Rhiwbina Living Issue 55

lifestyle
Plan the best times to travel
Now that you've got some ideas together, it's time to
start planning in earnest. One of the first things you'll
need to factor in is when you're looking to travel. What
season will the places you want to visit be experiencing?
Are there any local weather phenomenons that you need
to be aware of?
Be aware too that seasonal factors also play a part
in cost as the busier places are, the more places can
charge for accommodation. You may want to travel
outside of peak season if you don't want to feel crowded.
If you are planning to visit a few locations, try and plan
your travel there too. You don't want to be left stranded.
Book your time off work
Planning early is key here and the earlier,
the better.
Broaching the subject with your employer
is something that you will need to do and
getting them onside is something that
you'll know best. Some businesses need a
few weeks or even a few months to sign off
a sabbatical so work with them on this.
Once you do book the time off, that's the
moment that your sabbatical will start to
feel more real as you'll have made that
commitment.
Start your travels
Finally, you can start to live
the dream that you've been
imagining in your head.
With careful planning, your
sabbatical can be a life-affi rming
and rewarding experience.
Try and keep in mind the
reasons you laid out for taking
this break - and enjoy yourself.
Pulling it all together
Getting the green light from your employer is when you can start firming up
your plans and making definite arrangements.
Start to keep all your bookings in one place - you may want to start a
folder when you can keep all your travel documents and bookings. Don't
forget to look up travel insurance too and keep these documents safe.
You'll have some idea of the structure of your plans so it's always worth
booking the main elements first as some travel experiences may need to
be booked well in advance. Flights and accommodation should be the first
planks of your sabbatical that you'll want to lay down.
Once your main elements are booked and confirmed, you can start
creating an itinerary and populating all the dates and times with the things
that you've booked. Any other smaller activities can then be slotted in
around the main parts.
If in doubt, it's often worth speaking to a travel specialist, who will know
the ins-and-outs of the logistical challenges.
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