The average American spends about $1,200 per person on vacationing each year. And whether you prefer to stick close to home or you’re open to traveling overseas, planning is everything. Even the best-laid plans can go awry while traveling, so contingencies should be in place to allow for flexible planning and to recoup losses should your vacation be cut short, meet obstacles or otherwise miss the mark. Before you ever book hotels or pay for airfare, make sure that you avoid the five most common planning pitfalls that could make or break your next vacation.
Skipping Reviews
It’s true that traveler reviews are completely subjective. After all, while one person may love the psychedelic décor of a hotel, another might think it’s positively offensive. The trick to reading reviews during the planning process is to know what type of reviews you’re looking for. If you skip the reviews altogether, you could miss out on getting an insider’s opinion and booking a vacation property or attraction that doesn’t really measure up.
If you want to use reviews as a guide, discard those that are overly positive or overly negative and look at the most average reviews – ones that give three stars instead of five, for example. These will often give the most information, including both pros and cons. How else will you know if a hotel’s good is good, but its pool is small? Always read reviews so you know exactly what you’re getting without bias.
Forgoing Travel Insurance
Even the most perfect plans can fall through, which is why travel insurance is a good buy. Even if you don’t plan on ever needing it, the insurance can help offer peace of mind while you’re on the road. Insurance usually covers stuff like canceled trips, missed flights and even re-booking a hotel, so it’s worth the percentage that you pay for the privilege. Armed with sufficient insurance, you can reduce the stress level of your vacation, knowing that should your plans changed, your investment is completely covered. Check for travel insurance via travel agencies, booking companies and even credit card providers.
Visa Woes
Traveling outside of the country means you’ll need a valid passport or visa to do so. If you don’t plan for passports well in advance of your travel, you could be stuck when you go to fly or travel between countries. Always check visa requirements at least six weeks in advance of your travel – a country’s travel website is usually your best bet for information. Always travel with the right documents or you could – and will most likely – be denied entry when you attempt to cross the border.
Not planning properly can cause you numerous issues when entering or leaving a country. Make sure that you have your passport and proper Visa when traveling.
Of course, if you don’t have the time or would rather forgo the proper documentation, travel within your country is always an option. Check out local hotspots and plan a staycation and you’ll never even have to leave your own borders, a major plus if you’re planning a last-minute vacation. If you live in a country that is a member of the European Union (EU) you are free to travel to other EU countries without a passport, which may open you travel options significantly.
Over-planning
While you probably want to see positively everything available when traveling, there is such a thing as planning too much. When you pack each day with food tasting, sightseeing and travel, you could end up feeling tired, harried and miserable when you should feel relaxed.
When you over-plan, you wind up missing out on activities. Having too much to do can be exhausting and you may end up sleeping away time that could otherwise be spent on fun.
Remember to leave some space in your itinerary for unplanned stops, possible travel delays and plenty of rest. That way, you don’t feel pressured to take in all the sights in one day and plan enough down time to really enjoy your vacation.
Bad Budgeting
Always set a budget for your travel, even if it’s a large one. Travel can eat up a lot of your savings, which can leave you feeling stressed during your vacation. While you may have planned funds for travel, accommodations and attractions, you may not have planned for some of the fees you’ll encounter along the way. Road tolls, resort fees, parking money, rentals and even Internet services can result in overspending and heading home in a total credit coma. Plan for each portion of your travel, but remember to add extra money in your budget for unplanned purchases and fees, or risk completely derailing your carefully-laid plans and ruining what should be a relaxing trip.
