Month: July 2012

No matter how long you’ve known someone, taking a big trip together as a couple, or even just as friends, can be extremely exciting. But travelling together can also be stressful, testing the strength and patience of even the best relationships. Travelling together presses the fast-forward button on a relationship, and can bring people closer together, or it can drive people apart, as it brings out the best and the worst in everyone. Crowds, lines, heat, differences of opinion, where to go, what to do, how to how much to spend, who buys what? The pressure can be daunting, and it’s a great opportunity to see how a person handles such stressful situations. Knowing what you’re in for and careful planning can increase the odds of a smooth, joyful trip together and the return of happy travelers with lifelong memories. The test begins the moment you decide to take a vacation and start planning where to go. For example, with a Preferred Guest Resorts’ promotional vacation package 0you can work together to pick a travel destination that offers activities and adventures that meet both of your goals. (Orlando, Daytona Beach, Napa Valley, Pigeon Forge, and a Bahamas Cruise are just a few of the destinations Preferred Guest Resorts offers.) With partnering hotels, resorts and luxury condo timeshare rentals, Preferred Guest Resorts even makes accommodation choices even easier so that you have a great vacation. Before you two hit the road, here are a few questions that should be answered before your journey:

1: Where Do You Want To Go?

Sure, it seems like an obvious question, but it is often the one of most contention. You may want to relax on a tropical beach, while your partner wants to tee up on the championship greens up north, or the children want to ride roller coasters at the Orlando theme parks. Explore the list of destinations on bestvacationsever.com and determine what type of trip has the most appeal. Make a list of what is most important to each person and look for destinations that offer activities and adventures that meet everyone’s vacation desires. Preferred Guest Resorts offers a wide range of opportunities that bring to light a wide variety of destinations that you may not have even considered before when you read about the area’s offerings and realize a destination can meet all of the objectives on both of your lists. Your Preferred Guest Resorts’ representative can work with you to find the best destination to meet your travel objectives.

2: Is Everyone Open to Compromise?

Traveling together is a test and lesson in patience compromise. Almost every decision you make on your trip requires some sort of compromise—where to go, where to eat, what to do, how much to spend, etc.  Inevitably each of you will have to compromise to some degree to make sure that both persons are happy. Will you be satisfied with compromises that don’t sacrifice your own happiness? If you choose a destination that makes everyone happy, with vacation adventures that meet each of your goals, it’s likely that you’ll agree on many of the aspects of your trip. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even end up happily compromising on everything. During the trip, some travellers alternate decision-making authority every other day, finding it a healthy way to ensure ensures that each person gets what they want out of the trip without one person playing “trip leader” all the time. If faced with the destination dilemma where, for example, one person insists on hitting all the golf courses and roller coasters in Orlando, but you want a beach trip, consider compromising with time spent in two destinations or and extended stay at the beach for the last few days of your vacation. Your Preferred Guest Resort representative can help you set up a dual destination vacation package, like a 4-nights Orlando with 2 additional nights in Daytona Beach, just 45 minutes from Orlando, to cap it off. That way you get the best of both worlds from the vacation time you have to spend.  Another option is to let one person select this vacation, and another person selecting the next.  However, please note, if someone in the party is unwilling to compromise in any way, or says, “It’s my way or the highway,” that should be a big red flag that more discussion is needed.

3. Are You Willing to Accept Each Other’s Individuality?

Many couples and/or families see travel, especially their first trip together, as an experience to share together and they feel uncomfortable spending time apart. Even in the early stages of a relationship or the best of friendships, 24-7 can be a bit overwhelming, A little alone time is healthy and enhances the relationship/friendship. Before you were a couple, family or even friends, you were and still are individuals with your own set of interests. If you each have desired objectives that don’t thrill the other, make sure you tell your partner you are willing to allow that person the time to spend doing those activities. For example: One may want to visit museums and shop, while the other plays a round of golf. The individual time not only allows that person to recharge his or her own batteries, it ensures each person has their Best Vacation Ever by doing what they really wanted to do, which ultimately strengthens the relationship. You show each other your encouragement and respect of their individual interests and desires so they will be happy.

4: How Will You Divide Up the Trip Responsibilities?

The perfect trip usually involves sharing or engaging in the planning duties. One person may be better at the logistics, while the other is better at planning the itineraries. Figure out who should be responsible for what parts of the vacation, so each person feels they are contributing to the overall enjoyment and decision-making of the vacation. In some relationships, one person makes all the decisions, with the other content to just go along for the ride. But the Best Vacations Ever usually happen when both parties are involved in the planning and the journey. Dividing up the responsibilities makes sure that neither person feels they did all the work, and the other feels guilty for doing nothing. Divvy up vacation duties that best fit your relationship style and personality types. If one is better at the budgeting, let that person handle all the financials. If one enjoys finding unique attractions, adventures or dining experiences during your journey, let that personal handle the basic itineraries, with compromise of course. It’s also important to determine and designate the person who is better at problem solving should any problems or emergencies occur, like lost luggage or cancelled flights, during your travel.

5: How Should You Handle Money and the Trip Budget?

It’s no secret and cited in studies, that one of the number one reasons couples and families argue is money, and traveling with friends can lead to this same argument. It’s a sensitive subject that you may not be comfortable discussing, but it’s critical that the subject be addressed before you go so you know who is paying for what and how the budget will be handled. If the budget and money handling during the trip is not discussed before you go, it could lead to several unnecessary arguments and ruin an otherwise perfect vacation. Before you book your trip, decide individually how much you can afford to spend on the trip and how you want to spend while visiting your chosen destination. Determine your combined budget and what can be accomplished. If one half is willing to kick in more than the other, make sure there will be no resentments later. Then decide if you will pool all your money together or if you will each pay your own way, and how any extras will be financed. If you’re consolidating funds, make sure the stronger financial person handles the budget and tracks your spending.  Remember, traveling on a promotion vacation package, like those offered by Preferred Guest Resorts, often provide free accommodations, car rentals, or theme park tickets which can really help with your vacation budget.

6. What Are Your Triggers?

Travel is an amazing experience, but it can also be stressful when you are out of your own comfort zones. Long days at a fast pace, crowds, long lines, heat, fatigue and transportation issues can make even the most laid-back personalities tired and cranky. Unfortunately, it’s easiest to take that frustration out on the person/people closest to you. Talking about your triggers—what frustrates you—can help the other person/people know what to do or how to handle stressful moments. Sharing those with each other and knowing this kind of information before you travel can help avoid plenty of tense moments later on, so your time is spent enjoying your vacation.

Traveling can make for a lifetime of wonderful memories, especially if you take a proactive, pre-planning approach that offers a strong peace of mind. Preferred Guest Resorts has done part of the legwork for you, offering a wide variety of destinations and cruises that meet everyone’s hopes and dreams for a dream vacation with reliable, premium lodging vendors in everything from budget hotels, luxury resorts and vacation timeshare rentals. Call a Preferred Guest Resort reservation agent at 1-800-656-2780 for help planning and booking your Best Vacation Ever. And don’t forget, your representative can help you build a vacation with more than one stop for magical journey that makes everybody’s dreams come true.