A luxury vacation doesn’t start when you open the door on your chic beachfront villa, it starts with a plan. Of course, there’s nothing stopping you from booking a last-minute deal and hoping for the best. If, however, you want every finer detail already taken care of so that you can truly unwind in confidence and style, it’s highly recommended to plan ahead.

Investing time and energy into your dream vacation in its early stages will take the guesswork out and put you in a serene state of mind. Of course, spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment decisions are exciting, but it’s through thorough planning that you will allow yourself this luxury. So, how do you plan for a luxury-driven vacation you ask? You’re about to find that out now.

1.  Plan in Advance

Although being overly prepared gets a bad wrap from some folks, it’s the number one way to turn a dream into a reality (without the hassle). Who wants to worry about where they’re headed and how they’re going to get there when time is of the essence and their precious time off has officially begun? That’s right, no one. Build your dream vacation around a date down the line (preferably a year out) and you’ll be sipping that poolside margarita without a care in the world.

2.  Determine Your Destination

Once you’ve figured out a tentative date, your planning suddenly gets a whole lot more exciting. Choosing the destination for your vacation is arguably the most exciting step in securing your preferred slice of luxury. Truth be told – not all holiday destinations around the world are created equal, which is why you have no choice but to get it right.

A tropical location with pristine beaches and warm, opal-hued waters doesn’t automatically qualify as a destination that’s ready to offer you a luxury vacation. However, there’s no need to start ringing alarm bells just yet because you’ve given yourself ample research time, remember?

Destinations like Bali, Maldives, Hawaii, France, and Spain are all equipped for luxury vacations (and that’s just skimming the surface). Seek and you shall find!

3.  Factor in Travel Time

There are certainly some legs to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “it’s not the destination, it’s the journey” quote. And yes, we are fully aware of the irony brought on by shining a light on this point straight after proclaiming that “destination is everything”, but hear us out first.

There’s little point in laying down a substantial amount of your hard-earned dollars on a luxury resort in some far-flung corner of the world if the journey to reach it is a grueling one. You certainly don’t want to waste multiple days of your precious annual leave on travel when you can only allocate a week’s vacation. For this reason, we highly recommend finding a resort that can be flown to swiftly and doesn’t require a 20-hour bus journey to reach.

A note on luxury travel – there’s no greater feeling than leaving economy in your wake by upgrading yourself straight to business, or even first class if you can afford it. So, endeavor to save, save, save, and consider these your “upgrading orders”. 

4.  Find a Luxurious Resort

A resort worthy of your time and money needs to have a few things going for it. First of all, we would have a hard time considering any resort with a rating of three stars or under able to offer accommodation that can be considered “luxury” (but we’re here to be proven wrong). Most of the world’s four and five-star resorts will have a few commonalities that make them deserving of high regard and classification.

Multiple pools, bars, and a la carte restaurants should be given, as should facilities such as tennis courts, fitness gyms, and maybe even a golf course. The ability to hire water sports equipment on a whim is another nice touch as is a high-end in-resort spa. If the spa is fitted with luxurious trimmings like a sauna, steam room, and jacuzzis, and is able to offer a long list of treatments, you know you’re in for an invigorating winner.

In terms of rooms, it’s when both the little things and big things come together that you really get impressed. Any room that features its own hot tub as well as complimentary bathrobes, slippers, and a special turn-down service will make you feel like the royalty that you are. Look for luxury resorts with recently published positive reviews and your vacation will be in safe hands.

Finally, resorts vary in terms of their service offerings.  Finding a resort that offers personalized services such as butlers or high staff-to-guest ratio to ensure the guest feels pampered each moment of their vacation will make the difference between a good and an amazing experience.  This entails having thorough destination and resort knowledge, excellent connections and resources as well as exceptional experience.

5.  Consider Professional Help

If you love to vacay but all this planning palaver has gained you a big gulp of hesitation, it’s best to call in the professionals. And no, we’re not talking about finding a shrink to help you become a more profound planner, we’re talking about a travel advisor.

Not only will a travel advisor handle the logistics and booking side of things, but they will also be ready and able to assist you every step of the way. Another big win of phoning in a travel advisor is that luxury vacations are their bread and butter. Meaning they know the dos and don’ts associated with this style of vacation. Whether it be online, over the phone, or in person, for anyone who struggles to connect the dots of travel, there’s an experienced advisor out there right now that’s ready to answer your call and take care of the rest.

Conclusion

So there you have it. You’re now in a good position to strike while the iron is hot, and book your luxury vacation today. Whether you’ve been inspired to do the groundwork yourself or take the easy road by letting a reputable travel advisor take care of your every need and desire. We hope this article has given you the insights into luxury vacations that you so very much deserve.