Vacation time is a precious thing for many people. Did you know that Americans rank the lowest globally when it comes to time off? Expedia’s 24th annual Vacation Deprivation Report on 11,580 people found that Americans take just 11 days off. Moreover, only 50% of people take all their vacation time at once.

Time off from work allows you to reset and deal with any early-onset burnout that modern-day life makes inevitable. This is why it is so important that when you do get to take a vacation, you know how to plan it right. 

In this article, we will look at three key points that you need to remember when planning your well-deserved rest and recreation. Let’s dive in. 

Looking out at feet in a hammock on a palm tree covered beach

1. Organize Your Planning With Visual Reminders 

It’s become the norm to do everything on your smartphone these days, and that includes trip planning. However, just because you have an app for everything, doesn’t mean it’s always the best way. There are many instances where the old-fashioned way has its advantages. 

For instance, you set a reminder to buy raincoats and power banks on your phone, and days later, you get the reminder and order them. Sounds fine, right? However, there are occasions where having that reminder always be in sight can be super helpful. 

Rather than setting the reminder and forgetting about it, you might suddenly remember something in connection with those items. 

For example, you might remember that you should probably bring an extra charger so that you don’t have to wait for your phone to charge before topping up your power bank. 

Using dry erase markers on a whiteboard or calendar is a great way to keep track of things and remember related aspects you might overlook. Having a visual reminder that you can quickly reference when planning or packing is basically a must. 

Just make sure that any dry-erase markers you use are genuine because, as Loddie Doddie notes, non-toxic markers (particularly relevant if kids are around) will need to conform to ASTM guidelines. While it won’t kill, toxic markers can cause dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and seizures in some cases. 

2. Create Multiple Backup Activities for Each Day

Nothing’s more frustrating than having the free breakfast at your hotel at 7 AM, only to head to a venue and find it closed. If you had planned to spend most of the day there, you might simply have to return to your hotel. 

Museums are a perfect example. For some reason, they always manage to be closed at the most inconvenient times. You might expect everything to be open on a Monday morning at 10 AM, but not museums. Many tourists have been let down in this way, and you don’t want to be one of them.

You might decide to walk around the locality and see if there’s anything interesting, but you aren’t fooling anyone. It’s not always as cool as you imagine it to be. 

This is why planning out multiple backup options for each day is so important. That way, even if one venue or activity falls through, you don’t have to waste time wondering what to do next. Thus, when planning your itinerary, keep an eye out for clusters of interesting activities or places to visit that aren’t too far apart from each other.

3. Don’t Forget to Schedule a Lazy Day

If you don’t get a lot of vacation time, it’s natural to want to fill each day with as many activities as you can. However, what you might not realize is that having each day packed with things to do gets tiring. After your third day, you might simply want to sleep in and rest. 

However, if you have booked events, restaurants, and other activities for the day, you will feel forced to attend them. This ends up spoiling your vacation because things stop being fun when you are forced to do them. 

This is why it’s a good idea to keep a day or two devoted to nothing. These lazy days are when you can sleep in, order room service, or make impromptu plans. Maybe you have something interesting from another guest at the hotel, and this free day gives you time to check it out.

All things considered, remember that your vacation time is yours and yours alone. So, spend it the way that you want. Don’t feel the need to be pressured into activities that you aren’t all that interested in. Prepare well and use your vacation days as you see fit. After all, most people obviously don’t get enough of them in the first place.