10 Tips for Planning Your Vacation
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1- Know the destination and why you want to go! Often I get clients telling me they want to go to a certain destination for a vacation. I ask them why, and they say “I don’t know, but my friend told me I have to go”. Well, that doesn’t mean it’s the right destination for you. You should know where you’re going and why. And if you're still not sure where that is, then that is my job. I work with my clients during our free consultation call to help them find the best fit for their vacation.
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2- “The Internet is for Looking and Travel Consultants are for Booking”! While it’s a great place to start, the internet can be very overwhelming with lots of information. Some of the information is not always current or valid too. So when it comes time to book your vacation, you may not be making the best choices. Let someone who values you and wants the best experience for you do the job!
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3- Plan in advance. This is a big one. So many clients come to me last minute wanting to get away on that amazing vacation and yet many times, it’s just not feasible because there was not enough time to plan, book, and confirm everything. The best time to plan for a special trip(family vacation, family reunion, honeymoon, anniversary, etc.) is 9-12 months in advance.
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4- Allowing for extras in your package. By extras I mean the spending like spa treatments, special dining, souvenirs, excursions, tours, etc. This is important to remember to add to the cost. Clients often don’t think they want to spend any more money upfront or that they will just “hang out” while on vacation. But taking some time (and money) to plan for some excursions ahead of time is very important. For one thing, you may not be able to get into the tour of your choice once there. Also, you may become bored just sitting on the beach every day. Plan for those extras. Even a couples massage or dinner in the moonlight is important!
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5- Budget- So number 4 was allowing for extras, which ties into this. You should always have some sort of budget. I get a lot of calls from clients saying they want to go to “X” location but have no budget. They have no idea what this will cost. And then I present them with a proposal that is out of budget and they don’t call back. I would love to offer them better options to fit what they are expecting. Or perhaps the destination does not work for a specific budget. Please take some time to figure out the minimum and maximum amount you would like to spend!
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6- Relaxing- ok, so it all can be very overwhelming, but you hired a travel professional so that you don’t need to stress out in order to make this an amazing vacation. Let me do the work for you so all you do is pack your bags and go!
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7- Plan something special ahead of time! Vacations are supposed to be amazing, and that is why you should always plan to do something special when you are away. You can eat at a fancy restaurant that offers spectacular views of the area that you are visiting, or you can go on a thrilling adventure that you will never be able to do anywhere else. If there is an attraction that you have always wanted to see, and you will be in the area, this is the time to make sure that it fits into your schedule!
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8- Plan for some downtime. Vacations are always packed with fun-filled times, and you may feel like you are go, go, going, and not stop, stop, stopping! While all the adventures are good and necessary for your trip, you will also want to plan for some downtime, so you can simply sit and relax. The downtime can be used to sit on the beach, relax by the pool, or sitting in the park reading a book. Of course, once you arrive at your destination, you may find yourself using some of this downtime to do a few of the things that you find out about as you are talking to the locals!
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9- Don’t overpack, but pack smart. One of the easiest ways to keep room in your suitcases for some of those souvenirs you will be purchasing is to not overpack in the first place. If you will be on vacation for one week, there is no way that you will need fourteen or twenty different outfits to wear. You should pack one outfit for each day and maybe a couple of special outfits for dinners out. These outfits should all be able to be mixed and matched so that you can switch things up if something changes during your vacation. However, when you are packing, you should pack each specific outfit that you chose together so that it is easier for you to get ready each day.
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10- Choose vacation dates accordingly. Planning a vacation to the destinations of your dreams is not going to be as fabulous as you want it if you do not choose your dates accordingly. You may not want to head to a spring break destination if your vacation falls smack in the middle of all the spring break vacation dates. Unless, of course, you want to be surrounded by thousands of college students! The same thing goes for vacationing in the Caribbean at the peak of hurricane season or choosing to visit a city in Europe that is shut down for the time that you are there because your vacation is during a major holiday.
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Looking for help planning your next vacation? Let Dreams Travel Consulting help you with your travel plans.
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