Does the thought of throwing a few clothes into a suitcase and heading into the great unknown with no prior research and planning spark your wanderlust or fill you with complete dread? Last minute vacations aren’t for everybody, check these tell-tale signs to see on which side of the fence you sit;
- Type A Personality: If you are the type of person who likes to meticulously plan a trip right down to the bathroom breaks then a last minute holiday is probably not ideal. Last minute travel means finding joy in the adventure and that often means being able to enjoy and cope with those inconveniences that come your way!
- Chaotic Work Environment: Fielding constant calls from the office can put a real damper on a last minute trip. My old boss once hid from his family behind a palm tree in the Caribbean whilst he received secret calls from the office! If you are the go-to-guy or gal at your workplace, you may have a more relaxing holiday if you put the time in ahead of time to let everyone know where you’ll be, how long you will be there and that your mobile will be switched firmly to “off” position for the duration of the trip.
- Kids with Routines: If your child is a mess without his favourite lovey or familiar snacks delivered in perfectly fixed intervals, a last minute vacation can quickly disintegrate into screaming and crying for kids and parents alike! Even an easy going child will add prep time to your next holiday so families with young children may simply be better served by skipping the last minute holiday and planning an adventure that best suits everyone’s routines.
- Caviar Taste, Fastfood Budget: If you love luxury and pampering but your budget leans more to the hostelling end, a last minute vacation is probably not for you. Pampering can be found on a budget but usually only with a fair bit of research and hard work. Your chances of stumbling into luxury are much less likely than stumbling into bedbugs if your budget is tight and you have not had time to read the reviews!
- Health Conditions: If you have difficult health conditions you have to take the time to do the prep for a last minute trip. Running out of medication on the road with no local doctor to call for a refill can turn an adventure into a nightmare in an instant! And there’s the travel insurance to consider too, which should never be scrimped on.
- Unique Dietary Requirements: If you have dietary restrictions due to medical or religious concerns, you need to take extra time to make sure there’s something to eat while you travel. Vegans and even vegetarians are catered for but to various degrees across the world. Hungry travelers are not happy travelers! Or make like a woman I travelled across China with who literally had a suitcase stuffed with snack bars!
This is the third blog in our 7 signs tongue-in-cheek series, you can also read 7 Signs that a city break is not right for you and 7 Signs that a countryside holiday is not right for you and there’s more coming soon…
- Too Little Time: A good holiday should never feel like a race. Part of the enjoyment of an adventure is the preparation and build up. Squeezing too much into your holiday with no recovery time scheduled after can make work worse to return to than having had no holiday at all!
