Love the ones you travel with. Whether visiting a new destination or returning to a favorite vacation spot, it’s always special to share the love of travel with family, friends, or even simply yourself. Check out six travel tips to inspire easy planning for your next group getaway. Or, treat yourself to a vacation of self-discovery and self-love. When planning your solo getaway, try these four travel tips to help make traveling on your own even more freeing.
6 Travel Tips For Group Getaways
1. What’s Your Vacation Vibe?
The idea of a perfect vacation is different for everyone. Choosing a destination that fills multiple buckets makes it easier to plan a vacation with a little something for the thrill seeker, the sunbather, and the instagrammer in your group getaway.
2. Get More Play For Your Stay
Save time and money with an all-inclusive sightseeing package. CityPass and GoCity offer discounted ticket combos to top attractions all over the world. Instead of juggling multiple reservations and tickets, you can book and manage everything in a single app.
3. Think Like A Local
Most residents don’t spend money like a tourist to have a good time. Take advantage of the local attractions that your destination has to offer. Most cities have free entry to public museums and art galleries. You can also enjoy the amenities of local theme parks and resorts by purchasing a single-day pass. Most local gems won’t show up in a cursory internet search, so save room in your schedule for spontaneity and recommendations. You never know what you will find once you arrive.
4. Plan For Unexpected Expenses
When calculating your travel costs, be sure to include a cushion for miscellaneous or surprise expenses. In order to plan a group getaway that is budget friendly for everyone, it’s important to plan for the unexpected and agree on a realistic number ahead of time.
5. Prepare A Flexible Itinerary
It’s easy for vacations to turn into a race from one attraction to the next. Try to include as many flex-reservations as possible. Plan your days in blocks of time, instead of hour to hour. A full day of back-to-back activities can get exhausting. Consider balancing time-sensitive events with self-guided tours and other experiences that let your group move at their own pace.
6. Traveling With Kids
Family vacations add a whole other dimension to group getaways. Kids may have high-energy, but a tight schedule can wear them out. When planning your itinerary, include opportunities for down time and free play, so the younger travelers in your group can recharge. A rest back at the hotel or a leisure break in a natural setting, like a park or garden can help limit overstimulation and avoid mid-vacation meltdowns.
4 Travel Tips For Flying Solo
7. Choose A Walkable Home Base
When traveling solo, daily transportation can get expensive and stressful. Book your stay in a convenient location where you can easily access food and a majority of the must-sees on your itinerary. Save the cab and train fares for full-day excursions, instead of having to hail a cab every time you want a cup of coffee.
8. Connect With Mission Control
Share your itinerary and timeline with friends or family. The Noonlight app lets you send check-ins and provides an emergency button to notify first responders of your location. U.S. citizens traveling internationally can also register with the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive important updates about safety conditions and assistance in case of an emergency.
9. There’s An App For That
Take advantage of travel apps to help improve your efficiency and safety while on the go. TripIt organizes all of your travel reservations and plans into a single itinerary right at your fingertips. CityMaps2Go lets you navigate offline. TripLingo can help you translate and communicate in other languages, plus provides an emergency button to notify first responders of your location. Zomato helps you find local food options fast.
10. Be A Confident Solo Traveler
Don’t look like a clueless tourist. Avoid calling attention to yourself with flashy and out-of-place clothing or wandering the streets with your nose in a map. Try not to broadcast where you’re from or how long you’re staying. When needing directions, stop in at a coffee shop or other local establishment in lieu of asking a stranger on the street.
