Want a Stress-Free, Cheap Trip? The Answer is Vacation Planning
By Terence RobertsTrip or vacation planning is THE most important factor in ensuring that your travel goes well. Perhaps you hardly notice when a trip is well planned, but you definitely do notice when it's not! Imagine you've just arrived at your destination airport, it's almost midnight, and you can't find the representative of the transfer company that was going to meet you. If you've done your planning, the emergency phone number will be at your fingertips. If you haven't, there's no knowing where it might be! Good planning can take all the stress out of traveling, and it can also keep your costs well under control.
Choosing Where, When and How
Planning begins from the very first moment, when you're still deciding where to go. Good destination planning takes into account the preferences and likes of each of the members of the travel group and any physical limitations. Deciding on the general destination (e.g. country or region) is usually not difficult, but putting together a detailed itinerary is another matter. You need to work out the order of the visits, how long to stay in each place, the essential sights and monuments, etc.
Once you've decided on the where, you need to think about the when. Or, if the dates of your vacation have been fixed for you, the "when" will actually dictate the "where". If you have to take your vacation in December, it's not usually a good idea to arrange a beach holiday in the northern hemisphere. This is an extreme example, but it shows that each destination has its optimum moment, and you need to be sure you know it.
Now that you know where and when you're going, it's time to give some thought to how. Most international trips are made nowadays by plane, but you may find reasons to justify taking a boat, or driving. And, once you're there, how are you going to move around? Is the public transport good enough, and fast enough, or will you lose too much time that way? Is it safe to hire a self-drive car? What will be the best type of baggage to take with you for the type of traveling you're going to do? Backpacks, suitcases? Etc.
Eating and Sleeping
When you've worked out the dates, itinerary and travel arrangements, it's time to concentrate on the other two main cost items: eating and sleeping. Careful planning of these two aspects will be the major factor in making your trip cheap or expensive. Do you know how much meals cost in the places you're going to visit? How can you save and still eat well? What sort of fast foods are there? And what sort of hotels do you need? Or can you find some kind of alternative that will make your trip cheaper? You need to be comfortable and clean, but perhaps you don't need the luxury of a 5 (or 4) star hotel.
So far, we've only started to think about the most general considerations of vacation planning - we will need to get into a lot more detail if we want to feel confident that our trip will indeed be stress-free and cheap. But, with just a little practice and care, it is possible to ensure that our next vacation will pass off without a care - and cost us less than we could imagine. And the sooner we start, the better!
Terry Roberts is a seasoned traveler living in Madrid, Spain. To find out how to get his vacation-planning guide "101 Ways to make Your Next Trip Unforgettable - Without Breaking the Bank".
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