So you and your partner have been talking for a little bit about meeting or visiting each other! Now, it’s time for the action part; booking and planning the trip!
This is easily the most exciting part of the LDR aspect. It definitely brings you and your partner closer together during your planning stage, especially when it comes to thinking about where you’ll go, what you’ll do and what places you to show each other! But, unless you’ve got a decent income or some savings, you’d be wise to start early in planning your trip and budgeting the spending.
Here are some tips to help make your first LDR visit successful, yet easy on your bank card too!
1. Know your budget
When planning your trips, you need to consider your budget. If you’re still in school, college or university, you need to give your budget some great consideration. Being in an LDR is a costly process. Think about how often you want to see each other and if it’s going to be a considerate amount of time before the next trip. If it will be a while before you see each other, then maybe spoil each other a little bit!
But if it’s going to be 3-4 months or even less before the next trip, maybe you don’t need to go out to eat every day the way you may be used to. Spend some quality time doing things at home together instead to save some extra cash. Plus, being left out of pocket is no fun when you get back home and have things to catch up on, so remember to budget well!
2. Plan, plan and plan some more
After working out your budget, save a bit of that budget as ‘backup’ so you don’t have to spend every penny of it. Keep some in case you need it! It’s a good idea for your partner to think of some interesting places to go to too. Maybe you’ll visit some famous landmark, or go on sightseeing tours? The point is, to plan your trip out! It’s nice to be spontaneous, but it’s usually costly if it’s done super last minute.
3. Save
This step is a bit obvious, but it’s important to really try hard to save! Try not to overspend in the weeks that run up to your trip. Surely you’d rather spend that daily coffee money on having an ice-cream a day after your afternoon walk in the park taking pictures and making memories with your partner!
4. Bargain hunt
Now that you have a budget worked out, do yourself a favour and stick to it. The longer you’ve been in an LDR, the more you realise that you’re quite a good bargain hunter. There are plenty of good websites that offer good flight deals and it’s a very good idea to check those out. Remember, you don’t always have to book on the actual airline website to get the best deal.
Disclaimer: make sure you read the terms and conditions and double check dates and times before confirming your booking. Make sure to read up on reviews on a particular website before using, there are some fraudulent websites out there, so be careful!
5. Sign up for loyalty programmes
It’s a good idea to sign up for as many airline loyalty programmes as you can. All this flying around and round trips will mean that you may even get a discount every so often, or even snag yourself upgrades too! The majority of the frequent flyer programmes are free to join. All that travel time soon adds up and every little helps.
6. Have all your documents
Make sure you have all your documents printed out and double checked. Think about train tickets, any railcards (if you’re in the UK), supporting documents, relevant ID, Passport, the right currency, any visas you may need, especially if you’re travelling to another country. Make sure you have everything!
There’s nothing that can ruin the start of your trip worse than forgetting something and having your trip delayed. The best way to make sure you have everything is to have it nearly all packed and ready to go a few days before you leave. That way, you can always be sure that you have everything, or mentally run through your journey to the airport and count off all the documents you need. It’s horrible forgetting something important, and it’s so easy to do when you’re nervous and excited about your first meet up!
I hope that these tips will help your first trip go a little bit smoother! It’s absolutely normal to be a bit nervous, or have an entire zoo in your tummy, but spend a little time going through your travel documents and luggage to make sure you have everything. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself and your partner, just relax and have a great time. It’ll be an experience you’ll never forget!
Guest Post Thanks to Crossing The World
