What are the best ways to plan a vacation?
That can only be determined by what you want out of it and who you are with. Choose your destination. Once you have your destination figured out you can start the planning process.
We normally start planning our vacations for at least 6 months in advance. If we are visiting Disney World in Orlando we start planning a year out.
Some trips can be spontaneous and carefree. Others really need the attention to detail and to be organized … I am going to talk about the trips that need to be well organized.
So, how does one get organized for a vacation?
SPREADSHEETS
I LOVE to plan and organize every aspect of my trips. One of my favorite things to do is create a spreadsheet. The spreadsheets have multiple tabs that include: packing list, budget, itinerary, lodging, flight, ground transportation, contact info, home care, must do and must eats and whatever else is needed to organize the trip. It’s no fun to remember you forgot to do something that you really wanted to do … because you didn’t put it on your list!
It keeps our important info all in one place. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to search through old emails from months back trying to find confirmation numbers, etc. NEVER AGAIN!
BUDGET
Spreadsheets help you stay on budget. We list every possible expenditure that might happen. If you don’t have all the money in the world, budgeting your trip can really help keep things in check. Start with a dream list. Seeing everything in a list with the cost of these items will help you finalize what is really important on your trip.
PACKING LIST
We start a packing list early on. This keeps us from forgetting to bring anything. It also lets us know about items we may need to purchase. When we are on vacation we don’t leave anything behind. It’s on the list!
ITINERARY
The itinerary keeps us from over planning. It allows us to see everything happening on a daily basis. We are able to plan activities accordingly. This is a big deal when you have other people with you (especially little ones). My kids are older now which makes it a good bit easier with the planning of trips. My youngest likes knowing what’s happening when and loves to help plan. He requests his own itinerary.
CONTACT INFO
The contact info tab is great for many reasons. I list our family’s cell phones, our neighbor contacts for home emergencies. And if we are travelling with friends, we add their phone info with their hotel / room numbers.
FLIGHT
Flight tab is helpful to remember confirmation numbers, flight numbers, departure times, layovers, arrival times … It helps the planning process.
LODGING
Lodging info has the address, telephone numbers and reservation info of the hotels. Sometimes we stay at more than one hotel while on vacation. This helps keep everything organized, in one place.
TRANSPORTATION
Ground transportation tab will include how we will get around if we don’t have our own vehicle. It will include our rental car info or taxi contacts. Depending on your trip, you may not even need this tab. Some hotels have airport pickup.
HOME CARE
Home care will list all the things that need to be done BEFORE we leave on our trip. I like to list all the bills due, doggy arrangements, kid arrangements, etc. I check things off as they get done.
MUST DO
The Must Do list is fun to come up with. It’s definitely something everyone (especially the kids) can be part of.
MUST EAT
Must Eat’s is also fun. Some restaurants will need reservations; this is where the restaurant info will be. Also, if there is something special you really want somewhere (like at Universal, you want Butter Beer!) this is where it will be listed, along with where it is located.
Spreadsheets make me happy. I feel like I get to enjoy the vacation every time I work on the spreadsheet, researching and compiling information, it gives us something to look forward to … It helps our family make the best of our time and money spent. Vacations don’t happen often enough. They can be very expensive. Spreadsheets can help organize the best vacation possible!