How to Plan Your Dream Vacation

I have dreamed about traveling to Paris, France since I can remember. Paris is the fashion capitol of the world and the home of 2 of my 3 favorite designer labels. Paris is so rich in art, history, and unique culture. That’s why it is my dream vacation. Three years ago I sent a text message to all of my friends about a 30th birthday trip to Paris, France to see if they wanted to go lol. I have always been an early and thorough planner but that was ridiculously early. I decided to do my dream Paris trip through a travel agent. Sometimes you can find deals on your own but with a France I wanted everything to be pre-planned. Not to mention having the option to pay in monthly installments. The total trip cost including all of our events like the Eiffel Tower birthday dinner, Louve self-guided tour, Wine and Chocolate tasting, Disney Land Paris, transportation to some, hotel, flight, and trip insurance came up to about $2100 for myself departing from Atlanta on a straight flight on AirFrance. The cost vary depending on where you are flying from and flight cost fluctuate. When you are working with a travel agent they cannot give you an exact flight amount until about 9-10 months before the trip due to the airlines posting. At this time everyone must pay the deposit (a percentage of the trip) and the insurance (strongly suggest you never know what could happen like pregnancy or terrorist attacks or your husband saying you can't go on another girls trip). My group started paying on the trip December 2015. You typically have until a month before departure to pay it off in full.

1. Planning activities are a big part of my personal travel experiences. No matter where I travel to I always have places or events in mind to attend then map out which days I would like to go. Some people like to go with the flow more but that has only worked for me once with my birthday trip last year to Cancun, Mexico. Go with the flow is more relaxing but some trips you want to make the most of your time so having planned activities can assist with that. 2. SAVE your money! There are certain things I will spend my money on and traveling is one of them. I love to travel so I make sure to save money to go towards trips. You can also take it a step further like my bestie Teresa does she has a separate savings account dedicated to just travel. A percentage of her checks go straight into that account. I have also witnessed @LouisNPearls on social media with the $5 challenge. Basically for a year any 5 dollar bill she came across she saved it and was able to go to Australia for her birthday with the money saved. So those of you that are not avid debit card sliders like myself can do the challenge. There is so much to see and learn in the world, it starts with one trip at a time. Start today! Where are you off to next? And what is plan of execution? I love forward to seeing your pictures to the places that you will travel!