I love Summer Vacations.  So often, people end up running around like crazy, not actually vacationing.  This is attributed to either a lack of preparation or too much preparation.  The point of your trip is to enjoy yourself and relax so that you can return to your life refreshed.  I think that the best way to relax is on a Tropical vacation.  All you have to do is sleep on the beach and lounge around the pool.  What a great way to recharge your batteries!  Since I will be heading to Hawaii very shortly, I thought perhaps some of you will be traveling on some fantastic tropical Summer trips your self and may need a little advice on how to plan wisely.

Do Your Research on the Location

  • Research the hotel you will be staying.  Not only will you want to know what your room will have for you, but also the hotels accommodations.  Does it have a swimming pool?  A gym – if you must workout?  Are there any restaurants?  If you have children, you might also want to know if there is anything there for the children to do.  You won’t be spending your entire time in the hotel, but you may want to hang around a day or so instead of running around doing touristy things.
  • Know what is in the area.  Of course, you will probably have a few excursions planned while you are on your trip, but you may want to know about any museums, art galleries, parks and of course restaurants.  You always want to have a good amount of restaurants in mind prior to heading out.  That way you won’t have to do a lot of searching or asking around.

What You’ll Need to Pack

  • A bathing suit or two
  • A lot of shorts and t-shirts
  • One or two dressy outfits. You never know if you’ll end up somewhere fancy or just keep the trip casual.  But be prepared.
  • Something warm in case of unexpected cold or rainy weather
  • As much as you may be inclined to bring only sandals, be sure to bring tennis shoes in case you end up going somewhere that requires a lot of walking.  And for women, a pair of flat dressy shoes.  If you are out for a nice evening but your feet have become tired you will want flats and don’t want to have to spend extra money for them.
  • All of your toiletries: don’t forget your toothbrush!  And packing as light as possible is key, so small travel shampoos, conditioners and soaps will be best.  As a man, do not forget a shaving kit.  Women, I guess since this is a tropical vacation you’ll need something to shave with too!
  • Bring Sunblock in a few different SPF’s.  If you have no tan, a high SPF will be what you need, but once you get some sun on your trip you may want to help it along with a lower SPF sunscreen.

Planning Your Itinerary: How Much To Plan and What to Leave Spontaneous

I have always been a fan of planning ahead, but once I was on a trip where every moment was planned out for us and there was no room for spontaneity or a last minute, cool idea.  I’ve also been on trips where absolutely nothing was planned and we ended up sitting around the hotel all the time.  My advice is to plan the things that need to be booked or paid for in advance and leave the rest to spontaneous moments.

  • Plan: a few meals at fun restaurants, a show or event that requires tickets purchased in advance, an excursion or two (like scuba diving, surfing lesson and/or zip-lining), an idea of what you could do everyday but of course it will be subject to change.
  • Don’t Plan: every meal, on waking your whole party up at the crack of dawn every day, a big event for each day (especially if there are time constraints), on everyone in your group wanting to do everything you want to do (listen to them and what they want – be spontaneous!).

Inform your Neighbors and Family of Your Plans

Letting people know you will be going out of town is a great idea.  But only tell your family and close friends, as well as maybe one or two very trustworthy neighbors.  I say neighbors because they can look after your house while you are away.  But if you distrust them even a little bit, don’t go out of your way to inform them.  You never know with people these days and the whole point is to keep your home safe.  In the unlikely event that you and your party go missing, your family will want to have as much information on your plans as possible.  So give them as much as you can.

Your family needs to know:

  • Your flight information
  • The hotel you will be staying at with a phone number and room number
  • Any “in-advance” plans you have and what days they will be on
  • If they will be watching a pet, make sure they have the pet’s eating schedule, walking schedule, vet phone number and pet i.d. number in case they get lost.

Clean Your House

I know it sounds silly, but if you house is clean when you leave, then you will come home to a clean, fresh home and not feel overwhelmed the moment you walk in the door.  This is a staple for every vacation.

Enjoy Yourself

This one is pretty self-explanatory.  All-in-all, you want to have a good time right?  Isn’t that why you are taking this vacation?  So, be well prepared so that you may relax and  have a few things planned so that you aren’t stressed, but sit back and enjoy your Tropical Summer Vacation!