Part of a great vacation is the escape, getting away from it all. You don’t want to be spending your precious
vacation time running around buying things you forgot to pack. In addition, you don’t want to have added
travel delays because you didn’t prepare the right documentation.
Obviously,
if you book with us, we will give you concierge service in advising you of the many
things listed below and much more like suggested things to do, things to see
and places to eat so that you get the most out of your travel experience.
So, here’s a
few Tips
Dress
Right - Depending on
where you are going do a quick search on the internet as to avg temperature and
avg rain during your trip, so that you can pack the right clothes, hats, shoes,
and rain gear (usually a windbreaker that can handle some rain). Always pack sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, and
multiple pairs of shoes for different tasks.
If you plan on Snorkeling or Scuba Diving, please make sure to get sun
screen that is safe for reefs.
No Stress
with the proper documentation - If you are traveling Internationally do some research as
to what documentations, you will need.
If you are going on a Cruise, there will be a group of documents you
need to prepare to make your check in smooth and easy. This way you leave all stress behind and get on
the cruise that much quicker to start having fun.
Plan
Ahead - For our
larger more epic trips, say 7-14 or more days, we like to plan ahead and book
early. This is a great practice to do on
many levels:
1) You save Money, as you get closer to your target
travel dates; prices usually go up as the flights, hotels, rental cars, or the
Cruises are filling up. It’s the simple
rule of Supply and Demand.
2) You have time to research your trip,
to find out all the things to do, to see and to taste. You have time to research activities and
tours, especially smaller more personal tours that you can do just with your
group of family and friends. No
research can really affect your trip.
I have some friends that went to Yellowstone in late October. They are from South Florida and in October
here it gets slightly cold at most, but in Yellowstone, in Northern Wyoming
with altitudes of 10,000’ it was snowing hard every day. They also did not research the park dates and
most of the lodges were closed. This
lack of research really affected their trip.
They said they had a good time and I’m sure they did, it’s Yellowstone
after all. But how much better of a time would they have had researching the
park, avg weather, etc. Such research
would have told them to travel from mid-June to mid-September when the weather
is milder, and everything is open in the park.
3) Reserving your trip well in advance
can help you overcome the everyday blues.
For me, knowing that I’m going on said trip and researching it takes me
away from all the daily stress. I really
enjoy watching You Tube videos about where I’m going. These videos help me to build an itinerary
that I loosely follow once I’m on the trip.
This helps me get the most out of my trip. Pro-Tip, when looking at a You Tube
video about your trip don’t bother looking at a Vlog, you’re just looking at
someone’s vacation. Instead look for videos that say the top things to see, top
10 lists are also great. They can cover
top activities, places to see, best restaurants, historical places, etc. You really want to get the most from your
trip, and researching with time can give you extra fun and satisfaction of
experiencing all that interests you.
4) You have time to pay the vacation
off. If you book your vacation, say nine
(9) months ahead, you have a good chunk of time. You can send a little money here, send a
little there and before you know it: most, if not all your expenses are paid
for.
So how early
is too early, we usually start discussing the next big trip about a year ahead
and do some basic research to set when we want to travel. We usually book 8-9 months ahead for the
bigger trips of 7-14 days.
For 3-day
cruises and quick 3-5 day trips we are usually open and ready to go at a moment’s
notice, lol. What can I say, we love
to travel.
Another time
to save money on travel is to be ready at a moment’s notice to travel to take
advantage of last-minute deals. Now
these deals are not available as much as you might think. It depends on the economy and how many of us
are travelling. Remember that supply and
demand thing, well it is extremely prevalent on last minute deals.
For Empty
Nesters – if you’re
looking to save money on Cruises, Disney worldwide, Sandals and Beaches resorts
book when kids are typically in school.
Again, it’s that good ole supply and demand thing. Families who have kids are limited on
traveling when the kids are in school, especially for a 7-day plus vacation.
Using an
Itinerary – On #3 of
the benefits of booking early, I stated that I follow my itinerary
“loosely”. To clarify, I never create a rigid
itinerary that says specific times to be at a place. Instead, I write a few things that we all
would like to see, Places we’d like to eat at and use it as a guide, but we are
always open to new things that might present themselves on any day. The spontaneity
of an experience has its own merits, and many times can be that unexpected wow
factor that you keep with you for the rest of your life.
If you fly
often (more than 3 times a year) it is worth doing the TSA Pre-Check. This will
make your experience at the airport as pleasant as possible.
I hope these
tips can help you make the most of every trip you take.
Best Regards