10 Steps for Planning Your Vacation
- Jan 26, 2018
- 8 min read
If you are a spontaneous traveler then this post is not for you, unless you are ready to change your ways and join the dark side of check lists and restaurant reservations! If you are like me and love organization, checking things of your list, and not crying in subways then welcome! I hope this post can help you better prepare for a trip you have been dreaming of taking, but didn't know where to start.
Where Ya Goin?
First things first, you need to know where you want to go and what you can afford. Don't assume you can only afford to travel close to home, with a little research, and enough time you may be able to afford to hop on a plane and explore somewhere you never dreamed you could! Google and Pinterest are your friend, if you know you want a beach vacation and you are traveling with kids, search Best Beaches for Families. Be specific when you are searching for a destination, and like I said earlier, don't assume you have to stay in the states. Get on Travelocity or Expedia and see what flights are going for to different destinations around the time you want to travel, that will give you somewhat of an idea what the cost would be. Another great resource is VRBO or HomeAway, you can rent houses practically anywhere! And, when your family doesn't fit in a standard hotel room, this is a lifesaver! Quick tip: you need to ask your family their opinion also, don't just assume your husband wants to lay around on the beach or that your kids would enjoy relaxing in a lake house. Be sure to find a place that has something for everyone!
Get Your Budget On
Now that you know where you want to go, start making a budget! Factor in when you are going, seasons determine cost, how long you want to stay, what do you want to do, will you be eating out a lot or cooking, and the cost of travel, whether it's gas money or plane tickets. Don't forget those minor details like airport parking, snacks along the way, and souvenir money. Try and account for everything you will need money for, then start listing it in the order that you will need it. For example, you will need your hotel and airfare money first, but souvenir money isn't needed until the end. This will help you see what's coming next and help you with your spending habits! The earlier you start planning your vacation, the better budget you will have because it will allow you to save longer! Here is a helpful travel budget printable.
Start Saving
I am not a saver, I just suck at it, unless I have a reachable goal. I like to get my budget ready and then start my saving from there, which is why it is critical for me to start planning vacations early! This is also where that tip about listing what needs paid first in order comes in. I know that I need $1,500 to pay for our airfare and hotel, so I need to save $300 a month for 5 months to get there, etc. Break your expenditures down and reach that small goal, it feels very rewarding! Or, if you are just good with your finances start a vacation savings account! You will be able to earn a little interest while you save. Another thing my husband and I have recently started doing is using credit card rewards for travel. For the longest time we didn't want to get a credit card, then out of the blue we end up with a Discover It card, ahem my husband. It turned out to be a great card though, they match the cash back you earn your first year, dollar for dollar! In one year we earned $1,000 in cash back, which will be used for our trip to London this spring! There are several ways to earn money for vacation: garage sales, work extra hours, Swagbucks (this is a lot of work, more than it's worth in my opinion.) Even if it's just cutting back on eating out, do it, you won't regret it!
Get the Lay of the Land
Ok, you know where your'e going, now really get to know it! Let me tell you a little backstory on how my planning madness began. My husband and I had planned a week long trip to Boston, with an overnight trip to New York midweek. My husband wanted to plan the New York over-nighter and surprise me with the hotel, isn't that cute? While his intentions were amazing, and our hotel was gorgeous, it had a beautiful view of the New York skyline....from New Jersey...there wasn't much planning involved. But no big deal, Jersey is just a hop, skip, and a jump from New York right? While getting into New York was easy via a ferry, little did we know trying to get back at 2am was almost impossible without paying a billion dollars for a taxi. And did you know that although Times Square is still lit up at midnight, most restaurants are closed. So you could end up eating at a FREAKING McDonald's instead of some cool, authentic NY joint. Also, the subway system maps of New York literally had me in tears. Picture this country bumpkin crying in the subway station trying to figure out if we need to take the silver line or the green line to get to where we need to go...oh, and we had no clue where the attractions my husband planned for us to see were located anyways. All that said, this could have been avoided if we had spent a little time looking at maps, planning our routes, and checking transportation times, etc. before our trip! Invest a little or a lot of time in getting to know your destination, that way you won't be wandering aimlessly while you are there, though that can be fun in certain situations...where it's built into a perfectly planned out schedule...kidding!
Attractions
What are you going to do while you are on vacation? Our family isn't much on just sitting around, we have to keep busy otherwise war amongst the children ensues, ok it still does anyways, but keeping busy helps a little bit. While you are researching the area find those can't miss attractions, and then if you're like me, find out how to do them cheaper! Want to see dolphins in Galveston? Instead of booking that $200 tour, take the free ferry to Bolivar Island instead, you still get to see dolphins!! There are so many ideas on Pinterest about how to see things in a cheaper way, look those up! Another great way to see those can't miss top attractions is to get a Go City Card or CityPass, most popular destinations have these, and they do save you money if you do them right. Make sure to read the fine print on when to start using them, and when your time ends, otherwise you will miss the free whale watching tour that came as a bonus when you bought it, and yes I'm still upset 4 years later...another reason I'm a crazy planner now!
Dining
Remember my horror story about McDonald's earlier? Maybe you like McDonald's, I don't know your life, but I do know that I don't want to eat at restaurants that we already have in our tiny town back home! When I am in a new place, I want to try restaurants that are special to that area, or that serve food that is well know there. Like deep dish pizza in Chicago, or seafood on the beach in Florida, or beans and sausage for breakfast in London (I'm not looking forward to this one, but I'm gonna try it anyways!). Do yourself a favor and look up restaurants near your hotel, attractions, etc. Check menus for those picky eaters in your life, make sure there is something there that they will eat. It's also good to look at prices so that you are able to stay on budget. I love to look at people's reviews on TripAdvisor about their dining experience, don't let one bad review sway your decision, but several should! Another good idea is to see if you need reservations, as I was searching restaurants in London I found that they are necessary most everywhere we wanted to go! If you are planning a Disney vacation, I can't stress enough the importance of making dining reservations at that 180 day mark for on-site guests! Dining can make or break a vacation. When I was a teen we road tripped to Pensacola, Florida, and we ate at Waffle House what felt like every day, I was a pain because of it...don't be that parent!
Transportation Don't be that person crying in the subway because you don't know where to go! As I mentioned earlier look up subway routes, or bus routes and times! Get familiar with the mode of transportation that you will be using at your destination. Even if you're driving you're car, there are things to be learned, like there are a ton of one way streets in New Orleans, Louisiana, and it's scary for all involved when you turn down one! Look up the costs of airport shuttles versus taking an uber. There are so many different types of public transportation, and they vary widely from city to city. Do yourself a favor and know before you go, don't waste any of that precious vacation time! Quick tip: see if your hotel offers free shuttles to/from the airport and to major attractions.
Check the Weather
Look up previous years weather for your destination. This will help you while you are trying to pack, and because you don't want to be lugging home a bunch of extra clothes you had to buy because you thought it was always warm in Florida! Check the weather daily before venturing out too, just because it starts out warm doesn't mean a cold front won't come through. You haven't seen crazy like a Disney World gift store in December after a cold front comes in. And sadly, yes, we were all buying jackets too. Not because I hadn't packed any mind you, but we left them at the hotel and didn't want to leave. Had I checked the weather that morning I would have known better!
Don't Forget the Minor Details
Be wary of getting caught up planning the cool stuff that you forget to ask grandma to watch the kids, or your friends to feed your cat! Give people plenty of notice so that they are able to make their own kinds of plans! Make sure you check those pesky airline regulations, don't pack the giant shampoo in your carry-on, and for goodness sakes don't forget your license! Have you made your list of emergency numbers? Here's a great printable to fill in and leave with family or friends. Make sure you get any prescriptions you may need filled. And, if you will be gone for a long time you'll need to put your mail on hold or have someone check it for you!
International Travel Prep
Going out of country? There are some very important things for you to remember! Apply for your passport early, it takes 4 to 8 weeks to get it back! Make sure you read through the website and get the appropriate form filled out and picture taken! Most of the time your district clerk or local post office can be your one stop shop. But as it turns out, literally everyone's passport photo machine was down in our town. We ended up going to CVS to get our pictures done, and then submitting the forms ourselves. Check and make sure you have all of the travel documents for the country you are traveling to as well, some require visas and such. Go to this website to see what you will need. Another great resource it STEP, this site allows you to check safety advisories in your area, as well as enroll your trip so that the local embassy where you are staying is aware that you are there should an emergency happen. They will also contact your family in case a situation should arise. Let your bank know that you will be traveling abroad as well, you don't want to risk your debit card being shut off for suspicious use! Lastly, get travel insurance. It is so comprehensive, from covering lost luggage to medical expenses if you get sick. Ask your travel agent about it, or look up some companies on your own. We are using United Vacations travel protection for our trip to London this spring.
With all this being said, I still make mistakes when traveling, or forget a minor detail. There is no reason to mope if you do, though I sure have, and trust me it doesn't help. Even a little planning goes a long way to making your vacation run smoothly. The most important thing to remember is to have fun and make memories!
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