Man: Let’s plan a vacation for next year.
Woman: Sounds great! We could really use one.
Man: Alright! I’ll contact our travel agent to book us some tickets to Costa Rica. Oh – and she can set up some ziplining tours, white water rafting and set up the rental car….
Woman: Costa Rica? I was thinking something more along the lines of relaxing at a resort where I can go to the spa, have a drink by the pool and have someone wait around on me all day, maybe in St. Lucia….
Man: I don’t want to lay around all day – I’d be bored out of my mind!
Woman: Well I’m not taking a vacation so I can just be going non-stop the whole week!
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Sound familiar? It does to me because I experience it many times when working with couples…whether they are brides/grooms, husbands/wives or simply significant others. Each person in a couple often has a different idea in mind for what would be their ideal vacation, and my task is often to help them get to a happy medium. I love this challenge and am always excited to put my “process” in place to see where we end up in creating a vacation both will love.
So what is my “process” if a couple is undecided on their vacation?
- First, I ask each one to close their eyes and tell me their vision of the trip: What they are seeing, doing, eating, etc?
- Then, I ask about past vacations: Why they took them, what they enjoyed most and what they didn’t enjoy.
- Next, I ask about their favorite hotels and why they enjoyed them.
- Finally, I ask for a budget and what they need the budget to cover.
Note: I also like to ask what the couple has disliked about a past vacation. Sometimes, one thing can spoil an otherwise wonderful trip – and what a couple dislikes can often stick in their minds as much as what they liked. Knowing this upfront helps me avoid potential repeats of an unpleasant experience.
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I take the information they give me and use it to determine destinations that match the majority of their interests and will work within their budget. I give them the various options of destinations with my reasons for choosing them. My reasons always tie back to what each party of the couple has shared with me….and generally help to create that overlapping area of their individual ideal vacations that becomes the shared ideal vacation.
This process has served me well over the years – and created some great vacations for couples that they might never have really considered on their own. By asking the right questions, listening and using my experience and research abilities, I’m always able to find the “sweet spot”. Not sure where to travel next? I’m happy to try my process out with you!
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Comment below if you are one of the couples I’ve helped plan a vacation!
