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Imagine you could wake up tomorrow in a comfy hotel bed anywhere in the world. You open the curtains and look out to the most beautiful sunrise you can imagine. Somewhere, coffee is brewing, bread is baking, the world is calling you to join it.
Singing, even, if you can picture it.
Now, scratch all of that. What do you think – your life is a movie? You can’t just wake up in paradise.
But hold on. Just because you can’t magically wake up right in the middle of your dream vacation doesn’t mean that it’s not possible to find yourself abroad, waking up to that beautiful sunrise over the city or beach or mountain cabin or whatever popped into your head a few moments ago.
The problem is, in order to get to that scene, there are quite a few steps you need to take beforehand. You know, like the whole planning and executing part. The hard part.
Only, I’m going to share a little secret with you:
It’s not that hard.
That’s right. Planning and organizing your dream vacation is really not as hard as you think it is. Maybe it takes a bit of time. Maybe it takes a bit of creativity. But it’s completely doable for anyone with the desire to do it.
So, what exactly are we looking at here? What is actually required to create a travel plan?
First, you need to figure out where you’re going. Duh. I call this the preplanning phase. The daydream phase, if you will, except that you need to be a bit more realistic than that. This stage is going to invite you to figure out what you want in your trip, where you can see yourself having a good time, and how you might go about funding it. Do you want to go snorkeling off the coast of Australia for two weeks? Great. Do you want to study abroad for a semester in Peru? Awesome. This stage will ask you to figure out exactly how you might do that.
Once you’ve book your flight and done your happy dance, it’s time to pack. Ugh, that sounds like a chore, Well, yeah, it kind of is. But a thoughtful packing plan is the difference between floating through Paris without a care in the world and walking around with a funky smelling shirt because you didn’t bring enough clothes and cursing yourself for wearing those sandals that pinch your toes and also why didn’t you pack a map? Don’t fret, you can avoid all that stress with a good plan.
So once you’ve planned and packed and said your goodbyes, that’s all you need to know, right? Everything else will fall into place as soon as you step foot in your vacation destination. Well, maybe, if you are one of the lucky ones who could afford the all-included vacay complete with personal tour guide, unlimited drinks, and someone to carry your bag around for your wherever you go. If you are, you probably don’t need my help.
But if you’re like the rest of us, you’ll want to know how to navigate this crazy world on your own, all while meeting people abroad, trying not to burn through your life savings, and finding those annoying souvenirs your family asked for. The most important skill you can build for traveling is the ability to stay present.
In Newbie World Traveler: 101 Lessons on How to Travel the World for the First Time in a Fun, Affordable, and Memorable Way, I’m going help you find the best way to get everything you want out of your adventures abroad. In addition to these three elements of a great vacation – preplanning, packing, and staying present – I’m also going to give you a few tips on a meaningful homecoming.
If you’re ready to have that perfect image of waking up in a new country and taking in that the wonderful world has to offer, remember: it’s not that hard. You just have to start planning.
If you want to learn more about this topic, then visit www.howexpert.com/newbietraveler.
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