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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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!

For years people have used registries and wish lists for all types of occasions to ensure that they received those items that they most desire and that the gift-givers’ money was well spent. Often times, these lists include gift certificates or even a check with the plan of saving up for a more expensive item. So when preparing to celebrate an upcoming  holiday or event, why not ask friends and loved ones to contribute towards your next big trip? 

There are several ways in which this can be done. The first is to create a vacation registry. This trend has begun catching on in the form of honeymoon registries, in which couples list the various components of their honeymoon and guests can choose to contribute a certain amount of money towards or “buy” a certain portion of their trip. For instance, someone might buy a night or two at the resort, another person might purchase a snorkeling excursion that the couple is interested in, a third might put money towards the spa package that’s listed.  When the final deposit is due, the couple is then only responsible for the remaining balance not paid for by their guests. (Note: In some cases, the couple must put down a deposit up front and is then refunded the money as varoius portions of their trip are purchased). Though this has traditionally done for honeymooners, it is a great idea for any vacation. Say you are planning to take a trip in six months that you are working hard to save towards. Why not meet with your travel planner to create a vacation registry and for the upcoming holidays (or birthday, mothers day, fathers day or any other special occasion), ask people to “buy” a portion of your trip or donate towards the general trip deposit.  A vacation registry is also great when planning to surprise someone for a big accomplishment or event. For instance, if your parents are getting ready to celebrate a milestone anniversary and you would like to surprise them with a vacation, you can easily have a registry created and sent out to those close to your parents and the group can collectively buy them their dream vacation. 

For those who have their vacation concept and are still building their itinerary, travel gift certificates are another very useful option. I worked with a couple planning their honeymoon who included travel gift certificates in their bridal shower wish list and put it in their shower invitations. Their guests then contacted me to request gift certificates for a specific amount. When it was time for the final payment of the trip, the couple was only responsible for the remainder of the trip that had not been covered by the gift certificates (You can view their actual feedback on our “testimonials” page). 

Whichever method you choose, your next vacation can become much more affordable, and those helping you on your way will know that their money is going towards a very worthwhile and well-received present!