Everyone knows that vacations require some amount of planning, but there seems to be some disagreements as to how much planning is needed. The truth is that it varies depending on your destination and the length and purpose of your vacation. For instance, if you’re taking a summer vacation in Greece, you may need to plan for a year in advance. If you’re planning to visit a college town like Ann Arbor for a weekend, much less planning is needed, but you’ll still want to give yourself plenty of time. Here are some things to take into consideration for planning:
Rooms and Other Reservations
Even if you’re not going somewhere exotic, you still want to try to plan ahead of time to make sure you can make all the proper reservations. You should start looking for rooms a few months ahead of time in order to ensure that you can find rooms available in the lodgings of your choice. If you like to have at least one night out at a fancy restaurant or an afternoon of high tea, you’ll want to do your research and pick something out at least weeks ahead of time so as to make the necessary reservations.
If you plan to fly, you should book your flight at least a couple months in advance, not only to ensure you can find a flight but so that you can find the most affordable flight possible.
Time of Year
Take some time to consider the time of year, as well. If it’s between the seasons of April and October, hotels, inns, and restaurants may busier than they are in, say, February or March. The holiday season is also a busy time of year, so if you plan to make a trip during the holidays, you should start planning as soon as you can. Look at local considerations, as well. Festivals may draw a large crowd, making early reservations a necessity, and local weather can have an impact on the ebb and flow of tourism.
Length of Trip
How long do you plan to spend in Ann Arbor? If you’re spending a few weeks in the summer to be closer to friends or family, rigorous planning of your itinerary may not be necessary. You’ll have plenty of time to do all the things you want to do. However, maybe you’re just spending the weekend in Ann Arbor, and maybe some of that weekend is dedicated to checking out the college campus. If that’s the case, you’ll want to make sure you have a plan for what you want to see and do and on what day. You can form this plan as late as a week before your trip, so long as no reservations are needed. Simply search the internet for things you’ll want to do during your trip and make a schedule.
Other factors that might impact your need to plan are whether you plan to travel alone, with friends, or with family including small children; and your budget, as those with tighter budgets may need more time to save money or to find opportunities for discounts. When you stay with University Inn of Ann Arbor, for instance, students and parents visiting the college campus receive 10% off, as do parents of UM or EMU student athletes. Contact us today for more information or to book your stay.