Diving into the Travel Plan

by Vinnie Bravdica

The plan can be the most difficult part of traveling, because it’s actually the beginning. You see, nobody actually starts at the end of the plan, and seldom do you find yourself beginning in the middle. That’s sometimes the option, but rarely does it present positive results. So we always have to begin, well, in the beginning. We’ve assisted hundreds of clients in determining where the beginning actually is. Frankly, we’re very surprised at how many travelers actually begin their plan everywhere except the beginning.

This will not be a complete “How To”, however, it is our hope to be a guideline for providing you with the best experience possible towards your plan and your most enjoyable adventure. Sit back! Scroll along! Read the important parts, and hopefully your travel plan will begin to take shape making it easy, enjoyable and relaxing!

The Plan has many steps to consider
The Destination of your Plan
Budget should always be a part of your Plan
Travel Insurance cab be a bonus
What have you learned

The PLAN has many steps to consider

As an example the number one choice here would probably be where are you going? While we consider this an important step in the development of the “PLAN”, we always like to start with something just before that step. Now, if you’re following the flow, the first thought might be simply, where are you beginning your travel from. For example, most times, it is your residence, right? Though this might seem unnecessary, your travel plans need to start somewhere, and usually a destination doesn’t offer a very good starting point. Since we’re in the travel business, many ask me why we need to know the answer to this question, when it’s always the first one we ask. The main reason is that it will create a complete plan, and any step left out will only generate a revised plan in the end. Sort of like starting in the middle, as I stated before. Though it’s the most fundamental question of your Travel Plan, it also offers us a couple of answers; where we start, and most likely, where we end.

Still not knowing exactly where your destination would be, we always find it most important to discover how you plan to get to your destination. This will always generate a cost towards your total adventure budget, be it simply driving, flying, cycling, or hiking. There’s likely some level of costs involved. As an example, if driving, will you be using your own car, or renting one. If flying, will you require parking or perhaps you would prefer a service to get you there like a limousine, or ride share or a taxi, train, bus, etc. Again what sort of cost will you incur getting to your destination, and just as importantly, getting back.

Another thing to consider while getting to your destination would be if you’ll require accommodations along the way. For example, will you need to stay in hotels, or do you prefer Bed and Breakfasts, Air B&B or VRBO’s, or perhaps you’re traveling in an RV and will require to rent a space or two along the way. After all, this is a TRAVEL plan, and traveling to your destination and back is a major consideration. When we travel, by car, we calculate how many miles, how many stops, how much time, etc., etc., etc. It’s all going to contribute to your budget, and as Travel Professionals, we want to make sure it’s included in your budget when we get you back home.

There are actually numerous other things to consider while Travel Plans are put together, and by now, we feel you understand the direction we’ve developed to get you on a very enjoyable journey. As we reside in Southern Arizona, there’s many stops along the highway (if you’re driving) to enjoy. Unfortunately, none of the are free to explore. Thus, if your plan was to explore some of these along your drive, we’ll need to consider this while budgeting our Journey!
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The Destination of your PLAN

This is usually where every traveler begins their Travel Plan. We completely understand why. Primarily,It’s because all of the travel brochures, your friends and relatives, and everything else in travel has you vacationing at your destination. It’s definitely an important step in your plan! It’s an important step for us to consider too. You really don’t wish to plan a trip to the Caribbean and find yourself in Alaska. Yet, we can’t count on two hands the number of times travelers have contacted us to request we fix the destination mistake in their booking, The number is actually frightening to hear, if you knew. We feel the number one reason this happens, is that many begin their plan at this stage of the Travel, and are just more consumed in planning the travel rather than building a travel plan.

Be it domestic travel, international travel, cruising or just going across the state you reside, there still needs to be a plan. Every step of the Travel Plan should be in place before you spend a dime booking it! We’re going to interject a sales pitch here, but the best advice would be to work with a Travel Professional, just to make sure your get to your destination, at the most reasonable rates, and with the least amount of issues along the way. With that said, knowing your ultimate destination is an important factor in the Travel Plan, however, destination(s) can be a totally different agenda all together. As an example, you wish to start here, go to here, and end up there. Plus each step of the way may require a completely different mode of transportation, accommodations and lengths of time. I have to tell you, that some of your travel plans can be a nightmare! That’s kind of why we interjected there a few lines ago. We have a saying in this business, and you can locate it on our home page; Most people plan travel every 547 days, while we, as Travel Professionals, plan travel every one of those days. We become very experienced!

Now that I’ve rambled just a bit, let me get back to the subject of destinations. If you’re just going from point A to point B, with nothing special, it may seem like this would be something easy enough to try by yourself. Many people do just that. Frankly, it’s 99% safe to have that mindset. One should consider this. If anything were to transpire during that Travel Plan, that is outside of the original plan, please have an alternate plan in place. Delays are imminent, and the next question would be how do you handle these circumstances. Our biggest fear is getting stuck somewhere, having to rebuild our itinerary, with the hopes of continuing with the Travel Plan. What if you’re on your way to a graduation ceremony, or a wedding, and now you’re stuck thousands of miles away. Building a backup plan may be an essential part of the Destination Plan!
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Budget should always be a part of your Plan

Travel can be expensive! If you feel different, then you really need to ask yourself how much you think you’re going to spend on this trip. A really good rule of thumb would be to add 50% more to your original budget plan. Here’s an example of that; we recently took a Five night California Baja Cruise. We drove to the pier, spent the first night at a hotel, then the cruise, followed by the drive home. Break out your calculators and try for yourself to figure out the cost of this event. Let me try to break things down further. The drive was about 8 hours to the hotel and back each way. Then the price of the cruise. In our profession, we needed internet service while on board, and were unsure if we would have service while in ports. Original cost would be about $1000 for two people, really a bargain! So, from experience, we budgeted $1500. This actual Travel Plan ended up costing just under $1000. There were no added surprises, so we didn’t need the additional 50% for our budget. A perfect trip, so to speak, but we were prepared. Knowing we had budgeted that extra $500, gave us the security of knowing we could have possibly splurged a little, however, we are Travel Planners. It’s a struggle when people enter these Travel Plans with a strict budget. We actually always ask, “What is your budget plus $500-$1000?” This way, we have a very good idea if the Travel Plan can be accomplished.

Another example of this variance would be weather. What if you need to stay a night at a hotel because of weather. Does your budget meet that need if it were to arise? You may say, that’s an expensive hotel, however, are you considering meals in that cost? Having dinner and breakfast adds up too. As Travel Professionals, we’ve run into this numerous times, even as recently as yesterday. Being prepared is a huge part of your Travel Plan!
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Travel Insurance can be a bonus

This can be a major part of your Travel Plan! Many times, we come across this question. You spend $5000 on your trip, and pass on the insurance. It surprises us each and every time! Especially when we get that phone call 30 days before the adventure, and one of the travelers has fallen ill, and won’t be able to participate in the adventure. Is there any refunds that can be acquired? In some instances, the answer is yes. All is not lost. When dealing with a Travel Professional, we can add that we are professional negotiators, and in most cases, we can recover most, if not all, of your investment towards your adventure. We truly believe this is one of your most valuable assets dealing with a Travel Professional, besides getting you the best deals up front! Things happen, and as part of your Travel Plan, this should be an enormous part of your travel!

Plus, the insurance we offer will also cover your medical costs, if needed, in addition to your travel costs. We recently had a client return from Europe, and there was an issue with his flight. His luggage seemed to disappear. Of course, as it being the end of his travel, it was his dirty laundry that ended up being lost. The insurance was able to cover probably more than double the cost of his lost dirty clothes. There are too numerous advantages to list all, however, we suggest that you truly consider this within your budget, and depending upon your age, usually adds 10%-15% to the total cost of your Travel Plan. Definitely speak to your Travel Professional about this option!
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What have you learned?

We can only offer advice, when it comes to Travel Planning! Our best advice is to utilize a Travel Professional. Assisting you with your Travel Plan is crucial in providing the Best Adventure Imaginable!

At Travel B and V, we are highly certified in many facets of travel, including Cruises, Resorts, Domestic, International, Car Rentals, Hotels and most every other possible travel arrangement. Again, we have literally helped hundreds of clients plan their travel. We honestly believe that those that did not actually book their travel with us, proceeded to book their own travel without us based on our recommendations. It is our hope that they followed our direction and ended up with the Adventure of their dreams! Both Vinnie and Barbie are highly trained Travel Professionals working in the Travel Industry for years. We will provide you with the best service imaginable, along with offering the many incentives available both with the vendors we utilize and with the company we represent!

For more information call Vinnie at 520-535-3432 or email us at vinnie@travelbandv.com today!
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