Today I am describing the way I used to plan a vacation when I was working. This usually involved a flight, renting a car, and staying in a hotel.
Planning the "best" vacation is relative to the person of course. We all have our own ideas on what would make a best vacation.
What makes me happy is to visit a place away from the big cities. I want to see and photograph scenery and animals and try the local food.
Some people might prefer renting a cabin and just sitting on the porch reading and relaxing with trips into town to shop. Whatever you like to do it is good to have a game plan to make the most of your time.
Planning a Vacation:
It’s time to plan vacation. Where do you begin? During all this planning keep your budget in mind. What I like to do is save up the money the year before I go so my vacation is paid for in advance.
There are so many beautiful places to see here in the USA and for the most part, since I already live here, it is faster to reach destinations here so I start there. I’d love to say I have visited all the national parks so that narrows it further. Once I choose a destination I then choose the time of year I would like to go. Texas can be really hot much of the year so many times I travel in the fall, loving the cooler temperatures. However, when I visited Yosemite I went in the spring because I wanted to see the waterfalls in their full glory.
Next I take a look at the overall location where I want to be and I look for the "must dos or must sees" in that area. What things do I want to see most? Once I have that list I use a map, and an online mapping tool and try to figure out how many I can fit in with the number of days off I have. Will I be able to see all those things in the time I have available without rushing? I may have to remove some items so that my vacation won’t be too harried. Regardless I will make notes on all the things I want to see in case I need a plan B.
Now I can begin to look for lodging. For really popular destinations lodging choices often have to be reserved one year in advance of the vacation.
I also look up places to eat and plan B things to do if the weather turns bad.
The last thing I want to do is waste time wondering what I should do or where I should go and using valuable vacation time looking it up.
I like to have a list of possibilities available and then we choose what we feel like at the time - of course also taking into consideration any suggestions we can get from the locals.
Packing: Look up average temperatures and precipitation for the time period you will travel. In mountainous areas you may want to think about taking a jacket since the weather can change quickly.
Are you going to hike? Keep an eye out for a sale and get a good pair of hiking boots. You'll spend less time worrying about your footing and more time enjoying the scenery. Not to mention happier feet at the end of the day. Good socks help too.
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