Deciding how to spend your PTO next year can be an overwhelming feat. Perhaps you’ve always dreamed of the great American road trip with your spouse, taking your daughter to Bordeaux, or treating the family to a resort vacation in Jamaica. But if you don’t have something in mind, here are a few ideas to get you started.
Find a globe, spin it and stop it with your hand. Visit wherever your index finger lands. Just kidding! Although wouldn’t that be kind of fun to try just once? Odds are you’ll end up in the ocean, but hey, just choose the nearest island.
I keep a list of destinations on my Trello board so I can add things when I find myself considering the locale so I can recall it when I begin my next planning session.
Ask friends you trust where they have visited and loved. But also ask them where they didn’t enjoy as much so you can keep that in mind when someone else recommends it. My favorite way to take advantage of their recommendations is to mark them as Google Maps flags. You can mark places as gold stars, want-to-go, or favorites. I started my Google tagging before want-to-go and favorites were options so most of mine are just stars. It works the same way. I use this for planning later too.
Pay attention to daily conversations. People will recommend different things if you outright ask, but make notes when they mention things in casual conversations. If someone mentions they loved the restaurant they patroned this weekend, I’ll mark it. Random mermaid themed bar in the middle of Montana? I’m not headed there soon, but someday I’ll be glad I saved that quirky little spot.
Decide what kind of trip you want this to be: relaxing or adventurous? Who will join you: your spouse and children or just your sisters? These answers can help narrow down what might be exciting for the group.
Check review sites, but don’t take them too seriously. They can be great for the basics, but how do you know if you have the same tastes as those weirdos from the internet? Usually the recommendations from friends float to the top of the Trip Advisor lists, but not always so it’s great to have that validation. Also I’m pretty averse to crowds and often get stressed out when I’m forced into one. So while the top restaurants on Yelp are probably delicious, they are also probably packed and you won’t be able to get a quiet table anyway. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve waited in line for three hours waiting for New Orleans’ best fried chicken at Willie Mae’s Scotch House, but I knew what I was getting into before I planned to eat there. Sometimes it’s totally worth it. But Junior’s in Times Square? Not so much. Sure, it’s convenient and everyone will recommend it, but it’s not worth the crowds and wait. There are hundreds of other options that will serve you better food, better service and fewer sweaty tourists.
If how you spend your paid time off from work is important to you, consider vacation planning an ongoing part of your week. If it’s not and you’d rather just get excited and board the plane, I’m happy to help.