It is always a good thing to know who you are. What are your likes and dislikes? What makes you happy and relaxed? What excites you? It shouldn’t be about what someone else wants to do or what you think you should do. Knowing yourself makes lots of events in life easy, especially planning a holiday. People enjoy a large variety of travel plans, so before you start planning your holiday, first take time to ask yourself lots of questions. Know yourself.
Me, I like the culture of big cities, the museums, shopping, architecture, the sounds and smells. But I also enjoy the countryside. I need both in my life and in a holiday. Sometimes I like to wander and see new sites; other times I just need to stay put. Knowing what I want to do before I travel makes for a most successful holiday.
Here are three stories of very recent families’ plans. They knew! A client just left a voice message saying she wants most of the days in the cities for their trip to France. Originally, we were planning a week in the countryside, but she knew that was not who they are and wouldn’t make their experience all it could be. A couple days to see Normandy Beaches will balance and create the perfect holiday.
Another family wants to see animals – especially bears – in Alaska and not go on a large boat. They are doing an all land-based trip. I am sure they will see glaciers and, hopefully not too closely, bears.
A third family, a couple wants to go to Tahiti and only stay in overwater bungalows. Each family has had to make adjustments to their original plans. Because in the end, they knew themselves and what would make them happy.
Much of what I do as a travel consultant is to help you know. Only then are the basic questions asked:
1- Dates and number of nights
2- Budget
3- Location
4- Type of hotel
5- Transportation
6- Insurance
7- Airline flights and frequent flyer miles
When you know yourself, it all becomes very easy to plan for you. What do you want to do?
AlwaysHarriet 