Let’s face it- travel planning is not really that fun. Sometimes even deciding on a destination can be painful.
Tweet ThisAll the choices that have to be made can lead to a dreadful paralysis that either 1) prevents you from taking the trip in its entirety, 2) causes you to end up settling for a less than desirable trip or 3) leads you to overspend as you end up choosing last minute when prices have gone up.
There are so many choices to deal with that travel planning can easily become overwhelming. This leads to some folks just giving up and taking a staycation, just so they can avoid the hassle.
I’m currently going through a bit of travel paralysis myself as I try to figure out what I’ll be doing over my son’s week off school during April.
The time off also coincides with his annual birthday trip- so I want to try and make it really fun for him (never mind that both last year and this year he is telling me he wants a gaming computer. Clearly I don’t have a little travel bug on my hands!).
Last year we went to Atlantis on Bahamas’ Paradise Island and he had a blast. This year I have toyed with kid friendly vacations in Mexico, but I keep coming back to Florida. I’ve never been to Orlando and I think it would make a great trip with all the entertainment options that are available for children.
I always have a hard time with this trip as he usually has no preferences so I am all on my own in choosing where to go and what to do.
I go on Expedia and search a trip but then become overwhelmed at all the choices and just kind of back away for a few days. Meanwhile the vacation ticks closer and closer and I still haven’t decided what I am going to do!
The ominous sound of your vacation planning time ticking away.
I have come up with some strategies to break free from this paralysis and book that vacation! I want to share them with you so you can decide on a vacation locale and click “buy” without all the stress and strain.
The quicker you do this, the quicker you’ll be able to start living in that pre-vacation haze where you are filled with anticipation at the thought of your upcoming trip, rather than with dread at the thought of planning it.
Picture Yourself Here.
1.Decide on a Budget
Figuring out just how much you want to spend is the most important part of vacation planning. That will dictate how far afield you can go and the type of accommodations and activities you can afford.
2.Decide on the Length of the Stay
If you are working or have children, the length of your vacation will be decided for you! I tend to take family vacations on school breaks (though be warned, they will be way more expensive at this time). At other times, my time off from work and project scheduling determine how long I can stay in a location.
It helps that I am not a long term traveler. I like to get in, go hard, relax a bit then come back home!
The length of your stay will also impact the price of your trip, so beware of plugging that 2 week jaunt into Expedia. Play around with your dates though, weirdly enough, a shorter vacation can sometimes be more expensive.
3.Decide on the Timing of the Trip
I recommend planning a vacation at the very least 2-3 months ahead of time to get the best prices, though there are sometimes great last minute deals out there. Decide whether you are flexible on the days of your departure and use a website like skyscanner.com to decide on the best day of the month to fly out to your destination.
4.Start Your Estimates
Run your desired trip through one of the big travel sites. If you are a novice traveler, don’t try to get too cute and try every single travel hack out there. Do yourself and your sanity a favor and just plug it into one of the travel sites and see what pops up.
5.Choose Lodging
Decide on the lodging of your choice depending on your taste. I have not yet caught on to Air BnB so I stay at a traditional hotel and choose filters of 3 stars and above, though I prefer higher. Choose and compare prices to see what fits with your budget. Narrow down to a few choices.
6.Start Reading Reviews
Dedicate some time to start reading what other travelers have to say about your destination and accommodation of choice. This has yielded amazing gems for me and I never stay at a hotel without reading quite a number of reviews on Expedia and Trip Advisor.
7.Book!
By now, you should have enough information about your desired destination and lodging to make a choice. Click through and buy your trip! You can decide on add-ons and activities later. But at least now, you have locked in your price and have somewhere to go for vacation.
What are your vacation planning strategies? How do you beat vacation paralysis and get on with the business of looking forward to the actual vacation?
The post How to Avoid Travel Paralysis: 7 Steps to Making that Trip a Reality appeared first on Afford a Life.