Taking a vacation is fun. Planning a vacation isn't always fun. It can be stressful to figure out how you're going to get there, where you're going to stay, and exactly what you're going to do when you arrive.
If only planning a vacation could be easier. It can!
Planning your vacation shouldn't cause stress when the vacation itself is supposed to eliminate it. With these five tips, you can make planning any vacation easier.
Pick a Package Online
There are a lot of things you need to do in order to plan a successful vacation. Planning all those activities individually can take a lot of time, and with more options than ever, it can be difficult to narrow down your choices.
Instead of spending hours pouring over options online, look at vacation packages instead. For example, you can find vacation packages in Branson that combine tickets to multiple shows, as well as multiple night stays at local hotels.
Not only do vacation packages make it easier to decide what to do with your time when on vacation, they can also help you save money. By purchasing multiple tickets at the same time, you will end up saving on the price of what it would cost if you purchased tickets individually.
Combine Transportation with Your Hotel
Figuring out what to do on vacation is important, but it won't matter if you don't figure out how you're going to get there! Whether you're traveling by plane or you're renting a car, it's a good idea to surf online.
In addition to booking airplane tickets and rental cars online, you can also book your stay in a hotel. Most websites enable you to do all three.
By combining your transportation with your hotel, you can essentially kill two birds with one stone, spending less time searching for each one individually. As is the case when purchasing a vacation package online, combining your hotel stay, airline tickets, and/or car rental can also save you money.
Don't Make Too Many Plans
You will undoubtedly have an idea of what you want to do when you get to your final destination, and planning ahead is a great idea, but that doesn't mean you should figure out exactly what to do with every moment of your time while you're away from home.
Instead, you should stop over-planning your vacation. It's a good idea to plan a few things to do, but you should also leave empty time in your vacation. It means you'll spend less time pouring over the internet trying to figure out what you're going to do, but it will also enable you to stress less while you're gone. There's nothing more stressful than trying to rush somewhere simply because you already have a ticket!
That's not all! Leaving parts of your vacation open enables you to make new discoveries when you get to your destination and try something you didn't know was there on a whim.
Call a Travel Agent
Even with these tips, you'll still spend a lot of time doing research online. If you don't want to have to worry about where you're going to stay, how you're going to get there, and what you're going to do when you arrive, a travel agent may be the solution.
Instead of doing all the research yourself, and possibly making a mistake, you can leave it all in the hands of a travel agent. Simply tell them where you want to go and what kind of experiences you want to have, and they'll customize a vacation just for you.
Simplify Your Luggage
Even after all the pieces of your vacation have come together, you still have more to do. You have to figure out what to bring!
You don't want to leave anything behind, which leads people to over-pack. However, checking bags can be expensive. Not to mention, keeping track of all your belongings can be stressful.
Instead, simplify your luggage and only bring a small carry-on. Include important items like:
Basic shirts and pants that can be mixed and matched.
One dress or dress outfit.
Pack lighter shoes and wear heavier shoes on the plane.
Bring layering items, like a light jacket or scarf.
Plan to do laundry so you can bring fewer socks and underwear.
Your vacation should eliminate stress-not add to it! Make things easier before you depart with the things on this list and you'll actually look forward to planning your vacation!
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
