By Mitch Rice
Taking a weekend away from everything is great for your mental and physical health. It gives you a chance to get away and recharge your batteries. You get to enjoy a mini-vacation and get some relaxation in. However, not everyone has the funds to plan expensive getaways. Here’s a way to plan your next weekend away in Scotland without breaking the bank.
- Figure Out What Your Goal Is
Your perfect weekend away isn’t going to be cookie-cutter. It will be different for everyone. It’s going to largely depend on what you find enjoyable, what hobbies you have, and the time of the year. You want to take the time to figure out what you want your trip to look like.
Do you want a trip that has you on the go or something more relaxed? Do you want to go to a far-out destination or something closer? Do you mind taking a plane or would you prefer to drive? Do you want to immerse yourself in city life or spend more time outdoors in the wild? These are things you need to consider when you are trying to find the optimal destination for your getaway.
- Set Your Budget
This needs to be done before you choose your desired destination. You need to figure out how much you are willing and able to spend on the getaway destination. Setting a budget is key to avoiding overspending. You need to factor in all expenses. This includes transportation, lodging, and more. The cost of everything will vary based on where you decide to travel. You want to have a budget that you can use to narrow down your available options. Some destinations are likely to be automatically priced out of your budget.
Keep in mind, having a bigger budget doesn’t necessarily mean you will have a better experience. If you don’t have a lot of money to spend or you don’t want to spend a lot, you could always keep it close and still have a great getaway. There are some amazing Scottish hotels that you can spend your weekend break in.
- Choose Your Destination
Once you’ve gone through the stuff above, you should have a good idea of what you want out of your getaway. This is likely to be the hardest step but made much easier by going through the tips above. If you’ve wanted to go to a specific spot for a while and it meets your criteria above, skip this step and get straight to booking.
However, if you don’t have anything you are fixated on, you’ll want to start researching your options. Try to figure out what matches the criteria you’ve narrowed down above. You can always use shopping comparison engines to explore deals that you can consider. One of the best ones is Kayak.com.
The perfect weekend getaway isn’t all about where you are going either. It’s also about what you are going to be doing once you get there. While you may find an incredible deal on a hotel, you might not necessarily have much to do once you get there. This can make for a lousy getaway. Try to find a place that has a balance of both. Find somewhere that is affordable and that fits your budget and that has plenty to do once you are there.
- Choose a Date
This one shouldn’t be too difficult. The most obvious time you should plan to go is when you can get away from work and when you have some discretionary income. However, not every weekend is going to be equal. Some of them will have you spending a lot more on accommodations than others. After all, if you are planning your getaway during the holidays, more and more people will be doing the same. Because of this, the supply goes down, and the demand increases. This leads to price increases. A good way to avoid having to pay for this price increase is by planning your weekend getaway when it’s not as busy. If you do have this flexibility, you should leverage it. It’s not only going to save you money, but it’s also likely to make for a more enjoyable and relaxing trip.
- Research Your Destination
This is something you want to do before you travel. You need to be researching your destination before you set off. This is a great way to ensure that you don’t waste any time at your destination. Try to do as much homework as you can on your destination before traveling. The first thing you should have on your list is researching some of the best places to stay. After all, you will need lodging. You also want to figure out what transportation options you will have available if you choose them. Is the place walkable or can you do it easily cycling on a bicycle It’s not going to be such a great deal if you have to spend hundreds of dollars and so much time on transportation to and from the city. You also want to check out some of the things that you are going to do while you are at your destination. Figure out what you are going to do beforehand so you can spend time doing it instead of researching while there. You’ll also want to check out some of the best restaurants to visit while you are there so you don’t miss any must-try places.
Data and information are provided for informational purposes only, and are not intended for investment, medical or other purposes.
