Things To Consider If You're Planning Your First Holiday
Going on your first holiday, especially if alone, is both exciting, and a little frightening. You’re about to step out on your own to unknown territory, and experience whatever a new place has to offer. Planning one may seem easy at first glance, but its important to take a lot into account. After all, so much could go wrong if you’ve forgotten to consider any details. Obviously it’s not about making it sound so daunting that it puts you off planning one altogether, but its important that you have the best time whilst you’re out there, so why get yourself as prepared as you can? When you’re planning here are some tips and things to think about, to make sure your big trip is as stress free as possible.
How Long You Want to Go For
How long you want to go for is important, as it will change your itinerary, so to speak. It may well not be the first thing you decide on, and may end up changing depending on what you find, as there are a lot of factors that may decide how long you decide you want to go. Make sure to be realistic with this too; and be open to changing your mind once you’ve worked on other things like cost and availability.
Budget
Setting yourself a loose budget on holiday can be a great way to ensure you enjoy yourself without stressing about money too much. Obviously you won’t be able to be accurate with how much you spend, but set yourself a budget for the things you can keep a track of; if you’re not going all inclusive (or half board), then set yourself a daily allowance for things like mealtimes, travel costs if you’re relying on public transport, things like that.
It’s the small purchases that usually end up getting out of hand, and before you know it, $10 here and there can add up if you’re leaving it unchecked, and you don’t want to have to dip into other pots that you may have put aside for other activities. Even before you consider spending costs, budget how much you’re willing to pay for the holiday - flight, hotels, all the base costs. Once you have a rough budget on how much you’re happy spending to get there, you can then shop around for the best deal that works for you. Also, make sure you’re familiar with the currency, if going to a foreign currency. Work out exchange rates, and it's usually cheaper to exchange your money before you travel out.
Local or Long Haul?
Decide how far you’re willing to travel for your holiday. If you’re flying, you may need to make arrangements for the day before your travel - if you’re going to an airport that isn’t local to you. You may need a hotel the night before, or travel arrangements otherwise. Check the times of your flight, whether it’s an early in the morning flight or if it's late. If you’re travelling somewhat locally and driving, then this isn’t really a problem.
Weather Restraints
When you’ve decided on a location, do what you can to prepare around the general weather forecasts. Of course, they’re not always going to be spot on, but a rough idea is still better than none. For example, if you’re going to Florida, chances are you’re going to want to go to DisneyLand, and it’ll be hard to enjoy all the rides in Disneyland on a rainy day, right? Weather can also affect travel, namely public transport, so if you’re planning day excursions, be sure that you’ll be able to get to your destination.
See If a Location Aligns With Your Interests
When deciding where to go, think of things that you like doing, things you’d love to see, things that align with hobbies or interests that you have - are there places that you could go that would be just perfect for you? Maybe you enjoy the bright lights and countless things to do that you would find in a metropolis. Maybe you’re more of a nature person, and would like to visit somewhere a bit more green, somewhere with great parks and nature reserves. The list is endless. The point is, make the destination cater to you, not the other way around, after all, this is your break - make the most of it!
Shop Around Before Settling
It’s a good idea to have a scout around different holiday makers before making a commitment. There are plenty of websites that are designed to assist people who are unsure of how to go about booking holidays. This can make sure you’re getting the best possible deal currently out there for your holiday. You might find some sites provide the same, or a similar deal, but for cheaper. There may be ways you can still do all the things you wanted to do, but little tips and advice for ensuring you get the best value can make all the difference. For example you might want to go to Tokyo to visit certain monuments or partake in certain activities, but it might be considerably cheaper to stay in a neighbouring city close to Tokyo and travel in on the specific dates you want to. Another thing to take into account is the season in which you want to travel. There will be times in the year which will be the most expensive to travel to certain areas, and cheaper at other times in the year - it’s important you have a scout around and check what time of year works best for you.
Ask for Advice
It’s always good to ask for advice! If you have friends or family that have travelled to a destination. Social Media is a mecca for advice, whether you prefer to intake information more formally in polls or statuses, or if you want to see some short form content of destinations that you have in mind. Most holiday planning websites now make use of Artificial Intelligence and have a chatbot company that can point you in the right direction depending on how you answer, and if you still need assistance you can choose to connect to someone who can help you further find what it is you’re looking for.
Do Your Research On The Place You’re Looking at Going To
Make sure you do your due diligence on your destination. Are there certain laws and policies that are required for you to do before leaving and entering the country? Check the country for passport rules, some require that your passport be valid for a certain amount of time before you enter. Make sure you’re aware if you’ll be charged more for using you mobile phone wherever you’re going. You’re likely going to need your phone just to get around, so it’s important that you stay connected. You may need to use another SIM whilst you’re away.
Travel Insurance is Important
Yes, as the heading suggests - travel insurance IS important. It’s good to get extra cover while you’re away for unforeseen circumstances, such as flight delays, lost luggage, and can even cover any medical costs you might require whilst away. Shop around a bit with this one, it’s important that you get insurance that meets your needs, look at other policy costs, and so on. If you’re unsure on this, there are plenty of sites that can help with comparing insurances, and can advise you on what policies would be best for you.
Plan your Logistics
This is typically the last thing you’ll do at this point, but make sure everything is ready and packed, at least 2 days before your flight. Get your documents together. Check the weight of your luggage before you fly. Make sure your passport is to hand on the date. Print off your boarding pass if possible. Grab some boiled sweets for the flight, they help with the takeoff, trust me. Give yourself plenty of time to get to the airport. You want to aim for at least 4 hours before your flight, any less than that, and you’ll be pushing it. Anything can happen between your travel and the security checks etc. Queues are usually quite big, and while they’re usually fairly seamless, it’s best not to leave it up to chance, and there’s plenty to do at the airport once you’ve got through security anyway, grab some food, shop in the duty free section, or you could just lounge around. Your choice. As long as you’re there.
Hopefully those are enough for you to get by, but the most important bit of advice is, enjoy every bit of it! Enjoy the planning, enjoy the purchasing, enjoy the journey there, and best of all enjoy your holiday. If you’ve followed these points, at this point you should have planned yourself the best trip you could have hoped for, and hopefully it’ll give you the itch to try more. They say repetition is the key to mastery, so it’ll get easier the more you do it.