EXPERT TRAVEL TIPS AND VACATION PLANNING ADVICE

Serving as travel keynote speakers and futurists on hospitality, we often talk about new leadership, innovation, and business trends coming to the industry. But in addition, we’re also frequently asked to weigh in with expert hints, tips, and advice on how to make the most of travel for vacationers of all ages. True: Travel keynote speakers may venture abroad more frequently than the average voyager, and tend to focus on exotic locales. However, you may be surprised at how many handy insights and practical tips we have to share…

Topic: How to Plan and Make the Most of Short Weekend Trips and Getaways

Scenario: Through much of 2021, most travel will be regional and brief in nature, ie more convenient and closer to home – it’s important to consider how to cram a great time into 48-72 hours or less, whether traveling solo or with your family. Most travel for Americans will be short-distance and regional until the end of 2021, and millions of folks are operating on tighter budgets – people will be sick of being stuck at home and ready to get out for vacations by summer, but need to find ways to make travel manageable.

Insight: You can discover how to cram more into less time by picking destination spots with maximum dining, recreation, etc. in proximity, and understanding what to look for when choosing them. Likewise, you also need to think about how to minimize transit time and wait time at destinations; find deals, discounts and hidden attractions; plan out an itinerary, etc. In addition, it’s important to think about how to make the best/most of the trip for kids, who you need to plan in rest stops and recreation for. And, of course, it pays to get prepped and packed for these trips in advance so you’re not wasting time you could be spending getting out the door.

Topic: Building the Perfect Family Vacation

Scenario: What does it take to plan an amazing trip that’ll entertain the whole family? How can you and your loved ones choose the right destination? What do you need to know in terms of dining, attractions, building in rest stops, etc? These will be increasingly common questions. After all, it’s family vacation time! Everyone’s going a little stir crazy after winter by this point and ready to hit the road – but you’ve got to plan around the kiddos if you’ve got them to make sure everyone has a good time.

Insight: It’s important to get kids involved and invested in the trip up-front by allowing them to help you plan – and picking destinations and things to do that everyone will enjoy. Numerous online sites and services can also help you with trip planning – and enjoying luxury amenities for less. You also need to pack a mix of low and high tech activities to keep kids busy and engaged, and capitalize on destination perks like theme park policies that allow families to get in earlier, enjoy package dining options, etc. to make the most of any given day. It’s important to build in layovers and downtime too, and apps and services can help you even find the best spot to spend your time in the vicinity. Moreover, you may also wish to look for all-inclusive resorts to minimize stress, etc.