Do you want to know how to make your vacation perfect? Vacations should be awe inspiring time for couples to reconnect, families to bond and for all to share unforgettable experiences. This makes planning your dream vacation an important topic for me to write about.
Here are 5 topics for planning your dream vacation
1 – Start with what you are passionate about
2 – Keeping everyone happy on vacation
3 – How you can avoid airport delays
4 – The truth about using Airbnb
5 – Why you should never travel without travel insurance
Start with what you are passionate about
Have you ever gone on a vacation and come back feeling it was just not right? Maybe the wrong destination?
As a rule, whenever I start consulting with a new client, there is an important conversation that I make sure we have. And this is it: “what you like to do” or “what are your interests”? I like to ask what kind of hotels do you like staying in, or what type of activities do you usually do? What is the “why” of why you want to go to this location?
To begin with, these questions might seem unnecessary at the time, but they give me the necessary insight to know if the destination or experiences are right for the clients. But in most cases, this has helped me to ascertain that I put them in a hotel that suits their tastes and expectations. After I get to know the client a little, I will feel more confident about the hotel I choose, the location they are visiting and the excursions that suggest for them.
A perfect example of this
Whenever my husband and I travel, we really like to have food and wine experiences. Also, we take a cooking class in every location that we go to, We make sure to include this in every itinerary that I plan for us. Lastly, we usually always incorporate a food tour as well to learn about the culture of the food in the location that we are in and hopefully to find a new favorite food as well. If you are into active excursions, then maybe a great cycling tour is perfect for you, or maybe a great hiking adventure. But if you are more of a relax and do a digital detox, maybe a picture-perfect beach is right or a private boat excursion all day soaking in the sun.
I usually have just the right recommendation for each type of client.
The focus here – what are you passionate about? Whether that is a 6-day cycling tour in the Amalfi coast, visiting Machu Picchu in Peru or experiencing Michelin star restaurants with exquisite wine pairings throughout Europe, the beauty of working with a travel advisor is a trip that is customized to your passions. That is what I endeavor in all my client’s trips at Amore Travel Designs. Its all about the LOVE (Amore).
How to keep everyone happy
You are envisioning a relaxing sun-soaked vacation on the Spanish coast, whereas your spouse is dreaming of constant activities and soaking all the history in. Maybe you are traveling with your kids and they get bored easily? How do you find the happy medium for all the different styles?
- For instance, you can get everyone involved in the planning of your dream vacation. Maybe make a travel “wander list” that shows where everyone is interested in visiting, and maybe that means the next 3 vacations are started in the planning. Discuss what activities would be most suited for each location, and watch the excitement grow as you all discuss it.
- What activities? Once you decide on the perfect destination, working with your travel advisor to help you envision the right activities will be made available for everyone involved. Usually, everyone wants to come back from their vacation and share the wonderful memories with friends and family.
- Maybe read up on the history or the culture of the destination. This is a great way to keep engaged and excited in the upcoming trip, while learning some amazing things you might not have known about the upcoming destination.
- If you have one (or some) traveling that need downtime, be sure not to fill every single day of the vacation with activities. Be sure to allow time to just walk around and soak in the vibes and culture of the destination. If you don’t have time to see everything in the destination, that means there is another opportunity to return to it to experience more.
- Traveling as a family or a couple helps to create lifelong memories. Visiting other parts of the country assists with open mindedness and learning to appreciate other cultures, which is the beauty of traveling. Life would be boring if we were all the same. As a couple, traveling this time together will allow you to reconnect in a way that you don’t at home, travel to stay in love!
How to avoid airport delays
Generally, this has happened to us all; we arrive early, we check in for our flights, the excitement of the vacation beginning is high. Next we are sprinting to the gate because of extremely long security lines. Or maybe you step off the plane after your vacation in Europe to your local airport to find yourself stuck in a line for customs and passport controls that is going to take at least an hour. Airport delays is definitely not on anyone’s list when planning a dream vacation.
A Fast Track Solution
Global entry could be the solution to both problems. This is a program that allows low risk travelers to get pre-approved and receive expedited clearance upon arrival into the USA. Also receiving TSA precheck when you are approved for Global entry, which will allow you to zip through security lines.
- Valid passport or permanent residency card.
- Apply online there is a $100 fee
- After a few days, you will receive an email notifying you that your application has been processed. You will then need to schedule an interview at your local airport. This interview takes less than 10 minutes and they take your photo and take your fingerprints.
- You will receive a Known Traveler Number at the end of your interview which can start to use instantly. Be sure to enter this number into your airline reservations with every booking, otherwise you won’t have TSA precheck on your boarding pass.
Benefits of Global Entry
- Valid for 5 years
- You get to use expedited airport security line
- You will not need to take your laptop or carry on fluids out of your bags
- You will not need to remove your shoes, belt or jacket
- You will avoid long lines when you return to the USA after an international flight. You will wait in a much shorter (or no line) to use a kiosk, simply scanning your passport, fingerprints and doing the customs declaration.
- Global entry is only $15 more than TSA precheck, which is included with global entry, so its totally worth it.
The truth about booking with Airbnb
Are you trying to have a more authentic experience in Europe? A quaint Italian flat or a loft in London? The amazing photos have grabbed your attention, the price is obviously right. I never feel safe in recommending an Airbnb. Yes, some people have great experiences, BUT if something goes wrong, you have no recourse.
Here are some risks involved when booking an Airbnb and why I do not offer it to my clients
- To begin with, owners can cancel your reservation at any time. This is usually a massive risk to the traveler. Imagine you have this wonderful vacation planned, it’s just days from departure, the owner cancels your reservation. You will of course receive your money back, but you most likely will not find other accommodations at your destination, and likely if you do, it will much more than originally it would have been.
- There are no management company servicing the property. Usually, owners are not always present on site, so what happens if you arrive at your property and there is as huge problem? Who do you call? Where do you go now if that problem was a leak directly on the bed or in the kitchen? I am in favor of renting villas or apartments throughout many destinations, but only if there is a management company to turn to if there is a problem so it will get fixed.
- The accommodations may not live up to your expectations in comparison to what is shown online. The condition of the property might vary from the pictures that you were shown. There might be appliances in disrepair, furniture that you are not sure you want to sit on, or maybe just not the basic necessities or its not clean. But what can anyone do about it at this point?
- You will not receive a refund. If you are not happy with the accommodations or how things turned out, its practically impossible to get a refund from the owner. Airbnb will not refund your booking fee as its hard to prove that the property was misrepresented.
For these reasons and some more, I will not book an Airbnb for clients. Because the risks are just more than I am willing to agree to when planning the dream vacation. I would be saddened if a client’s trip was not all that they dreamed of or would have to face these types of possibilities upon arrival without someone to rectify the situation.
Never travel without travel insurance
So many amazing experiences, wonderful destinations, picture perfect vacations, the memories you will create…..and yet, there are so many circumstances that are uncontrollable and the clients need to be prepared for those too.
No matter your health, no matter your age, no matter where you are traveling, you should never travel without travel insurance. The reason why?
Once an itinerary is finalized, I always provide a quote for travel insurance. I do not force you to purchase it, but I always highly recommend it. Most clients think that travel insurance is only used in case you decide to cancel your vacation and they have no intention of doing that. Nothing can be more wrong because there are many unforeseen reasons to use travel insurance.
Before the trip:
- Immediate family member becomes ill
- You get in an accident, maybe fell and broke a leg
- You’ve gotten sick and are under doctor’s care
- Your child has an injury, perhaps from sports
- Also, there could be a major terrorist attack in your destination
- In addition, you lost your job.
During the trip:
- You get sick and need medical attention
- You have an accident requiring medical attention and you subsequently need to be flown home
- A family member at home gets sick and you need to return home before your scheduled time
- Lost luggage
- You lost your passport, or your wallet was stolen, and you need assistance before you can fly home.
A Case Study
These are just a few of the reasons why travel insurance is necessary when planning your dream vacation. A perfect example of one of my clients who was resistant to getting travel insurance and luckily, she heeded my warning.
She was a very healthy 60-year-old lady, very active. She suddenly and without cause had a syncopal episode in the shower and fainted, fell and shattered her shin bone.
To begin with, she required surgery. Consequently, she went on rehabilitation and definitely was unable to go on her trip that she had purchased for both her and her friend. But I had offered and she finally saw the value in purchasing that insurance, she recouped the cost of her trip, which she would not have if she had not purchased the insurance. She never thought she would need it either, but you just never know!
In Conclusion
To summarize all, consider what you will lose if you don’t – the cost of flights, hotels, transports, activities, value of your luggage, and more. Finally, consider the cost of the travel insurance to protect you.
I hope you enjoyed reading this information and it was helpful for you dream vacation.
Vacations are the perfect way for us to reconnect, recharge and refocus on our loved ones, they should all be perfect!
If you would like assistance planning your next dream vacation, please give me a call. Here at Amore Travel Designs I focus on you, your interests, your passions and design the vacation to fit your style. You can reach me today by clicking here and setting up a complimentary consultation to discuss your celebratory vacation.
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