If you’d like to make your next vacation the best one ever, there’s an easy method for doing so. It’s a little bit more involved than crowd-sourcing an opinion and pushing a few buttons, but it will pay huge dividends in the outcome.
There are six simple steps to planning your perfect getaway and ensuring that your upcoming vacation will meet (or exceed!) your expectations:
Step 1: Take a minute to sit down with your travel partner(s), and identify what your goals are for this trip. Do you want to relax and unplug and come back completely refreshed? Are you seeking excitement and action to get that adrenaline flowing? Are you a food and wine connoisseur who’s searching for new tastes?
It make take some negotiating with your travel partner to make sure you are on the same page and in agreement about the goals of your upcoming trip.
Step 2: Identify your top 3 “must have” criteria. Write them down in order of importance and expand your list to more “nice to have” options. For example, is a powdery white sand beach at the top of your list? Or is the top spot given to a cooking class with a famous chef? Or maybe you are really looking forward to some white water rafting or seeing some spectacular architecture. Whatever it is that’s at the top of your list, make it your priority for this trip.
Step 3: Find a travel advisor that specializes in the type of trip you’re looking to take. For example, if this is a honeymoon to the beach, look for a honeymoon specialist. They have the expertise and the contacts to bring your perfect trip to fruition. A good travel specialist will also ask you questions about your goals, interests, and budget to ensure that they are providing options that are the best fit for you. They’ll also suggest some nice “extras” that you may not have thought of.
Step 4: Do yourself a big favor, and do NOT ask your friends where they went or where you should go. You’ll get 12 different answers from 12 different friends, and this will only create doubt and confusion. Remember that while they may have thought their last trip was the “best trip ever”, they also probably had very different goals and “must haves” from what you’ve just identified. At best, taking the same trip they took will simply relegate you to settling for your friend’s ideal trip (when what you really want is YOUR ideal trip).
Step 5: Consider your options carefully and whether you’ll have to make any compromises. For example, you may have to cross something off your “must have” list if it’s over your budget. Select the option that’s the closest fit for your goals and your budget, and book it with your preferred travel advisor. Don’t take a chance with your trip or your hard-earned vacation time and book it anywhere else. Otherwise, you may end up with less than you bargained for (e.g. your reservation may be “lost”, pieces of your trip may be missing, and you have no one to call to fix any of it).
Step 6: Take the travel protection. No one books a trip thinking that they might not be able to travel, but for the small price of the insurance, you’ll have the peace of mind of knowing that if something unforeseen does happen, you won’t lose your entire trip payment.
Now relax and enjoy your getaway knowing that you’ve booked your perfect trip!
Fun ‘n’ Sun Travel & Cruise Creates memorable custom getaways to tropical destinations. Family vacations, destination weddings, and honeymoons are our specialty. We can help plan your perfect vacation! Call us at 1-855-557-5588, or visit us on the web for more information.