With August on the doorstep at the time of this writing, the 2019 vacation season is gradually coming to an end. We hope you enjoyed whatever vacation you took this year. If your vacation is still a few weeks away, we wish you well wherever you might be traveling.
With all that said, we want to help with your future travel plans if we can. As experts in organization, we understand that sometimes a lack of organization means even the most wonderful vacation plans don’t turn out so well. We get the fact that a lack of organization can make planning for a trip more of a nightmare than anything else.
My Divine Concierge is more than happy to assist where we can. Not being licensed travel agents, we cannot necessarily book your plans for you. However, we can help you organize your thoughts. We can help you plan your trip on schedule and with enough time to eliminate the headaches of last-minute planning.
In the meantime, we have compiled a list of tips for a better vacation experience. They are the product of our own experiences and what we’ve gleaned by listening to our clients:
1. Start with a Theme
It has been our experience that the starting point for a successful vacation is settling on a theme. By ‘theme’, we mean deciding on what kind of vacation you want. Are you looking to relax on the beach? Perhaps you are outdoor enthusiasts wanting as much of mother nature as you can get. Maybe you are a sightseer, a foodie, or a lover of history.
Too many people choose a destination first, and then try to figure out what there is to do in the local area. Wouldn’t it be better to figure out what you want to do first, then choose a destination that fits? We think so.
2. Choose a Destination and Date
Next up is the task of choosing your destination. This should be pretty self-explanatory. If your ideal vacation is seven days at a luxury resort with a white sandy beach and alfresco dining in the evening, you have automatically eliminated America’s heartland. Now you are looking at one of the coasts, the Caribbean, or even the Indian Ocean.
Choosing your destination influences the time of year you travel. Note that almost all tourist destinations are cheaper in the off-season. If you are looking to go to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for example, peak season runs between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Traveling just two weeks before Memorial Day would save a ton of money but still give you plenty of nice weather to enjoy.
3. Consider All Travelers
Hopefully you have considered all of the travelers in your party when choosing your theme and destination. It is going to be hard to please everyone regardless of where you go and what you want to do. Still, it’s best to try to make your choices based on appealing to everyone in your party. Compromises are going to be necessary.
4. Research Your Destination
You have chosen a theme and destination everyone in your traveling party is excited about. Great. Now research that destination. The idea is to learn as much as you can about the local area. Why? Because local conditions influence everything from accommodations to meals and how you are actually going to arrive and leave.
Let’s say you are planning to drive. Again, we will use the Outer Banks as an example. The worst time for traffic during peak travel season are Saturday and Sunday afternoons. That’s because most rentals in the Outer Banks start and end on those two days. Those leaving the Outer Banks are heading out just before noon while those arriving for their vacations start showing up at about one o’clock in the afternoon. Traffic can be very heavy and quite slow, as there is only one road in and out.
A better vacation is all about organization and planning. We are here to help, if we can. Just know this: the earlier you start working on plans for your next vacation, the better off you are going to be. Waiting until a month before is just asking for headaches.