If you’ve been working hard, you deserve to treat yourself. And what better way to do that than arrange an unforgettable trip. Going abroad for the experience of something new could be just what’s required to rejuvenate your body and soul.
But how can you plan one of these trips after working 80-hour weeks for years on end?
That’s where this post can help. It looks at some of the methods and techniques that you can use to reward yourself for all that effort.
Define The Purpose Of Your Trip
First, you’ll want to define your trip’s purpose. Why are you going?
Figuring this out is essential.
Usually, if you’ve been working hard, you’ll want the trip to be all about helping you relax and unwind. You need time out, away from the laptop or smartphone, where you can return to your original self.
However, you might have other motivations, and that’s okay, too. For example, you might be traveling for adventure now that you’re finally away from the city and your family. Or you could be looking for culture because you’re interested in experiencing a different part of the world. Even a mix of these three aspects can work in some destinations.
If you’re not sure which to choose, listen to your body and mind. If you’re exhausted, good food and plenty of relaxation is essential. But if you feel like you need to “get out there,” then adventure might be the best option.
Find A Destination That Matches Your Energy
Another pro tip is to find a destination that matches your energy. Ideally, you want to go somewhere you can feel okay after working yourself to the bone.
If you’re low energy right now, go somewhere tranquil, like Bali or the Bahamas. Find a location where all you have to do is sit on the beach and go to the pool. You don’t want to be trekking up mountains or fighting your way through the bush,
Likewise, if you’ve been cooped up in a city apartment for months, you might need some adventure. Therefore, choose locations that offer epic wildernesses, like Costa Rica or New Zealand. These offer world-renowned landscapes that always offer something new as the seasons change.
Optimize Your Time Off
Planning a trip of a lifetime after a challenging work schedule could also involve optimizing your time off. Every moment counts, so you’ll want to check your work calendar to ensure that you don’t burn through paid time off. For example, you could build your breaks around popular holidays to prevent cutting into your statutory time off too much.
Make Your Travel Logistics As Simple As Possible
Another pro tip for planning a trip of a lifetime is to make the planning logistics as simple as you can. You don’t want a situation where you’re rushing around airports, feeling stressed out of your mind.
Therefore, you might want to work with a travel planner who does this for you. They can take care of plane tickets, airport transfers, vehicle rentals, and hotel bookings. You don’t have to think about any of that yourself.
If you’re planning on going out to sea, you could also talk to leading luxury yacht experts. These professionals can provide guidance in which vessels to choose for your expeditions and help you with booking and organisation. All you need to do is tell them your requirements and how many guests you’ll have, and they can arrange the rest of the schedule for you.
Book The Key Parts Early
If there are specific things that you want to do, it’s usually best to plan those early. Popular attractions can sometimes close seasonally or get fully booked, making it impossible for you to visit them.
Two to three months before you plan to go on your much-needed travel adventure of a lifetime, lock in the deals and availability. Make sure you have the basics, like flights and accommodation, nailed down.
Then, look for the most popular attractions you want to experience at your destination and see whether there’s a slot for you. For example, if you want to take a trip to Machu Picchu in Peru or Santorini in Greece, then you may need to make advanced bookings. Governments control how many people can access these incredible locations to preserve them for others and posterity.
Many people like using tools like Kayak or Expedia that provide real-time alerts on flight and accommodation prices. These can tell you if the cost is likely to drop, or whether it will rise.
Most people find that constantly checking back with these sites helps them get better deals. Sometimes, you’ll suddenly get an alert that the cost is coming down and that your ticket prices are substantially lower than you thought.
Adopt A Loose Itinerary
With all that said, you don’t want your holiday of a lifetime to feel like a rush or a chore. You want to experience the joy of every moment if you can.
Therefore, it’s a good idea to adopt a loose itinerary. You want to give yourself the freedom to experience the twists and turns of the destination, which often have the most value. For example, you might stumble upon a street market or discover that an event is running that you didn’t know about before.
The best way to have a loose itinerary is to write down one or two things you want to do each day and then organize the rest of the trip around that. For example, if you’re going to Paris, you might plan a trip along the Seine river for the morning and a visit to the Louvre art gallery in the evening, giving you the rest of the day to explore and experiment with new things.
Outsource Your Planning
You could also be brave and outsource your planning to others. There are plenty of people who would be willing to pay you to put a vacation package together for them.
Numerous companies and solo providers do this already, so it is just a question of finding them on Google or Facebook. Most are more than happy to do things like:
- Create pre-planned tours based on your specifications
- Arrange food walks
- Take you on guided hikes of local areas
The purpose of these services is to save you research time, which is something that’s in short supply if you’ve been working 80-hour weeks. Guides remove the stress of having to do everything yourself, freeing you up to experience the joy for yourself.
Pack Light
Packing light for the trip of a lifetime is another pro tip. Again, this helps to make you feel more relaxed. Obviously, you still want to take everything you need with you, but lowering the weight means you’re not going to get stuck at the airport being forced to pay extra.
If you want to go really light and just take some clothes and sunscreen with you, then limiting yourself to a carry-on reduces stress massively. You don’t have to worry about all your luggage in the hold, especially if you’re traveling between multiple destinations.
Add Downtime To Your Days
It’s tempting on trips of a lifetime to use every minute of the day to avoid the feeling that you’re wasting time. However, that approach isn’t always healthy, especially if you’ve been working from dawn until dusk most days.
Therefore, look at ways you can add enjoyable downtime to your days. For example, you could book a day at the spa or reserve a morning for sleeping in instead of going on yet another tour.
You will need to think about how much downtime you need based on your personality and your ability to cope with stress. Some people require more than others, so always bear that in mind.
Go On A Digital Detox
During a trip of a lifetime after a year of sitting in front of the computer, it’s critical to go on a digital detox. The last thing you want is your phone distracting you from the beauty of the experience.
If you need to stay connected, set up an auto-responder on your email and text messages. Let everyone know that you’ll be out of the office.
If you can go somewhere remote that won’t have a signal (and tell everyone before you leave that you can’t contact them), that’s even better. This way, people won’t even try to get you to work before you get back.
Build In Some Buffer Days
Finally, for those planning trips of a lifetime, building in buffer days is critical. You want to ensure that you have extra time built in so you’re not rushing all over the place, like a lot of people do!
Buffer days are best at the start and end of the trip for traveling purposes. However, they also work for adventure holidays, giving you extra time for hiking or camping if the weather goes against you for some reason.
Anyway, that’s how to plan an incredible trip of a lifetime if you’ve been working hard or feel burnt out.