Make Summer 2017 the Year of Your Dream Getaway!
We've Got 3 Easy Steps to Get You on Your Way
Here in the temperate Tennessee mountains, we're still dreaming of crossing our fingers for a white Christmas…er, winter.
But from what we hear, those of you in northern climates have had plenty of Mother Nature's cold shoulder.
And of course, all the travel companies and tourism boards are anticipating those winter blues of yours. You're probably seeing/hearing a lot of ads about visiting San Diego, or Texas, or maybe Mexico, or even Disneyworld. (Because why not throw a little parental guilt into the mix?)
Hey, if you've got the extra scratch to take a spontaneous trip down south, we say do it! But if you don't, these ads are still coming at a very opportune time.
Because right now, in the doldrums of winter, is the perfect time to start planning your summer vacation.
[Tweet “Best way to beat the midwinter blues? Planning your summer vacation.”]Summer Vacation 2017…Dreamy or Dreary?
There's nothing worse than daydreaming about the perfect summer vacation for months, only to realize in June that you've overbooked your schedule and overextended your budget. Chances are good that this has happened to you and your family more than once.
At that point, you end up doing one of two things:
- You taking the trip anyway and tell yourself it'll just have to be a “working vacation.” After all, what's more fun than answering emails and doing spreadsheets on a lounge chair at the beach? (Um, how about playing with your loved ones at the beach?) Even with the work factored in, you still spend the whole time pinching pennies because you didn't budget around this expense.
- You adjust your vacation plans to fit your financial reality. Instead of the two-week R&R session you really wanted (and–let's be honest–needed), you end up doing a few days mid-week at a waterpark less than 100 miles from your home. Which is fine, right? That's fine. Except that you don't really disconnect–you keep checking your phone, feeling guilty because you didn't tell any of your clients you were going on vacation. Because, well, you aren't, really.
Enough with this glum visualization. Let's put a summery smile on that face and talk about what you can do right now to guarantee yourself the dreamy getaway you deserve this year.
Step 1: Make Time to Make Time
In a traditional work environment, a boss or supervisor lets you know what dates are available for you to take your two weeks off. But this is your business, which means you're the one in charge of scheduling your time off.
And here's a newsflash: you'll never, ever go on a vacation if you don't decide WHEN TO GO.
It makes me crazy when I ask a small business owner what their summer plans are, only to hear them say, “Oh, we're just hanging around locally. We never got around to planning anything.” What this usually means is they waited too long to “request” the time off from their own schedule!
Don’t wait. Do it now. (Especially if your vacation plans fall around a summer holiday.)
Make some time this week to make time for scheduling your trip. You don't have to decide yet where you'll go or what you'll do–all you have to do is put those dates on the calendar.
Step 2: Move from Dreaming to Decision
People on a budget are like people on a diet: they ping-pong between two extremes. For vacation planners, this usually means denying themselves any luxuries for months, or even years, and then blowing an absurd amount on something without even really knowing why.
That's just one reason we hate using the B word around here. Profit Planners don't make crazy decisions out of a starvation mentality. They make strategic choices that enable them to get exactly what they want out of life.
[Tweet “#ProfitPlanners don't make last-minute decisions. They make strategic choices. #SmallBusiness #ProfitPlanning”]For vacation planning, that means taking a few minutes to consider what you actually want out of your vacation.
- If you really just want to lie around soaking up sun near a body of water, there's no point in going overseas–book a flight to Catalina or Hilton Head.
- If you want to recharge with an exotic adventure, then why spend the cash on a fancy hotel when you could do hostels and local homestays?
- If what you really want is to be pampered, scout your region for a delicious spa and spend your vacation with cucumbers on your eyes.
Knowing what you really want will help you wade through the maze of vacation marketing and will get you that much closer to Step 3…
Step 3: Commit the Money
Once you know what you want out of your vacay, it's time to translate that dream into something that's financially doable.
This means not planning a trip based on how your upcoming promotion should go or on a best-case scenario for sales this quarter. If those things happen, great, but they’re not relevant for the trip you're planning right now. Whatever you plan, it needs to be something you can pay for right now…because that's exactly what you're going to do.
[Tweet “Don't plan the vacation you *might* be able to afford. Plan the one you can pay for now.”]Once you’ve done your price comparisons and narrowed down your options to your favorite resort, cruise or all-inclusive, throw that deposit down. Committing money right away ensures that you will follow through. (After all, who wants to pay a cancellation fee for not taking a vacation?)
With a little planning, anyone can afford a summer vacation. By taking the time to investigate your travel options early in the year, not only can you find great deals, but you have time to set aside money and time in the months leading up to your trip.
And–bonus!–you get to spend the rest of winter dreaming about a vacation you'll actually end up taking this year.
The Bottom Line
Let us be the first to say that you deserve a reward for all the hard work you're putting into your biz. Being your own boss means that you are the one in charge of giving yourself that reward AND making sure it happens.
Profit Planning means using your time and money as a tool for freedom and fun in your life. The sooner you get your “fun fund” started, the sooner you'll be enjoying the break you deserve.
