5 Steps to Planning Your Next Vacation
Planning the perfect vacation. Is there such a thing? I am generally a planner in life. Therefore, I put quite a bit of time into planning every vacation I take with my family. When I travel with my sisters/mom or friends I tend to be more flexible and allow for joint planning. But, when it’s my husband, son and me – I take the lead and plan every aspect of the trip.
I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself to make every vacation full of fun, as economically as possible. Since our vacations are typically spent in locations we’ve never been to before, I try to plan plenty of activities so that there isn’t a lot of idle time. We can be idle and bored at home but on vacation, I want to have fun.
TRAVEL AROUND THE COUNTRY
My son and I are currently on a journey of visiting all 50 states. Our goal is to have traveled to every state in the US by the time he has graduated from college. We have 6 ½ years to accomplish this goal and 18 states left to visit.
I definitely put a lot of thought into these vacations. Maximizing our visits by trying to visitmultiple states is a priority. Also, Iwant to see whatever is a MUST SEE attraction or location for the states we’retraveling to.
When I begin thinking about my next vacation I consider cost – the cost for flights, the cost for hotel accommodations and cost for fun. I LOVE to travel, but we do not have unlimited funds to spend recklessly on these trips.
HOW DO I PLAN A VACATION
Step #1 Where to go?
Where are we going to go? Whatfactors do I consider?
- Will we visit someplace new?
- Are we going to visit someone?
- Is there a sporting event we plan to attend?
- What time of year will we be traveling? Whatwill the weather be like?
The answers to these questions will play a factor in deciding where to go. Typically, my vacations are scheduled during spring break, in March with my son. We’re knocking out all of the states in the US. If I’m planning another “50 States of Travel” trip, I will consider flight costs for states we have not been to yet.
We love basketball, specifically the Golden State Warriors so if it works out to see them play in a state we have not been to yet, that may play a factor. Therefore, step #1 is – Where will we travel?
Step #2 Book flights
Wemay have considered flight costs when determining WHERE to visit, but now it’s timeto choose our flight. Research indicatesthat it’s best to book flights (if time allows) 60-75 days before the plannedvacation. Tuesday afternoons tend to bethe best time to purchase the flight.
I have likely already been looking at flights for a few weeks. Departure and arrival times play a factor for me. For years I would not book an early morning flight, for fear of missing the flight due to oversleeping, traffic jams on the highway, etc. I felt like early morning flights gave me extra anxiety for travel day.
However, recently, I have learned that the lines are shorter in the early morning. The luggage check-in is quicker and the TSA process is typically faster in the early morning. Another consideration is how the arrival times will affect our 1st day of vacation; check-in at the hotel, beginning to sightsee, etc. Step #2 – Book the Flight
Step #3 Hotel Reservations
Flights are booked so you know where you’re going. Now it’s time to make hotel reservations. I have a couple of Rewards accounts with different hotels. One of my favorites is Marriott. Their hotels are always clean with decent amenities. They’re reasonably priced and their customer service is always wonderful.
I always try to find the best prices on all aspects of our vacations. Therefore, I typically will not start reserving hotels too early unless I have reason to fear that a hotel I want to stay at will sell out. The other thing I look at is the cancellation policy. I hate to pay extra for the room in order to include a cancellation policy. So I will try to wait until I’m certain I will not need to make any changes to our accommodations and reserve the hotel at the lower rate. Step #3 – Book the Hotel (s)
Step #4 Book “Things to Do” Activities
Once I know exactly where we’re going, I begin researching “Things to Do” at all of our stops. I want to be busy on our trips. Sitting around the hotel room is not my idea of vacation. Taking in the sites, including tours and eating at “local” restaurants is always part of our itinerary. As with hotel reservations, I try NOT to schedule things to do that will charge me for cancellation. If there is a cancellation fee, I will try to wait until the week before our trip when the likelihood of needing to cancel is slimmer. Step #4 – Schedule “Things to do”
Step #5 Pack your bags
Flights are booked, hotels arebooked, you know what activities you’re going to enjoy so it’s time to start puttingtogether a packing list. I don’t alwaysmake a list, per se, but about a week before our trip, I pull out my suitcaseto have it visible as I put together a mental list of things I know I’ll want.
Making sure all of my laundry is done so that I can see ALL of my clothes while putting together outfits is where I start. I have a great toiletry bag that is always packed with my travel items and ready to go.
My MUST-HAVE travel accessory is a travel backpack to hold identification and money, sanitization for public transportation as well as reading material, Ipad, etc. Additionally, if I’m traveling to a colder climate, I like to travel with a small roller suitcase that can hold a jacket, change of clothes in case of lost luggage, as well as medicine for the same reason.
The night before our flight after zipping up my suitcase, I make sure my travel backpack has everything else I might need, including tissue * chapstick * essential oils * pens for journaling or crosswords * aspirin * electronics chargers * small snacks and anything else you HATE to be without. Step #5 – Begin packing
Are you ready to plan for your next vacation? Following my FIVE STEPS keeps things manageable for me. While I LOVE to travel, I do get anxiety during the planning stage so these steps tend to keep me feeling more calm about the process.
Quick Tips:
- If traveling near Mexico or Canada, make sure to pack your passport in case there’s an opportunity to cross the border and explore.
- Make sure you know all user names and passwords for any travel apps you use on your phone or other electronic devices
- Be sure to have the credit card used for making reservations. Many companies require this as verification of the reservation.
Let me know below where you’re planning to vacation next. Do you follow a travel ritual? How do you plan for your vacations? Please share.
With Serenity,
MUST HAVE TRAVEL ITEMS:
