If there’s one thing that everyone can agree on, it’s that 2020 has been pretty crazy. Thanks to the coronavirus and pandemic conditions, many people have had to cancel their summer vacations this year. While certainly a disappointment, for many it’s served to whet their appetite for next year’s summer vacation. If you’re one of those people, here are six travel tips for you summer plans next year.
Related post: How to Enjoy Your Vacation During a Pandemic
1. Create a budget
It’s really easy to overspend on a vacation. With the cost of travel, accommodations, food, activities, and souvenirs, you may find yourself spending a small fortune on your vacation. To avoid leaving a gaping hole in your wallet and messing with your finances too much, create a budget for your vacation and stick with it. Figure out what you can reasonably expect to spend on the different aspects of your vacation, and plan your budget accordingly. This is where knowing yourself and your spending habits becomes really important. If you know you’re likely to splurge and treat yourself while on vacation, don’t budget like a penny hoarder. Start saving for your vacation now to maximize the cash you’ll have available to fund your adventures.
2. Book travel
If you’re flying to your destination, at some point you’ll need to book a flight. The best time to book flights will depend somewhat on where you’ll be traveling. Optimal timing is different for international and domestic flights. It can be a little tricky to nail this element of planning your next vacation, but if you get it right you can save yourself some money. If you’re starting plans now for your next summer vacation, consider making an outline of when you intend to make arrangements such as booking flights. Set yourself reminders so you can take advantage of those windows of opportunity and not miss them.
3. Make living arrangements
In addition to making travel arrangements, you’ll also need to make arrangements for where you’ll be staying. Decide whether you’re going to book a hotel, rent a vacation house, or pursue some other arrangement. Each type of accommodation has its own pros and cons. Hotels usually offer a standard array of amenities and features. This predictability can be nice, but can also get boring after a while. For a wider variety of experiences, consider renting a house for your vacation. If you’re going with a group, you might enjoy a house that has a deck added to it. Deck features are great for large groups and enjoying the outdoors. Houses with large yards and swimming pools can also be a great place to stay for your next summer vacation. Airbnb is a great place to start as well as VRBO and Marriott’s Homes and Villas.
4. Find flexibility
One of the things that many people learned this year was that even the best-laid plans can go awry. This year it was in large part due to the coronavirus pandemic. The possibility exists that it could still be impacting travel and vacation plans. Or something altogether different might crop up. Either way, it’s a good idea to allow for some flexibility as you make your plans. When making your reservations and bookings, be sure to read the cancellation policies carefully. Many cancelation policies include fees that will be charged, some of which may be dependent on when the cancellation occurs. If the policy doesn’t offer the flexibility you feel you need, it might be best to find another option.
Another option might be to purchase travel insurance. Travel insurance can really come in handy if you run into unexpected circumstances during your vacation. Most plans will cover things like medical emergencies, trip cancellation, luggage that becomes lost, damaged, or stolen, delays, and trip interruptions. As with cancellation policies, it’s important to read through the insurance policy carefully to understand what is or isn’t covered. This will help you choose a travel insurance plan that is most likely to fit your needs.
5. Decide who you’re traveling with
Before you make plans for how you’re going to get to where you’re going or where you’re going to stay, decide who you’re going to be traveling with. Choosing the right traveling companions can really impact how much enjoyment you get out of your next summer vacation. The number of people in your group may be something of a deciding factor when making these decisions.
For larger groups, renting a home can be far more affordable than a hotel. These homes tend to be far more flexible when it comes to occupancy limits than hotels are, and you may be able to split the cost of renting between the members of a group, significantly reducing how much each person has to pay for accommodations. Who you go with may also influence what you end up doing. If you’re going with a group of foodie friends, your trip will likely revolve heavily around dining experiences. If your group is into high-adventure activities, you’ll probably end up spending more time in nature.
6. Figure out how long you’ll be gone
Of course, the very first thing you should probably do is figure out how long your vacation is going to last. You’ll need to know this to figure out when you need to book flights and living arrangements for. This will be an important factor in how you need to plan your budget too. Who will be able to go with you may also be determined by how long you intend your vacation to last. In short, virtually all aspects of planning your vacation will be reliant on when you plan to go and for how long. Consider things like how long you can afford to be gone and how much time you are allowed to take off of work.
If you missed out on your summer vacation this year, whether because locations were shut down, travel restrictions shut you out, or your financial situation no longer allowed you to go, you’re not alone. The good news is that there is next summer to look forward to. Start making your plans for your next summer vacation now to give yourself the best chance at an amazing experience.
Let us know if this has helped you with your summer plans!
