It’s all very well and good when the world is your oyster and you’re in a position to plan the ideal vacation, but it can be very tricky to narrow it down to where you should actually be spending your money. Vacations are essential for you own personal development, wellbeing and bucket list accomplishments, so every decision you make should be in alignment with what you truly need.
That’s why the perfect planning is necessary for any vacation, large or small, and here is a guide to help you know where to start and the categories you should be thinking about.
Decide What You Want (and Need) From Your Trip
Understanding your goal for your next vacation is essential before you plan anything else. Be honest with your own needs and desires, and be sure to fulfil that with what you plan.
Be certain to ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you simply want a basic, budget vacation?
- Do you need to relax with focus on tranquility and well-being?
- Are you looking for an action-packed, adrenaline-fueled adventure which will see you taking part in a lot of activities?
- Are you aiming for one set location, or looking to travel around a little?
- Are you looking for a different focus, such as to re-connect with yourself? To meet new people? Or to perhaps focus on your fitness goals?
Be sure to focus more on what you need. You may love the idea of a highly-packed trip which will see you traveling from place to place, but if your current lifestyle is seeing you exhausted and stressed from work or other commitments, a highly-paced vacation such as this may see you exhausting yourself even more. You could always balance this out with days off or days spent simply relaxing alongside activities, of course.
You can also look into the perfect fitness bootcamp with Ultimate Fitness if you’ve decided that a health-oriented trip is what you really need.
Figure Out Your Budget
Now you know the type of vacation you need yours to be, you can figure out how much money you have available to fund your trip. Don’t let a budget constrict you if possible, for example, if you have decided you wholeheartedly want your next trip to be a high-activity adventure with lots to see and do, but your current budget doesn’t allow for everything, then consider delaying your trip a little longer to save up a little more and fulfil everything you want.
Budgets are a combination of how much you can comfortably afford, how long you save up for and how many sacrifices you’re willing to make in order to achieve your ideal vacation budget (such as holding off on the nights out and take outs if you’re serious about extra funding towards your trip)
Research the Best Time to Travel
This research should incorporate your intended destination, the intended activities you wish to do, and also the budget you have. Traveling at certain times of the year may be a lot more expensive than at other times, so if the original month you had planned is over your budget, consider looking at alternative months (such as avoiding peak periods) which may allow you to accomplish the same, but within budget.
Once you know your destination, you can also think about the various seasons and weather, and what you’re expecting out of your vacation. If sunshine and warm temperatures are non-negotiable, then look for the times of the year when your intended destination is more suited for that type of climate.
Also think about the activities you have planned; certain experiences may be closed at certain points of the year or during certain seasons, or you may be at risk of bad weather resulting in experiences being cancelled if you travel within a certain time frame.
Think About the Ideal Duration of Your Trip
You’ve planned what you want to do, where you want to do it, and how much it’s going to cost. Next, you need to think about how long you need your vacation to be. What is the perfect amount of time to fit in all the experiences you want to enjoy? How long do certain activities take, and how much can you accomplish in a day without becoming exhausted?
Think about travel times, so if your vacation sees you traveling from place to place, or if your accommodation is particularly far away from the airport, then you need to allow for that. For example, a flight from one side of the world to the other may see you losing two or three days of your vacation time simply on flying, transfers and jet lag.
