Gearing up for a trip in the next several months? It’s time to get your plan on.
To make the most out of your next vacation, we’ve compiled a short list of the most important parts of your trip to plan out ahead of time. Making your upcoming travel as smooth as possible with a few easy steps.
Rides
It’s well known that the first part of trip planning should involve booking the flights to wherever you’re headed. But what a lot of travelers forget is the rest of the transportation- getting to the airport, and getting to their hotel or resort. When booking flights, make it a habit to book your airport ride at the same time.
By booking ahead, you can relieve plenty of stressors and obstacles associated with getting from the airport to your destination. Eliminate the worry that your rideshare won’t show up, and avoid the inevitable surcharges at late & busy hours when your plane arrives. Ever missed a hotel shuttle due to baggage claim running later than expected? Book with LUXY™ and your driver will wait until your baggage arrives, at no extra cost. Get the best competitive pricing when you book well in advance, often much better than last-minute Uber Black rates.
Meals
Feeding your party may seem like an afterthought when booking an excursion, but getting into preferred restaurants once you arrive can be a struggle unless you make a reservation in advance. Finding choice places to eat in the area may take a short bit of research and reading up on customer reviews, but this always beats getting stuck at the only eatery in the area with open tables.
When should you make those reservations? This will depend on your destination, travel season, and party size. If you have a bigger party, are planning to travel in peak season, or are looking for seats at an exclusive or famous establishment, plan to call in at least a month in advance to get the day and time you’re looking for. If you’re looking at Disney resort and park restaurants, however, keep in mind that these often book out around 60 days in advance, no matter the size of your party.
Events & Activities
Deciding day-of what a vacation day should be filled with can be stressful as you check what is open, available and fits into your schedule the best. This can lead you to waste precious vacation hours while trying to make game-time decisions.
Instead, make a list in advance of what shows, attractions, sightseeing and/or shopping you would like to hit while you’re on your trip. Not all of these will need to be booked or scheduled in advance, but make note of which activities work better for certain weather conditions, and be aware of what attractions you will need tickets in advance for so that you can purchase in enough time to save your spot.
Trip Insurance
While planning out a trip in advance is important, plans can also easily change due to sickness, flight cancellations, delays or other unforunate disruptions. Most flights offer travel insurance in case of these kinds of changes to your itinerary, but did you know that your airport ride can be secured as well? LUXY™ Trip Insurance is a seamless $8 addition to your ride that lets you cancel with a full refund up to 3 hours prior to your pick-up time.
What do I NOT need to plan in advance for my trip?
- Save packing clothes until you can check the weather 3 days before.
This can save money on buying substitute clothing should the weather not go as you had hoped. Only decide what to wear when you are close enough to the travel days to have an idea if it will rain, shine, snow or be a scorcher!
- Don’t overpack your itinerary for each day of your trip.
Yes, it’s a great idea to have plenty of activities in mind and experiences booked ahead of time, but remember that on your vacation you will want some downtime too. Don’t entirely fill up your schedule, rather, leave open time that can be spent resting, at the pool, exploring the area, or perhaps doing something spontaneous. Every good vacation needs a good balance of preparedness and spontaneity.
- Don’t worry about taking out copious amounts of cash before going away.
Instead, use services that include gratuity into the main cost. Airport black car service technology such as LUXY™ lets you book over the app and places gratuity in your subtotal cost of travel. It is safer to travel with less than cash in your pocket in many locations these days, and services like this can keep you from allocate copious cash amounts in advance and having to fumble with your wallet in the moment.
