The Holiday of Your Dreams

It's never too early to start planning your dream holiday! Unless you're independently wealthy, you'll probably have to spend some time searching for the best travel deals, as well as saving money. For these reasons, many people shy away from planning, putting that holiday dream on the "someday" list. Well, you've heard it said that tomorrow never comes -- how much farther away is "someday??" Don't be afraid to start planning now!

1. Start dreaming!
Where have you always wanted to go? What will you do once you get there? Hit the internet, check out the library, and talk to friends. If you've always wanted to tour Asia, where would you stop? If your dream destination is the frozen North, where would you specifically like to go? It's time to turn those dreams into practicalities!

2. Do some research.

How much do flights cost? Where can you stay? What's the off-season? Are there times when weather or work renders travel impossible? If you could organize this holiday according to your own wishes, when would you travel? It's time to consider all of these questions and more!

The best thing you can do at this stage of the game is hit the internet and start checking out package deals. This way, you'll get an idea not only of the range of prices out there, but things to do and places to stay.

3. Learn everything you can!

Check out travel blogs and online journals from people who have gone to your dream destination. What did they do? What did they love? Get ideas.

4. Make a plan

Assuming you could go on this vacation, what would you do? Sit down and plot it out, with approximate timelines and prices. Of course, for some people their "plan" might be a lot of backpacking and seeing what came up. That's fine -- just give yourself an approximate budget.

5. Start saving!

Now that you know approximately what your dream holiday will cost, how can you attain it? What can you give up? How long will it take you to save? You might be surprised to find that dream not nearly as far out of reach as you anticipated!

The Bare Minimum of Planning

I know, a lot of you like to “wing it” on your travels -- float where your desire of the moment takes you and to heck with the details. And that’s fine, if that’s the sort of holiday you’re after. But if you want to get the most out of your trip, you have to take at least a few minutes to figure out what you’re after.

First of all, why are you taking this holiday? For rest and relaxation? To get a new cultural insight? To hit all the best night spots? The answer makes a huge difference as to how you’ll spend your time. I’ve seen way too many people hit their holidays with no idea as to why they’re going, and they wind up with a less-than-satisfying experience.

This is true right down to where you’re going. If your main goal is R&R, you might have a fun time in Las Vegas, but you’d probably be better off finding a nice, relaxing beach somewhere. The reverse is true if you’re looking for night life.

Honestly, it’s not even that much work!

1. Decide WHY you’re going on holiday
2. Find a place that matches your holiday goals
3. Book it!

Now, was that so hard?