Maybe you have wanted to visit Orlando for a while, or perhaps the last couple of years have made you re-evaluate your priorities and see that vacations, travel, and family are more important than ever. Whatever your reason or motivation for travel, you will find that Orlando is still one of the top destinations to visit, and this is for many reasons. For example, there are lots for children to see and explore, and there is also lots to keep parents happy and fulfilled too. When it comes to traveling to Orlando, you have a lot to see and do, so what traveling tips can you follow that will make the process and the planning a whole lot easier and, of course, more enjoyable too.
1. Give Yourself Time
No matter how long you are traveling to Orlando for, you will want to give yourself as much time as possible. If you leave everything until the last minute, you will find that everything costs you more money than it needs to. When you give yourself the luxury of time, you also find that you have the opportunity to explore and research options available to you, and this could mean that you have more places to eat in, or it could mean you get the better deals on attractions and park packages. If you start planning your trip to Orlando at least six months to 1 year in advance, you can be sure you give yourself enough time. If you are short on time, you will find stress levels will be higher, which will ultimately affect the enjoyment you get from your trip.
2. Choose Your Resort Carefully
Where you stay when you go to Orlando is important. If you are staying for a couple of weeks or for 21 days plus, you will find that the resort you are in will become a second home to you. If you are not comfortable or content with your resort, then it will affect how much enjoyment you get out of the whole trip. When you are choosing a resort, you want to try and compare as many as you can and establish what you want out of a resort. For example, do you want the beautiful lakes, scenery, and water park offered by the Westgate Lakes Resort Orlando, or would you be looking at a resort that is located within the Disney parks, or perhaps even within the Universal parks? How important is the location of your resort, and how important are the facilities and amenities?
3. Create a Daily Itinerary
In anticipation of your vacation to Orlando, you can find that you become overwhelmed by everything that you want to see and do. To get on top of this feeling of overwhelm, you may benefit from creating a daily itinerary. You do not want your vacation to feel too regimented, but at the same time, you want to be sure that you do and see everything you want because if you don’t, you will end up feeling disappointed, and you will certainly feel that you have missed out on something. When you are creating a daily itinerary, you need to think about who you are traveling with and work this around them. For example, if you are traveling with smaller (or younger) children, they will get tired. They will need breaks and regular stops. Trying to do too much will ruin the element of fun for them.
4. Think About Transport
Orlando is a large state, and unless you organize your transport in advance, you will find that you will struggle to try to get to the places you want to visit. There are lots of transportation options open to you in Orlando. From shuttle services offered by most resorts all the way through to rides from Uber or Lyft. If you are not looking at hiring a car, you may also want to get to grips with public and state transportation. See how you can get around on the buses, and see what routes the buses take. If you feel that you want a little more freedom and flexibility, then why not look at hiring a car. Getting a car (even if for only part of your vacation) will give you even more freedom and flexibility. Without a car, you may find that your travel movements are restricted, and this can be particularly difficult, especially if you are traveling with a young family.
5. Booking Your Flights in Advance
If you are using flights to get to Orlando, then start checking out prices as soon as you can. When you book your flights in advance, you have the potential to save anywhere from 1-% all the way up to 50%. Most of the best flight deals can be found online, and they can often be found through a search comparison site, such as Skyscanner. On search comparison sites, you will be able to see what routes are available to you, and you will be able to see the cost and the duration. When you book your flights in advance, you can then spend the savings on other elements of your vacation. If you are traveling as part of a large group or family, the booking will also cut down on unnecessary stress and pressure.
6. Sorting Out Food and Drink
Let’s face it, you are going to have to eat and drink during your trip to Orlando, and if you are not careful, you will see prices and costs slowly creep up (often without you noticing it). To stop this from happening, you need to get control of what you spend, when, and why. For example, if you are not planning out three meals a day, you will find that your family will start turning to snacks. This will no doubt happen when you are in the theme parks, and more often than not, snacks can be twice the price inside the park. At some resorts and locations, you can book your food and drink in advance, and you can pay in advance too. You can also look at pre-ordering a buffet. A buffet can be an affordable and convenient way to keep your family full and energized to take on all that Orlando has to offer.
7. Take Advantage of Discounts
There are always discounts to be had and to be found on all aspects of vacations. Getting discounts on any area of your vacation can help you save hundreds of dollars. When you are on the lookout for discounts, you need to be savvy. Sign up to websites that offer Orlando-specific items such as food and drink and even trips and attractions (outside of Disney and Universal). Discounts can be physical, or you may find that they come in the form of discount codes. Signing up for emails and newsletters will help you ensure that you never miss out on any deals that are going. You may not be saving much in some areas (perhaps cents here and there). However, over time, you will find that these cents will add up, and they will make a large difference to your end bills when they start coming in.
8. Book Park Admissions and Entrances in Advance
When you are visiting Orlando, you will surely want to visit the theme parks and resorts, including Walt Disney World and Universal. Park fees and admission prices can be expensive, especially when you are traveling as a family. To help you with these costs, you need to look at booking admission tickets in advance. Quite often, you can book daily tickets or even those that offer three-day entrance in advance and save yourself money in the process. Booking in advance not only saves you money, but it also saves saves you time. It allows you to plan out what you are going to see and when. If you left booking parks until the very last minute, you would find that it would end up costing you a lot more money.
9. Travel in a Group
You will find that when you travel in a larger group, you have access to better deals and rates. This is applicable to accommodation, travel, and even sightseeing. If you are traveling as a couple, you may wish to join forces with another couple as this will give you access to family discounts and group booking discounts. These discounts might not mean a lot on the surface, and they may not look like you are making major savings. However, when you are traveling solo or as a couple, you could end up finding that you are paying family prices. If you do not know anyone to join up with and split costs, then why not see if there are any social groups you can join that share your interest and love of Orlando. You may well find that people are traveling to Orlando at the same time as you and perhaps looking for someone to split costs with too.