As I've gotten older I've been surprised by how many people I continue to meet who are travel averse. However, I've found that it doesn't typically come down to a lack of curiosity or interest. In reality, they do not necessarily travel averse....they want to travel, but the planning process involved in traveling is too daunting and overwhelming for them. To be honest, my first conversation with an anxious travel planner took me aback. Confused me, even. I was more shocked to learn that people still regularly use travel agents for all of their vacations! What's there to be anxious about? Why do you need someone else to make all of the arrangements? But then, I realized what a privileged and small-minded reaction that was. Reasons being: One: I'm a white woman from a middle-class family in the United States. Two: My dad is from Europe. Three: I grew up with the privilege of traveling (because of said Dad who is from Europe and who has eight brothers and sisters spread across the globe). The reality of the situation is that people have different experiences. This in turn shapes how people make decisions and feel about certain circumstances. With that being said, you're more than valid for feeling anxious when planning a trip, but don't worry - I'm here to help!
My goal is to ease the stress and anxiety that comes with traveling by showing how accessible, affordable (and dare I say fun? ) planning a trip can be! Why is this something I'm passionate about? Well, speaking from personal experience (not to be cliche, BUT) traveling truly leads to personal growth. It expands your understanding of how other people live in ways that you wouldn't have even been able to imagine. Even in a culture you may initially assume is similar to your own, say England to the U.S. for example, you'll come to notice nuances between our culture and theirs that will be mind-boggling, and interesting! On top of that, traveling is also linked to an overall improvement in well-being, stress relief, and creativity as described by NBC News.
Here's the gist. I'm not claiming to be an expert, but that's exactly my point. You don't have to be an expert to have the vacation of your dreams. I'm here to show you how easy and fun this can be.
Finally, (drumroll please!!) here are my MUST DOs when planning a trip!
1. Where do you want to go and WHY do you want to go there?
Do you have a family connection to the place? Is it somewhere you continue to see in the media and just have to see it for yourself? There's no wrong answer - but the why will help be a guiding point in deciding what the main focuses of your trip will be.
2. Use kayak.com to browse flights and hotels.
This is not sponsored in any way, shape, or form (although I wish it was). Kayak, in my opinion, is hands down the best booking/browsing/budget travel website there is. Its algorithm scans the internet and conglomerates all of your travel needs into one easy-to-browse page. It uses historical data + projections to let you know if you need to book now to lock in the best price, or if you have a bit more time to ponder over the details. Even if you're not on a budget this website is just too easy not to use.
This may be a controversial point of view, but I think the destination should determine your budget, not the other way around. Tying back to point one - if you have a solid reason as to why you want to go somewhere then you can iron out the immaterial details of the trip to make it more affordable later. The number one point is... don't settle on the destination!
3. Determine your travel dates.
Now, you're probably asking why this isn't second on the list if we're going in chronological order here. Well, your destination will help you broadly determine what time of year you're going to travel. I.e. You're probably not going to go to Alaska in January. Now that you've at least narrowed down the seasons in which you'll be traveling in, you can utilize Kayak's easy-to-understand calendar to help determine the best travel dates. It's simple. Green days=best days to travel. Yellow days=okay days to travel. Red days=oooff that's gonna cost ya. Also, generally speaking, the more expensive days are probably the busiest days at the airport/destination...I don't know about you, but I prefer not to spend half of my vacation in TSA lines.
Beyond budget and destination, there are other important factors to take into consideration. Does it fit within your work/school/etc. schedule? Can Mom and Dad watch the kids for the week? Can your brother watch the dog? Etc., etc., etc...
4. Book! Book! Book!
Now the anticipation begins! You've hammered down the most important steps and are finally ready to book! Generally, you'll want to book the flight 3-6 months in advance of your travel dates. With hotels, you are probably safe to book within one month of your arrival. Most hotels have a 100% refundable cancelation policy as long as you cancel within two weeks, and honestly, many of them are refundable up to 24 hours before your arrival. I don't recommend booking your flight and hotel at the same time (unless you've procrastinated and have no choice). This gives you a bit more time and flexibility to pinpoint the meaningful details of your trip - the excursions you want to go on, cities you'll visit, and attractions you want to see, all of which impact the ideal location for your accommodations.
Comentarios