Best Way to Plan a Summer Vacation

How to Plan a Summer Vacation

A vacation is supposed to be a fun and relaxing break from your everyday life. However, a poorly planned vacation can end up being a major headache. Be ready to enjoy your time off by planning your travel, accommodations, and activities ahead of time. Giving yourself plenty of time to plan can be a fun way to build up excitement for your vacation.

 

1. Set your budget.

Many people budget a certain amount for their vacation. But if you spend everything on a hotel and flight, expenses at your destination may be a problem. Making the right choices will help save the money you need. “You have to be smart with your planning so you can enjoy yourself at your destination,” says Keith Nowak, director of communications for Travelocity based in Dallas.
Consider everyone who will be traveling with you. If you are traveling with children, someone elderly, or someone with a disability, you may want to consider the destination that would be accessible. 

Research destination costs. While you may take more time after choosing a destination to find great deals on travel and hotel arrangements, doing a quick online search of approximate costs to travel to each destinations may help you narrow your choices based on your budget.

• Keep in mind expenses to travel, stay, eat, and play while you are developing your estimates.

2. Consider alternative lodgings.

If you’re traveling with a group or a family, personal preference is important, of course, but booking an entire property may cost less than individual hotel rooms. “If you’re staying in a hotel and you need to rent a second room, that’s where you see the value of vacation rentals,” says John Gray, chief revenue officer for HomeAway based in Austin, Texas. “On average, it’s about half the cost per square foot of staying in a hotel.”
You can also take advantage of the comforts of someone's vacation home, or an Air BnB, to gain value. “[Renting a vacation home] helps you skip costs, like room service, by giving you a kitchen, where you can make your own meals; private pools, which are better than a community or shared pool; and common areas where you can talk with your friends and family so you don’t have to go to restaurants or bars,” says Gray.
If you rent a car, you won’t have to pay for parking at a vacation rental. Also, you won’t be charged for Internet usage or consumption of anything in the refrigerator. Since most homes have a washer/dryer, you can potentially save money on baggage fees because you won’t have to bring as much luggage.

4. Watch for low rental-car rates.

“Rental cars can be very inexpensive,” says Nowak. “The secret is to keep your eyes on them -- the prices seem to jump around a lot.” Setting up fare alerts will tell you when fares have dropped. In certain cities, they can be as low as $5 a day, before taxes and fees.
Unless you find a great deal, know whether you’ll really need a rental car. This expense won’t make sense unless you’re traveling to many different places within a wide radius.

5. Figure out your activities in advance.

You can book your activities before you go, sometimes for a discount, too. “A lot of times, it comes down to the planning and what that will cost you,” says Nowak. “Everyone wants to share those unique experiences; and very often, those are the hidden gems.”
Not everything has to cost money. “Think about what you really enjoy and do some searching,” says Nowak. “It’s amazing how many great free things there are. You can find local tours and parks. Donation-based activities can be free or inexpensive.”

6.Know your flight’s true cost.

Study your airline’s website to figure out how much you’ll actually spend to get to your location. “Airlines are unbundling their fares, so everything is an extra,” says Nowak. “It’s a matter of saving money on the base airfare and the ancillary fees. All those ancillary fees can really add up, and this can be disappointing for a lot of people.”
Checking two or three bags adds to your flight cost, so shipping them to your destination may be cheaper. Airlines also charge for food, so consider bringing snacks from home -- you may bring solid food, but not liquids, through airport security.

Compare flight prices. Different airlines can offer widely variant prices for similar flights, so be sure you shop around if you’re planning to fly.

Find a flight (and hotel) booking website if you plan to fly. Remember that booking a flight and hotel together may save you money if the website offers specials or discounts.

• These websites often compare flight prices from different websites for you, all in one place.