- Share This Post
- Pin It
- 0
- 2
-
Sparkle (0)
Summer is right around the corner and you know what that means: Summer Vacation Planning Time!
But, before you roll your eyes and groan, I want to give you a few pointers that may make your planning easier and even a little bit fun. Planning vacations is one of my favorite things to do, and I think I can help make it fun for you too with these ten easy steps to summer vacations.
1) Know your budget.
This may seem pretty self-explanatory but is really the first step in centering your family vacation. You may WANT to take the family to Paris but after looking at your budget may realize that it may not work within the budget for this year. Don’t despair -- there are many fun vacations to be had for little money. But, before you start planning, you need to know how much you can spend.
My advice: Don’t put your vacation on a credit card. You will be much happier and have less stress if you can pay for your vacation with cold hard cash.
2) How are you going to get there?
If you are planning to fly, you should be looking to buy tickets at least six weeks in advance. You should read my post on the best way to get good prices on airfare -- although as gas prices continue to increase the deals are harder and harder to find.
Gas prices are something to consider if you plan on driving. With gas pushing close to $4.00 a gallon and expected to stay around that level for the entire summer. GasBuddy.com is a cool website that will help you figure out where to buy the cheapest gas on your entire roadtrip. It is also an app for smartphones which makes it extra handy.
3) Where to stay?
Figuring out where to stay has to be the most difficult decision. I spend so much time trying to find the perfect place and sometimes it works -- sometimes it doesn’t. There are so many options of places to stay including resort hotels, condominiums, vacation rentals, cabins, camping, motels…..
My theory is that where you stay on vacation is more than just a place to sleep. It can really make or break your vacation. To find the right accommodation, you need to decide what type of vacation you want to have. For example, if you are thinking spa treatments while the kids play in the lazy river, you need a resort hotel. You won’t find that at any old chain hotel, and of course, camping would be out of the question. If you are doing a Disney World vacation, you might not be happy staying at a vacation rental thirty minutes away. Or, you just might. You might love driving and want the time away from the parks.
This summer, I am doing a backpacking trip through the Philippines. So, I am foregoing any nice resort hotels and really getting into the adventure of life in the Philippines, complete with little indoor plumbing and mosquito nets. The whole point of the trip is for that experience and I wouldn’t really want to stay in beautiful resort hotels with maid service, and fresh sheets and no bugs. (Wait! I am starting to re-think this.)
So, my point is -- before you start making hotel reservations, think about how you envision spending your days. And, then start to do research. There are lots of websites that have reviews of hotel rooms and other accommodations. Raveable.com has them listed by city and individual bloggers submit their reviews.
4) What to do?
We usually have some idea of what we plan to do on vacation but we also like to keep ourselves open for new adventures and opportunities -- as well as down time. For example, we will be spending a few weeks in Hawaii this summer and are all making a list of things we want to do but not planning a formal itinerary. We know we want to go surfing, hiking, eat at a bunch of our favorite restaurants and go sailing. We keep it open so that we don’t feel stressed about sticking to a schedule and can be open to new and exciting things that we may not have known about. We also make sure the kids get to add to
