For many people, especially perhaps those from Europe, a trip to Florida is often a once in a lifetime experience, and as such it’s important that visitors do all they can to get the most from their vacation. There is so much fun and enjoyment to be had, so the time will simply pass by in a flash. Therefore, the odyssey can be even better if nothing goes wrong.
- FloridaExpress Monorail / Travel Photos / CC BY-NC-ND
Here are a few tips to help you enjoy the vacation to end them all.
Don’t let the sun ruin things
There’s a reason why Florida is known as the Sunshine State, and many first-time visitors underestimate the power of the sun’s rays when they go out. It’s warm almost all year round, and in the summer months the heat can be particularly intense, so you should always make sure you and your family members are protected. Wear a hat, keep a shirt on and remember to use plenty of sunscreen. Failing to take adequate precautions can cause sunstroke, and that is unpleasant enough to ruin any holiday.
Avoid the queues
The theme parks of Florida have rightly earned a wonderful reputation for providing fun and spectacle for visitors of all ages, but at peak times the queuing for rides can become monotonous. Therefore, plan your visits in advance, avoiding the peak times in the process. If you arrive as soon as the parks open and make a beeline for the most popular attractions, you will save yourself a lot of time. Also, if the park operates a fast-pass system, be sure to take advantage of it.
Stay safe
There are very few areas in Florida which are deemed to be unsafe, but it’s no good pretending that they don’t exist. Tourism guidebooks and websites will tell you where you should not be going after dark, so don’t take any chances. If you’re driving at night, keep the car doors locked from the inside, and if you’re in any doubt whatsoever about the area you happen to be in, it’s probably best that you leave immediately. Overall, however, the state of Florida is a safe one, so try not to let worries get in the way of your enjoyment.
Always hire a car
Even if you happen to be staying in a hotel which offers free shuttle bus journeys to and from the major theme parks, you should still make sure you rent a vehicle for a few days. There is so much more to Florida than the parks, so a little exploration is a great idea. Throughout the Orlando area, you’ll find a whole host of tourist attractions which are just waiting to be discovered, and if you have your own transport you can visit them as and when you please.
Plan an itinerary
Even if you plan to spend two or three weeks or more in the Sunshine State, the time can soon start to run away from you. Before you know it, you only have two or three days left yet there are six places which you have so far not seen. Because of this, it’s a good idea to plan a list of attractions that you want to visit, and to incorporate it into a loose timetable. Nobody is suggesting you should draw up a long military-style schedule that must be rigidly adhered to, of course, because nothing takes the fun out of a holiday like a stern itinerary. Just a daily list of things to see and do is all you need to make the holiday more enjoyable.
I am a big fan of an itinerary even though most people are not and they like to let things happen when they happen. I think on our next trip to Florida I will ditch the itinerary and just go with the flow.
This tip about being careful of the sun is right on! I’ll never forget a trip that we took as a family when I was fourteen. We went in January, and since we lived in New York with freezing winters, we thoroughly enjoyed the sun. We spent we day at the beach and I didn’t really want sunscreen because it didn’t really seem that hot to me. WOW! I got the worst sun burn of my life, in fact, it actually ended up being sun poisoning and it ruined the entire trip for everyone. Don’t ruin your vacation they way I did! Be sure to use caution with Florida’s hot sun!
These are some great tips. I lived in Florida for about 2 years. The sun is something that was really unexpected for me. I moved down the first week of October – up north it was already getting cold – and it was extremely hot there. Also, something else about FL is the rain it is so random there. Great article!
This is awesome. I want to go to Florida either this year or next, but since this year is already here and I don’t really have the money yet, that’s probably not happening. 😛 I do need to keep these in mind. I definitely need to base whenever I go around being there with less people. I want to go to Disney so badly and I need to make sure I have a fun experience, which includes crowds as small as possible there. Are days of the week September-May the best? (Avoiding holidays and times when a lot of people are on vacation, of course.)
Oh the queues. Long queues are not only a problem in Florida but everywhere else as well. I once had to wait 9 hours to see the Collosium in Rome.