We’re well into the new year, and if you haven’t made your travel resolutions for 2020, it’s time to get planning! Here are five ideas to get you started:
Visit Somewhere New
On its face, that seems obvious, but we’re all creatures of habit in one way or another, and it’s hard not to want to revisit a destination where we’ve had a great vacation in the past. Cost is also a factor for many when considering a vacation destination, so if heading back to an old favorite is what best fits your budget, why not try experiencing that destination in a new way?
One way to do that is to live like a local during your stay. If you’re familiar with your surroundings, why not try to visit parts of the area you haven’t yet seen? Where do the people who live in that city go to eat? What do they do for fun? Where do they shop? Chances are, those places are in parts of the area where there aren’t a lot of tourists and out-of-towners.
Travel with New People
Some of the best memories from vacations come not from the places we visit, but from the people we travel with. Traveling with different people in your party can change the experience. Consider traveling with people you’ve never traveled with before. For couples, that could mean inviting close friends or your parents to come along on your trip. For families with children, perhaps inviting close friends who also have children, or getting several families together and organizing a trip, could make for a whole new experience.
Do A New Activity
Any time we travel to a new place is sure to be full of new experiences. Why not add another new one to the mix? Is there an activity you’ve always wanted to try, but haven’t had the courage to until now, or haven’t been in a place where you can try it?
If you travel to a place with great scenery, maybe you could try skydiving, a hot air balloon ride, or a helicopter tour. People visiting a beach location could go parasailing, or take a surfing or paddleboarding lesson. Visiting a locale with great golf courses? Take a golf lesson or visit a driving range. Most places who cater to tourists have clubs and equipment available to rent.
Taking a trip to a place with a lot of theme parks, like Orlando? You could try a roller coaster for the first time, or visit a water park and try out a really exciting water slide for the first time (weather permitting, of course)!
Let Your Taste Buds Be Your Guide
Most people love trying new restaurants when they vacation, but what about trying new food? Chances are the place you’re visiting has a local delicacy or a signature dish. For example, Philadelphia has the cheesesteak, New York, Chicago, and St. Louis each has its own unique style of pizza, and Maryland, New England, and the Pacific coast are all known for different types of seafood dishes.
In any location with a distinct dish or cuisine, locals probably each have an opinion about which restaurant makes the best version. Try the signature dish of the place you’re visiting, or try multiple versions of it from different restaurants and join the local debate!
Truly Unplug and Relax
This one is easier said than done. We’re all hyper-connected these days, whether it’s to emails from work, text messages with friends and family, social media, or all of the above. Vacation should be a time to get away from the day-to-day stresses of life, unwind, relax, and recharge. It’s also a great opportunity to reconnect with the people in your traveling party – your friends and close family members.
Why really try to unplug on your next vacation? Institute a family rule about only checking email or social media once per day, or try not using your smart device at all while you’re together. It can be difficult, but really rewarding and freeing if you do.
Many people can’t afford to take five vacations in a year to accomplish all these resolutions, but with a trip to Encore Resort at Reunion, you can do ALL of them in one great trip! Encore’s four to 13-bedroom vacation homes are perfect for extended stays where you can live like a local, and Encore’s expert, 24-hour service staff can help guide you to the places the locals like to eat, shop, and play.
If you’re traveling with new people or a lot more people than usual, Encore’s large homes offer plenty of space to accommodate your entire party under one roof, complete with private pools, full kitchens, dining rooms, ensuite bathrooms, and more. You even get the added bonus of saving time rounding up your whole party to make plans, which gives you even more time to have fun.
Want to try a new activity? Encore Resort is just minutes from Orlando’s world-class attractions: Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and SeaWorld Orlando, and offers complimentary shuttle service to all three. If you’ve never been on a water slide before, its 10-acre water park (one of many fantastic amenities on property) has some really exciting ones!
Letting your taste buds guide your journey? Encore has a great concierge staff to guide you to great local places to eat, as well as in-home grocery delivery if you’d like to try some culinary artistry yourself. Or, you could have one of Encore’s expert chefs cook an exciting new dish for you and your party in your vacation home!
If you want to truly unplug, relax, and reconnect, Encore Resort at Reunion is the best place to do that. There are soccer, tennis and basketball facilities, a resort pool with cabanas for rent, a fantastic water park, kids’ club, and more amenities for all sorts of activities. There’s so much to do at Encore, you won’t even notice you haven’t checked your email all day.
No matter what your 2020 travel resolutions might be, chances are you can fulfill them at Encore Resort at Reunion! Unless you want to go mountain climbing. They haven’t figured out a way to make mountains in Florida. Yet.
