Travel Planning
As I started planning my own overseas trips before turning 20 and have organized many overseas business trips, I have a pretty good idea how to plan a trip or two.
When planning an overseas holiday, I
usually start about a year out. As hubby
is a shift worker on a set roster, his holidays are allocated years in advance
which means we know when our holidays will be next year, and the year after,
and the year after…
Step 1 - Ideas & Inspiration
Twelve months prior to departure, if I
don’t already have a destination in mind, I’m searching for ideas and
inspiration. Usually it’s somewhere I
haven’t been or a place I have visited and want to show the kids. Once I’ve picked the location and the family
agrees, hotels may need to be booked if they are known to book out
early. When we went to Fiji, I booked Castaway Island a year ahead and secured one of the last bures at this popular family vacation spot.
Step 2 - Booking
Between six to nine months before
take-off, flights are booked as well as hotels if they haven’t already been
booked. For a trip to Singapore and
Cambodia, I booked our flights to Singapore nine months ahead as they were on
sale. Hotels were booked six months in
advance to secure the best prices.
Travel insurance is booked at the same time as flights, as you never
know what might happen over the next nine months.
Step 3 - Planning Experiences
Around three to four months before the
holiday I start preparing a list of what we’re going to explore in each
location - those experiences that make the holiday special. This might be buggy riding,
temple touring, animal experiences or theme park visits. This helps to plan our itinerary.
Step 4 - Itinerary
A month before departure I’ll prepare an
itinerary which includes our flight and hotel details, what we are planning to
do in each location, as well as prices, opening hours and any key points we
need to be aware of for each of those experiences. This usually fits
on 1-2 pages and is our main travel reference.
Copies of booking confirmations and e-tickets are also popped into the travel folder just in case they are needed.
Whilst my planning starts well in
advance, I have to admit I’m a late packer.
For some reason I can’t bring myself to pack until the night
before departure, whether it's a short trip or a month away. Hubby will drag out
the suitcases a couple of days before and the odd bits and pieces are thrown
in, but the actual packing is only done before going to bed the night before we leave.
I hope this helps you plan your next
holiday adventure. Enjoy exploring
further…
Looking for some tips on how to find
ideas and inspiration for your next adventure?
Or how to save money on your next overseas holiday? Head over to the Travel Tips page to explore
further.
I’d
love you to continue following my explorations.
Just drop your email into the ‘follow me by email’ box on the side of
this page and you can receive all new posts straight to your inbox. No spam, I promise.
0 comments: