• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About/Hire Me
    • About Me
    • Hire Me
    • Contact
    • Family
    • Faith
    • FAQ
    • My Running Story
    • Recipes
  • Disney
  • Fitness
    • runDisney Information Page
    • Fitness
    • Races
  • Parenting
  • Travel

Through Heather's Looking Glass

  • Disney
  • Fitness
  • Travel
  • family
  • About Me

How To Make Your Next Trip The Best Ever

February 12, 2021 | Travel

I love to travel, and the last year has strengthened my desire to get out and explore as much as possible in a safe way. If you’re daydreaming about your next trip, and you’re on a mission to ensure it’s the best one ever, here are some tips to keep in mind as you plan!

Image from

Researching excursions and activities

When you browse brochures or scroll through online photos of deluxe hotels, golden beaches and swimming pools, it’s easy to get carried away with hotel and resort amenities and decadent rooms. While it’s important to choose a place that crosses all of the boxes, it’s also important to research the surrounding area and see what kinds of excursions and activities are available. From sea kayaking and snorkeling to horseback riding, rock climbing, learning to cook local specialties and taking dance classes, there’s time to enjoy all kinds of experiences during your vacation. Read reviews, get ideas from travel blogs like mine or search pins on Pinterest and see how the locals live and how they like to spend their time. Planning ahead enables you to discover and explore ideas and it will also save time and effort when you arrive at your destination. I do not recommend just showing up and “winging it!”

Finding the perfect accommodation

The range of accommodation options available to travelers now is impressive. Today, you can put down roots for a weekend or a couple of weeks in hotels, resorts, apartments, beach houses, tree houses, log cabins in the woods or even transparent pods that enable you to stargaze or try and spot the Northern Lights. Depending on your location and the type of break you’re planning, you can browse the best hotels with hot tubs in room options, luxury beach resorts, spa hotels, ranches, glamping destinations or city center lofts at the touch of a button. Think about where you want to go, how you want to spend your time and how much you want to spend. You may have to sacrifice in another are if the hotel or location of accommodations is really important to you. Make a list ranking things so you know what is more important!

Adding a personal touch

When you’re planning an itinerary, it’s always a good idea to personalize your plans. It can be tempting to copy and paste from somebody else’s trip, but we all have different interests. Spend some time researching places to visit and things to see and do and add a personal touch. If you’re organizing a weekend away for an anniversary or a vacation for a special birthday celebration, for example, you could arrange for the hotel to ensure that there are balloons or a bouquet of flowers waiting in the room, book a table at a restaurant your partner has always wanted to visit or even ask for a shout out if you go to a soccer or football game or you get tickets for a concert. Little things can often make a big difference!

Picture courtesy of

Many of us are longing to book a vacation and enjoy the freedom to roam. If you’ve started thinking about your next trip or weekend away, take these tips into consideration to make it the best trip ever. Plan ahead, research the area, explore unique accommodation options and add a personal touch!

Related: Packing for a Disney Trip

Like this:

Like Loading...

Sign up for my newsletter

Primary Sidebar

I am Heather Montgomery, a 30 something southern girl living in Knoxville, Tennessee with my husband Bobby, 10-year-old daughter Emma Kate, and our goldendoodles Dolly and Luna. I’m just a regular girl who likes to workout, travel, hang with my family, text, and eat chips and queso. Be sure to check out my “about me” page for more info!
Thank you for visiting, and feel free to contact me with questions, (or for PR inquiries or press trip invites) at Support@HeathersLookingGlass.com.

Please, no guest post requests. 🙂

More about me

Privacy Policy

You can also find me here:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • Family Fun in Tuscaloosa: Your Ultimate Getaway Beyond Game Day
  • 5 Reasons to Try a New Way of Travel
  • Experience Superhero-Sized Fun at Gaylord Opryland DC Summer
  • Digital Nomads: Safely Working Remotely While You Roam
  • Tips for Surviving (and Thriving) as a Travel Ball Mom

 

Search

How to Start a Blog

How to start a blog
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
  • Disney
  • Fitness
  • Travel
  • Family
🌴 GIVEAWAY ALERT!🌴 Ready to escape to para 🌴 GIVEAWAY ALERT!🌴 

Ready to escape to paradise? I spent a few dreamy days at Margaritaville Beach Resort Fort Myers, and I’m giving YOU the chance to win 2 FREE nights at this beachfront oasis! 😍☀️ #margaritavillepartner

Here are 5 things I didn’t expect to love so much (but totally did):
1️⃣ Fins Up Beach Club — live music, great drinks, and cabana vibes for days!
2️⃣ The Rooms — bright, coastal decor and ocean views that make you feel like you’re living inside a vacation postcard.
3️⃣ The Spa — a total hidden gem. My massage was next-level relaxation.
4️⃣ The Restaurants — from casual beachfront bites to more elevated dining, the food alone is worth the trip.
5️⃣ The Vibe — laid-back luxury with the perfect mix of fun and relaxation. It’s always 5 o’clock here! 🍹

✨ Whether you’re staying overnight or popping in with a day pass, Margaritaville Beach Resort Fort Myers Beach is pure island bliss.

🎉 Now YOU could win a 2-night stay!

🏖️ Prize: Complimentary Two-Night Stay at Margaritaville Beach Resort Fort Myers Beach
⚠️ Blackout dates apply.

How to Enter:
✅ Like this post & follow both @HeathersLG and @margaritavillefortmyers
✅ Tag at least 2 friends in the comments (extra comments = extra entries!)
✅ Comment: Are you a pool or beach person?

🌟 BONUS (not mandatory) for 5 extra entries: SHARE this post on your stories and TAG me so I can see it!

Good luck — and remember, it’s always island time somewhere! 🌊🍹

Redemption Details:
Winner must book by August 31, 2025
Valid for travel between August 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026

Must be 18+ to enter
Giveaway closes midnight July 25, 3025. Not sponsored by Instagram. 

#MargaritavilleResort #FortMyersBeach #BeachClubVibes #CabanaLife #SpaDay #BeachGetaway #ResortGiveaway #FinsUp
I’ve had an interesting first few days of being I’ve had an interesting first few days of being in my 40’s. A bit of a nerve wracking medical week I guess you could say. 

Have you ever had an MRI? Do you suffer from hearing loss? 👂 

#thisis40 #hearingloss #mri #inmy40s #40andfabulous
✨ This is what radiance looks like ✨ #ad Sin ✨ This is what radiance looks like ✨ #ad 

Since turning forty, I’ve been all about simple changes that help me feel strong, healthy, and confident — inside and out. 

Adding Organixx Collagen to my coffee each morning has been one of the easiest ways to support my skin, hair, and joints while juggling busy mom life. It blends right in and makes me feel like I’m doing something good for myself every single day. 

Because for me, it’s not just about looking good — it’s about feeling my best, staying active, and showing up for the people and moments that matter most. 
Radiance starts from within, and @organixxco helps make it part of my everyday routine.

🤩Use code HMONTGOMERY to save 10%! Link is in my bio.

 #organixx #organixxcollagen #CollagenRoutine #GlowFromWithin #BusyMomLife #ThisIsWhatRadianceLooksLike
I LOVE @disneyphotopass photographers! We have met I LOVE @disneyphotopass photographers! We have met some of the kindest most fun cast members while getting our pictures taken. 

If you don’t get pics taken with them often you probably won’t get this reel, and that’s ok. IYKYK. It’s all in good fun! 💚

What did I miss/forget?😆

#disneyphotopass #photopassphotographer #disneypics #disneyfunny #disneymeme
Follow me for more parenting hacks. 💁🏻‍♀ Follow me for more parenting hacks. 💁🏻‍♀️

#backtoschool #parentinghack #backtoschooltips #backtoschoolshopping
I turned 40 today. 🎉 Hitting a milestone like t I turned 40 today. 🎉 Hitting a milestone like this has me reflecting—not just on what I’ve accomplished, but on who I’m becoming.

I’ve always been driven to achieve, to push, to prove. But lately, I’ve been learning to celebrate presence over performance, connection over perfection.

Today wasn’t about checking a box or hitting a goal—it was about pausing, feeling grateful, and eating a ridiculous amount of cake with people I love. And honestly? That feels like growth.

Here’s to 40: more aligned, more grounded, and still a little extra. 😉

#thisis40 #40andfabulous #thankyoujesusfor40years #birthdaygirl❤️ #40andoverclub
Turning 40 tomorrow. 🎂 Big milestones always Turning 40 tomorrow. 🎂 

Big milestones always make me pause and ask:
What am I proud of?
What needs to shift?
Am I becoming the woman I want to be?

💡 As an Enneagram 3, I’ve always been wired to achieve — and for a long time, that meant shaping myself into whatever version I thought people would like best.

There are tables where it’s clear I’m not welcome — and that used to wreck me.
But at 40? I don’t do cliques. I don’t do shrinking or contorting to be accepted. 👀

I’ll always be kind. I’ll always be respectful. But I’m done dragging a chair to tables that were never built for me.

I’m moving over. Making space.
Creating my own table.

✨Who’s in?

#ThisIs40
#OwnYourStory
#ReelTalk
#Over30Club
#ChristianWomen
#PersonalGrowthJourney
#enneagram3

Copyright © 2025 · Through Heather's Looking Glass · Theme by Bella Creative Studio

%d