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Summer sun is blazing and finally, the cabin fever has been broken! Hello 2021! Hopefully with vaccination rates going up, things are looking bright for all of us once again.
Theme parks, national parks, casinos, airports, cinemas, and restaurants are again bustling with folks trying to make up for lost time. It is the season where grandkids finally get to see their grandparents, parents taking their kids on summer vacations, missed wedding bells to ring again, and business travels to adjourn. Rejoice!
With a surge of travel activities, we recently received an increased request from our readers on pointers to execute his or her itinerary. So, I have put together a list of items to lookout for. What you should really be looking into, how to navigate in getting deals and mapping out the best for your travel needs in planning your vacation. I am going to be using Kayak.com as my example of a good travel search engine on how to plan your vacation.
Location Location Location
How to Plan International Vacation
You are vaccinated, so what is stopping you from traveling internationally? I know we been cooped up at home for more than a year now. You probably been pinning for an exotic island or a dream location for your next adventure but halt the rush! While the United States is fast in recovery mode, many places around the world are in fact still being heavily plagued by the pandemic. Practice caution when deciding on a location especially international. Not saying it is a strict NO but check out travel engines and see what is available. International flights have been heavily reduced, so very few choices have remained. This definitely requires a lot more planning ahead of time.
The example below from Kayak.com, you will see the color coding that helps you to determine pricing. It is my favorite feature of all because instead of searching high and low for every date available, I can see very clearly on when I should book my trip and the price that I anticipate to pay. If you are unhappy with pricing, the right notification pop-up box allows to track prices. Due to shortage of flights, be prepared to pay more for international destinations.
How to Plan Domestic Vacation
Domestic traveling is a more obvious choice since many states have now eased up on restrictions. A lot of couples with children have opted for domestic travels since not all kids are vaccinated at the current moment. Be prepared to stand in line once again wherever you choose to go. Expect to pay hefty price in tickets, meals and accommodations including campsites. We need deals! I went on Kayak.com to see what deals are available for hot destination such as Las Vegas, and voila! I was able to find the cheapest deal of $94 for a roundtrip flight. If I am willing to pay a couple extra dollars, I would be able to opt for the flexible option where there won’t be any penalty for changes with dates. Score!
Where to Stay?
Now that we have a location, and we have flights picked out, comes a big decision. Where do I stay? A lot of hotels especially chains are currently running various deals to attract tourists back into their establishments. Make good use of travel search engine. Apply all the filters applicable to your travel situation, pick the hotel class that fits your needs, and a very important filter is Review Score.
The example below from Kayak.com has review scores included to help you navigate through the thousands of hotel options available. If you are a picky hotel customer, just like me, you need to turn up the review score so that helps to filter out the ones that will not meet your standards. Easy peasy!
Cars
If you are an avid walker, and you love to walk when you are a tourist, you can skip this whole part. However, if you would prefer the leisure of strolling using a car, read on because this will help you with planning your vacation. Landing the best deal on cars is not easy. You need to compare all the car rental companies available and it is definitely not wise to check each and every site available. Travel engines save the day once more!
With just a very simple click here and there, you get to select the rental car companies that you like, or you are familiar with. Pick the size that you need, tweak the pricing you are looking for and see if there is a good match. If you are still unsure, and you need flexibility, there is also the option to select for example a free cancelation deal. Make sure to maximize the usage of all the filters when planning your vacation.
Things to do
Flight is booked, hotel is set, and car is now secured, what is next? Things to do of course! Happy to share that the most important thing for you to check is RATINGS! I suggest that you do some reading and see what others say about their experience with it. Plenty of deals are available and when you are not sure, you can always go with how much time you would like to spend on a show or sightseeing. Start with something small, and gradually move on to the more adventurous tours or events!
Lastly, there is bound for traffic to happen and crowds everywhere. Remember to mask up even though you’re vaccinated. Take care of your belongings, print out or download the itineraries so you have a copy of everything. Get our vacation checklist if you are paranoid like me with planning your travels. Here is also a guide to pack lightly if space is a concern. For the ladies, looking good during your vacation is just as important, check out summer nails to kick your vacation up a notch!
