DIY & How TO

How to Plan a Vacation With Your LifePlanner™

How to Plan a Vacation With Your LifePlanner™

Vacations and staycations are meant to be times of relaxation for you and your entire family. They’re necessary for unplugging, unwinding, and reconnecting. According to one research study, just planning your trip can make you happier than actually taking it. Make both the planning process and the vacation itself a source of happiness by staying organized. The Erin Condren LifePlanner™ can help make preparing for a trip a smooth experience. Here are five tips to stay organized using your LifePlanner™.

Use Your Planner Layout to Pick the Best Vacation Dates.

Use your planner layout to pick the best vacation dates

Utilize your planner layout to glance at the months ahead. Think about the notice you will need to give your work or the time you will need to budget and begin narrowing down dates from there. Make notes of off-season months or highlight dates when rates are cheaper to help you stay within your planned vacation budget. The spiral LifePlanner™ makes it easy to add snap-in accessories like a to-do list dashboard to make planning your vacation easier.

Use the Notes Pages to Brainstorm Activities and Ideas.

Before you start booking anything, take some time to brainstorm what you want to do and see on your vacation. Use the notes pages in your LifePlanner™ to jot down ideas, research destinations, and make lists of things you don't want to miss.

Create a Packing Checklist.

Packing for a vacation can be stressful, but it doesn't have to be. Create a packing checklist in your LifePlanner™ a few weeks before your trip. This will help you stay organized and avoid forgetting anything important.

You may also enjoy our packing an organization experts’ top travel tips and how to pack like a pro.

Use Your LifePlanner™ to Set a Vacation Budget.

To maximize vacation fun and minimize financial stress, set a budget for your vacation to figure out how much you can afford to spend on your trip. You can use your LifePlanner™ to customize your own budget tracker, or use a companion budget planner. Setting a budget for your trip and tracking your spending along the way will help you stay on track and avoid overspending.

Use Sticky Notes for Important Checklists and Tasks.

Use sticky notes for important checklists and tasks

Planning a vacation checklist is easy to do with a checklist notepad. Use your notepad to create packing lists and vacation prep checklists and prioritize tasks at work before going out of town. Place colorful, versatile sticky notes in your planner to grab your attention to ensure you don’t forget to finalize arrangements. Stick notes on key calendar dates to mark deadlines for deposits and promotional deals.

You may also enjoy these fun and functional ideas for How to Use Stickers in Your Planner.

Stay Organized by Keeping Loose, Important Paperwork in Your Planner.

Use your LifePlanner™’s pocket folders to store all the necessary items for your trip. File reservation confirmations, boarding passes, directions, maps, and any other paperwork you may need. Use Sticky Pockets to store additional items, including photos, tickets, and receipts. By keeping everything in your planner along with your schedule, you won’t risk forgetting anything. Pack your vacation planner in your purse or carry-on luggage so all your important documents and schedules are close at hand.

Learn more about How to Organize Your Planner to enjoy effortless organization before, through, and beyond your vacation.

Use the Mini-Months Section to Get Excited About Your Vacation.

Once your plans have been finalized, add your vacation to your planner’s mini-months section. When you open this section, you will be reminded of your plans, which can supply both motivation and a positive outlook. Studies show that having a trip planned as far out as six months can increase your energy levels! You can use the mini-months section to add in additional monthly goals leading up to vacation. For example, note when to apply for your passport to ensure you get it in time. The act of completing this task will get you vacation-focused while giving you peace of mind.

Learn more about How to Use a Calendar for Time Management to make the most of your vacation time (and to boost productivity when you return).

Track Your Vacation Prep Like a Pro with the Monthly Productivity Dashboard.

Your LifePlanner™ isn't just for daily schedules and to-do lists, it's also a powerful tool for managing long-term projects like planning your dream vacation. Here's a secret weapon you might not know about: the monthly productivity dashboard.

This handy spread allows you to visualize your progress towards a specific goal – in this case, getting ready for your big trip. Here's how to use it:

1. Break Down Your Preparation Into Smaller Tasks.

Think about everything you need to do before you leave, from booking flights and accommodations to researching activities and packing your bags. Then, list these tasks on the dashboard, breaking them down into smaller, more manageable steps.

2. Track Your Progress Using Different Colors.

For each task, use a different color to mark its completion status. For example, you could use green for completed tasks, yellow for tasks in progress, and red for tasks not yet started. This color-coding system will help you easily see your progress at a glance.

3. Set Deadlines and Milestones.

Use the dashboard to set realistic deadlines for completing each task. You can also add milestones to mark significant progress points, such as booking your flights or finalizing your itinerary.

4. Adjust Your Plan as Needed.

Things don't always go according to plan, so be flexible and adjust your schedule as needed. The beauty of the dashboard is that it allows you to easily move tasks around and update deadlines.

5. Celebrate Your Achievements!

As you complete each task, take a moment to celebrate your progress. This will help you stay motivated and on track for your dream vacation.

By using the monthly productivity dashboard, you can take the stress out of vacation planning and ensure you have everything covered before you head off on your adventure. So go ahead, grab your LifePlanner™ , and start planning the vacation of your dreams!

Snap a Wellness Log Dashboard into Your LifePlanner™ to Stay on Track.

Snap in a wellness planner to stay on track

Vacations are a time to relax and unwind, but that shouldn’t mean you can’t take good care of yourself during your travels. By using our Snap-In Wellness Goal Tracker Dashboard to schedule exercise, meditation, hydration, and healthy eating, you can set — and keep — wellness goals throughout your trip, ensuring that you return home refreshed and even healthier than before!

These vacation planning tips reduce the stress of travel prep by helping you track the time, budget, and tasks necessary to make your dream getaway happen. You'd be surprised how many benefits of using a planner there are!

Reward yourself for the hard work you’ve put into planning by taking time off and enjoying the fruit of your labors with your new LifePlanner™ lifestyle. All the thought you’ve put into your trip using your LifePlanner™ will pay off when you don’t need to worry about anything while away. You’ll be more than prepared to enjoy all your vacation activities stress-free, so you can focus on what’s most important.