85. 4 Reasons January is the Best Time to Begin Planning Your Yearly Vacations | Luxury Travel Tips

Wondering how to nail down the perfect vacation without breaking the bank? Imagine jet-setting to your dream destination with amazing deals and VIP experiences — all planned out effortlessly. In today's episode, I reveal the secrets to making that dream trip happen. Tune in and find out why January is the golden month to start planning your 2025 adventures!

Connect with Michele on IG: @jetsettingwithmichele or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/MMTinsiders

Contact Michele to plan your next vacation: www.makinmemoriestravel.co/contact

This episode was produced by The Podcast Teacher: www.ThePodcastTeacher.com.

Transcript

Hello, jetsetters. Welcome back to another episode of Jetsetting with Me. Today is for reasons that January is the best time to begin planning your yearly vacations, or in this case, all your vacations for 2025. Now, before we start, I do have a holiday favor to ask of you. If you are enjoying jet setting with me, please take a moment to follow this podcast. It makes sure it shows up in your podcast feed automatically. If you really, really like it, I would love a review from you on Apple Itunes. It really does help other people find this podcast, because if they read the reviews and you like it, maybe they would like it and follow too.

Now on with the show. So I did say 4 reasons. So reason number 1, you will be pleased with the cost savings, the deals, the promotions. Because who doesn't love a good deal? Right? Carrie might not have bought that fake Fendi, but she's not afraid to buy her boots at the resale store like the real deal. Now, we all know the saying, the early bird gets the worm. In our case, the early bird gets the best vacation deals. It is all about striking during wave season while the iron is hot. Limited promotions mean prices increase as availability decreases.

Now you are probably wondering about the caveat of those exclusive promotions when they drop unexpectedly, like, for example, Southwest Cyber Cyber Monday sale scored me a $99 one way ticket from Austin to Orlando. But I have your back. That's why you pay me for a planning and management fee. Trust me to watch for those specials so you can relax. And with all the other details already sorted out, it's easy for me to work my magic, give you a little pixie dust, so you don't have to worry about indulging in luxury without breaking the bank. Another reason is availability. For vacations involving decisions about room location, dining reservation, excursions, and more, early booking offers you the widest selection. So choosing the perfect room, snagging those exclusive dining reservations, and securing the best excursions, those all start with early booking.

It makes you the VIP. You get first dibs on everything. Early planning is your ticket to luxury peace of mind, especially for the following groups. If you are a family of 5, there are very few ship cabins, or berths, as they like to call them, that you can stay in altogether. If you have to split up, that does mean you are looking at a limited availability of connecting cabins. Those that are eyeing a specific stateroom on the cruise, you know, the one that goes through the Norway fjords, and you wanna make sure you're on the starboard or port side of the ship, Panama Canal is another one. We, went ahead and upgraded to get a mini suite so that we could be on the deck where you can go out to the absolute forward place to watch going through the canals. So, again, families of 5, those who are eyeing a specific stateroom, or if you're going to an all inclusive, maybe you're dreaming of that swim up suite, or on Virgin Voyages, that cabin with the hot tub on the deck, there's only one on every ship.

So even though excursions and dining reservations are booked later, early booking does allow you early booking of your trip does allow you to have more time to think, to research, to strategize with me, ask me questions so that you can start envisioning the unforgettable experiences that are priorities for you and your travel companions, like dog sledding on a glacier or meeting the cast of a show in the West End in London. It gives you the time to strategize and make those travel dreams a reality because we all deserve the best. Reason number 3 is budgeting. Let's talk about the glamour of early vacation planning. Not only does it give you the chance to spread out the cost over time, but it elevates your experience to a whole new level. Instead of stressing over monthly payments, you can sip on your champagne knowing you're treating yourself to the best. With a longer planning horizon, maybe you can afford that upgrade from a regular cabin to that little mini suite, so that you get a better cabin location. Or, maybe, you can upgrade to a VIP level status, because you have longer time to pay it out.

Did you know that, yes, fitness classes are included on Virgin Voyages, but they fill up, and it's 1st come, 1st serve. But if you get on the ship early because you're a VIP, then you have a better chance of securing your space in those spin classes. With a longer planning horizon, you can turn your dreams into reality. 6 months of extra planning for those excursions could mean the difference between the standard and deluxe Disney Resort, the ocean view or the balcony stateroom. It's all about those luxurious upgrades that make your heart skip. And let's remember, this thrill of scoring vacation essentials on clearance, This totally applied to me. I know already that I'm going in January to the Laplands, and I need cold weather gear. And I needed to know what I was going to get on Black Friday and through Cyber Monday on Amazon and all of those things because I live in a warm weather climate, and they're not easily accessible to me.

So had I waited any longer, I would have missed out on all those incredible discounts, the hidden treasures that I find while shopping. So, whether it's upgrading your stay or, again, taking that VIP tour, trust me to guide you through this planning process. My secret superpower is to match your desires to the best value, style, and memories, and we work together through this budgeting process. To review, we've already done 3, availability, budgeting, and the cost savings and promotions you're gonna find. Did I say I had 4 tips? I have 5. Bonus tip. Yay. Okay.

So here's number 4, planning for work. Let's talk about planning your work time like the boss that you are. You know that you were going to have to request vacation time, or if you're a solopreneur like me, make sure that you're planning around when you can take the time off. Do you know that 2 thirds of all Americans don't take their maximum time off? Jet Setters, I wanna help you make sure you're not one of those peeps. Requesting your time off early in the year is like securing the best seat in the movie theater for Wicked. It's about setting your intentions for those extended breaks and ensuring that you get that well deserved rest and rejuvenation that we all need. By mapping out your leave in advance, you're not just clocking out. You are stepping into your world of r and r with a little indulgence on the side.

And now that bonus tip that I just mentioned, tip number 5. Did research indicates that having something fun to look forward to is good for your mental health. So planning now gives you that something to look forward to. It's true. Think about a time you've looked forward to something fun. The wicked, a concert with friends, a fun experience with your family, when you plan your trip further in advance, for example, the one my husband and I are taking in February on the Sea Cloud, the original sailing yacht. You can enjoy the benefits of anticipation. You can invite people to come with you.

Anyone want to come sailing with us in February? And you get to make sure that you enjoy the benefits of that anticipation for an even longer time. So I plan to talk to you about where you're going in January. Until then, jet setters, safe travels.