Even though it may seem like the semester has just started, it’s never too early to prepare for your spring break adventure. Whether you’re looking to take an extravagant, luxurious vacation or prefer a bit more of a staycation, getting a head start on planning can help reduce your stress before and during your trip.
First of all… who’s coming?
While it might be difficult to get a group of people to commit to trip, determining who’s coming is crucial to the planning process. Especially if you’re working on a budget, — more on that later — knowing the number of people and how much they’re each willing and able to contribute is important. Additionally, it can help you figure out how shared costs, like hotel rooms or car rentals, will be split. Consider making a group chat just for your trip, even if you already have one with your friends — then, you can share links and details so everything is in the same place and you won’t have to dig for it later. It is also important to understand what everyone wants from the trip. Some of your friends may want to sleep in while others want to get a headstart on the day. Planning things out in advance will make it easier to avoid disagreements during your trip.
Budget, budget, budget
Whether you’re the type of person who uses Excel to break down all of their expenses or you just let your bank account do it for you once a month, planning your budget is arguably one of the most important parts of preparing for your trip, because it will determine what you can do. Try planning out how much you can save up or afford to spend rather than seeing how much everything costs and then trying to find the money for it, as this could lead to overspending.
Pick a destination
Maybe you’ve had some place in mind for years, or maybe you just know you want to take a trip — but after you’ve figured out your budget, you can determine your destination. Knowing how much you can afford to spend and how much time you can be there can help you decide where you can go. Ask yourself the following questions:
- How will we get there?
- Is this a safe location?
- Do we need to rent a car?
- Will we be staying in a hotel?
- Do we need to pay for extra amenities or entertainment?
- Do we need a passport?
- Are there any steps we need to take before going to this place specifically?
Online blogs or sites like Pinterest can be a great resource for first-hand travel advice. Chances are, if you want to go there, someone’s written a blogpost about their trip. Do a little research and make sure the place you’re thinking of is actually where you want to visit.
Do enough research
Don’t take one price, one article or one word of advice as gospel. As far as prices go, sometimes certain sites don’t show every option for hotels and airfare. Try sites like Expedia or Kayak to compare prices and make sure you’re getting the best deal. Before you book anything, however, make sure you qualify: some hotels and rental car agencies only allow people at specific ages to use their services, like 18, 21 or 25.
Finally, don’t just read one review for anything — from a hotel to a country — and base your entire outlook on that. Unless someone makes an effort to review everything they use and every place they visit, you might only be seeing two ends of the spectrum: those that thought the experience was so great they needed to tell others, and those that had such a terrible time they needed to share their warnings. Try combing through different sources to read what people did and didn’t like and take into account what you value while traveling. Also remember to account for safety. If you haven’t been to this place before, it’s important to know what you should and shouldn’t do to avoid any potential safety issues.
