January 30th is National Plan for Vacation Day!
It seems like there is 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 say I missed this year. January 30th is National Plan for Vacation Day. Here's why that's a day you need to pay attention to.
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. While January might not be a hot travel month, it's the perfect time to start planning your adventures for the rest of the year. 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?
Here are some tips on how to rock vacation planning.
1. Include Your Travel Partner
There's usually one person in every family or travel group who is the primary planner – raises hand – 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.
2. 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 still on your bucket list. Some people go to Disney regularly, others go skiing, and others like to mix it up and do different things each time they take a trip.
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.
3. National Plan For Vacation Day – Include Short Trips
Vacation doesn’t have to mean an elaborate, two-week adventure or a long-haul flight. 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? Those count.
4. Have your planning tools available
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 at your fingertips:
- 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 companies.
- Paper and pen or pencil, even if you're not an old-school notetaker.
- 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. Pull out your planner, get a copy of the school calendar, if you have kids, and open up your calendar apps.
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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