Preparing for a Maldives Holiday

The best part of a Maldives holiday is actually being there – where you can sit comfortably beside the beach, drinking your favorite tropical fruit shake, enjoying the sun and having not a single care in the world. But before you reach to that point, you have to make some deep planning and preparation. The best advice I can give you is to decide months in advance when you are going.

It is ideal to begin planning at least 6 months in advance prior to leaving. This way, you can have all your schedules cleared and arrange the necessary documents needed for the trip.

Set your budget. Maldives can be a very expensive place if you just leave your budget to chance. Determining how much money you want to spend for your holiday before you even begin to book anything will give you a clear cut limitation on how you will get there and where to stay once you're there. Start a savings plan if necessary.

You can browse different travel websites and look for hard figures that say how much do you have to spend on the holiday. Call then one by one. The idea is to shop around. You are more likely to find the best deal by visiting several websites and talking to different travel agents than just by limiting yourself to the first site that appears on your search engine.

Decide how to get there. Are you planning to arrange it with a traveling agency? Are you going to book your own flight, pick and reserve a hotel room and choose the itineraries yourself?

If you have decided to arrange your tip with a traveling agency, make sure that it is legitimate. Ask a friend or check the BBB (Better Business Bureau).

If you are going to plan the trip yourself, you have to decide how to get there and where to stay. Several airline carriers including Condor, Emirates, Indian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Aeroflot, Air Europe, Malaysian Airlines and Australian Airlines fly regularly to and from Maldives. Check if any of these carriers fly from or near your areas and book your flight. If not, book a connecting flight as early as possible. Secure travel insurance.

Know the reason why do you want to go to Maldives. Is it for fun, romance, family bonding or just to experience the place? Are you planning to go diving, canoeing, windsurfing or parasailing?

Choosing a hotel can be a bit of a task but given enough time, you will be able to find one that fits your needs. There are several hotels in the country, almost all of them offer packages. Choose one that is most suitable to your requirements. Still, you have to decide a hotel based on your budget, activities that can be done on the location of the hotel and accommodation.

If you are traveling with children, I suggest that you choose a hotel with kid's club so that you can still have the time to enjoy other places of interest.

About 2 weeks prior to departure, start reaffirming your reservations and ensure that everything is in order.

Days before the departure, pack everything you need. The night before you leave, just relax and sleep early. Be at the airport 2 to 3 hours before your scheduled flight.

Once you're there, enjoy!