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.
Showing posts with label realistic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label realistic. Show all posts
Tip #28 - Travel and Vacation Package Policies
Travel package deals always sound like such a bargain. They mostly are priced better and lower, but before congratulating yourself though with a well-deserved pat on the back for a job well done and money saved, check the cancellation and refund policy.
You need to know what happens when the inevitable occurs. Say you change your mind or a trip is cancelled. Scrutinize the fine print and calculate what the financial impact would be. How much money will you likely lose or forfeit?
Tip #26 - Evaluate Your Travel Baggage
To avoid having to pay more, incurring unplanned, additional costs and penalties for luggage overages, pack S-M-A-R-T! In preparing for your trip, after packing your luggage, lift it up, carry it around a block or two or down the stairs and see how it feels. Remember, you will have to handle these eventually!
This is a useful technique to re-evaluate and re-pack the amount you are taking with you. You will not be sorry. Also, leave some room for purchases while on your trip, as you would not like to have to buy additional pieces of luggage you do not really need, want, or incur costly shipping charges and or duties or other fees!
Tip #15 - Plan Ahead
Forward thinking, anticipating, organizing and planning all protect your travel interests, saves money and avoids unnecessary costs. A most helpful currency you have besides your travel funds and monetary resources is knowledge and information.
The more you know about the destinations and places you will be visiting, the more rewarding and safe, enjoyable, memorable and fiscally successful your visit will be! A word to the wise: Plan ahead, but do not over-analyze and worry too much.
Tip #6 - Personal Travel File
In preparation for making your dream vacation come true, assembling a personal travel file is also not a bad idea. Include the exotic and far-away lands you are considering, as well as your local visitor’s attractions and destinations in and around where you live for those shorter trips.
Remember the wish list, priority list and S.M.A.R.T. vacation plan? They should go into your personal travel file. This will assist you in realizing your travel goals and dreams you worked so hard on putting together and getting ready to execute!
The Simplest Cost-Saving Tip...
Take advantage of travel and flight agencies' discounts! Let them compete all they want, we benefit from it!
Most people mistakenly think that you need a lot of money to travel, or that vacations are simply too expensive and lavish. This is a good example of a wrongful assumption. Travelling ‘light’ so to speak, with limited cash, combined with a positive attitude and a deep personal commitment, persistence and resourcefulness is possible.
Simply put, planning pays and travel budgets save money. Taking the extra time to review sources at your disposal prior to, during and after your trip encourages a hands-on, pro-active approach to traveling and vacationing in general.
Taking advantage of cost-saving opportunities and discounts, limited offers and utilizing tips and tricks from frequent travelers are keys to travel success. Lessons learned will serve us all well when taking our next trip, whether to the campgrounds, some exotic tropical paradise or both!
Next up: Places where you can find these discounts...
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!
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