8 Essential Tips For Traveling to Orlando and Having an Excellent Vacation

1. Plan Out Your Travel and Route

Now, how are you going to be getting to Orlando? Are you currently in the states and looking at driving in, or even getting a bus? Or are you currently located outside of the states, and looking at getting a plane ride into Orlando International Airport. Planning out your travel, and establishing the route you will take will help to cut down stress and anxiety levels. Planning travel is especially important if you are traveling a substantial distance or if you are traveling with a family. You may want to start booking flights separately and looking at insurance coverage as well, to ensure you are covered for your trip. It may have been a little while since you last travelled through an airport, so make sure that you are up to date with the latest requirements and protocols.

2. Book Your Accommodation Early

Westgate Vacation Villas and Town Center, Source: Instagram, posted August 9th 2021, Westgate Resorts Official Profile

“More than just a place to get some sleep and rest – a place to have some fun too”

Where you stay has an impact on the type of vacation you have. If you do not stay in the accommodation that best suits you and your family or even the style of holiday you are having, it can mean that your vacation does not get off to the start that you want. Booking accommodation early means you get to choose where you stay, and it means you don’t have to simply make do either. When it comes to booking accommodation, you need to look at resorts close to the parks for when you are visiting Disney, but you also need to look at other hotels in Downtown Orlando for when you are exploring all that Orlando has to offer. If you are staying for more than one week, you will want to make sure that you move around – to fully experience all that Orlando has to offer. To ensure you choose the right accommodation for yours and your family’s needs, you must think about what is important to you during your stay. For example, are you more focused on the star rating of a hotel, or are the amenities and facilities more important?

3. Go Where the Locals Go

Even though you may be visiting Orlando as a tourist, it does not mean that you shouldn’t go where the locals go or do what they do. Quite often local residents have the best-kept secrets about where to dine, where to stay, and what to do and when. Using local knowledge and information is important. Reaching out to local residents and asking them where they go and what they do is an important step to make. If you do not ask directly, you will struggle to get the answers that you need and want. You may also find that local knowledge may be able to point you in the right direction for exciting day trips, or it may be able to tell you the best shops, malls and boutiques to visit and why. Asking on local forums or asking staff you come into contact with at your hotel may be beneficial too.

4. Arrange Park Visits

One of the best things about a trip to Orlando is the theme parks. Whether you are a huge Disney fan, or you are interested in Universal studios or the waterparks, you will find that there is literally something for everyone and their tastes. A trip to Orlando would not be complete without a trip to the parks, so be sure to visit them when you can. To make the most out of park visits, you need to arrange them in advance. Pre-book your tickets and ensure that you go to the attractions that you want to. If you do not organize and plan your parks in advance, you may not get to fit visits into your busy itinerary. When it comes to planning out park visits, you need to prioritize your time – especially if you are only visiting for a short period of time. Prioritizing your time will help you see (and take in) everything that you want to.

5. Visiting the Beaches

Clearwater Beach at sunset, Source:unsplash.com, posted on January 8th 2019, Evi T

When you get to Orlando it is important to remember that you are just under a couple of hours away from clean, sandy white beaches in Florida. Your vacation would not be complete without a visit to at least one beach, so make sure you plan a trip to the beach during your stay. When you are traveling to Orlando, you are within easy reach of Daytona Beach or Ormond Beach. If you fancy something more rugged, you are within reach of Clearwater. All locations are clean and popular with locals and tourists alike. In the season, you will find there are lots of activities to do at the beach (in addition to swimming or relaxing on the sand) so, if this is your thing, then why not start planning ahead. If you are traveling to the beach by the way of your own car (or another mode of transport) make sure you leave enough time to travel there and back – especially if you are going into the heart of Orlando, as you do not want to get stuck in rush hour traffic.

6. Have an Itinerary

You may think an itinerary is an overkill for your vacation; however, when you are visiting Orlando, you will see there is so much to do. To ensure that you fit everything in you must use an itinerary. An itinerary does not have to go into major depth about what you want to do, but it does have to cover timings. Managing your time when you are in Orlando is important because as you will see, time can quickly get away from you. When you are writing your own itinerary from scratch, always work backwards. Think about what you want to do and achieve first, and then focus on where you need to go and visit to make this happen. A jam-packed itinerary may leave you feeling tired out (and possibly even exhausted) so be sure to allocate some time for relaxing and downtime.

7. Pack Carefully

Orlando maintains steady temperatures all year round, and to take advantage of these temperatures, you need to pack carefully. When it comes to packing carefully, you need to think about what you will wear for comfort, and for ease. You will be doing a lot of walking (especially when you visit the parks) and for all of this walking, you will need to wear comfortable clothing and shoes. Sensible packing is therefore a must for your Orlando vacation. To make sure you pack everything that you need, look at your itinerary, and think about the activities you will be doing. For instance, if you have a beach day lodged in there, you will need to take your bathing costume, towels and plenty of sunscreens, as you don’t want to have to start buying things when you are at the beach.

8. Food and Beverage Options

Of course, when you are on vacation in Orlando, you want to take advantage of food and beverages where you can – after all, it wouldn’t be a vacation would it if you couldn’t indulge a little. However, always proceed with care and caution. Food bills can quickly rise – especially if you are eating out 3 times a day. Planning where you will eat, and planning what you will eat will help you stay on top of food and drink costs. Remember that if you do plan on visiting Disney parks – try and eat at your hotel or restaurant prior, as park food prices can at times be extortionate, you should also carry around snacks with you so that you don’t need to emergency eat. Remember to factor in the price of treats as well (an ice cream here or there for the family adds up) and don’t get caught out by expensive drinks at ‘all you can eat’ places. Orlando has many tasty things to try so perhaps aim to sample a different type of food for every day of your visit.

Relax and Have Fun

Often, you can find that you get swept up in the planning, and this means you can forget to have fun. At all times, you must remember that you are on a trip to an awesome place. Orlando has so much to offer (and more than just Disney or Universal parks) so remember to soak up the culture, and indulge in the nightlife just as the locals do. When you are trying to have an excellent vacation, you can put yourself under unnecessary stress and pressure, and this can then trigger other areas. So, before this stress and panic sets in, start taking positive steps to rectify what you are doing. Remember why you are going on holiday, and remember why you chose Orlando over all the other places in the world that you could be visiting.