You love the idea of traveling but sometimes the stress of travel planning can be overwhelming. As you begin making your list of everything you need to do and everyone you need to notify – employers, pet sitters, house cleaners and so on – the experience can quickly become daunting, to say the least.
Fret not. Keep your focus on the end result. Travel is so good for you – for your soul – because it helps you not only broaden your horizons but also to appreciate what you have in your own back yard. So with that, here are five ways that you can travel more (not just more often, but better) this year:
Don’t Go Anywhere
This isn’t a new concept; the idea of a staycation made its debut around 2009. The idea is solid: appreciate the destination you are in. Plus, there’s very little stress in planning a staycation as it’s a short excursion that can be done in 1-2 days.
No need to take time off of work, find a pet sitter or even pack a suitcase. You’ll get all the advantages of fueling your wanderlust without the hassle of excessive planning.
Is there a local museum that has rave reviews yet you’ve never been? New park opened but not even stepped foot in there yet? Time to do some homework!
It’s also great fun to stay overnight in a local upscale hotel or bed and breakfast spot. An awesome way to pamper yourself and to gain a different perspective of your region.
Think Out of the Travel Box
What is the biggest hassle for you when travelling? Is it the flights? Then drive. Car not in good shape? Then take a bus or train. You might roll your eyes at the idea, but think about it: a lot of methods of travel seem old-fashioned, but they can still be fun and relatively stress free.
Driving or taking a train is a wonderful way to see the countryside, enhancing your trip along the way. If driving by yourself is a bit daunting, check to see if there are bus tour groups in your area or if you have a friend who might want to join you on the journey to share the driving.
Delegate Tasks
Is there a family member who would actually enjoy the process of looking up ideas, fares, rates and dates for you? Planning ahead can always save you money, so the research phase is important if you’re on a really tight budget.
Maybe it’s an aunt or a sister or even one of the older children who will find reward with the challenge. You could even split tasks with your spouse and challenge each other to see who can find the best deal. With an added element of fun, stressful tasks can seem a lot less stressful!
Leave the “Must See” List Behind
A lot of the times the stress in travel comes from having to see everything-possible-in-twenty-four-hours. Why not relax and enjoy an hour in a cafe, chatting and having some family time? Or skip that last art exhibit and just go splash around at the hotel pool?
Life’s too short to obsess about working your way down a “must see” to do list. Narrow your choices down and be sure to plan to spend plenty of time at each location. You may not see as many attractions but you’ll enjoy the ones you do see without having the stress of racing off to the next stop.
Pay a Professional Travel Consultant
It’s a common myth that travel agents are expensive and no value for money. The fact is that they’re called travel professionals for good reason -they’ve seen it all and have awesome insider tips. So, if you can afford to, why not spare the few extra dollars and cents to give that risk and hassle to somebody else?
It will usually less cost than you think and you’ll have your dream trip planned out, with very little stress on your part.
However you choose to take the stress out of your travel planning, we hope you enjoy your second season travel adventures to the fullest!
