A Dream Vacation

Why would you have a dream holiday in the first place? Would it be a romantic getaway for two to rekindle some magic?

Would it be a family celebration or reunion? Maybe your dream holiday would be to commemorate a special event in your family or community.

Maybe it will be to celebrate a religious event.

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Whatever your dream holiday looks like to you, it's going to need careful planning and organising.

Start off well in advance with a 'To do' list. I couldn't get through life without my lists and you can go back to them time and time again and tick things off or add/ change things too.

Is this going to be on an anniversary of an event? Will it fall mid week or at the week-end? Does your special dream holiday clash with a sporting event taking place the same day or something else that will prevent people attending your day or stop you from venturing off?

It's no good planning for a dream holiday when your family will be watching a big football match or there's something going on that someone will resent missing.

How long will it last? Just for a day, a weekend, a week or longer?

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So, you've decided what the occasion is, you've decided when it'll be, but where will you hold this holiday or where will you go for a dream holiday?

If it's a small family event, you may chose to hold an event at home. Think carefully about the space you have available. If it's winter time, you'll all be in the house. If it's summer time of course you can use the garden area as an extension of the space you have available.

Can you seat everyone around the table for a formal meal, or will you be having a buffet or maybe a bar-b-que?

How many people will be involved in your dream holiday? Maybe it'll just be your immediate family. Or maybe you need to consider creating a carefully thought out guest list.

Will it be for children, adults or a mixture of age groups?

Invitations may need to be sent well in advance.

If it's a community event you may need to prepare information posters as well as direct invites to key community members.

Is it a simple buffet? Maybe an American supper where the guests all bring a dish of their choosing.

Maybe a more lavish formal meal... maybe a picnic.

Bar-b-ques are great if you can rely on the weather and have someone who is prepared to stand and cook over high heat.

So, you've decided why, where, when and who, but what about the entertainment?

Will you be holding a disco or dance? Maybe a pool party. How will you keep everyone occupied?

Maybe you need to keep little ones occupied on a long journey... good luck with that!!

Remember, you may to find something for all age groups.

Of course, you may be planning a trip away as your dream holiday.

Will you go camping or have a taste of luxury in a hotel? Will you have a beach holiday or maybe try skiing?

You may be considering a weekend city break. In Europe, it's easy to hop across to another country to spend a weekend sampling foreign delights.

In America, you may chose to visit New York for a long weekend or maybe to celebrate New Year.

Whatever you decide, make sure that everyone involved is sharing their opinions too.

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Of course, there could be one very important deciding factor for your dream holiday... COST!

Have an idea for the outset of your budget limit and stick to it. If you're organising an event yourself, look into costs of hiring venues, marquees, entertainers, food, crockery, cutlery, glasses, invitations, flowers, drinks and anything else you think you'll need.

Maybe you'll find somewhere that will do all of this for you at a 'cost per head' rate.

If you're going on a dream vacation, look around for the best deals. Use flight comparison sites like Sidestep.com.

Do the same for hotels. We tend to use Hotels.com and ALWAYS read the reviews available before booking.

Whatever you do, try and work out how much each step is going to cost you and don't get carried away to the point of going over budget!