Utilize local resources and access their expertise knowledge in order to cut down on costs. Get information and coupons for special attractions, family passes and two-for-one offers, free coupon booklets or special discounted offers and tickets you might not be able to find anywhere else. They also send material and guides in advance that can help you plan, budget, compare and decide when, where, how and why, soon, sooner, soonest!
Showing posts with label goal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label goal. Show all posts
Tip #87 - Accept and Appreciate Local Customs
Utilize and optimize local knowledge, customs and hospitality. Learn, accept and appreciate the customs of the country you are visiting. Go with the flow and enjoy the culture, music, food and kindness of the area and its people!
Sometimes you will be surprised that it does not even cost you a cent to have a good time and share with others. Who knows, you may get a better shopping bargain if you know how to speak like the locals.
Tip #84 - Avoid Overwhelming Schedules
Do not overburden yourself with an overwhelming schedule that will leave you feeling like you need the vacation when you arrive back home from your trip. Maximizing and optimizing your budget and trip does not mean doing everything thinkable, imaginable and under the sun, that you can afford and fit in! You are doing a disservice to the purpose, goal and process that is savvy travelling! You should not feel that you have to do everything to get your money's worth. There is nothing wrong with relaxing and taking a breather along the way.
Tip #79 - Some Free Time
Mostly people say time is money! Generally true, indulge a bit in this category and give yourself some free or spare time for visiting a fascinating place, a special shop, or a hidden off-the-beaten path, place or activity you really do not want to miss! Do not over-extend or over-schedule yourself. There are only 24 hours in a day after all!
Tip #53 - Vacation Rehearsal
A good way to rehearse for your trip is to look at your own area or hometown as a destination as opposed to where you live and work. Ask yourself where you would go, what you would do and see. Also think about how you would get around ... all on a budget of course! This will not only not cost you money, but also get you into cost cutting and travel mode fairly quickly. There truly is nothing like lessons learnt and experience.
S.M.A.R.T. Vacation Plan
Some of us may have heard of S.M.A.R.T. goal setting from one of those free NLP seminars. Let me now share with you the S.M.A.R.T. vacation plan.
S.M.A.R.T. stands for Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, and Time-constrained. Here, we are going to apply it to help plan our dream vacation.
Specific: Your travel goals should be specific. Detail is what matters. Avoid generalizations; get to the point and crux of the matter. Specify your immediate travel needs and means. For example, telling youself "I wish for a dream vacation on a tropical island, basking in the sun and listening to the sea." is not being specific compared to "I will travel to Hawaii for a vacation with my family for two weeks within the next 6 months."
Measurable: Your travel goal must be measurable. This goes along with being specific. A goal defined specifically might already be measurable. The above mentioned goal stated intention, involved parties, location, purpose and a timeframe – all measurable elements.
A measurable travel goal, like going to Hawaii, with a family of four, within the next six months helps you identify, plan, execute and track more efficiently and increase your odds of actually making it there! Considering the logistics in this fashion makes it that more realistic to enable your family to take the planned trip of a lifetime, as opposed to just dreaming about it!
Action-oriented: A S.M.A.R.T. goal must be action-oriented. It cannot merely be stated. You must relate the goal to doing something, to indicate what needs to be done. An action verb will indicate what needs to be accomplished. “I will travel” is a good example of an action statement, stated intent and implies preparation and planning, will and persistence.
Realistic: For any goal to be motivational and get you committed to reaching it, it must be realistic. When a goal is not realistic and the person does not really believe it can be reached, then the commitment is lacking and the effort will not be there to permit the goal to be realized. Choosing realistic goals are based on your present status. What jumps to mind right away in our example, is whether and how you can afford it and make it happen!
Time-constrained: In order for a goal to move people towards it, it must be time-constrained. A timeline needs to be associated with it. It will entice people to move towards the goal. The timeline set, will be based on the goal itself and the present status. Six months is stated here as arealistic timeline, leaving enough time to save for, plan, book and take your well-deserved vacationto Hawaii, or anywhere else you have chosen to go!
Prioritize your wish list
A wish list of your desired travel destinations is a good way to start planning for your current and future vacations.
Making at least the first goal or location visit on the list happen this year is a matter of prioritizing. Rank according to destinations that you really desire to visit, see, conquer, treasure, explore in your lifetime.
Do some research on your dream destinations. Do not rely on your imagination of your dream destination. The human mind is very clever at deceiving itself (NLP anyone?). Do not rely just on the ads from travel agencies - you may be surprised (and disappointed!) at how different your dream destination is from the pictures and description in the brochures.
Get first-hand account of the places from relatives, neighbours, friends and colleagues. You can also try searching video sharing sites for holiday videos that travellers might have uploaded to know more.
Next up: Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals will help you create and prioritize your wish list.
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