Are you looking for some quick tips on travel planning?

Travel can be frustrating or wonderful. Use these 6 quick tips to plan your next trip and find the vacation that you dream of.

We can’t travel right now, at least not with any freedom like before the quarantine. But we can plan easily for our next wonderful trip!

Because I want the trip to be enjoyable for all, I always like to do some research and trip planning before I decide on the feasibility of any planned trip.

If you follow these six simple tips to travel planning, you will cover all the bases and have the trip you really dreamed about!

1. Who?

This seems obvious, but write it down. If you look at who will be going with you and think about what their interests are, your trip will go much smoother.

- Are you taking the family and need to provide activities for little ones?
- Teenagers?
- Older parents?
- Do you need to factor in some down time for short attention spans for small children?
- Or will it be a weekend with just the girls outing?
- A bachelor party weekend trip planned for the guys before the wedding?
- Just you and your spouse?
- Or is it a solo trip for some down time just for yourself?

By taking the ages and interests of your travel companions into consideration, it will make a world of difference in how you travel and what you plan to do.

in addition, Be open to allowing family members to pursue different activities, within reason.

Remember, too, that you have the option to do different things.

For instance, when my sister’s family wants to go out adventuring, she is often content to sit at the pool. She and her family learned a long time ago that it is really OK to do different things and everyone is happy. They always meet up again and spend plenty of time together afterwards. You don’t always have to be joined at the hip to enjoy your vacation.

2. What?

Consider what type of things you enjoy?

- - If you are more active and adventurous, this will dictate a whole different set of activities than if you want to go to a 5 star hotel, read by the pool and get a massage in the afternoon.
  - Even if you think you know what all the people involved want, it is really a good idea to ask just to make sure.

I went on a trip once with a friend and I thought we were compatible, but I found out she wanted to shop A LOT, and that’s just not me. Even though we may have been compatible in temperament and friendship, our activity interests did not jive.

Then again, on another trip with girlfriends there were two of us who wanted to walk and explore and the other woman wanted to take a taxi or ride everywhere. That made for some awkward moments during the trip.

3. Where?

Where is it you are planning your trip?

- Be specific.
  - If you say Denver, you can go high in the mountains and camp or in the city and be visiting all the fun little boutiques. A day skiing in a resort or a day spent backpacking and camping look totally different. If you sort through the options, there will be a theme that stands out and you can go from there.
- Also, will you be visiting family or friends while you are there?
  - Will you be staying with them or do you need to stay close by in a hotel?
  - You need to create time in your schedule for them, make sure they are available (they have plans too!) and determine how much time your spouse or kids want to spend with them. It could be a little or a lot. Or none at all. You can arrange to let your spouse and teenagers do a little exploring on their own while you visit with your sister to your hearts content!

Taking the time to think these things through before hand is a really good idea for family harmony.

4. Why?

Why are you planning this trip?

Some reasons may be:

- - family outing
  - solo trip
  - honing a skill by taking courses
  - adventure
  - site specific activity:
    - festivals
    - family wedding or graduation
    - seeing a landmark or national monument
    - photography of a specific area

Be sure to take any of these into consideration as to the main purpose of the event. Schedule in enough time for the main activities so as not to be disappointed during the trip. Each facet of the above items takes planning drive time, meal breaks, wait times in lines, and timing for getting ready.

Whether it be a leisurely meal in a wonderful restaurant or getting up early to catch the best sunrise photo with your camera, try to anticipate your needs and what is most important to all concerned.

Express your need for help if your spouse or other members of your group have to make adjustments to help while you are getting ready for whatever you have planned.

Other parties in the outing are usually willing to help if asked correctly and they have the expectation that they need to jump in when you may feel stressed or overwhelmed.

Don’t be overwhelmed while you are on vacation. That is not a good feeling and will have an effect on not only you but on the other members of your group as well.

In addition, remember that sometimes when you are on vacation, the responsibilities that you have as a parent are even more stressful than at home.

Especially when you are camping, you still have the meal planning and prep, clean up and making sure that young children are looked after. Express that concern to your spouse and get a commitment from them to help out. Plan less elaborate meals, go casual in clothing and plan simpler activities if you feel over the top with care taking.

5. When?

- Trips we take are often dictated by time available off work and time specific events. Think about these:
  - Time of year – winter sports, summer beach activities, fall leaves
  - Specific local event, ie: Cherry blossoms in D.C., Balloon festival in Albuquerque, Chincoteague Island Pony Swim, etc.
  - Family event –
    - new baby being born,
    - family reunion,
    - graduation,
    - wedding,
    - 50th wedding anniversary
    - and so on…

6. How much?

Having a budget make things a lot less stressful. After you decide what, where, when, why and who, the last thing is the money. It becomes a lot easier when the first 5 parts of trip planning are done. (or maybe it should be the first thing… you decide)

For instance, if you go during high season, the area will most likely be more crowded and more expensive. But that may be the price you will need to pay to get what you want.

Be sure to budget for:

- Meals out, even if you are camping or staying with family.
- Hotel or campground fees
- Events
- Attractions
- Amusement parks
- Regional explorations
- Museum fees
- Extra shopping for souvenirs
- Toiletries – shampoo, sunscreen, over the counter medication
  - (these are much cheaper to get at home where you know the stores, but if you forget or run out, or the shampoo leaks during the plane trip…)
- Gas
- Parking
- Sporting Events
- Airplane fares and associated fees ( food, tips, etc)

Hopefully these 6 travel planning tips are helpful for you.

We have all had the odd trip where it seemed to be a disappointment and we couldn’t always put our finger on why. Planning ahead and understanding your “why” for going on the trip helps to focus your plans on your ideal vacation or extended trip.

To sum up, if you take these travel planning tips into consideration when you are dreaming about your next trip it will give you a much better handle on your travel plans.