The Project Management Principles to Travelling

Travel Tuesday

it's always a tricky topic, trying to work out how to travel. Sometimes we're finding cash to do this, and then finding more to do that and we wonder how we can make it all stretch. Money can be almost elastic like that sometimes, don't you find? So when the topic of travel and going on holidays comes up, why are they invariably pushed lower down the totem pole of importance?

I know, "we'll get to it next year" or "plenty of time for that" are some of the catchcry's we can use. I'm sure we can think of a whole lot more too. Do we do that because we see travel as more of a luxury item perhaps? Or because we don't hold it in the same regard as what we might, say, college fees? Whatever the reason, now's the time to change if you want to go on that adventure this time next year, or whenever that may be in the very near future.

The way I do it is to treat travelling like a project, and like any good project, it needs a plan of execution. If you're not familiar with simple tools of project management, these certainly give you structure around assisting the decision making processes. Determining the budget and how it will be funded forms part of that process. The other thing it does is to give the notion of travel the focus it requires. If it's not part of your family planning, right along side all the other important matters, then it makes it more difficult for your dream adventures to see the light of day.

There is always armchair travelling I know, but it's not quite the same thing.

Happy Travels.
the entrepreneurial mother™

Comments

[MRJ]

Your post is so relevant to me as I am preparing to start my vacation this Sunday.

Yes, it would be wise to scrap this vacation. In the era of "no bonuses." and reduced dispossable income, many would chose to scrap this vacation or seriously downsize it. However, I (and for that matter my husband) take the long term view to life.

Life is a marathon and not a sprint. In order to be at our best, as parents and professionals we NEED this vacation to re-charge. We NEED this vacation to reconnect with each other as a couple. We NEED this vacation to make lasting memories with our kids.

I think a universal goal is to make yourself "happy." Vacations make me HAPPY! I enjoy thinking about them, planning, preparing, and taking them. I enjoy going to Costco and picking up my pictures and scrapbooking my pictures afterwards. I love, LOVE, talking about it afterwards.

There is this great blog about happiness, it's called the Happiness Project (http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/). In this blog the author researches different things that make people happy. One of the findings is that vacations are one of the top things that provide happiness, before during and after.

Yes, I save some money and take a chaper vacation. But, if life is a journey, and not just a destination, why not enjoy the time I have on this planet?

So, I sign off to tackle the mountain of laundry waiting for me and prepare for my much needed vacation! :D