Vacation Planning: Out With The Ordinary And In With The Exciting

How to plan a vacation: a travel guide

In the spirit of full disclosure, this post may contain affiliate links. Please note that when you click links and purchase items, in most (not all) cases I will receive a referral commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. In fact, I oftentimes am able to negotiate a lower rate (or bonuses) not available elsewhere. I only recommend products & systems that I use and love myself, so I know you’ll be in good hands.

When it comes to going on vacation, do you tend to find that you always plan the same kinds of trips? If you do, you’re not alone. Most of us are guilty of it! Vacation planning for some serious wanderlust can sometimes be daunting. It’s just all too easy to get stuck in the same rhythm and find yourself going to similar locations over and over again. Or worse – the same exact place. If you absolutely love going to the same place and you have no complaints about it, then that’s great. After all, if it’s not broke – don’t fix it. But, if you’re someone that is getting a little tired of seeing the same old sights, then it’s time to shake things up.

Vacation planning: travel tips and hacks for exciting wanderlust adventures

 

Staying within your comfort zone can be dangerous. It means that you never push yourself to try new things, nor do you experience new things. And that can lead to quite a limited life. Instead, you might like to think about all of the different things that you could be doing. Average or okay or ordinary is fine. But if you want the extraordinary, the exciting, and the thrilling, then that’s even better. And the good news is, it doesn’t have to be hard to find it when it comes to trip planning. You just need to think outside of the box. So let’s take a look at how you could do exactly that.

 

Get Uncomfortable

First of all, you absolutely want to think about getting out of your comfort zone. Because when you’re trying to book and plan the same thing over and over again, it’s safe. But when you’re bored of that and you want to do things differently, you need to step out of your comfort zone. You’ll want to think about the kinds of experiences and locations and trips that are going to scare you a little, but be incredibly exciting too.

 

Ask For Suggestions

When you’re in the right frame of mind for making this happen, you’ll then want to start getting some more concrete ideas together. But, where do you start? And how do you even know what options are out there? Well, you ask for suggestions. And if your friends and family don’t have any (because they go to the same places you do), then it’s a good idea to look to travel blogs and online recommendations to help you out here.

vacation planning tips and hacks. Advice to have the perfect travel experience.

Consider A Culture Shock

Now, if you’re really itching to do something different, to turn to a different culture. Maybe you always travel within the country, and you just go to different areas? That’s definitely cool, but it’s not all that wild or eye-opening. Maybe going to Asia or South America or even somewhere in Eastern Europe is what you need? Sometimes, experiencing a completely different culture to your own can be the best experience you ever have.

 

Change The Vacation Duration

Don’t want to do something so different? A really simple way to switch things up is to just change your vacation duration. If you know that you always go away for a week, why not make it two? Or even four! Sometimes, going for longer and maybe even fitting in more than one location can feel like a breath of fresh air.

 

Head To The Opposite

A really simple way to change things up is to just do the opposite. Now, this can work in two ways. First, it could be the opposite kind of place to where you live. So if you live in the country, experiencing a city could be perfect. But, it could also be the opposite of the kind of trip that you’d usually take. So if you usually go to a beach location, why not go to a rural lake town?

Vacation planning: tips and hacks for the perfect travel experience. #wanderlust

Try a Different Accommodation

Next, you could look to shake up the kind of accommodation that you stay in. Maybe you always go to a hotel? So why not look for an affordable studio apartment for rent instead? You could then please yourself or even look to enjoy a different style of living for a change. Just make sure that you’re considering everything other than a hotel. Maybe a chalet or villa or cottage could be perfect for what you want to do.

 

Plan Different Activities

Sometimes, it could be just as simple as changing up the kind of things that you do when you’re on vacation. Maybe you always relax and eat, and sleep? Then why not go for a bit of adventure instead? You don’t have to head out on a complete adventure holiday to do this – you could just simply book a bike ride or a helicopter ride or a hike to change the pace!

 

Go On A Drastically Different Vacation

Or why not go for something really out of your comfort zone like skiing or heading on a safari? If these are the kind of trips that haven’t really been on your radar before, it might be the time to start looking into them!

Vaction planning-tips and hacks to have the best travel experience

Go Basic

Do you usually enjoy luxury travels? This might be your kind of thing, so why not really change the way you do things by doing basic? This doesn’t mean you have to stay in unsafe places, but when it comes to budget travel, you can have a ton of fun by just living simply. If you want to put the emphasis on what you’re experiencing and nothing else, then choosing to go basic allows you to do that.

 

Go Luxury

Or maybe you do tend to keep things quite simple? You may be used to cheap and cheerful, or even something quite middle of the road, but maybe going for luxe is exactly what you need. If you have a special occasion coming up, a luxury vacation could be exactly what you need. And if you’re used to self-catering accommodation, going for an all-inclusive luxury experience could be perfect.

 

Go Backpacking

If you know that you do always tend to go on vacations, why not travel? Instead of booking into a hotel that you’ll stay at for a week or two, travel around a bit! Leave your suitcase at home, pack a backpack, and book a flight. Stay in hostels or cheap accommodation and try to fit in as many destinations as you can in the time that you have. This could be a mini version of a huge travel experience for you.

 

Try Out A Road Trip

If you’ve never been on a road trip before, then this could be perfect for you. Doing something out of the ordinary doesn’t have to be big or special or exciting – it just has to be completely new for you. If you always visit the shore or the country, then traveling around could be the new and exciting change of pace that you need. So why not think about getting a full itinerary together, visiting family, or some of the countries most notable sights, and just hitting the road!

vacation planning: travel tips and hacks for some serious wanderlust

Go Pack Your Bags!

And there you have it. If you know that you’re done with the same kind of dull trips, do not book another. No matter who you are, where you live, or what you like to do, there will be something on this list for you. So take your pick. Try one option next year and another the year after and see how it goes…or you can totally try them all in one year, kinda as I would do 🙂  The best thing that you can do is just to shake things up because that’s the best way to make new memories.

 

As always, let me know your thoughts in the comments below and tell me, which country/city are you planning on visiting next?

Cheers, Y’all! 🙂

 

22 Comment

  1. I agree vacation is about doing something different and getting OUT of the routine. These are great ideas!

    1. Yes, definitely doing something out of the routine!!! Thanks for stopping by, Sheila 🙂

  2. we have been trying to mix up our usual beach vacations – we went to Montreal this past summer and are planning for Italy. I do like the idea of mixing up accomodations. staying in a resort, hotel, motel or vrbo are all different experiences for sure!

    1. Italy will be a blast! It’s such a beautiful country! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

  3. I’m super into comfort and I don’t like to go without a plan but maybe next time I’ll keep my schedule more wild, these are really great tips

    1. Lol, I feel ya! I used to be like that! Thank you so much, Mimi! 🙂

  4. we always ask for recommendations! people who have been there seem to know the secret cool places for sure!

    1. I absolutely agree with you! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

  5. Traveling can be such an adventure! We love asking the locals where to eat and shop. We try not to get sucked into the tourist areas too much

    1. That is a great idea! I like to avoid touristy places as well. Thanks for stopping by, Chelsea! 🙂

  6. So nice to mix up the plans when you are travelling, makes is way more interesting, loved all your tips 🙂

    1. I definitely agree with you! I’m glad you liked all the tips 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

  7. We tend to have an itinerary just in case, but my husband is more of a just go with the flow kind of guy

    Recent Post: Tips On Getting That Perfect Holiday Family Photo!

    1. Sometimes not having an itinerary works wonders!

  8. My husband and I LOVE cruise, but we always tend to keep to ourselves. On our last cruise we found a fun group at the piano bar and ended up making great friends and doing things we never would have done when left on our own. It was SO MUCH FUN and we still talk about that vacation a year later. Getting uncomfortable can really lead you to great places.

    1. I absolutely agree with you! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

  9. You have me craving a vacation!!!

    1. I’m glad! 🙂

  10. We love going on vacation as we get a chance to explore something new and outside our comfort zone. But four weeks sound forever. We just did 2 weeks to 4 countries and we’re tired of packing and unpacking already 🙂

    1. Oh, wow! I’ve been away for 2.5 months the most and I love it. I do hate packing though 🙈 Thanks for stopping by 🙂

  11. Love these tips! I am a HUGE trip planner and love the planning almost as much as the vacation itself.

    1. Right? I love planning a vacation! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

Comments are closed.