My Thoughts on Worry Free Vacations
September 20th, 2011Have you experienced one of those worry free vacations? The key to a worry free vacation is good planning – with lodging as the most important part of that plan. Determining where your family will sleep every night will remove most of the stress and worry from the vacation. One of the worst experiences associated with any travel is being dead-tired and not having a place to stay. Frantically calling one motel after another to only find that all the rooms are booked can be a terrible experience. Today, even a camping vacation needs adequate planning. Most camp grounds, even those in state parks or federally maintained forests, almost require a reservation during the peak summer months. The days when you could just throw your stuff in a car and head down the road belong to your father’s generation. Today, a vacation must be well organized to be worry-free and enjoyable.
Are worry free vacations overrated?
Image by dawnzy58 via Flickr
You might think that a worry-free vacation is merely a state of mind. Just leave your worries at home and head down the road without a care in the world. But the transition is not possible for most workers. After a year of daily on-the-job stress, one cannot simply walk out the door with an entirely new mind set. One of the aspects of a job that produces stress is the unexpected challenges that blindside any worker on the typical day. Every work day, something appears out of the blue to get in the way of reaching the day’s goals or quota. The best prescription for a rejuvenating vacation is to remove all the ugly surprises by adequate planning.
Don’t forget to consider the weather when you plan your vacation. A trip to the Caribbean during hurricane season or driving through the Rocky Mountains in the dead of winter may be unwise. A northerner may be uncomfortable in the heat of the Florida or Arizona sun; while a southerner would freeze in a Chicago winter. Some sections of the country have a tornado season, while other parts have a rainy season. Reduce the stress of your trip by grounding yourself in the local weather for the areas of the country in which you plan to travel.
If traveling by automobile, mobile home, camper, or other vehicle, take the time to ensure that your transportation is in the top mechanical shape. A trip to your mechanic or some do-it-yourself maintenance can remove a great deal of worry from your trip. Have some kind of roadside-assistance available to you. Most accident policies have a towing benefit available for a very negligible charge. There are various organizations that can be joined to obtain emergency roadside assistance.
The Internet provides up-to-the-minute road conditions for almost every destination in the United States and Canada. The Department of Transportation (DOT) of the states and provinces maintain a web site, on which construction projects and other road delays are listed. Consulting these resources while planning your vacation can save a great deal of travel time and lower the stress of the trip.
If you are traveling by air, make certain you know all the regulations for the particular carrier you have chosen. Each airline has its own rules concerning checked-in and carry-on baggage, and these rules always seem to be in a state of flux. Also be aware of any changes in security measures from the TSA. For short trips, one should consider rail or bus options. Because of the security delays at airports, Amtrak may provide faster service for short distances.
Public transportation can help you navigate a big city like Chicago or New York. Use the transit’s web site to learn how to use the system in advance of your trip. Leaving your car in an outlying park-n-ride and taking rapid transit into the heart of the city may actually save time, money and frustration. A single-day or a few-day pass can be purchased ahead of time for many systems. Using public transportation is not only for the European vacation, public transportation makes sense in many American cities.
Festivals and special events along the vacation travel route must be considered. With the Internet, the upcoming events even in a small town can be determined in advance of the trip. These events can provide entertainment for both the adults and the children. However, these same events draw many tourists, which compete for the best places to stay overnight. If you plan on staying in a town while it is staging one of its annual events, be sure to make your reservations sufficiently in advance.
Worry free vacations entail planning for the unexpected
Everyone in the family, over the age of six, probably already has a cell or smart phone. Make certain that each family member has their cell phone with them each and every morning. If a phone is lost, replace it immediately. Have a relative who is not on the vacation be an emergency contact. That relative’s cell number should be in each vacation phone’s address book.
Bad weather is the most likely unexpected event to ruin a vacation. Foul weather can strand a person in an airport or on the road. Always allow at least a couple of extra days to get home. Don’t vacation until the very last minute. Always carry a small amount of cash. Natural disasters often knock out electricity making it impossible to use either cash machines or credit cards at merchants. Carry at least fifty dollars, and possibly a hundred dollars, in cash. This amount should be split among the various family members.
If you are going to be traveling for an extended amount of time, have a trusted neighbor watch your house. You can have the Postal Service hold your mail. If you’re still having a newspaper delivered, have it held during your vacation. In some regions of the country, the police will check your house while you are away.
Every city or region has its tourist attractions. However, some of the most enjoyable and relaxing locations are out-of-the-way places. Find historical and cultural locations to visit on your vacation. Museums, small and large, can be an unexpected delight. A seldom used trail or ghost town can become an adventure.
Your vacation can be worry-free. All it takes is a little planning and preparation. Make yourself aware of the weather and travel conditions. It is helpful to plan for minor emergencies. Know where you are going to sleep every night. Come home from your vacation a day early.
So, how about you? What are your thoughts on worry free vacations?
