Helpful Tips On How To Approach Your Travel To Do List (or lack thereof)
Traveling near or far is an enchanting pursuit if you let it. I have always been a planner but what I am learning more is to plan a few things but to also go with the flow. You don’t have to book every tour before you reach your travel destination, nor do you have to have every hour of the day set in stone. Tip: See how you feel when you arrive and govern your days accordingly. There are times we go on vacation only to come back and need more rest because we never stopped to wind down and after all, isn’t R&R what vacations are for…
Some helpful tips on how to approach your things to do list (or lack thereof lol):
1. Read up on the place you are traveling - check out notable sites and things to do. Things that need a reservation (i.e., tours) vs things that don’t (beach days).
2. Prioritize - what do you want to see and do. What is furthest and closest to where your lodging accommodations are?
3. Have a budget, tours and excursions can get expensive so plan for your pockets. Tip: all day trips often include a meal this is a helpful delight (providing the meal goes with your dietary restrictions if any). Usually, you get to try a home cooked or traditional meal from a local non touristy spot (which in my opinion usually has the best food anyway shhhh🤭). Visiting Egypt, I had some of the best falafel I’d ever tasted before venturing out for the day.
4. Read reviews on the various tour companies some are outstanding, and some aren’t legit. If a company doesn’t have a phone number that’s a good sign you should look elsewhere. I once encountered a company that wanted all the tours to be paid in full upon looking further, they had no legitimate website (they were only on a hosting site) and had no business phone number, I moved on quickly.
5. Try to find activities that don’t require an appointment but still allow you to have a great time.
6. Rent a car (if possible) and see the place on your own! Having a car is a wonderful way to set your own schedule. So, pack up, sit back, & relax. You get to stay deviate as much as possible and experience the land.
7. Find a local cabby to take you around. When I was in Panama my sister and I hung out with our cab driver for the whole day it was a very random but a very cool experience… we started off with the intent on him dropping and picking us up from one location (a hike), he suggested staying with us so we wouldn’t get lost (no extra fee) we said ok and after that we decided to see more sites, we then went go-carting and to dinner - sure we paid for his time but we made our own schedule and didn’t have to navigate on the roads. Win Win!
8. Best tip: Be flexible, life and vacations are unpredictable! If it rains the day, you’re supposed to go zip-lining find another activity and plan the zip-lining for another day.
Keep joy in your heart, after all you’re on vacay!!! ❤️