In my lifetime there have been good vacations, bad vacations and great ones. I’ve learned how to make them great. There are certain things that work for me, and have made my vacations truly vacations–not just trips. Let’s take a look at the top 5.
- Decide where you are going. Seems strange, but you must know where you are going. This is so important, it will affect everything else you do. All of California is not the same–the beach in Texas is not the beach in South Carolina. One Hawaiian island is not the same as the other one. Do you want hot or cold or somewhere in between? Do you want to sightsee, be active, meditate, be on the go every minute, rest by the ocean all day while reading? Do your research.
- Decide how long you want to vacation. I’ve read about people who have vacationed for a couple of days to a couple of months. You have to decide, and you must include travel time, hotel check-in and check-out times, and one that we forget–departure time. Sometimes we check-out, and have nothing to do but sit at the airport and wait.
- Transportation is one factor that we tend to forget. As women of a certain age, we may not have the children to take along, but some of you might be taking the grandchildren. Roadtrips can be the best if you are traveling with the right people. Do you have time to ride the train? It’s never on time. There are charter buses. Remember flying is not the flying of old. Sometimes the people look like they are on the bus (really), the costs for each piece of luggage adds to the cost of the vacation, and the time it takes to get through the check-in procedure can start your vacation off badly.
- What type of accommodations do you want to have during your vacation? Are you going to have a single room, a suite, is breakfast included? Maybe you would like a timeshare. Maybe you want all-inclusive, one with no children, one that does or does not allow pets. I don’t do colored bedspreads or pets–that’s just me. Please remember that the internet makes almost everything look picture perfect.
- Most Importantly!! Who are you going with? Are you traveling with your significant other, girlfriends, which girlfriends (some of your friends may not get along, or they like different things) or grown children? You may be going to your favorite place, but who you go with can change everything. This will determine all of the other things you need to do. It may seem strange, but know how much they like to spend on dining out. Do they get up in the morning with the television on, do they go to bed early? Do they hog the bathroom? Which one of you has to sleep with the light on, music going, television on? You know the adage, “you don’t someone until you live with them”, well try traveling with them.
These are just a few of the things that I have found to be helpful when planning a vacation. You may have others, please share so that we can all have a great vacation.
