I will admit that my plan will most likely change for several reasons – 1. Budget. This plan is based on a certain budget, and if this were to change (for better or worse – hopefully better) it might alter my plan; 2. Every year I attend an International Destination Expo put on by the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA). I try to plan a vacation around that expo, as it serves as a good opportunity to explore the area.  I am not sure where this conference will be past 2012, so as I find out these destinations, I will add them in to my plan and adjust accordingly.

Here is what I have so far, rough draft form. In order to be at least somewhat realistic, I left a few holes where necessary:

March 2012: Peru. This trip is in the process of being booked. I’ll be attending the ASTA expo in Lima, then heading to Cusco/Valley of the Incas/Machu Picchu, and Puerto Maldonado for a taste of the Amazon/rainforest.

May 2012: Oahu, Hawaii. This is for an organization retreat. Believe it or not, I have never been to Hawaii despite having sent many travelers there, so I am quite excited about this!

 Spring 2013: River or Barge cruise through Europe (exact destination TBD, most likely Central, Eastern Europe)

Fall 2013: Istanbul/Turkey

Spring 2014: To be determined by ASTA Expo

Summer 2014: Iceland and Scandinavia (Sweden, Denmark and possibly Norway)

Winter 2015: India (this timeline subject to change)

Fall 2015:  Galapagos Islands

As my schedule is subject to change due to business travel, I stopped my planning at 2105.  Otherwise it starts to become more of a wish list. However, other destinations I plan to fit in, either within this time frame or after include:

• Vietnam and Cambodia
• Southern/Eastern Africa: Destinations include but aren’t limited to Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia and get back to Botswana
• Re-visiting Australia and New Zealand
• Israel and Jordan (same trip)

This list certainly doesn’t exhaust desired destination options. It is simply those that I hope to visit in the next few years. I’m sure as happens in life these will change somewhat along the way – places may be added or shifted. For now, this is my travel plan. What’s yours? I’d love to see it – you never know, your suggestions might influence my plan!

I find it helps to have a plan. Of course, being a planner, I might be a little biased, but I believe can assist in diffusing what can sometimes be an almost overwhelming decision. I’m not gearing this article towards those who plan to buy a Eurail multi-country pass and see where it takes them. The appeal of those types of trips is spontaneity, and a precise plan would, quite frankly, ruin that.  That being said, if you are looking to take that type of vacation, you can add that in to your overall travel plan to make sure you do, in fact, get to take that trip.

So how do you make a travel plan? Here are some steps to at least narrowing down your options. A travel professional can certainly help you in this process, especially since they are familiar with up-to-date destination information (exchange rates, destination news, travel trends, etc), which might affect your decisions.

• Make a rough draft list of your desired destinations. If there are too many to count, pick the top 10, or even 20 (depending on how often you plan to travel each year and how far out you want to plan).

• Examine this list and arrange them in order of “priority” – where you’re dying to see versus where you’d like to get to if you can.

• Look at this list again and arrange with respect to time and budget. If you’d like to spend a month exploring Australia but know that won’t be a possibility this year, move it down a few places on the list.

Once you’re here, it’s time to start formulating a more precise plan. This is where a travel planner can particularly be helpful, as the next steps allow you to create a more concrete, yet flexible, timeline and it’s important to know which times of year are best to visit which destinations, visa requirements (which can affect timing), and other factors that may influence your plan.

• Take your list reorganized list and divide it into years (if you’re lucky enough to travel more than 4 times per year, divide it into seasons or months as applicable).

• Look at the countries in each year (quarter) starting with year one and proceed chronologically. Discuss features such as climate, time desired at the destination, price points, and overall feasibility. Rearrange the destinations/trips as needed according to these factors adding potential time frams (month, seasons) to each.

• You should now have a solid, yet flexible plan. Take one final look. Is there anything that slipped through the cracks – a destination on your must see list that should be of highest priority yet somehow isn’t? Adjust as needed.

• If you have trips you plan to take in the next quarter, or even the next six months, it’s time to start planning.

• Your plan should be a living document that can be rearranged as needed. If you get the opportunity for travel that you weren’t expecting, rearrange the list as needed/desired. The plan should be a guideline to help make your travels more of a reality instead of a lofty goal. A travel plan that ties you down, however, would pretty much defeat the purpose.

Your plan may, and most likely will, change slightly as you go, but you now have a solid idea of your travels.  Of course, you should adjust for major life events that come along the way. Still, this makes the destination decision more manageable, and allows you the excitement of looking forward to future travels without the anxiousness that can often come during the early stages of the planning process. Need help creating your travel plan? Send me an email!

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First, let me point something out – I don’t consider myself a travel agent and I never have. The term “agent” sounds to me like a bunch of old ladies sitting behind a desk gossiping and printing paper tickets and doing so because they want to get free travel.  What I do is about as close to that as it is to being the foreman on a construction site.  I consider myself a travel planner, though I’ve also heard the term consultant, which I could handle as well. I also always add the word “professional” in when people ask me what I do: I’m a professional travel planner. Why? Because it’s the truth, and planning travel is my career. I own my company and I do this full time after having completed a Masters degree and a lot of training in the travel industry. I don’t say this because I want people to ooh and ahh at my credentials. I say it because I want readers to understand that there are plenty of us in the travel industry that have as much education, training and professional experience, if not more, than in many other industries. We are not planning travel as a part time gig on the side to get free vacations – because in fact I’ve never gotten a free, or even close to free, trip in my years as a travel planner.

To address the title of this article, I used it because one of the top things people ask me when they hear what I do is something like “I saw a flight on (insert online booking engine here) for xyz price. Can you get me anything cheaper than that?”  I answer honestly – a nice form of the phrase “probably not.”  I’m not saying that no travel planners can do this; it’s just that it’s not my focus. I don’t try to beat online flight prices or find the cheapest hotel room in New York City. My value to my clients is my customer service, my knowledge and my experience.  I provide my clients with a consultation and get to know them so that I can create an itinerary and trip that meets their specific needs, interests and preferences from start to finish. I personally conduct the communication with them. If they call me at midnight because they’ve missed their flight somewhere they get me on the phone, not an answering service that has no idea who they are or where they’re traveling.

Simply put, I provide my clients with expertise and security that no amount of searching quick deal sites will. My leisure clients do not have the time or resources to spend hours researching their safari through Africa or multi-country European vacation. My corporate clients want to know that their conference attendees are taken care of at every turn – from being met at the airport with a sign bearing their names to the travels they often take pre or post-conference to make the most of the 8-hour flight they took to get there.

Online, you get no personal stories to explain to clients why you’re suggesting a particular tour or hotel. Online sites won’t steer you away from traveling to a hurricane zone during hurricane season – in fact they’ll encourage it with cheaper prices; they won’t tell you that if you’re visiting Venice in December or January you’d better bring your rain boots because it floods sometimes up to your knees or higher. Yes, you can scour various review sites in addition to searching for the best online price. Wouldn’t it be more efficient and reliable to have it all in one place, from someone whose reputation and career is built on providing excellent knowledge and service to their customers through personalization? It’s the same reason I want to use my trusted mechanic to fix my car instead of rattling around under the hood myself when it’s not something I do on a regular basis. I also understand that I need to pay my mechanic for this time and knowledge –he’s the professional and I’ve hired him to do a job.  Perhaps I could save a little money and do it myself, but it would be a lot messier and quite possibly a lot more frustrating when something went wrong.

This is why I can’t beat your online price. It’s not what I do. What I can do is give you the best value.  These are two completely different things. There are times that online booking is fine – if you need a quick flight or last minute hotel deal and are ok with researching this yourself, for instance. If you want more than this and you want to feel confident that you’re taken care of if something goes awry, it’s a different story. That’s when you go to your travel planner. And please don’t ask them to beat the online price.

Cruises: First off, some destinations are more popular with cruise routes than others. If you are heading to the Caribbean or the Mediterranean, for instance, you’ll find plenty of cruise itineraries. If you are looking at countries that are more landlocked, you’ll have to look at river or barge cruising if you really are intent on visiting the country by boat. Cruises are a great way to see snippets of a destination and get a feel for it. However, if you want to get to know a destination in depth, cruising might not be the best way to go.

All-Inclusive resorts: Similar to cruising, your options for these are limited by availability. They are great for short vacations where you simply aim to enjoy “getting away” and feel a bit pampered by the amenities at the resort. Again, if you’re looking for deep exploration of a destination, this might not be the ideal option, since the all-inclusive nature tends to keep people at the resort much of the time (and why not, virtually everything is included!). It’s important to note, though, that the all-inclusive concept is spreading from the beach front to other types of vacations. Safari lodges, for instance, are starting to create packages which include accommodations, food/drink and daily safari activities.

Guided tours: If you’re new to traveling or an apprehensive traveler, or simply want to travel with a larger group, guided tours can be a good option. The itinerary is spelled out well in advance, so you know exactly what you’ll be doing and when. In addition, guided tours often include tickets to museums and attractions that you could otherwise have a difficult time getting or have to wait in line to obtain. The downside is the lack of flexibility. Finding a tour that hits all of the attractions and destinations that you want to see is key.  While every minute isn’t planned, much of the time is and if you want to experience something “off the beaten path”, you may not have the chance.

Partially hosted tours: These tours are somewhere between a guided tour and an independent trip. They offer more flexibility than a guided group tour, but some aspects are pre-set. For instance, the tour might include particular accommodations (or a choice of “standard” and “deluxe”, with one option for each), transportation to the next destination and a half day tour when you arrive in each new city. Apart from this, though, you’ll have more time at each destination to explore on your own. This allows you the security of knowing your accommodations and transportation are set, while giving you the option to see sights that wouldn’t be on a traditional guided tour.

Private tours - These allow you to create your own itinerary completely. The tour guide works with just your party, accommodating your requests and preferences. While you might have to retain some structure (i.e. if you planned a particular activity for the day, you may not be able to just switch it that morning), but basically you aren’t bound by too many restrictions. You also get the expertise of a guide, which you wouldn’t have if exploring completely on your own. The downside is that this private service and expertise come at a price, and that price is usually rather expensive. On top of the tour price, remember that you’ll be expected to tip the guide. Also, private tours don’t may not include items such attraction/museum tickets, so these may also be a price add on.

Fully Independent Travel – In the travel industry, these are called FITs. As indicated by the name, travelers take a FIT are completely on their own. This provides them the opportunity to explore with complete flexibility, other than the pre-reserved hotels and transportation, and even have been chosen by the travelers. FITs can include half day or full day tours one at a destination (say to a museum or attraction) but these too are determined by the traveler and can be booked in advance or while in the destination, depending upon the activity. While these are a great option for many, FITs may not be ideal for apprehensive or first time travelers who are nervous about guiding themselves. Generally, FITs are good for those who like to wander and explore and who enjoy being a bit impromptu once in a destination.

Sure, unexpected travel come up, and you have to get a quick Southwest flight and a night in the hotel last minute. For the most part though, vacations are something we know that we want to take. Many people who plan to travel have a “bucket list” of destinations they’d like to visit and if you’ve ever read an article or book on how to achieve your goals, you most likely recall that writing them down is a major step toward achieving them. So why do people continue to run after their travel dreams blindly?

Putting together a travel plan is quite easy and in the end, creates less work for the traveler. Here’s how it works:

1. Contact your travel planner and let them know you are interested in a travel plan. Though five or ten year plans are the most common, any time period works.

2. Meet with your planner in to discuss the destinations you’d like to visit over this time period. If you do not have specific destinations in mind, that is ok! Let them know the types of trips you’d be interested in – i.e. adventure vacations, romantic getaways, etc – and they can help you narrow down the possibilities.

3. Prioritize these trips and discuss how often you’d like to travel and the times of year that would be best for travel (this may in part be determined by the destinations).

4. From here your travel planner will put together a travel plan which spans the chosen time – five or ten years for instance – and when you plan to travel to each destination on your list. Of course this is not set in stone; it simply helps organize your travel plans.

5.  Here’s the best part – once the plan is written your travel planner handles everything. Within a year of each trip, she or he will contact you to begin the detailed trip planning. In addition, if “can’t miss” promotions for a destination on your plan come up, you will be contacted with the option to take advantage of this opportunity and rearrange your plan as needed.

Basically, a travel plan does the same as a financial or any other plan – we industry professionals keep track of your plan and proactively do the work so you don’t have to! At Chimera Travel, we are currently offering free five or ten year plans! To begin, contact us by email or phone at 856-266-8898. If you are not in our local area, that is fine too! Though face to face meetings are the first choice, plans can be created via email and phone as well!

This is where a travel planning company can save you a lot of valuable time. If you have 18 to 23 hours of free time, and not many people do these days, think about all the things that you could be doing – spending time with friends and loved ones, taking time for your favorite hobby, getting some much needed relaxation, and plenty of other enjoyable pastimes. So why would you use time to spend hours on the internet trying to navigate numerous travel sites when a travel professional can create a customized itinerary suited specifically to your interests, needs and preferences? Not only can travel planners create a customized itinerary, they can help undecided travelers determine the best destination fit, suggest unique activities and excursions, pre-book tickets for museums and events, find driving routes and train map and other detailed services.