Top Tips When Planning a Luxury Vacation

Define luxury for yourself.  For some, a cruise to the Bahamas is luxury simply because they're away from home with someone else doing the cooking and cleaning.  For others luxury is on an entire other level.  African safaris, Northern Lights expeditions, all-inclusive resorts, villa rentals, yacht charters, luxury cruises, exclusive travel by private jet. The possibilities are endless.

Consider the focus of your trip.  Is this a rest and relaxation escape?  Romantic getaway?  Are you looking for adventure?  Cultural experience?  Perhaps you want a mix of these things.  If so, destination selection is very important.

Know your budget, both monetarily and time wise.  Travel is no different than anything else.  You get what you pay for.  That's not to say there are no good deals or opportunities.  There are, but thoroughly checking all the details is necessary unless you want a memorable vacation for all the wrong reasons.  Be sure you budget enough time to truly enjoy yourselves.  Vacations are no fun if you have to rush around to accomplish everything on your wish list.
 
Take into account the type of environment are you most comfortable in.  When you go on vacation you have the chance to experience something completely different than what you have at home. Some people love that.  Others don't like to stray too far from the norm.  Research properties, accommodations and amenities.  Perhaps something with rustic elegance this time.  Or maybe a contemporary, sophisticated resort.  Your options are only limited by your imagination.

Planning on using airline miles or credit card points to help pay for your vacation or to upgrade?  Plan ahead.  Way ahead.  Black out dates and airline restrictions can make it more difficult than it should be.  Hotels can also have limitations on how many rooms are allocated for membership programs. 

Consult with a travel professional like me.  I have close relationships with vendors, consolidators and wholesalers.  I can get special rates if they're available and wonderful perks and amenities like resort credits, welcome gifts and on-board spending credits.

Insure your travel investment.  Consider all the time, energy, emotion and of course, money you've spent putting your vacation plans together. What will you do if the unexpected occurs?  Travel insurance can be your only recourse if you have to cancel or interrupt your trip.  For peace of mind, get travel insurance.