rafting, and great hiking too. The mountains to the west are wonderful for hiking, biking and, of course, skiing and snowboarding. This region is full of lake activities too, such as fishing and boating. DownEast is home to communities edged with wild blueberries and amazing parks, including Acadia National Park and the 30,000-acre Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge. Each of Maine’s eight distinct regions offers a range of things to do.
You can always check out our Trip Ideas — with a wide variety of awesome Maine adventures and activities.
Step 2: Determine Where To Stay
Once you know what you want to do in Maine, then you choose where to stay. If you want to be near Portland for a city break with great food, you can choose from the many hotels, inns and bed-and-breakfast establishments within the city’s limits or head to one of the communities along Casco Bay — even islands. Want to spend your days hiking, fishing and swimming in lakes? Search for lodging in towns like Rangeley, Bridgton or Naples or the Belgrade Lakes. Towns for mountain fun include those near Maine’s ski resorts. If you’ve decided to do as many outdoor activities as possible, a Maine sporting camp might be the perfect fit for your trip.
Step 3: Determine Places To Go
Now that you’ve chosen what to do and where to stay, it’s easy! Plan your days by checking the distances to your activities and researching any helpful tips. Knowing what times popular places are less busy can be helpful, especially with favorites like Acadia National Park, sandy beaches, or the latest dining hot spot. Make reservations when possible! Have some rainy-day activities planned, just in case. Art and cultural museums are great in any weather, as are many shopping destinations.
Step 4: Plan Your Trip
There are several ways of getting here. Chart your drive or purchase plane or train tickets. The hard part is waiting for your Maine vacation to begin!
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