It’s not the easiest thing to do, but planning a vacation can be done without too much stress. It takes a little time and patience.
The Mississippi River at Savannah, Ill.
Start with research
Booking a trip, whether it’s overseas or to a campground in your hometown, requires some research to start. Pick some dates, but keep them flexible. Sometimes airfare is cheaper on certain days of the week, so leaving on a Tuesday may save you a little spending money for the rest of your trip. Have an idea of where you want to go. Looking for a warm beach or just a mirror-like lake to dip your toes in? There are sites out there to help you narrow your search. I like applevacations.com, cheapcarribean.com, Travelocity.com and tripadvisor.com.
Home away from home
You should look up places to stay and compare prices with the other venues. If you’re looking at campsites, make sure you know if you need water or electric hook-ups, as these things cost more. If you want a hotel, look into what is located nearby; a popular night club might not make the best neighbor for a good night’s sleep, although it could be a lot of fun if you’re a night owl looking for a party scene. When you decide to book your stay, double-check the dates you’ll be there and the occupancy requirements for the site or room; some places charge extra per person staying.
Recreation
Next, you’ll want to have a few options of things to do. I don’t recommend trying to plan out your entire vacation, but having some ideas as well as their cost, timeline and availability will help. I generally print out a list that includes the type of activity it is, where it’s located (a physical address I can type into the GPS for directions), a phone number and/or e-mail address, cost involved per person and hours of operation.
For a three-night stay I’ll have a list of approximately six things we can do in that area. I like to include indoor as well as outdoor activities; I’m an outdoor enthusiast, but Mother Nature isn’t always on my side, so having indoor options is nice. Usually we’re lucky if we make it to one attraction a day. It’s a vacation, after all… there has to be some relaxing going on.
A good tip for this is to look at the official website for your location. I’m planning a little get-away to Door County right now and their official website (doorcounty.com) is by far the best resource. They have it broken down by categories and list all of the details you would need.
We all have to eat
I like to look up the dining options ahead of time and try to make it to one local establishment each day. Fast food can suffice while running around during the day, trying to cram as much into my time off of work as possible, but a nice sit-down meal can make the whole trip worth it. Look for good reviews, check out their menu ahead of time and know if you’ll need reservations.
Usually every little community has a restaurant known by the locals as THE place to go. I heard of one such place when I was planning a trip to Grand Bahamas Island. We made sure to stop by Pier One, a seafood restaurant where they feed the sharks over the deck railing (site located here: http://www.pieronebahamas.com/). It was one of the most memorable parts of my trip, and I can’t wait to get back there to experience it all over again.
Logistics
This is the part I love, and I’m not entirely sure why. I guess I just really love planning and organizing. When I’m researching a vacation, I need to know how much everything is going to cost me. I’m not made of money. I don’t have a sugar daddy to fund my travels. I have to provide for myself.
First, I decide on transportation. Am I driving, flying or catching a train or bus? For the international destinations, I recommend flying. Just state-hopping around the U.S., sometimes it’s better financially to drive, plus you get to see some great sites that aren’t available to you in the airport terminal. Sight-seeing is part of the vacation adventure.
When I’ve decided on my mode of transportation, I’ll figure the cost one of two ways: A) look online for ticket prices and compare by when it would work best for my schedule. Sure, the red-eye flights are cheaper, but if I’m visiting family, I really don’t want to arrive while they’re sleeping. B) figure the miles to your destination and back (don’t forget that you need to make it back home, too), determine the national average gas price (because it may not be the same as in your local community), know the miles per gallon for your vehicle and do some simple math to establish how much it will cost to drive your vehicle to your destination. Typically, I type in the destination and any waypoints (planned stops) one-way, double it for the return trip, and add some miles for any excursions once I get to my destination (this should be easily researchable, too). Then I take the total number of miles, divide by the miles per gallon of my vehicle and multiply that answer by the cost of gas for a total cost of fuel for your trip. For example: if I were traveling 300 miles for my trip in a vehicle that gets 30 miles to the gallon and gas is $2.50 a gallon, my math would look like 300 miles / 30 mpg = 10 gallons of gas I’ll need and 10 gallons x $2.50 = $25, so my gas would cost me approximately $25.
Well, that was transportation. I generally also tally up the cost of where I’m staying, must-go activities and food (aim for a general allowance per person of $10 for breakfast, $12 for lunch and $15 for supper, so $37/day per person; I realize this is high, but when you’re on vacation, you tend to think “I can splurge, I’m on vacation…”). I also make a list of the cost of alternate activities so I know the high end as well as the low end of my trip expense.
Nothing ventured is nothing gained…
Gold Rock Beach, Grand Bahamas Island, Bahamas
Add up all of those numbers and you have an idea of how much your trip will cost. Then you can add or subtract days to make it affordable or fit in everything you want to do.
Summary
-Choose your dates
-Pick a location
-Select your mode of transportation
-Research options for activities, dining
-Know your budget
-Book it
-Enjoy