Travel trends for baby boomers have been steadily on the rise. Most of them are spending the majority of their money on traveling, making them account for a large percentage within the travel industry today. With the children grown and gone it gives these empty nesters all the freedom, making travel time abundant.
If you are part of the baby boomer generation, travel is part of your lifestyle. Traveling can be cumbersome but there are some really easy ways to plan ahead. Setting up your travel itinerary and organizing your trip is a great way to get the most out of your upcoming travel. It does take time but it is well worth it to have your trips mapped out because ultimately it will save you precious time when you’re actually there to explore. Here are some helpful tips and tricks to get you started on creating your ideal itinerary.
START WITH A LIST
Writing down what you want to accomplish on your trip is your first step. Even if you don’t know that you will get to everything that you want, or if something will be too expensive or difficult to incorporate. It’s good to just get it down so that you can start the mapping of your days. Rate the activities or things you want to see or experience with numbers, ranking them from highest priority to lowest. You can break your list down from there into day to day activities, or various excursions.
Keep in mind when you start to pull things off of your list to do on your trip the amount of time each excursion will take. Something that may seem not very long could very well end up taking up the majority of the day when you factor in things like how long it will take to get to the location, if there is a tour involved, when you are stopping for breakfast or lunch, etc.
PACK THE ESSENTIALS
Packing is another thing you might want to create a list for, so you don’t forget anything important. Check out this Travel Packing List so you are sure to remember it all. Certain things can be replaced, so don’t fret if you forget some toiletries or your sunscreen.
If you feel you need help with the itinerary itself you can also check out these Free Itinerary Templates to help with your planning.
RESEARCH THE LOCATION(S)
Make sure you stay aware of ongoing events during the length of your stay. This ties back to when you create your list – there may be certain things going on different times of the year that you’d like to attend or be there for, so do your research ahead of time. You can also research where the best places to eat are, where to go wine tasting, or where the best local bar food is if you’re into that sort of thing by doing some web searching beforehand.
Other things that you can research are local traditions or anything that is local. Certain customs you may not be aware of can be important. You don’t want to travel to another country and offend those living thereby doing something that is considered offensive or out of line.
WHEN TO GET A VISA
Most baby boomers are reveling in “empty-nester” bliss for the first time in their lives, and many are taking full advantage of their new-found freedom by visiting new places for extended periods of time. If you’re planning on turning your vacation into more of a longterm trip or “extended-stay,” this might actually require you to get a visa. Make sure to look up the visa requirements for your destination, as each country differs a bit. Sometimes a travel visa is not necessary, in which case you need to be sure to bring your passport and a handful of other travel documents.
Visas can take anywhere from two weeks to two months before they are approved, so the process can be extremely long. You will have a lot of paperwork to fill out and submit. The best resource you can use is Favisbook.com for travel visa appointments so that you ensure the process is as expedited as possible. There are various companies that want to help you get your visa without the wait, so do your research!
Organize domestic travel plans
Once you get your visa and finally reach your desired location, you probably don’t plan on staying there for more than a few days. Make sure that you have proper arrangements for traveling with the country.calculate expenses that you have to pay to public transport and make a cost analysis. If you think that a car is better suited for your plans and it is less costly, you should know places that rent cars to tourists and other related specifications regarding the matter at hand. Try to for the car with the best LED headlights as it affect your journey significantly.
THE ITINERARY IS ONLY AN OUTLINE
Remember that the plan you set for yourself is only an outline when you travel. Other opportunities or activities may present themselves that you’d rather do, and it’s okay to move things around to accommodate. Your itinerary is there only as a guide to help you stay organized and not meant to be followed exactly. The biggest advantage of having your itinerary is just to keep you from wasting time on your trip trying to find places and things. But that doesn’t mean that things or other exciting places may come up while you’re there, so feel free to explore.
If you’re one of those people who feel they need to have everything planned out, then go ahead and schedule some “free” or downtime so that you have the opportunity to explore on your trip. Or maybe just relax. That way you’re not going to have any regrets or miss something fun.
Safe & Happy Travels!
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