Are you here ready for a great vacation in a sunny, warm, and possibly sandy area? Ingredients for a hot holiday youll remember for a lifetime are easy to plan. Here are a few to keep in mind:

First, make sure your rooms at the resort are booked in advance. Many of the best vacation resorts are fully booked ahead of time, and having reservations will make sure you have a roof over your head. In fact, some of the best destinations are booked months in advance, so do your planning early. Also remember that you may get better rates on your hotel by paying in advance.

Second, make sure your money is safe. Rather than carrying cash, use travelers checks. If travelers checks are lost or stolen they can be quickly replaced. Or, better yet, use a credit card. Most resorts take the major bank cards. Youll have a record of your purchases and the ability to dispute any inaccurate claims. If your card is lost or stolen, it can also be quickly replaced and you wont be responsible for fraudulent purchases made with it. Nothing could ruin a great vacation faster than having your cash lost or stolen with no way to replace it, so dont take that chance. Use credit cards or travelers checks and be safe.

Third, make sure the kids are taken care of. If your children are traveling with you, make sure the resort has adequate play areas and hopefully a daycare service so that youll really have a vacation without chasing the kids through the sand all the time. Many resorts have activity directors for the childrens events, and the kids will have a great time.

Next, what is the nightlife like? If you and your significant other want to dance the night away, fantastic! Just make sure that the location you pick has a reputation for quality nightlife. Warm vacation spots that pride themselves on good nightclubs include Key West a favorite of Ernest Hemmingway; Miami the home of Gloria Estefan; Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Diego, and if you dont mind skipping the beach, Las Vegas has some of the most exciting night life on earth. And remember to take along some cab fare. Definitely dont drive when youve been drinking.

Next think comedy. Are there good comedy clubs in the area? Nothing beats a good stand up comedian. And if stand up isnt your bag, what other entertainment do you prefer. Magicians and musicians are always popular.

Water sports and excitement go together, and most warm, sunny vacation spots include plenty of both. How about parasailing or hang gliding? What about Scuba diving, snorkeling, or swimming with the dolphins. If you like the water but dont want to get wet yourself, check out the deep sea fishing if you are ocean side. If in Florida, remember all the inland lakes and the trophy bass they hold.

Number seven in our list of necessities is a practical matter. Make sure that either you speak the language of the natives, or they speak English. That makes Jamaica a great hot spot, as well as Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Also Bermuda, Tahiti and the Dominican Republic are waiting to provide you with a wonderful vacation in paradise.

Number eight is rather simple. Is transport in and out of your vacation paradise easy? Do they have a quality airport? Or will you be driving. Make sure the transportation needs are easily taken care of.

Next, number nine, sure to be a hit with the ladies, is shopping. Does your warm sunny vacation destination have adequate shopping facilities? Nothing makes a woman happier than a chance to shop.

Finally, the top necessity for your warm and sunny destination is that it be a place youve always wanted to visit. Whether youve always desired a Florida beach, a California surfing wave, or a tropical island, make sure that your destination is one youve always wanted to visit. And number eleven, as a bonus, is to bring along the video camcorder and still photo camera so that you can record the memories of your vacation and enjoy them for years to come.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.