S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Realistic
T = Timely
Specific
Specific is the what, why, and how of the SMART model.
What are you going to do? Use action words such as climb the Eiffel Tower; Meet my Great Aunt in Italy; Be at the 2011 F1 German Grand Prix.
Why is this important to do at this time? What do you want to ultimately accomplish? How are you going to do it?
Ensure the Travel Goal you set is very specific, clear and easy. Instead of setting a goal to travel. Be specific — I want to be at my cousin's wedding in Dublin on September 21 of next year. I will achieve this by setting aside $100 per week from September 21 this year. Its important to me because Sam is my favourite cousin — we grew up together and I have not seen him for more than 10 years. Another example - I want to travel to Melbourne on 20th November in two years time. I will achieve this by setting aside $25 per week (that's only $3.57 per day) now so that I can attend the Melbourne Cup with my friends, Tim and Graham.
Measurable
If you can't measure it, you can't manage it. TravelGoals provides you a balance on your Travel savings and a graph. If your goal is (say) $5,000 and you've got twelve months then you'll be saving about $96 a week (only $13.71 per day). The calculator tells you this as you set your goal. As long as you stick to your payments then you are pretty much guaranteed you'll be in Dublin. If your goal is (say) $2.600 and you've got twenty four months then you'll be saving $25 a week (only $3.57 per day). By setting up an automatic payment for your regular contributions then you are on your way towards your goal of going to the Melbourne Cup.
Attainable
When you identify your travel goal you must believe that you can make it (or them) come true. You then develop the attitude, ability, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You'll actually see why you haven't achieved some of your goals in the past.
Goals you set which are too far out of your reach, you probably won't commit to doing. Although you may start with the best of intentions, the knowledge that it's too much for you means your subconscious wi ll keep reminding you of this fact and will stop you from even giving it your best. So if flying Virgin Galactic seems a little too much then maybe London will be more you.
A goal needs to stretch you slightly so you feel you can do it and it will need a real commitment from you. For instance — Gold Coast may be too easy, you've been there done that. A stretch could be Dubai or Vietnam.
The feeling of success which this brings helps you to remain motivated and ready to start your next goal. Incidentally you can have several goals running together over different time frames.
Realistic
This is not a synonym for "easy". Realistic, in this case, means "do-able". It means that the travel goal is realistic but it won't mean you have to eat less food to afford it or that you have to work four jobs to meet the commitment.
Devise a plan or a way of getting there which makes the goal realistic. The goal needs to be realistic for you and where you are at the moment. A goal that requires for you to save $500 a week when you only get $650 a week is destined to fail.
Be sure to set goals that you can attain with some effort! Too difficult and you set the stage for failure, but too low sends the message that you aren't very capable. Set the bar high enough for a satisfying achievement!
Time Dated
This is easy because it's part of the TravelGoal process. Putting an end point on your goal gives you a clear target to work towards.
If you don't set a time, the commitment is too vague. It tends not to happen because you feel you can start at any time. Without a time limit, there's no urgency to start taking action now.
Time must be measurable, attainable and realistic. There's no time like the present — we'd rather see you start today at $50 a week rather than think you'll start next month at $100 a week. Wait for nothing!
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