 Summer, 2007, Abbey Newsletter
Planning the Perfect Vacation
Summer means just one thing – vacation! Time to relax and unwind from the daily grind. Time to explore new destinations and experience adventures you’ve dreamed of all your life. Time for families to come together to create memories that will last a lifetime.
And at Abbey we stand for one thing more than anything else, really – helping our members get the most out of their money, including their vacation funds.
So here are some time-tested tips to help you plan the best vacation you’ve ever had.
How to Decide Where to Go
Getting away is an integral part of the American vacation. Traveling to a destination where you can unwind and refresh is a huge part of the appeal of taking a vacation.
But with so many options out there, how do you narrow down the choices? Here are a few questions to help you get focused.
- Do you want to travel internationally or stay in the good ol’ USA?
- How long to you have available for your vacation? If you’re short on time, you might not want to spend a lot of it in travel.
- How does your budget look? Keeping your trip close to home can free up more funds for having fun while you’re away. Shopping for hotels and airfares online can also put you in touch with some better prices than you could find elsewhere.
- Are you looking for a vacation where everything is taken care of for you, or do you prefer to go it alone?
- Who will be vacationing with you? What sounds like fun for adults can sound like torture to kids.
How to Get There
Getting there can be half the fun of a vacation. Whether it’s the romance of hitting the open road or the excitement of flying off to a far-flung destination, a little prep time can add a lot of fun time to this part of your vacation.
Road trips always go better with the extras – the right tunes, some munchies, a good map and a few stops along the way can turn a utilitarian part of your vacation into some great memories.
If you’d like a more leisurely travel pace, look into Amtrak’s offerings. They have several multi-day luxury trips that can take you to some of the most beautiful destinations in the country.
If you haven’t heard, airline travel is sadly no longer what it used to be. Security measures are now very tight and can sometimes change quickly based on current circumstances. To avoid surprises, call your airline or airport in advance and ask them what to expect. Be sure you are clear about when to arrive for check-in. Know for sure what you are allowed to carry onto the plane.
What to Do When You’re There
This is also a matter of your personal style and derives from what you hope to get out of a vacation. Are you the type of person who just wants to do absolutely nothing on a vacation? Or are you looking for adventures that take you out of the day to day and into realms you’ve never experienced before.
If you’re traveling with others – especially children – you’ll need to find ways to meet everyone’s needs. If the group has very diverse interests, you might need to find ways for everyone to split up once in awhile if those interests are incompatible.
Either way, you’ll get the most out of your very brief vacation time if you plan your schedule before you hit the road. If you have a lot you want to pack in, this could mean putting together a schedule that very nearly maps out every minute of your vacation. If you just want to relax, make sure you map out time for that if there is a possibility that other things could creep in and squelch your relaxation time. Also, in the midst of your hectic daily life, doing nothing may sound a lot more appealing than it turns out to be, so have a backup plan in case you find yourself slipping from “relaxed” into “bored.”
Leaving Home
You don’t want to find yourself worrying about your home while on vacation. A little bit of planning can go a long way to give you peace of mind while you’re away.
Start by making a checklist of things you need to do to your home before you leave. You know, cancel the paper, postpone mail delivery, make arrangements for the pets.
If you have a security system on your home, check with them about arrangements while you’re out of town. And if you have a trusted neighbor or landlord, be sure to let them know you’ll be gone and ask them to keep an eye on things for you.
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