Traveling 101
Vacations mean a change of pace, a gentleness with ourselves, a time of rest and renewal, and a time to stretch ourselves and encounter new people, new lands, new ways, and new options. – Anne Wilson Schae
I am always thrilled to hear when friends decide to make travel and vacation part of their lives. Some consider it a luxury. Others think that they can’t afford it. Many dream about it but never get around to doing it. Still others get stuck in a rut of going to the same places when they’d rather explore somewhere new. There are seasons in our lives when time and funds can be scarce, but just like with anything that is worth doing, we have to be intentional about planning, saving and taking the time off to go out and see the world.
It is a necessity to unwind, discover new places, and unplug from the daily grind. Recharging your batteries in a place outside the four corners of your home is just as smart of a decision as exercising. It helps you get in touch with a side of you that may have been pushed away by everyday stressors. If done with the right attitude and mindset, it fosters bonding between you and your traveling partner.
Traveling doesn’t always have to be expensive, far, nor complicated. Deciding on the details of a trip is part of the adventure, and even this process will evolve with time.
BASICS
There are a several things you need to think about in planning a trip:
1. Interests
The world is at your feet. Where do you want to go? What do you want to see and do? The choices that will populate your To-Go and To-Do list are largely dependent on your personal interests. Categories include:
- Outdoors – nature-type destinations like beaches, trails, falls, camping
- Events – festivals, sporting events, concerts, special activities (Cherry Blossom viewing, Running of the Bulls, Comic Con, etc.), themed travel
- Rest and Relaxation – spa retreats, mountain cabins, foodie getaways, cruises
- Art and Culture – museums, historical sites, local attractions
Wherever you go, you’ll find that it will have some sort of intersection of a couple of categories, if not all. The key is deciding what your priority is, then looking for other things worth doing or seeing while there. If you at least satisfy what you primarily came out there to do, then the trip would be a success. Any other side itineraries next on your list would be gravy.
2. Budget
Unless you plan on winning the next lottery drawing, budget constraints are always a huge factor in trip planning. Budget influences travel style to a degree, especially in the beginning. You may want to fly business class but your budget allows for an economy ticket that can be scored during a closely watched airline sale. You’d like to stay at a five-star hotel but opting for three-star hotel slight out of the city center may give you more funds for meals and shopping.
Knowing how much you can set aside for the trip will guide you in shaping the trip details and itinerary. You can start a travel fund for a certain time period and depending on how much you save, you can plan a trip around that. Conversely, you can plan a trip, price it out and save accordingly until you hit the mark.
However way you do it, I caution you from talking yourself out of a trip when you see how much money will go towards travel, thinking you can put it towards something else. Yes, you can always put it towards something else, but commit to the idea that travel is worth it and then make it so.
Of course, you want to avoid getting yourself in debt or compromising paying for bills and other basic necessities on a sudden whim to skip town. Like in everything, balance is key.
3. Travel style
Consider what your personal travel style and comfort level are. While this may largely be dictated by your budget, you are still entitled to your preferences.
When looking for accommodations, do you like staying in hotels for comfort and convenience or do you prefer trying out alternative housing like bed and breakfasts or condo/home rentals? When planning your sightseeing, do you like the ease and certainty of booking a tour with a guide or do you like the freedom of exploring on your own? Can you see yourself going on a one or two week trip with just carry-on luggage or do you feel you need to take check your bags in so you know you can bring all that you need? Do you enjoy taking a trip with a big group of family and friends or would you like to go as a couple, or even do solo travel.
Your choices in these matters shape your personal travel style. It will continue to evolve as you go, but knowing how you like to do things will set the tone and pace. No one wants to travel miserably, and establishing what you want would help with those critical decisions that could make or break a trip.
4. Timeframe
Having a list of your desired trips and organizing them by timeframe can help you see what works with your availability. Travel during summer and holidays is almost always more expensive because of higher demand. It also means more crowds. However, if activities and festivities that you seek happen during the period, it makes it worthwhile to brave the hordes of fellow revelers and embrace the chaos as part of the experience.
For people with children, summer, spring and winter breaks are the most popular time to plan vacations around. But if your kids’ school have an open mind about educational trips, it may be worth considering taking them in the middle of the school year for a family trip when rates are favorable and lines are shorter. A survey has found that children who take educational trips have been found to have increased academic and career success. insert link
As with everything else, it’s a matter of personal preference and priorities.
Sample Travel List for an Atlanta-based traveler
| Trip Itinerary | Weekend Getaways- Typically travel time of no more than 3-4 hours (by driving or flying)- Skimming the surface | Weeklong Trips (may include long weekends- Typically travel time of more than 4 hours- More in-depth trips | Long Trips (2 or more weeks)- Long haul international trips- Multi-destination trips – Exploration trips |
| Outdoors | Tallulah FallsTybee IslandHilton Head Ruby Falls | Outer Banks, NCFlorida beachesGrand Canyon Skiing – Colorado | Inca Trail – PeruSkiing – SwitzerlandAfrican safari |
| Arts and Culture | AshevilleCharlestonSavannah Nashville | PortlandSeattleChicago Southern California | ParisMadridIsrael Southeast Asia |
| Events/Themed travel | Leaf peeping in the NEBroadway weekend in NYC | Comic Con – San DiegoMardi Gras – NOLA | Lord the Rings tour – NZCherry Blossom Festival-Japan |
A note on cruises: you can make a cruise as relaxing or action-packed as you like. You can stay on the ship for one week, lounge by the pool or spa and not step on land. Or you can go on an Alaskan cruise and do some nature exploration at the ports of call. Or you can do a frantic run-around in every city during a European cruise.
RESOURCES
Travel sites, blogs, travel books, and personal recommendations are invaluable in crafting a successful trip. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by too much information. Sift through the material and hone in on one or two sources before supplementing with more.
Guidebooks
A comprehensive compilation of the must-know details for a location. A good starting point to plan accommodations, itineraries, and budget. Rick Steves’ books are our bible for European travel. Frommers, Lonely Planet and Discovery Channel books are always reliable and have corresponding sites for additional updated information.
Travel websites
From official tourism bureau sites to travel booking sites to blogs, there is a website to cover and give information on practically every step of your way. Google and Bing are your bestfriends to find anything. Make sure you have the most current information from official sites, especially for hours of operation, train schedules, current prices, and the like. Take reviews with a grain of salt, knowing that there are people out there who are overly effusive with praise and those who will always find something wrong with everything. Try to get the general consensus and the facts.
Travel magazines and travel shows/documentaries
There is that innate daydream-y feel of going through the pages of a glossy magazine with gorgeous photographs of and exquisitely written articles on exotic locations that makes you want to book a trip right then and there. It is the same feeling you get when you sit and watch the travel show host explore well known and obscure destinations, interview locals for their points of view and savor the flavor of regional cuisine. These articles and shows are excellent ways to get ideas for where to go and what to do.
Personal recommendations
Remember those friends who wouldn’t shut up about a trip they went on? Forgive them and call them to get feedback on where they stayed, where they had their best meal, what they loved and disliked most about their trip, any good deals or tips that they got, and use that in your planning. Keep in mind that you may have differing travel styles, and so make sure you get the information relevant to you and your interests. Fair warning: you might enjoy your trip so much that you may end up to be the one who can’t stop talking about your adventures.
Writers have waxed poetic about the joys of traveling for ages. Some journey to the ends of the earth, some go one city or state over. Both sets of travelers have the same chances of enjoying themselves if they are in the proper frame of mind about travel. Some travel to go to discover a place they’ve never been to. Some travel to discover something about themselves. Some travel to unwind, to detach themselves from their reality and to bond with family and friends. Travel your own way, for your own reasons and purposes, not anyone else’s. To travel is to spend hard-earned money and take time away from real life. It is worth every penny and every second of the experience if you make it your own and come home with whatever it is that you set out to do.
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