Vacation planning

On the Ideas page you will find descriptions of trips I have planned and undertaken. Hopefully they can be an inspiration.

How to get started

Planning a vacation can be one of the biggest and most expensive activities you do during the year. For some of us, this has become a familiar and even beloved activity. For others, this is challenging, tiring, frustrating, confusing and time-consuming. And where to start. This is where I hope to be able to help.

There are still travel agencies that can do a large part of the job, and it is certainly a good option. But if you come to them without knowing anything about the alternatives, it can take a very long time. Worse than that, you risk ending up with a holiday that is nowhere near what could have.

Whether you use a travel agency or you book yourself, you should have thought through the following:

• when and for how long
• destination
• type of order
• what kind of vacation
• one or more destinations
• mode of travel
• type of accommodation
• price

and climate considerations, physical limitations, weather and climate preferences and a lot of other things that can be important for the vacation to be as successful as possible.

When and for how long

The time of year for the holiday is given in many cases. For some, the choice must be made between the summer holiday or a week or two at another time of the year. For others, it is the school holidays that decides, while others can choose completely freely. 

The supply of vacation is equally good throughout the year. Buses, planes, trains and rental cars are there, and so are the places to stay and eat. The travelers, on the other hand, are not always as interested. Therefore, the prices vary far more than the the amount of holiday offers . Out of season, there are generally lower prices for everything a holidaymaker needs. There is better space, less stress and queues, and the service might also be better. 

When it comes to holiday length, it is often wise to limit yourself a bit, especially for the inexperienced. Never book such a long holiday that you risk getting bored. Being on holiday and just wanting to go home is something you shouldn't experience. (Although in the long run you can save a lot of money that way 😊 )

Destinations

You can find different types of search pages under Miscellaneous travel sites and Agencies and group travel on my Norwegian pages. (Corresponding pages in English are coming soon.)  

You can use them to get ideas for destinations. They are found all over the world and of many kinds. There is a big difference between the destinations for the typical party trips to Mallorca and a hike in Mongolia.

Try different search sites and travel organizers. Although many will provide much of the same destinations, there are some that have what few or no others have. Spend some time and get inspired.

Type of order

You can buy a package holiday with flight and hotel, preferably including transport between the airport and hotel/apartment, often with tour guide service at the destination. Everything is predetermined here, you have to choose the departure times and journey lengths that the company offers. These are usually one-, two- or three-week trips. Little or nothing can be changed along the way.

An alternative is to buy a package that consists of only flights and accommodation. Then you can choose when you want to travel, both days of the week and time of day. You then decide quite freely how long the vacation should be. If you order this way, you usually have to arrange transport to and from the the accommodation yourself. 

And finally, everything can be ordered individually. Book travel with scheduled flights and select the accommodation that tempts you the most. This, of course, gives you maximum flexibility.

What kind of vacation

There are so many types of vacations: beach vacations, ski vacations, cruise at sea and cruise on rivers and canals, hiking, cycling, round trips, city breaks, naturist vacations, cultural trips, gastronomy, road trips, camping vacations and many, many more.

Many search sites and organizers have their special areas they are good at. And again: use some time and get inspired. On the Ideas page, you might find inspiration from travels I've made.

One or more destinations

Do you wanna stay put in one place for the whole vacation, or do you want to visit several places? If you have bought a cruise or a round trip, the choice is basically made, although it might be possible to add other destinations then as well.

The travel is a large part of the cost of a vacation, especially if you choose a faraway destination. It can therefore be tempting to visit several places once you have travelled far away. Here, too, it is important not to bite off more than one can chew. Avoid the hustle and bustle of packing and unpacking, reach here and get there. You shouldn't be completely exhausted when the vacations are over.

Mode of travel

You can walk, bike, hitchhike, drive a car, use train, boat or plane. And there are variants within each of these.

You can go hiking from home, and stay outside or in a tent. There are people who go on both short and long hikes like that. Hiking the Appalachian Trail, walking from Oslo to Rome or Gibraltar, or Turkey or even further.

Or you can travel by limousine to the airport and travel in First or Business Class by plane to some distant paradise.

Type of accommodation

Your own tent or someone else's castle, and there is a lot of alternatives between these extremes. Many people choose hotel rooms or apartments, or rooms in a simpler hostel or guest house. Dorms are an affordable option in some places. Then there are many places that offer one or more meals at a fixed price, and there is "all inclusive", which to a greater or lesser extent means that all food and drink is included in a fixed price. And then we're down to our last point, namely:

Price

You need to decide how much you can and want to spend on your vacation. This will, of course, govern many of the other choices to be made.

Remember that it's not enough to just be able to afford to pay for your vacation. You need to have enough left over for your vacationto be enjoyed along the way, with food, drinks, experiences and whatever else you plan. Planning and carrying out your vacation so that you regret it for weeks and months afterwards is also a very bad idea.

Content on the other pages

Ideas
are descriptions of trips I have planned and made. Might be a source of inspiration for others.

Miscellaneous travel sites
contains links to popular travel and search sites, and to airlines in Norway and abroad.

Agencies and group travel
has links to, for the most part, Norwegian travel agencies and organizers of group trips, and to a number of more specialized foreign sites.

Package tours
with links to companies and organizers of packages with flights and accommodation.

About
has a little info about myself.