When it comes time to go on your Summer vacation, you’re thrilled. You’ve been waiting on this moment, perhaps for that last 6 months, if not since the last vacation ended. Summer vacation is, despite the Christmas song, the most wonderful time of the year. We get to take a break from the mundanity of our day to day lives for just a little while, and all is good. However, this, too, requires some work, and I think we can agree it’s all worth it to have the perfect getaway this Summer. However, you may find yourself too tired from the daily grind and overwhelmed by this vacation planning process, so here are some tips to guide you.

First and foremost, you’re going to need to book everything as early as possible. So, book a room with Crown Plaza or another hotel or resort of your choosing, a flight, if needed, and a rental car, again, if needed. Do this early to give yourself the smoothest start to your vacation as humanly possible, but also the ability to change plans should the need arise. This step, alone, can drastically reduce the stress of planning a trip.

Next, make sure your luggage is packed, again, as early as possible, though this offers a smaller window. When packing, make a checklist, physical or mental is up to you, of all the travel essentials. This includes toiletries, such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, and feminine hygiene products, as well as clothing, one outfit per day with some backups, and your ID and passport, as needed. Once you have all of this done, you’ll be sure to start your vacation off right and have the best possible Summer as a direct result.