Planning the holidays

Let me present some reflections on the issue that, I dare say, must be the most exciting for majority of ordinary people, who spend the most of their lives (from 5 to 7 days a week) working and then have a couple of weeks of holiday in summer months (if they have luck). It is planning holidays. In our modern world we can refer to a lot of travel agents, who’ll try to help us choose the best variant for our holiday among infinite multitude of different destinations, tours and travelling programs. It is convenient on the one hand if one has financial opportunity and a willing to trust the planning of their holidays to a manager of a travel agency. He may offer the tourist any kind of a tour according to their wish. To my mind, the most all-embracing and effective way from the informative, cultural point of view is to go on a tour to a foreign countries (or even the places in your country you have never been to) with a bunch of people you don’t know (and even may not like). Joining such tour is a good idea, because it’s rather hard for an average tourist to get around on their own. Some tourists like to make their way around leisurely to see the sites, they don’t like the fast pace of tours, they’d rather have the time to take in each site, not rush through it just to take a picture and say “I’ve been there”. But tours come in all shapes and sizes; one can find the exact offer that isn’t too fast-paced or strenuous. Some tourists don’t want to spend a lot of time side by side with the fellow travelers, especially eat all their meals with the tour group. It’s quite natural that people want some time to explore on their own. In this case insist that that travel agent should find the tour for you which has the perfect itinerary, which got rave reviews of those who experienced it. It’s necessary that it includes a tour guide, all admission fees, accommodations, ground transport, and most of the meals. And several free mornings and afternoons built-in are obligatory, so you can explore the new place on your own. The alternative is to plan each movement and stop of your trip by yourself, so the tour managed by a travel agent sounds better and better. But if you prefer to keep to the beaten track year in year out and you have a favorite vacation spot, just try to stay at a different hotel. Of course you like the hotel you always stay at, it’s in a convenient location and you are already familiar with it, it is tried and true… But there’s no novelty and excitement in staying in the same place year after year. One cannot be on modern lines if one don’t need novelty. You should consider some of other hotels which you can ask, hear, read about. You can find a lot of information on the Internet. There are special official and public sites, where the decent hotels are highly ranked and their ratings are very good. The review has the indication of pros and cons. Some cons, I should notice, are disputable. For example, “lots of discos”, “loud music”, “being noisy”, “heavy animation” are the cons for those who travel with young children or with the health-improving purpose. But if your intention is to have diversion and fun, you may consider such comment as pros. But be careful not to put strangers’ reviews above your own experience. You should keep an open mind, but not to be dubious about online reviews. Take everything you read with a grain of salt. People who post reviews are those who love it or hate it. Find the hotel that everyone loves, that doesn’t break the bank and enjoy your holidays!

O.Chernova, АФ-1А-М