Everyone needs a vacation every now and then! Vacations are meant to get away from stress and to relax, but you shouldn’t need a vacation from planning your vacation. Follow these 10 tips to keep your vacation planning stress free!
Set A Budget
One of the first steps to planning a vacation should be to set a budget! Setting a budget can influence just about every aspect of your trip. The budget can determine where you can travel to, if you need to drive or fly, where you can stay, what activities you can partake in, whether you can eat out every night or if you need to cook most meals in, and so on. Setting a proper budget will guide planning your vacation. Tip: try to stick to your budget as closely as possible, but account for extra costs here and there. You never know when you might want to splurge on something or when an unexpected cost my pop up. Follow these steps from USA Today to help you set your budget.
Search For The Best Deals
On that note, it’s always a good idea to search around for the best deals available. No one likes to pay more than they need to, so spend a bit of time looking for the best deal on flights, hotel rooms, rental cars, activities, or whatever it may be! Travelocity, Airfarewatchdog, Travelzoo, Kayak, and Google Flights are good places to start looking for great deals! Tip: Tuesday is typically the cheapest day to book a flight. Also check out these 5 ways to save on your vacation and lower vacation expenses.
Give Yourself Plenty Of Time To Plan
Planning a vacation isn’t the easiest task. It is important to give yourself plenty of time to ensure all the details are worked out. Especially if you are planning a long trip or a trip out of the country, you will most likely need more time to plan. Typically, the earlier you plan, the more money you will save. Don’t wait until the last minute to book your flight or look for a place to stay. Planning for a vacation can take anywhere from 3 to 24 months!
Choose A Quality Place To Stay
With that being said, you want to stay in quality housing. If you wait until the last minute to find somewhere to stay, it might not be ideal for your vacation. Whether it be a hotel, house, apartment, condo, etc. make sure it is somewhere you and your guest will be comfortable and enjoy staying. Airbnb and VRBO are a couple resources to start with to find that perfect place to stay on your vacation.
Pick The Right Amount Of Time For Your Vacation
In addition to the budget you set, your vacation can also be determined by how much time you will be traveling. Vacations often have to be planned around work and school schedules, so plan accordingly to how much time is available for your vacation. How much time you allocate to your vacation can also play a factor into where you can go, whether you need to drive or fly, and what activities you can do while on vacation.
Travel With The Best Company
No matter the length of your vacation, you should always travel with people who will make you happy and improve the quality of the trip. It is important that everyone gets along on the trip to make everything go smoother. You want to share your vacation with people you truly want to spend your leisure time with.
Have An Idea Of What Activities You Want To Do
When you start to plan out your vacation, it is helpful to have an idea of what you want to do. Do you just want to relax? Or do you want to go on an adventure every day? Having these ideas will help you create an itinerary for your trip. Don’t forget to check out local attractions and must-do’s for your destination so you don’t miss out!
Save Something Fun For The End Of The Trip
The first few days you arrive at your destination are always exciting! But you don’t want to front load your trip and forget about the end. The end of the trip always seems to be bittersweet. One way to combat this is to plan something fun for the end of the trip. Make the most of the time you have on your vacation and utilize every minute of it!
Prepare For Things To Go Wrong
It seems like nothing ever goes as planned, and preparing for a vacation is no exception. The perfect flight you wanted to take may fill up or someone booked the house you wanted to stay in. No matter how big or small the problem, not everything is going to go as planned and that’s okay! Just relax, take a deep breath, and find the next best option for your vacation.
Have A Countdown
When you have your vacation planned, the next step is to get excited about it! All the details of the trip have been planned and now it’s time to relax. Create a countdown on your calendar, on your phone, a post it note, or wherever you will see it everyday and look forward to the amazing trip you planned!
Now that you know how to prepare for a vacation stress free, go plan the vacation of your dreams. Happy planning!
Need to plan what to do with your pets during vacation? You might also like Indy’s Best Doggie Daycares & Pet Hotels!
Photo Credit: ThinstockPhotos
