Event Planners Guide Part 2: Summer Trips
This week has been so hot and summery and we love it. It has us craving beach parties and lemonade and sweet tea on the back porch. Yes, I see how southern that sounded. We were driving home from work all this week enjoying this weather and how lovely a road trip with friends sounded.
It is a common misconception that event planners are A) only for the rich and famous and B) Only do weddings and large scale grandeur events. In actuality us as event planner do all events and can save you the most money and time on the small events. Yes the wedding industry is a larger part of event planner it’s not all we can do, hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and venues are what we specialize in knowing and getting the best prices for our clients.
Today’s Event Planners Guide we thought we would give you some tips to take your summer trips from decent to spectacular. The largest but also most underrated part of any vacation is the hotel. This summer when traveling do not settle for the first option or even the seemingly cheapest option. Whenever planning an event in general but specifically a vacation it’s important to analyze all aspects of the intrinsic and extrinsic value of your event. I am going to break down the different aspects of this event so if you are planning this alone you have a guide to go by to help you make the best decisions for you. The first thing you must do is make a budget here is our recommendation on how your budget should look for your summer trips (This is based on a 4 night trip on the US average.) ItemPercent of BudgetTransportation38%Lodging26%Food27%The extra Stuff9%
follow the outline below to fill in your budget based on
Transportation:
Okay so in my opinion, this is the second biggest part of the trip and the event. Do you want to do a road trip with your friends and make a whole deal with it or do you want to fly or take a train? There are pros and cons to each mode of transportation.
Driving:
When you have a great group to drive with, I love this option. It’s perfect for shorter distances (4-10 hours) and you can have a more intimate way of traveling. Pros: Day long of talking, listening to music and eating snacks with friends while experiencing the world around you. this is one of the best options to catch up with old friends and get to know people better. It can start your trip off on a fun and light note and you choose where to stop and can make an event of the commute also its more economically efficient because you have to only pay for gas and splitting that by how many people are in the car is cheaper than buying a ticket per person on a train or plane. Cons: I am going to be frank here, I love my friends but there are some of my friends where I fear for my life driving with them for 5 minutes let alone 5 hours. Not everyone is the best driver, I am not so this is something to consider when making this decision. Other cons are the normal things when you are confined in a small place with a group of people for too long as well as while on a plane or train you can sit back and relax have a drink you can’t do that to the same degree driving.
Planes:
The businesswoman capricorn in me is all for this option. It is quick and efficient. It is perfect when you are more excited about the destination than the journey. Pros: It is the fast mode of transportation. Most of the time when I fly I get to put my headphones in and sleep or get a great book to finish. Its great for alone time and the view for the most part is amazing. For me plane rides incite excitement because it feels like a fresh start.Also because you will not be operating the plane you can feel free to have some drinks and just relax in the sky. Cons: It is really costly, you have to consider the price of transportation to the airport and if you drive parking. Plus checking bags and food in the airport. Also so flights you can pay for wifi while you are flying. Another con is unless you pay extra you do not get to choose your seat and are sometimes in cramped spaces surrounded by strangers. Also if you are like me and do not like heights flying is not the best experience.
Trains:
I love trains, it’s such a charming way of transportation, faster than a car slower than a plane and so old timey my old soul thrives on it. To me trains are great for intercontinental travel. Pros: You can choose where you sit on most trains, and can get a booth or even a room depending on how long you are on the train for with friends. It has the capability where you can still convenience and spend quality time with friends but can also go off and experience things by yourself. Cons: the ticket pricings are comparable to plane tickets depending on where you are traveling. It is not as fast as a plane so it is a longer commute to your final transportation.
Transportation: At first glance and only considering extrinsic values flying is the way to go probably why It was estimated 246.1 million passengers flew with U.S. airlines between June 1 and Aug. 31, 2018. It is marketed at the luxury way to travel. When looking intrinsically you must consider that with inflation of the season ticket averages around 400$ prior to all of the add ins that was mentioned above. When driving one must consider the price of gas and the weather. With trains detours and out of service areas are also things that must be considered. I can explain what my intrinsic values lay with each option but that’s up to you to decide when planning your trip.
That was the longest section because it is the most important, this portion should be where the second largest chunk of your budget should be allocated to, and set the tone for your trip.
Restaurants and food:
Every city is unique and has amazing local spots for food or upscale options dependant on what you are looking for. Our tip? Talk to the concierge if you are staying at a hotel they can give you recommendations, most times make reservations or get you special discounts or perks at nearby establishments. And speaking of hotels….. And if you are staying at an airbnb or summer cabin or similar and want to save money by cooking and going out. A fun way to make a night out of it is to have a night each friend of the group cooks a meal or cook together and talk pop some wine and make it a fun nightly tradition. Sometimes that intimate touch to your trip makes it that much more enjoyable.
Residence:
The question airbnb/rental or hotel infamous debate.We have done both and for different situations each as their perks. Both are comparable in price if you split it among friends. Hotels offers more intrinsic values because of the leagility that is tied to hospitality. So you know they have legal standards on cleanliness and safety protocol. As well as if something doesn’t work they have someone who can fix it. While airbnbs has that flexibility of what you can experience in the living portion of the experience. How long you are at a particular place and what you want to get out of it. If you are wondering on what hotel may be right for you… check out our blog on wednesday where we try match zodiac signs to hotels!
We hope you enjoyed our tips and tricks on how to elevate your trip by planning ahead and managing your budget to get the most out of your summer trips! We will leave you with this bonus tip. Whenever you travel or have a girls trip let the hotel, or restaurants, museums know why you are there and there might be hidden perks or things they may give complementary for you event!
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