When most people think of vacation, they imagine white-sand beaches and a villa with a pool. When planning a vacation, the main decisions are usually which destination you want to visit and whether you should book a villa rental, a resort, or a hotel. However, with the experiential travel trend steadily growing in recent years, many travelers are choosing adventure over leisure. What do you have in mind for your next vacation? If you’re still undecided on whether to make your next vacation an adventurous one, the points below will help you determine what type of vacation is right for you.
Advance Planning or Last-Minute Booking?
If your allotted vacation time is six months to a year from now, you’re in a good position to begin planning an adventure. Adventures can take weeks of planning with a travel expert to create an experience that suits your travel party, budget, and fulfills your expectations. Many safaris and foreign expeditions should be booked at least six months out, as they often require tour operators, accommodations in multiple locations, trans-Atlantic airfare, passports and visas. On the other hand, if your scheduled vacation time is coming up within the next three months, you’re better off taking a leisure vacation that only entails booking one accommodation, and perhaps one flight. In fact, when booking within one month of travel, you can often find special promotions on both!
Small Group or Large Group?
Are you planning a solo-trip, a trip for two, or traveling with a multi-generational family? If it’s just you or you and a partner, then an adventure is definitely worth considering! If you’ve never taken a safari or expedition before, then we recommend planning your first experience with a very small group. There are so many details that go into planning a successful adventure, catering to every individual’s needs, and fulfilling everyone’s expectations, that a large group can become overwhelming and end up being either an overly stressful process, or a disaster. If you’re traveling with a large group, especially a multi-generational one, then a leisure vacation is the way to go. That way all you have to worry about is whether the villa is ADA compliant for grandma, and if there are activities for the kids at the resort, instead of worrying about whether the toddler will jump out of the safari when surrounded by lions, and if grandma can ride an elephant!
Long Vacation or Short Vacation?
Do you have 2-3 weeks of vacation time, or just 5 days accrued? To make the most of any foreign adventure, we recommend having at least 10 days at your disposal. When going abroad, you must plan for at least 2 days of travel (there and back), which leaves you with just 8 days of quality time. Factor in a couple days to get over jet-lag, and your down to just 6 days in which to truly enjoy yourself. If you want an experience of a life-time, make sure you plan sufficient time for it! If you have less than 10 days to travel, then go to a destination that doesn’t entail multiple flights, accommodations, and time changes. This will allow you to make the most of your leisure time.
Big Budget or Small Budget?
While any vacation is easier to plan with a larger budget, some vacations can more easily accommodate a smaller budget. Because adventures entail longer planning time, longer travel time, multiple destinations/accommodations, potentially expensive visas, and simply, more unknowns, we recommend having a larger budget when planning an adventure. If you have a tight budget, a leisure vacation is definitely more doable, especially if you’re flexible and can take advantage of seasonal promotions, and last-minute travel deals.
If you think you’re ready for an adventure, check out our awesome list of experiences at Time & Place Adventures. If you think a relaxing, leisure vacation is right for you, check out our lovely selection of vacation rentals. Whatever you decide, we hope you have an amazing vacation.