Right Time, Right Place?

Before making a decision on a destination, here are a few things I check out and how I get the answers.

1. Is it the right time of year to visit (rainy season, winter vs. summer, special holidays)

To answer the weather question, I usually go to www.weather.com and check out the monthly averages for temperatures and rainfall.  To find out about national holidays, I usually consult a guidebook.  You can also look online at the national tourist bureau's website. If you get to a destination and it's a major holiday, you may not be able to see all the sites you had hoped to visit.  On the otherhand, it can be really interesting.  We were lucky to be in Thailand for the New Year celebration when everyone lines the streets and splashes water on everyone else.  The kids had a blast.  But, it's good to know what you are in for in advance.

2. Is it safe?

The US State Department (http://travel.state.gov/) has an overview for every country as well as travel "alerts" and "warnings". 

I sometimes wonder, if we will be flying within the country, if the airlines are safe.  That can be checked out at sites like this one  http://www.airsafe.com/.

3. Do we have the right vaccines? Or, am I willing to get the vaccines that are needed?

That question can be easily answered with a visit to the CDC's website http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationList.aspx and a call to your doctor's office. 

4. Can my frequent flier miles get me there "on the cheap"?

Visit the airline's website to see which cities they serve.

5. Is it really expensive due to the exchange rate?

Do a quick search for hotels on a website like travelocity www.travelocity.com  and get a feel for the cost of a one night stay in your usual type of hotel

And, since I have a bunch of travel goals (taking the kids to every continent), I'm always making sure that I'm using our precious vacation time and money to work toward those goals.

Chances are, the answers to all of the questions won't be positive. That's hard to do.  We've spent many family vacations at places when they are really, really hot (like Egypt in August!) because of other factors like the timing of school breaks and when frequent flyer miles can be used.