January 30th is National Plan for Vacation Day!
There's a day to celebrate everything. There's National Taco Day and National Vodka Day, both on October 4th. There’s even National Rubber Ducky Day on January 13th. , which I’m sorry to have missed. January 30th is National Plan for Vacation Day and here's why you should get excited.
January 30th is National Plan for Vacation Day
Sure, maybe it's easy to roll your eyes at all the “made-up days” which are sometimes sort of hokey but planning for a vacation is smart.
January is the perfect time to start planning your adventures for this year. In January, summer seems far away but it's really not. If you're planning to vacation during spring break and don't have your ducks in a row, you're already behind the power curve. Why not take a day to sit down and look at options and vacation budgets?
Include Your Travel Partner
There's usually one person in every family or travel group who is the primary planner but deciding on where to go and how much to spend are usually joint decisions. Answering the questions of “Where?” and “How much to spend or how to afford a vacation” are things best decided jointly and early.
Consider What You Like to Do
Do you like active vacations or would you rather lounge on a beach? Look at what you've done recently and enjoyed – or didn't enjoy – and talk about things you really want to do. Some people go to Disney regularly, others go skiing, and others like to mix it up.
Some trips are compromises. If you have a family or group of travel friends that is 100 percent aligned on activities and destinations, count yourself lucky.
National Plan For Vacation Day – Include Short Trips
Vacation doesn’t have to mean an elaborate, two-week adventure in a faraway land. How about a weekend in a nearby town or a day trip to explore part of your own city that you have never seen before? Guess what? Those count.
How to Prepare for National Plan for Vacation Day
Unless you're solely responsible for planning and budgeting, carve out some undistracted time with your travel partner to get the ball rolling.
Here's what to have available
- Internet – sitting together with an open laptop or tablet works best
- Airline and hotel loyalty accounts or any accounts that will help you book or see any accrued benefits.
- Create any necessary accounts before you start planning. For example, if you know you're going to go to Disney World or cruise on a particular cruise line, go ahead and proactively set up accounts with those entities.
- Paper and pen or pencil
- Rough travel budget – If you don't have this nailed down it's OK to proceed without it but if you know how much you're going to spend at the onset of planning, it's easier to find trips that work for you.
- Calendars
Things to Consider When Planning For Vacation
- How much money you want to spend
- How many people are going
- Where you'll stay (hotel, Airbnb, stay with relatives)
- How long your vacation will be
- A short list of destinations or things everyone wants to do
Once you have your dates and locations mapped out, you can start building a more drilled down day-by-day plan. And, if you plan to travel internationally, make sure to check your passports before you start making plans. If a passport needs updating, you'll want to make sure you give yourself enough lead time to take care of all required paperwork.
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