5 Vacation Tips to Save You Time and Money

It’s time to share more helpful vacation tips with our readers that can help make their vacation less worrisome when they take out on the road next time. So here’s our list of 5 of our best tips to remind you of what to do to stay ahead of the game regarding your next vacation:

1. Book your destinations far in advance. Some places like the Emerald Coast of Florida and other “hot spots” book very early, as much as 6 months to 1 year in advance of your trip. The beach houses like to take reservations almost a year ahead, since they require the first deposit within 3-6 months of your arrival date, and the rest when you get there. Thinking and planning ahead will ensure that you don’t have to settle and get the best ac accommodations for your next trip.
2. Pack adequately. This doesn’t mean you have to pack your entire wardrobe, or that you need to over-pack by carrying too much luggage around. For a packing refresher course, please refer to our previous article 5 Tips to Keep You Organized While On Vacation. Just think about the essentials first and make a checklist so that you do not forget anything important. Items like overnight clothes, underwear, and important medications should be first on your list. 
3. Map out your trip step-by-step, while leaving room for flexibility. Think about where you will stay between points. For example, if you are headed for Miramar Beach, Florida, and you are driving from Pennsylvania, it will probably take you more than one day to get to your ultimate destination. So plan for overnight stays at least 2 places in between on your route to Miramar Beach. Write down the towns you will stay in along the way and book these early as well. As an added advantage many major hotel chains including high end Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts offer significant discounts at select properties for advanced or early booking. Please note that many of these reservations cannot be cancelled, are non-changeable and non-refundable. With that said, please be certain to review travel tip number 4 listed below.
4. Check the cancellation policy of all lodgings and hotels, in case you have to cancel or change your plans. You may have full intentions of ending up at a particular destination, then you may decide to go a different route. Have an alternate plan that will allow for changing your plans as needed, and be aware of the cancellation policies. Many times cancellations can be made via a smartphone app in plenty of time to avoid cancellation penalties. If for some reason you miss the cancellation window, it never hurts to politely (and I stress politely) contact the front desk and explain your situation. If the hotel was sold out and can free up your room for another guest, then everyone wins.
5. Get to know the area you’ll be staying in for most of your trip, by watching travel videos and other sources of information for your vacation. Calling the Chamber of Commerce in the towns of your destinations may prove effective to get some essential added information you need as well. Visit the websites of the cities you plan to visit and check out our blog of course for special insights on what to do while visiting those areas!

By getting to know a wide variety of things you can do, see, and places to stay while on vacation, you can lessen your frustrations by doing some planning ahead. This way, things will be in place when you arrive. Just a little time taken now in planning your vacation for the summer or later in the year will save you a lot of headaches in the long run! We hope this list will help you in planning your next vacation and be to come back to the travel getaway experts at skycapnews.com for more great tips and tricks to make your vacation a memorable but uneventful one. Safe Travels!