Sunday, November 11, 2012

Do you "wanna get away?"

Do you want to get away?  Do you need a get away?  Do IT!  Start planning your trip.  Whether it's a cross-country road trip or just a two hour trek to a local spot you love, you need to have a plan in order to enjoy the result.  With a little guidance and a little time spent up-front your trip can be smooth sailing (literally in some cases).

  

Budget does a traveler good

First thing's first.  Decide what kind of budget you are going to allot for your voyage.  It needs to be something achievable.  If your estimated budget is $2000 and you want to set sail next month, will you be able to save $500 a week to attain your goal?  When you have a starting point it will make many of your other choices fall into place much more easily.  If you have dreams of a tropical island but realize you can only save a meager amount by summer's end, you may want to re-direct path.  




What's your destination?


Now that you have a ball park figure to work with, you'll need to make a more definitive destination choice.  More than likely, you already had a picture in your mind of the type of place you want to visit, but with budgetary decisions now in place you can narrow down a specific locale.  

For example, you may be planning to take the family on a winter ski trip and have always thought Vail was the obvious choice.  Then, you start doing a little research and stumble across the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT.  You learn about the history of the lodge and see the breathtaking views that other travelers have taken.  Next, you read reviews and find that families love it at this cross-country skiing haven.  You fall in love with this historic gem and now know this is it.  This is where I want to take my family.  



There are so many places to visit, it's best to make an informed choice.  Read reviews, research based on your specific criteria.  Don't end up in a popular bachelor party spot when you're planning a romantic rendezvous.

Research, take 1


Now that you have the two key pieces of your puzzle in place it's time to fill in the cracks.  It's time to find out how to make point A connect to point B.  You'll need to take it from the top and start with the average cost for a vacation to your hot spot.  Next, go into further detail and check out specific hotels, commute options, and other travel needs based on your vacation needs.  

Use all your resources to make your travel dream become a reality.    If you have the luxury of being flexible with your dates there are tons of deals to be had.  Check local sites for the area to see if there are special goings on that may be affecting availability and pricing.  For example, you may just be looking for a long-weekend in New Orleans but can't seem to find a hotel for under $200.  Before, booking you make a quick inquiry to find that a popular music festival is being hosted the same weekend you are searching for.  This can mean two things for your travel plans.  It could mean that you put the breaks on that search or it could mean you just found out that your favorite band is the headliner and you've scored big time.  Either way, a little legwork goes a long way. Check popular discount sites such as Groupon or Living Social to see if your destination has a special running during your travel dates.








Research, take 2


So far, it's been all about logistics; the when and the where.  Now it's time to start getting into the fun stuff.  What's going to happen once I actually arrive?  Of course, this widely depends on your personality, but no matter where you go or who your are, you want to be prepared.  Whether you are looking forward to a relaxing beach vacation where your sole goal is to sit in a chair with a pretty umbrella drink in your hand or you're planning an elaborate family vacation for 5 to Disney World, it really does come down to the details.  In the beach scenario, you'll need to check into particulars such as chair/umbrella rentals, the possibility of all-inclusive drink specials and maybe how much the beach-side masseur charges. 

In the latter plan, you'll need to allocate a great deal more time to this area of research.  As is the case with any theme-park based vacation, you'll have to check on ticket prices, the time you need to spend at said park to fully enjoy the experience, and the possible special events that may be add-ons to your park tickets.  These are just some of the many, many examples.


Just like with the accommodations and such, you should spend some time researching deals related to your attractions.  

  • Check local sites for deals
  • Read blogs by locals
  • Check with the hotels to see if they offer discount attraction tickets 
  • Save money!!



Finalize the budget


You're on the downward slope of the planing phase.  You've brainstormed, you've researched, you've hopefully kept most of your hair.  The next step is to go back to the budget you originally created and make sure what you thought you would need is what you actually need.  

Maybe the airfare was higher than you originally thought.  Maybe you were able to score a deal on a hotel and you'll only need half of what you thought.  Either way, by this point you should have a pretty accurate picture of what your vacation spending plan will be.  



The last part is by far the easiest.  Enjoy your well-thought-out vacation and stick to the plan.  You put in all the effort to make your trip not only enjoyable, but also affordable for you.  Whether you're on a beer budget or planning to go first class all the way, you don't want to come home only to have to figure out how to pay for the fun you just had.  















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