You’ve decided to take a vacation. It’s been a stressful year and you are finally ready to put all of that behind you and start fresh. A little sun, fun, exotic animals and fancy drinks will renew your spirits and free you from the rat race you call life. But it isn’t that simple, is it? You have to figure out a whole lot of things before you step on the plane/pack the car/climb aboard that cruise ship.

It isn’t enough to talk to folks who’ve been there already. Sure, they might have great suggestions for what to do and where to stay; but your preferences, interests, time and budget may vary greatly from theirs, leaving you with unusable leads and your more sensitive friends with hurt feelings. You’ll have to do some research on your own, gather some information and make some decisions for yourself.

It’s probably best to start by addressing a few critical variables:

Budget
Think about the sitcom dad “How much is this gonna cost me?”
Your budget is probably the primary influence on your trip. It is going to dictate where you can go, where you can stay, how long you can stay, and what you can do while you’re there. Think about how much money you can spend? Consider this your maximum trip budget. How much would you prefer to spend? Think of this as your minimum. Somewhere in between these two numbers, you should be able to find a suitable vacation that strikes a balance between fun and frugality.

Location
It’s likely you already have a location in mind. It could be somewhere you’ve dreamed of seeing an entire lifetime, or the next hot spot you’ve got to check out. Your travel location should accommodate your budget and your interests. If you like action, somewhere busy and happening is best for you. If you want sports, consider an outdoorsy place. Is it too far away? Can you afford the flight? Maybe there is a similar place that offers what you desire at a better price. Maybe the compromise will pad your activities budget a little.

Accommodations
Some people want luxurious, all inclusive villas with shiny, crystal cocktail glasses and rose petal covered beds. Others need a hammock and a sunshade. What is your preference? How much time will you actually be in your hotel room? What will you do there besides sleep, shower, sex and (maybe) eat? If you want luxury, and only four stars will suffice, see about the all inclusive options as these will provide you with some free activities just in case you do want to step off the property.

Activities
Sit on the beach sipping cocktails all day long or brave the whitewater rapids. Which is your M.O.? You’ve got plenty of time to kill once you arrive and get settled. But, be careful, the phrase here is “time to kill.” You could blow half your vacation sitting around waiting for things to happen if you aren’t careful. What you do while on your vacation is going to feed your memories. These activities will provide photo opportunities and stories to share with friends and family back home. Of course, if your idea of a perfect vacation is to relax and do nothing, then do just that – though you maybe don’t have to fly all the way to Fiji to pull that off. A quiet spot for nothing might be much closer. Be sure to consider which activities are priorities as you’ll likely neither have the money or the time to do everything.

Time
Vacation time is practically legal tender these days. Many organizations, especially those in the US, are stingy when it comes to leave time, and getting approval for a vacation can require 10 levels of review. Sometimes, unused leave can be sold back! But you don’t want to do that, do you? Better to take that vacation and relax a little before you die. How much time can you take off before the boss starts recruiting your replacement? How long can you takeoff before you forget where your parking space was? How long must you take off to get to paradise and actually enjoy it for a few days? Budget enough time to get that euphoric sense of escape. Don’t skimp on this. You’re spending a ton of money to get away. It would be a pity to rush through everything so fast you can’t enjoy it!