Important Criteria for Vacation Planning

Hi Ilites,

With the weather turning in for the better, many families will start planning for a trip anywhere around the world. But even if we decide the place/location, we definitely need to do a lot of leg work. So here goes..

What factors go into planning for a vacation? A couple of main factors are Money (budget) and time.

While these two are the primary decision making criteria, there could be other factors such as …

Location Preference, family constraints, Group/individual trip preference, peak/off season travel and good travel deals ( hotels, flight, cars and food)

So pour in your thoughts as to what factors you will consider vital for planning an enjoyable vacation....and of course cast your votes too !! :)

Cheers
Krithika

Hi Jithiks,
Time and money are the two main constraints for us.I feel taking a vacation in india is more feasible and easy than here.

Hi Supriya,

Thanks for your reply.

Of course, Money and Time play an important role in vacation planning. That is where budgeting and travel deals come in to aid us.

I am just a bit curious..why do you say that taking a vacation in India is more easier than here? Do you mean taking a trip to India, or inside India?

Cheers
Krithika

Originally Posted by SupriyaDinesh

Hi Jithiks,
Time and money are the two main constraints for us.I feel taking a vacation in india is more feasible and easy than here.

Hi Meeta, Daksh and vivbass,

Thanks for your votes !

Cheers
Krithika

Hi Nandhu & Serenity John,

Thanks for your votes !

It would be great if you guys could elaborate the reason for your votes.

Cheers
Krithika

Hi Jithiks,
I meant trip within India.From my childhood we go to tours thrice a year in India.We can easily hire a van with driver.Take 2-3 families with kids along with us.Booking hotels etc are hassle free.

Can u imagine us doing all this here..hubby becomes driver..children get grumpy,cranky..what not in car seat..going together with many families in a single vehicle is impossible.I know its not right to compare both..but still i miss the Indian way of tour that i used to go.At the end of it..tours cost are reasonable.When i see tour packages here..i just wonder y its so costly .. ..but once a year we can afford..since im new here(US)..we have been only to picnics. we are planning for a trip to Niagara..hope it happens soon.

Hi Supriya,

I agree with you..meaning, in India, it is easier to hire a driver and we can totally enjoy the drive. Here we are in charge, especially we need to be equipped with maps and focus on the road 100%.

Even if I am ready to take turns when we go for long distance drives...my dh does the driving exclusively. I end up being a navigator, with the maps. even when the GPS is installed and keeps giving us directios, he likes to double check with me :)

As for booking the hotels/inns etc, for the money we pay, we do get better service in India.

Niagara falls is a wonderful place to visit..especially during summer. it is best to book your flight/hotels/car well in advance.

There, the weather is very pleasant and even during summer, the nights are chilly, and we do need to carry jackets/sweaters.

Are you planning to drive down or go by flight? Even when we manage to get deals in the flight..there is a lot of waiting time and the flights are invariably delayed at NY airport.

We drove to Niagara falls, which took us about 11-12 hours. In fact, we stayed overnite at Maryland after the first 4 hours..then started fresh in the morning. By 6pm evening, we reached Niagara falls. If you need more info on the stay..let me know.

My children loved the drive, even though there were some constraints due to traffic. The weather was mild and that made it all the more enjoyable.

One advantage of going by car was..we are well equipped with whatever we need and can make stops for food/rest rooms etc.

Of course, get all the favorite songs in your CD's, that makes the drive peppy and groovy !

Cheers
Krithika

Hello IL'ites,

Do come out with your opinions/suggestion to plan a worry free vacation.

Many of us will be travelling to India too..so when do you book your tickets? How many months in advance? How much can we save when we book/block the tickets well ahead?

During my last trip to chennai, I booked about 2 months ahead and I left during the first week of June. When enquired whether I could change it to the second week, the agent replied, there is going to be a a difference of $500 even if I change to the next day...meaning in June...the ticket costs differ everyday !! Reserving in advance really helped .

So, do share your ideas about arranging for a Vacation apart from voting for the poll.

Cheers
Krithika

Hi Sundarusha & Aadhusmom,

Thanks for your votes !

Cheers
Krithika

I voted for time and travel deals because for us these have been the main things we plan around.
Husband is always busy and we dont like travelling during long weekends,so we have to plan the time of travel carefully.
Then based on that we check few travel deals.Sometimes we get gud deals but many times it is not so.
One more thing,for us the weather is also v v important.We always check to see if the weather is gud.

suji