Have you been dreaming about your summer vacation? Longing for the moment you can leave everything behind and set off again?

We definitely don’t blame you; vacation is that part of life that keeps us sane from its unflattering moments. It helps us rejuvenate ourselves and refresh our minds before we go back to the challenges and responsibilities of life.

Vacations offer that moment of peace we have been craving, so there’s nothing worse than finally landing overseas and feeling like your trip was incomplete! 

Planning is how you avoid disappointment, so being that we’ve all been a little out of practice these past two years, now that travel is returning, here are 7 things your next vacation needs.

7 Things Your Summer Vacation is Incomplete Without

Comfortable Accommodation

The right vacation stay can make all the difference, and while you barely go on a vacation to sit in your hotel room all day, don’t underestimate the need for comfortable accommodation when you return from your everyday.

We’ll note here that the word ‘comfortable’ can be subjective – you might find comfort in a hammock under a beach shack next to the ocean, or be incredibly comfy on a blow up mattress camping.

Others definition of comfort may be a plus hotel bed with a shower.

So first, define what your version of comfort is, and then don’t sacrifice on it. 

Your accommodation can make or break your experience; if you’re not returning to a soft bed and a warm room after, say, an exhausting day out in the mountains, you might feel dejected enough to wish you were in the comfort of your own home.

Choosing the perfect accommodation for yourself may be one of the hard choices you’ll have to make, for you will have to consider your budget, preferences, and planned activities.

If you’re stopping at Gatlinburg for your next summer vacation, check out the downtown Gatlinburg hotels to make your stay as comfortable and convenient as it can be. 

You can also find timeshare rentals in Gatlinburg at some of the best resorts if you’re looking for larger units, with amenities of home, such as fully-equipped kitchens and spacious living rooms.

Travel Insurance

After meticulously planning for your summer vacation, you may be weighing the importance of travel insurance when you have everything sorted out.

If so, the answer to your contemplation is “yes.”

Travel insurance is an essential part of your vacation to ensure that most of the risk is covered. Life is unpredictable and full of uncertainty; you never know what could go wrong while on vacation. 

Travel insurance is rarely expensive, and while you never want to understand the value of it, you also don’t want to be left having underestimated its importance.

Covering yourself will relieve you of unnecessary anxiety as you will know you can readily cover the costs in case of an emergency. The less you worry about what could go wrong, the more you will be able to enjoy your vacation.

An Itinerary

If you’re one of those people who prefer to blindly book a flight and decide what to do next when they reach their destination, you can do well without an itinerary.

However, if you prefer to be more organized and plan your activities, it’s well worthwhile having your plans sorted out in advance.

An itinerary will help you plan your vacation according to your budget, manage your expenses, and define what you expect from your vacation. It gives you clear-cut goals for what to achieve while you’re away.

It will provide you with the direction you may need when planning your activities and dissuade you from making haphazard decisions, or wasting time wondering what to do once you land. 

After-al, time is precious as you only get so much of it for vacation!

A Break

While itineraries are important for structure, it’s well worth making these flexible enough to give yourself a break, whether this is a full or half day. 

Traveling may be fun, but it’s often extremely tiring, and not alway easy. There is only so much your body can take with back-to-back activities, especially when recovering from jet lag, even if you’re having the time of your life.

Wanting to experience as much as possible and pack your days in the limited time you have is understandable, but doing so may exhaust you by the end, and lead to burnout which isn’t the way you wnat to return home feeling.

Give your body some reprieve from all the adrenaline you may be feeling. If you keep pushing yourself for fun, you could be running the risk of crashing down.

Friends & Family

Traveling partners may not be “things,” but they sure are one of the essentials for sharing your memories of a trip.

But this doesn’t mean you have to travel with them – yes, in many ways, a traveling companion can make your vacation complete, but if you’re empowered to travel solo, and prefer not to travel with family and friends, it’s still a fantastic feeling to be able to call or video chat with them.

Just make sure you stay on top of timezones, as your family may not love you as much as you think if you’re waking them up at 3 am!

Extra Cash

Yes, we’re living in a cashless society and more and more countries accept credit cards with banks waiving international transaction fees. 

But there are still many countries around the world who’s main economy is based on cash, and if you’re wanting to immerse yourself into experiences like street food, tip for good service, and buy from that amazing street artist, it’s worthwhile having a small reserve of local currency in cash.

Countries where cash is prevalent include Indonesia, Vietnam, South Africa, Cambodia, and Japan, though even in countries where cards are common, if your bank blocks your card for foreign transactions, cash can be a life saver.

Clothes, shoes, documents, medicines, and cameras- everybody knows they need these on vacation. However, many people fail to give the above factors the deserved importance when planning for their trip.

We hope that our list made you reconsider the importance of the things you had not thought of as necessary before. Include this list in your vacation planning to make the most out of your next summer vacation.