In May, I will be graduating from college with my bachelor's degree in family studies and psychology, and my boyfriend will have obtained his EMT license. I guess that will make us real, no-more-ramen-noodles-for-dinner adults. In recognition and celebration of this, we are taking a huge road trip from southern New Mexico, along the Gulf Coast, down into Florida, through Nashville and back. It is going to be quite the adventure and I am so very excited, however planning must happen first.
Since my mom had always taken care of the behind-the-scenes stuff for our family vacations, I had no idea how much time, energy, and thought went into this process! Lucky for you though, I am going to attempt to lay it out simply for all my fellow first time vacation planners (and those who still can't seem to get it quite right).
What to do when your trip is:
8-12 Months Away:
- Decide where you are going, how you are getting there, and how many days you will be gone
- Run a very basic budget for things like transportation (plane ticket, gas, rental car, bus pass, parking fees, etc.), food, some place to stay each night, attractions/entertainment, spending money, etc.
5-6 Months Away:
- Choose a specific day to leave and request the time off from work (if it needs to be done this far in advance). When choosing a day to leave, make sure that the rest of your days work with the attractions you want to see. For example, you don't want to be expecting to go to a certain museum on a Monday if that particular museum is closed on Mondays. Also, if you want to see a certain show, be sure that you are in that city when it is happening. This seems like common sense, but it is easy to forget about during the planning process.
- Narrow down your choices on where to stay, pick a place, and make reservations
- Find out what attractions you want to see and how else you want to spend your vacation days
- Make a budget spread sheet and fill in the numbers as you find out the more specific costs of certain things
- Revise plans as needed
1 Month Away:
- Call campsites/hotels to make sure that your reservations are still in place
- Begin making arrangements for a house-sitter, if necessary
- Revise plans as needed
1 Week Away:
- Begin packing clothes and other things that you won't need for the next week. You may consider purchasing travel-size shampoo/toothpaste/etc. to pack, just to be sure you don't forget to pack these things the morning that you leave.
- Figure out a day to go shopping for snacks, crossword puzzles for the road (if anyone ever does these anymore!), and last minute vacation essentials that you realized you need.
- Have the house-sitter come over for a tour and a debriefing about what they need to do
1 Day Away:
- Double-check packing list to be sure you packed everything
- Get a good night's rest
The Evidence:
Actual pictures of the trip will surely come this summer, but for now you'll have to accept this picture as evidence.
The Verdict:
While I haven't been through this whole process yet, I can definitely say that it was time consuming! However, I think that all the time put in will be well worth it as we travel worry-free through 9 different states this summer. After we get back from that trip, I will be sure to post pictures and all the details of what we did.
If you have any great travel tips or vacation-planning tips, I would love to hear all about them in the comments section!
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