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1. Decide usually in January where we want to go during the year. This process includes my spouse reviewing her number of hours of vacation time at work and my consulting my calendar. We generally do a big vacation in summer. However, depending on schedules we might also do one around Spring Break when our daughter is out of school.
2. Consult our travel "bucket list" we made a few years ago and see if we can find a way to get to a destination on the list.
3. Research. We consult several travel websites that have in the past offered us good deals. We review our frequent flier accounts with Southwest Airlines and figure out how many miles or points that we have.
4. Make final decision depending on all the factors listed above. If we are planning a trip over Spring Break, I immediately begin looking into different options. If no trip is planned for Spring Break, I'll usually beginning the planning portion for our summer trip around the beginning of March.
5. If the trip is overseas, I book airfare and all hotels immediately. If the trip is domestic, I book the airfares. I don't always book hotels in advance for trips here in the USA. We are not picky people and we are willing in some areas of the country to simply take our chances on what hotels we may find traveling. I like the flexibility this gives us and I've found the hotel/motel business is competitive enough you can find bargains almost anywhere and anytime if you know how to get them. I generally book rental cars at the last minute for domestic trips.
6. If we have never been to the destination before, I spend a good deal of time consulting travel guides. If the trip is to Europe, I inevitably consult the Rick Steves travel guides. If the trip is here in the USA or Canada, I consult the AAA Guides. Its worth the $50 a year or so in membership fees to have access to guide books for all 50 states and all Canadian provinces. If we have previously been to a destination, I may consult guides to find anything new or find better restaurant or motel options.
7. We discuss luggage based on the type of trip we are taking and its length. I, of course, can travel light. The general issue is how light my wife is able to travel.
8. As a trip nears, we discuss house sitting plans (particularly animal care). We make sure all necessary bills are paid. We either decide to leave a car at the airport or arrange to be dropped off. Mass transit options are improving here all the time. We could take a train to the airport that leaves about 2 miles from our home. This is something we are considering too.
9. As we reach a travel date, we do a "count down" and make sure we've covered all our bases. Trying to finish up necessary tasks before leaving town can be a stressful experience. Its what I like the least about traveling.
Decide where and why I want to go there. Then check it out if it possible logically and afterwards get my travel tickets. A few days before I leave make sure to contact the post office to hold the mail, make sure I have enough available cash and finish up all food that will not keep until my return that it is in my fridge. A day or two before my departure start packing and finish packing the afternoon before.
One thing I didn't see on anyone's list (including my own). Similar to notifying the PO to hold mail, its a good idea to notify your Credit Card company if you plan to be out of the country, or even very far domestically for a while. Mine is good about calling be to ask about 'strange' charges if I forget, and they have requested that I let them know in advance when possible.
One thing I didn't see on anyone's list (including my own). Similar to notifying the PO to hold mail, its a good idea to notify your Credit Card company if you plan to be out of the country, or even very far domestically for a while. Mine is good about calling be to ask about 'strange' charges if I forget, and they have requested that I let them know in advance when possible.
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