Five Tips for A Better Vacation, What I Learned From My Latest Trip

I have just returned from a one month vacation which for the most part was amazing. Looking back on it there are some things I would definitely do differently to make it even better. Coming from Australia, almost everywhere is a long way to travel so a fair bit of thought needs to be given to the small details to avoid disasters from happening.

© Lynne Schroeder (ElleDeeEsse)

This is not our first trip, we have been traveling for many years. Our first vacation together was a week in Bali bought from a travel agent. These days we rarely use travel agents. I like to organise everything myself and I usually get it right. Back in 2014 I organised a trip to Italy for our family of five which was a huge success (you can read about it here: One Month In Italy) so I was confident that I could pull this one off just as well.

This time we were traveling to Germany as a family of four then our daughters would head home while we continued on to Sri Lanka. My husband has family in Germany with whom we would spend Christmas. We would then spend a milestone birthday in Sri Lanka with long time friends. I planned the whole trip online, booking flights and accomodation for most of the trip while leaving some nights open and therefore allow some flexibility on the ground.

© Lynne Schroeder (ElleDeeEsse)

The trickiest part of the trip was the extremes of weather we would encounter going from a European winter to tropical Asia and we needed to carry clothing for both days in snow and days on the beach.

Flight: Budget vs. Comfort
We were traveling on a budget which meant spending as little as possible on our flights. We had some loyalty points we could cash in which limited our options somewhat. During the booking process I had a number of tabs open simultaneously to be sure of getting all family members on the same flights for the whole trip. We ended up with a combination of Air China, Lufthansa, Air India and Air Asia. What I learned is that most airlines fall in to the budget category for a reason, some proudly.

We had nothing but good things to say about Lufthansa and we would definitely fly with them again. That extra two inches of leg room means an awful lot during an eleven hour overnight flight. Meals were great, entertainment options were good and staff were very friendly and helpful. As for the others my suggestion is to double check what you are getting for money. If you are happy to forego meals and entertainment and be charged for everything, including water, then Air Asia is definitely cheap.

© Lynne Schroeder (ElleDeeEsse)

Layovers: Breaking the Trip
We don't like long haul flights and had learned from our trip to Italy that a long layover with a hotel stay does wonders for re-energising. So when it came to booking our flights to Germany I had no hesitation in looking at options for where we could break our journey. We decided on Shanghai. The downside of this decision was that we would arrive at 7:00pm; not much time to de-plane and get in to the city to make the most of it. And we were tired. So we only really saw the hotel. Fine if that's all you want to do but if you are hoping to experience your chosen layover city, consider what time you will arrive and depart.

You also need to give yourself enough time for a good layover. Our flight from Frankfurt to Colombo was via New Delhi and was only three hours so a transit stop only. Our flight home however, from Colomba to Sydney, was via Kuala Lumpur and it would be seven hours before we re-boarded. Too short to go anywhere and tediously long to hang around the transit lounge. If you find yourself in this situation, check to see if there is a hotel within the secure precinct of the airport. We discovered that there is a short-stay hotel at Kuala Lumpur about two hours before we needed to re-board.

© Lynne Schroeder (ElleDeeEsse)

Luggage: Essentials vs Allowance
Budget flights usually have a smaller luggage allowance than other airlines. Our luggage allowance was 23kg plus a 7kg carry-on. We were carrying gifts for our relatives as well as heavy winter clothing and lightweight summer clothing. In hindsight I would probably avoid the multiple climate zones for future trips. We were able to send some items home with our daughters which helped to free up some space for extra items purchased along the way. When I reviewed what I had actually used on my return I found two pairs of shoes and one pullover, so overall I didn't do too badly but that was wasted space.

© Lynne Schroeder (ElleDeeEsse)

Distance: Time and Travel
The first part of our trip was a perfect pace. We spent one night in Frankfurt and enjoyed the Christmas markets in both the evening of our arrival and the following morning. We caught a train to Cologne where we spent a leisurely five days before hiring a car for a few days slowly making our way via The Eifel and The Moselle to Heidelberg. We didn't cover a lot of ground and had time to enjoy the areas we spent our time in.

For the Sri Lanka part of our holiday we could have used an extra two days. I had not considered to distances or traffic when allowing for the amount of time we would spend there. As a result one or two of the days were long as we covered a lot of miles getting from one destination to the next. My suggestion is to get good advice before deciding on how much time to allow for your stay.

© Lynne Schroeder (ElleDeeEsse)

Travel Companions: Managing Expectations
We had great travel companions. Our daughters are fun and for the most part good-humoured. We all get a bit grumpy when we are tired or unwell after all. We had never traveled with our friends before and this had the potential to be a challenge, particularly as the nature of travel was a little stressful at times. My only suggestion here is to choose youe travel companions carefully. You are spending a lot of time together and will see each other first thing in the morning until bedtime. A bad holiday experience has the potential to ruin a friendship.

On the whole we are pretty laid back as travelers. We have low expectations and are prepared to be delighted and surprised. We chose our accomodation for its location rather than its amenities and would often be delighted to wake to a view of a cathedral even though the room was small.

© Lynne Schroeder (ElleDeeEsse)