Maybe you're taking a trip this year. You might involve the family and ask them where you should go. Perhaps you have not taken a vacation since the pandemic started. Now that you got the vaccine and your booster shots, you can hit the road and make some fun memories together.
You might target Pigeon Forge this year. It is not all that expensive when you think about what an Orlando, New York, or Los Angeles trip would cost.
Retreats in Pigeon Forge for a relaxing vacation should appeal, but you might encounter some headaches if you do not plan ahead. We'll discuss how some forethought can improve your entire vacation right now.
How Will You Get There?
First, you should consider how you'll get there. Are you close by? If you can reach Pigeon Forge within a few hours, you might consider driving.
If you have a hybrid or an electric car, that can save you some real money. Flying gets you there faster, but you must pay the price. Flight tickets can get pricey, even if you order them right now and won't take your trip till July or August.
If you fly, that drives up the trip's price, but it can save you some aggravation. There are no traffic jams or complaining kids in the back seat, and that might make the extra cost worthwhile.
The Gatlinburg Pigeon Forge Airport gets you closest if you're flying. Only some airlines go there, though. You can look into different airlines and flights and select the one that you feel makes the most sense.
Can Credit Card Points Help?
You should also look into credit card points. If you have multiple cards, you can check your points balance. Maybe you've saved up plenty, and now, you can use them.
You might find special discounts when you use certain credit cards. Some cards let you stay a free night every year. Usually, you can only book a particular hotel brand or chain, so keep that in mind.
You might cover the flight and hotel stay using points. If you can't, you can at least upgrade the flight or hotel room. Flying first class should appeal, as should getting a more luxurious room.
Where Will You Stay?
You should also check out different hotels in the area. Pigeon Forge has many hotels and motels, and
you can find rustic lodges there as well.
Which option most appeals? You might do a fancier hotel if you're feeling posh and you can afford it. You can also find cheaper motel options if you can afford the trip, but just barely. If you flew there and you don't have much money left over afterward, you might do a cheaper motel to balance things out.
If you rent a cabin, you can live the rustic life. That might appeal, but if you can't stand the natural world, you probably won't like it very much.
The cabins resemble ones you might remember from summer camp. Maybe you have reached a point where that kind of thing does not sound so fun anymore.
On the other hand, if you still love camping and roughing it, you and the family should do fine. You can rent a cabin with several fun activities close by. You can also do a wilderness walk if you're by some woods and you feel like relaxing amongst the trees before hitting the amusement parks and other manmade attractions.
Can You Find Any Coupons or Other Discounts Online?
You can also look around online before you leave and locate any good deals that can save you money. You can sometimes find sites where you can check out various coupons and discounts covering the whole Pigeon Forge area. You can get digital coupons and apply them when you book hotels, get ride passes, or purchase anything else that you can use during your trip.
You can visit some of the individual attraction sites. Once you learn about the best things worth doing there, you can see whether they have websites, go there, and see whether you can score any additional discounts.
You might also try installing a browser add-on that automatically finds coupons when you visit different websites. These add-ons can save you money during this trip-planning stage, but you can also use them any time you get on your computer.
Whenever you buy something online, the add-on will tell you about any discounts and coupons that exist and apply them automatically when you reach the website's checkout stage.
Can You Book Show or Dinner Reservations in Advance?
You should do one final thing that will set you up nicely as the trip approaches. You might see whether you can book any show reservations or dinner reservations ahead of time. Many times, you can do that, and then you will make sure you have your whole itinerary planned out before you fly or drive there.
In Pigeon Forge, the Dolly Parton's Dinner Theater show, the pirates-themed show, and the Elvis-themed show often sell out. You can reserve tickets you'll use on certain days or nights while you're there.
You can also get some dinner reservations. If you visit some cheaper places, you won't need reservations, but if you're having at least one or two high-end meals, you can reserve a table there so you won't wait in line beforehand.
If you take all of these advance measures, you can plan out your whole trip beforehand, and you can just follow the schedule that you've created. You can feel sure that you've found the best prices, and you should enjoy yourself fully.
You can also get there and make up your itinerary as you go along. If you do that, though, you might not get all of the tickets you want, and you might miss certain popular shows and events. Planning ahead makes sense before major trips like this, and you can get in the habit starting now.
