Eight Tips on Planning a More Relaxing Vacation This Year
You may have heard the saying, “Work is the biggest obstacle to a vacation.” Well, that’s not entirely true. The biggest obstacle to a truly relaxing vacation is having too much on your mind and not enough time for yourself. And that’s why it’s important to plan and make sure that your trip goes smoothly from start to finish. With these tips, you’ll have no problem booking an unforgettable getaway this year!
1 – Start planning as early as possible
The earlier you start planning, the more time you have to make decisions about your vacation. You might be interested in visiting the countryside this year, such as the state of Tennessee, but you should know that cities like Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are packed with tourists in specific months. Hence, it’s important to make bookings as early as possible if you’re looking to take advantage of early bird discounts or need special cabins for your stay. As such, it’s also important to consider the kind of trip you want when making these plans. For example, consider booking a self-guided tour if you enjoy traveling solo.
2 – Use credit card points or rewards for travel-related expenses
It would be best to use credit card points, or rewards for cash back, gift cards, airline miles, and cabin stays. Consider using a credit card that will give you rewards on travel-related purchases. Credit card points can also help you get discounts on renting cabins. This can be especially useful if you are planning a trip to a hot tourist spot like the Great Smoky Mountains in April or May.
The rates of cabins during this time are higher owing to the influx of tourists, so you can save some money by availing of credit card points and pre-booking the best Tennessee cabins for your stay.
3 – Create a realistic budget for your vacation
Planning a vacation is a lot of work. Between booking all the flights and hotels, packing, and figuring out where you want to go, it can get pretty overwhelming!
So, what’s the best way to make sure your trip goes smoothly? We recommend setting a realistic budget for your time off. By doing this, you’ll know how much you have available for flights, hotels, and transportation costs during your stay. This will help avoid overspending and let you know how much money is left for other things (like shopping)!
4 – Book a trip that will be more relaxing over-all
When you’re planning a vacation, there are several things to consider. If it’s your first time going somewhere and you’re nervous about what to do or see, consider booking a trip that will be less stressful overall. For example, if you want to visit the Great Smokys, it would be best to visit during the warmer months when the sun frequently says hello and the weather is ideal for relaxation.
Another thing to think about is how much money you want to spend on this trip. If some activities cost extra money (like renting boats), try saving up some cash beforehand.
5 – Get help from a travel agent or concierge to make sure the details are taken care of
If you’re planning a trip and have some specific points in mind, it can be helpful to seek the help of a travel agent or concierge. The information they provide is often more accurate than what you find on your own. They can also make sure that all the details are taken care of so that your vacation goes off without a glitch.
You won’t have to worry about getting lost, having things stolen from your car, or having trouble finding good places to stay because someone else has already done all this work for you!
6 – Book your transportation and accommodation in advance
Booking your flights, rental car, and accommodation in advance can save you time and money. By booking early, you’ll be able to find the best deals on these things before their prices go up at the last minute—and sometimes, you can even get an upgrade! You’ll also have more time to plan your trip when you know what’s coming next.
7 – Don’t Forget to Keep A Camera with You
Remember that the vacation you have planned is for fun and to keep your mind stress-free. Well, nobody stays at their vacation destination forever, you can preserve your vacation memories by clicking pictures of the places you visit. Moreover, you can make vlogs of your entire journey if you are a vlogger or like vlogging.
However, you’ll need a good camera to capture these memories. We recommend a polaroid for pictures if you can purchase one since the pictures are ready to go into your scrapbook within a few seconds. So while you pack your stuff for your vacation, don’t forget to take a camera with you so that you don’t miss the opportunity of clicking pictures of the beautiful places you visit.
8 – Hire a Local Guide
Sometimes, hiring a local guide is the best way to ensure a stress-free vacation. With a guide to help you, it will be easier for you to learn about the culture of your destination and travel around. By hiring a guide, you’ll have someone who can help you navigate around town and ensure your vacation goes smoothly. But it would be best if you made sure that the person or company offering their services has been recommended by other travelers.
It’s great to have someone around to help you with your trip—but if this person isn’t trustworthy or experienced enough, they might not be able to provide the kind of guidance you need while on vacation.
Conclusion
We’re all guilty of spending too much time planning vacations and then wanting to extend our stay to engage in more activities once we reach our destination. A more relaxing approach would be to prioritize the process of getting to the destination itself. Once you are there, you can just go with the flow. With these tips, you’ll be able to unplug a little (and hopefully enjoy yourself a lot more) when it comes to planning your next vacation.
