Introduction
We all spend our days dreaming of getting away from the rat race for some proper relaxing down time but it can be overwhelming to find the perfect holiday.
If you are like me you worry that all your hard earned money will go on a trip that turns out to be less than what you expected and can result in coming home disappointed. This is a big fear for me so I take damage control into my own hands.
For years I have fine tuned my ability to find the perfect holiday and it has become somewhat of an obsession.
I have decided to share my tips and process on how to ensure you get the best time away and have money well spent.
Decide where you want to go
In order to find the perfect holiday the first thing you need to do is to decide where it is you want to travel.
You may already have a destination in mind or you may not have a clue where you want to go, you just know you need to get away.
What do you want from your Holiday?
The first thing to do is consider what it is you want from a holiday.
Do you want
- 5 star all inclusive luxury?
- Adventure?
- Sight seeing?
- Pure relaxation?
- The chance to experience the local culture?
- Some much needed down time?
Its important to figure out what is important to you and what you want to spend your hard earned break enjoying.
If you’re still not sure I would suggest going onto a website such as Love Holidays and have a play around.
Put in your departure airport and number of days/people and select all destinations.
This will give you a good idea of what you can get for your budget in different countries and may give you some options you didn’t consider before.
What do you want to do on Holiday
The next thing you need to think about in order to find the perfect holiday is what you want to do on your holiday.
Do you want:
- A beautiful golden sand beach?
- The option for lots of fun excursions?
- To be near a town?
- Buzzing nightlife or a few local bars?
- Close to a supermarket?
- The option to travel to near by towns or attractions?
- Water parks?
These questions are important because you may find the perfect hotel, but it might be in the middle of nowhere and you are stuck there for your entire trip.
Once you have decided on a location research what the area has to offer.
A simple google search of “things to do in….” or “best beaches in…” etc will give you a good idea of the options you have and if it fits your check list.
When to go
So you have settled on where you want to go, the next thing to ask yourself is when you want to go. This is important to help you find the perfect holiday, as when you go can have a big difference on your experience.
If you are looking to go somewhere at the cheapest time that’s fine, but you need to take into consideration what impact that time of year has on the location. It could be cheap but it could be out of the tourist season and you get there to find nothing is open!
It could also be cheaper because of the weather. This isn’t always a bad thing, for example – I like to go to Mexico around August/September time. The price of the trip is a lot cheaper but this is because its in the rainy season.
This isn’t a problem for me as the rain in Mexico is heavy and fast and is actually sometimes a relief from the build up of humidity. I like it at this time of year. The showers never normally last more than 20 minutes and everything dries very quickly. I don’t even bother getting out of the pool when it rains.
But if you were to go to somewhere like Spain in the rainy season, you may have a completly different experience. I have been to Spain before and it has rained constantly for the entire week…….literally put a dampener on my trip!
Its easy to find the best time to go, when searching for your destination on travel sights you normally have the option to select the whole month so you can compare prices.
Alternatively you can google the cheapest time to go and the weather for these times of year, so hopefully you will get value for money and it wont end up being a complete wash out!
Find The Perfect Hotel
Ok, so you know where you want to go and when you want to go, now its time to find the perfect holiday hotel!
Budget is going to be a big factor in this for a lot of people but again, its important to consider what amenities are important to you. Most of us want a clean hotel with a nice pool that’s near to the beach, with comfy rooms.
You have to act with caution at this point. If you see a deal thats too good to be true, chances are….you are going to be sacrificing something.
You might find an amazing brand spanking new, 4 star hotel for a bargain price but do some research!
The first thing I check is the location. A lot of hotels claim to be near the towns or beaches when in fact you will need to take a bus or a taxi to get anywhere! Not ideal!
I do a quick search on google maps to see where it is located. I also find a point of interest for me ( maybe a beach or a bar) and type in the directions from the hotel to this to see how far the walk would be. I cant stand faffing around waiting for buses and taxis when I am away and want to know that everything I need is on my doorstep.
Another thing to consider is perhaps looking for a cheaper hotel than your budget, but seeing what room options they have. I sometimes feel its better to have a luxury room in a standard hotel than a budget room in a luxury hotel. Its personal preference but its good to keep in mind.
One of the things I would strongly encourage is looking on trip advisor! I don’t tent to look too much at the reviews because most of the time, people will only write a review if they have something negative to say, but I do like to have a long scroll through all the visitors photos. Its easy for the hotel photos to be deceiving and much better to look at photos taken by people who have stayed there instead.
Have a quick browse at the reviews and obviously if the majority are bad then think twice about staying there, but if they are mixed or majority are good I wouldn’t take too much notice of the bad ones.
It is good to take note if the same comments come up over and over in the reviews though for example, lots of people saying the food was crap. That is a bit of a red flag!
Its also important to look at the board options when you want to find the perfect holiday. Does all inclusive REALLY mean all inclusive? This can catch people out! And if it is all inclusive how many options do you have for food and drink?
You may want to go out in the local area so would all inclusive really be the best option? On the other hand, is self catering going to be the best value just because its the cheapest.
If you really want to go deep into it, you can look at the local restaurants online to see what the average dish costs and weigh up your options from there.
Another tip I like to do when I am looking to find the perfect holiday is to think about previous hotels I have stayed in and see if they have any hotel chains in the country I intend to go to.
I am currently doing this at the moment. One of my favourite hotels is the Grand Riviera and Sunset Princess Hotel in Mexico. I love it so much I have just found a chain in the Dominican Republic and it has cut my hotel search in half! Saving me time as I am already confident in what the hotel has to provide.
Finding the right hotel is one of the most important aspects in order to find the perfect holiday so I would really encourage spending lots of time on this and not rushing for the first thing you see.
So You Have Found Your Location, Date and Hotel…..What Now?
Now before you go ahead and book, its time to do some more research. Some holiday sites promote really good value deals but they can sometimes be too good to be true. You think you have bagged a bargain and then when you come to check out all sorts of taxes and extras have been applied to the price.
It may be better to look at some of the sites that seem more pricey, but will actually save you money as they may have baggage and seat choices for the plane included in the final price.
Cheapest is not always best!
I very rarely go for the first deal I see and always take the time to compare websites and prices to ensure I am getting the best deal.
Transfers
Gone are the days where transfers are included in your booking price. With most sites you now how to pay for transfers as an extra…but what is the best way to do it?
I start by looking at the distance from the airport to the hotel, if its more than half an hour away then there is no chance of me getting a shared shuttle! What will seem like a 30 minute drive could end up being up to 90 minutes if you are last on the list of hotel drop offs.
Not only that, but you also have to wait until everyone is on board before you even get moving. I personally find things like this pretty frustrating when I just want to get to my hotel asap and start my holiday.
A lot of travel sites offer private transfers for a slightly higher price than the shuttle option. This is a good option to pick, but before going ahead and selecting this option from the travel providers webiste I will always check sites like Holiday Taxis to compare the price. I have used these sites before and they are really reliable!
Its also good if the holiday cost is a lot to pay for all at once, as you can book them at time closer to your up coming trip.
Don’t rule out the option of Uber either. These can be super convenient and sometimes cheaper than booking in advance.
And Finally……Spending Money
Its common knowledge to NEVER exchange your currency at an airport, you are going to get ripped off!! Plan ahead and see what the exchange rate is.
Most banks offer a good exchange rate if you order through them in advance.
Another tip is to get yourself a Monzo card. The accounts are super easy to open on the app and you will get your card within a day or two.
This is my preferred option if I am going to Europe as you can use it in most countries without a fee, and it converts the price you pay and notifies you straight away of how much you have spent.
Its a great way to keep track of your money and stops the risk of loosing cash or having it stolen.
I think I have covered everything to ensure I find the perfect holiday but please do comment below with any tips, advice, suggestions or questions! I will be sure to respond.
If you need some inspiration on destinations check out my adventures
Thanks for reading and I hope you find the perfect holiday
Emma x
Can’t wait for my next getaway! Thanks for the inspiration!
Thank you for your comment! I would love to know more about your getaway once you’re back 🙂
Ok.