If you only get a couple of days or weeks off work in a year, then what better way to spend those precious days off work than flying off to a different country to melt away your stress and troubles? Enter: The Perfect Holidays.

A holiday doesn’t need to be expensive and it’s usually worth the effort and money investment. However, that doesn’t mean you can just book a flight and hotel then expect to see results. It takes hard work!

Not only can doing some research save you money, but it’s also a good way to fill your schedule with fun and interesting things to do. Don’t arrive at a country with no plans on where to go—that would be a huge waste of time! (Not to mention, a total disaster.)

To make sure you get the most out of your trip, here are some essential points to consider when planning a vacation abroad. Otherwise known as your perfect holidays.

How to Plan the Perfect Holidays

How do you want to travel?

This is important because it will define how relaxing (or bearable) the journey is and also the amount of money you have to spend. For example, Jet Charters are great if you and a group of people want to fly in private and in style. You can hire a private jet for you and your group, and you won’t need to deal with long check-in lines, transfers or sharing the plane with others. However, if you’re only planning a short trip to somewhere in your country or nearby, then perhaps driving or taking a train is a more affordable option.

Research where you want to visit

Don’t research tourist attractions alone. You can also focus on places to eat that the locals enjoy, delicacies that are found in remote locations or traditional festivals and celebrations that will occur during your stay. In fact, it might even be worth planning your holiday around a tradition. For example, if you plan to visit China, then visit at some point during Chinese New Year if you want to experience wonderful celebrations and embrace Chinese culture.

Make a list of all the places you want to visit and check how feasible it is to visit all of them in a single trip. Even if you miss some places, you can always visit next time! Some great places to look are food blogs, travel guides and YouTube videos.

Brush up on local knowledge

A phrasebook can come in handy when visiting a country where you don’t know the language. Because a lot of street signs and information might not be in a language you know, it’s a good idea to brush up on things like public transport and taxi phrases. Do some research and check if there are local travel cards that allow you to top up money and pay for transport with a simple card scan. This makes it easy to get around the city or country you’re in and you won’t need to fumble about with cash.

You might also want to research about local cultural differences. You don’t want to make a hand gesture or say something offensive by accident, and you don’t want to offend the locals by doing something questionable to their culture.

This ‘Perfect Holidays’ post was contributed to The Lady-like Leopard.