It’s that time of year again… and we’re incredibly excited. It’s all about making sure that you can get away for a little while. You might be tempted to really just get into the swing of things, but there is something to be said about a little bit of planning. There is something to be said about finally getting to have the type of experience that you’ve always wanted. You might feel guilty stepping away from all of the hectic details found in everyday life…but it’s absolutely necessary.

Sometimes we go back to the classic questions, like when to travel. The truth is that you should be able to travel all year round and still get amazing experiences, but there are naturally going to be peak times of the year where you’re really itching to just be gone for a little while. It just depends on what type of leave you can get from work. If you can get time now, there are a lot of spring travel deals out there. You can go with a package holiday and tour a resort for a little while, or even go on a cruise. The choice is really up to you.

The best thing that you can do is figure out where you want to go. Remember that if you’re trying to figure out your seasonal travel plans, geography is very important. You don’t want to go somewhere that’s already experiencing winter, for example. This would be true for places like New Zealand, where they are going to have colder temperatures than what you might be looking for. Always check the weather around your trip and continue checking it. This is also where good travel insurance comes in handy — if the weather turns bad on you, you still want to make sure that you can get your money back. If you just leave everything to chance, you won’t get that opportunity. Insurance might sound unnecessary, but it really can come in handy when you really think about it.

You also want to make sure that you’re packing the right clothes for the trip. Unless you’re really going to a fancy resort, you want to try to dress as simply as possible. This keeps you from being a target for criminals who see you as a rich traveler that has more than enough resources to spare. Sometimes, it just doesn’t pay to stand out. If you’re going to a resort, you’ll benefit from increased security. Still, we think it would be best to err on the side of caution in things like this.

Bringing enough money for your host country is very important. You cannot be guaranteed that all of the ATMs will work properly. This means that you have to bring enough money to take care of just about everything else that you will need. If you’re like most travelers, you might find it better to purchase what you need when you land rather than trying to navigate around with multiple suitcases. That just becomes a real pain.

Do you want to have a rental car? Make sure that you look up whether or not you have to have an International Driver’s Permit before you land. These are common details, but it’s very easy to overlook them in the rush to finally get to go on holiday.

Bringing along a guidebook ion your host country of choice is good, but it’s even better to plug into a travelers forum where real people will tell you what the destination country is honestly like. They can give you tips on where to eat and even where to sleep, so don’t skip over this at all. Good luck!