You asked for ideas on how others plan their travel time.

Our (DH, DD and DS) interests are different than yours, I think. In "regular life," we live in a very scenic, outdoorsy area where we spend lots of time on the weekends doing hiking, biking, etc. - but not much in the way of culture. And we love museums. So our vacation tend to focus on museums and history, with lots of stops for cafes and people-watching. And time in the countryside, but not necessarily to do kayaking and the like.

I try not to book too many things ahead of time, so we have more flexibility for (i) bad weather, (ii) changing our minds. So in Florence, for example, I booked tickets for the Uffizi ahead of time, because you really have to do that. For the rest of our time, I'll make a general plan of major things (i.e., on Tuesday, we'll visit the market and the Medici Chapel and things in that area in the morning, and the Pitti Palace in the afternoon). Around that, I'll have a list of places that we might want to visit if we're in the area. So, for example, after the Pitti Palace, we headed over to San Spirito (I messed up on that one, it was closed that day), then to a wine bar in the area.

Generally, I'll plan one or two "big" things for each day, and then the "if there's time" things around that. There's almost always time for some of the "if there's time" things, as we don't pack in things too tightly.

Usually, at breakfast, I'll talk to the family about what we want to do that day, including if we have any "big things" planned for that day. On our trip to Le Marche 2 years ago, we did a lot of changing around, as we decided we wanted to visit more castles, and things I thought we'd spend a lot of time on, like the ancient Roman tunnel (very cool, but just a tunnel) didn't take as much time as I thought (I thought we might do some walking around in the area).

Also, with respect to planning outdoor activities, you'll have to deal with the weather. So if you've booked a kayaking trip for a day that turns out to be rainy, you'll either lose your money or go in the rain. Another reason DH doesn't like to plan outdoor activities ahead of time!

As you might be able to tell, I do a lot of research ahead of time for our trips (probably more than most people, though not necessarily more than most Fodorites). So before the trip, I know what places we are likely to want to visit, and have a list of the "must-sees" (based on us and our interests) and a list of the "maybe-sees" or "if we have times."

Don't feel that you "have" to see Florence unless you want to. It's a great city for Renaissance art, but if you're not into that, then IMHO it's less interesting (I do love Renaissance art). We re-visited the city 2 years ago, along with Rome, Venice and Le Marche, and I felt that there were more tourists in Florence than in Venice (hard for large groups to get around in Venice, especially if people have mobility issues) and Rome (maybe it's so much larger that the tourists are more mixed in with people who live there).

Gruezi,

Thanks again for everything! To answer your questions...

I haven't had any scary experiences of customs as such, they just make me feel like I've done something wrong - I think it's just that I'm not as used to flying as I am to trains etc. so the whole process seems a bit more stressful when I think about it. Unnecessary, to be honest. I've since found a couple of instances where flights have really helped and allowed me to shift stuff round better, so that's great.

As for couch surfing, I'd not really considered it - I've been looking mainly at hostels with dorms (as recommended by good ol' Lonely Planet). I appreciate the words of caution too - it's reassuring to hear someone say that actually.



Vancouver,

Again, thank you. I've adjusted as you said to just two places to stay overnight and managed to get rid of that awful first day's travelling too. I'll definitely act on what you said about tour buses - something that hadn't even crossed my mind before :/



Lexma,

That helps a lot. I think it'll help me focus my plans to consider them that way too. Thanks so much (everyone) for taking the time to comment - I really appreciate it (and am glad I found this site!).

Just to ask again - should I try to avoid travelling through Slovenia, Hungary, Austria or Czech Republic during August? Are there times when the climate is unbearable, or places are shut for local holidays, or when excess tourists make it really not worthwhile visiting?

Hi Kat,
I can comment about Austria and the Czech republic in August from personal experience. Yeah, it's hot alright, but I wouldn't call it unbearable. (Neither was Greece during their 44 Celsuis heatwave.) Basically, you can put up with anything if you want to.


When I was young and hostellin' and dealing with daytime lockouts, I'd just duck into a church and sit down awhile (it's very cool, temperature-wise and you can sit there indefinitely if you want ie, no one every kicked me out! Ha!). Museums - if you enjoy them - are always air conditioned too, as are movie theatres if you want to catch a late movie and cool off before going to bed.

As for crowds, I found Prague horrendous but I would never let that deter me. Vienna wasn't as crowded, and the Kunthistoriche (sp?) museum just blew me away. I wouldn't miss it.

You mention looking at set itineraries from tour companies... sorry, but that's the wrong way to do things.

Case in point... in 2008 I was standing in front of our hotel one evening in Paris enjoying the light show on the Eiffel Tower. It must have been after 10 pm because it was dark. A large tour bus pulled up and disgorged a large group... the luggage was pulled out from under the bus and the people trooped into the hotel.

Next morning I was standing out front waiting for my wife and daughter when out came the same people, loaded themselves and their luggage and off the bus went.

So while they could tell their friends "We went to Paris"... all they had seen was from inside their bus as they drove off to their next destination! ;^(

Hi Kat,
We were in the Czech Republic in August 2009, & honestly, we didn't think the heat was unbearable at all, & the crowds really weren't as bad as we expected them to be. Sure, Old Town Square is crowded & the narrow streets in Old Town are crowded, but it's not unbearable & would never stop me from going again August. The castle side of Charles Bridge wasn't as crowed as Old Town. Do visit the Vysehrad area of Prague if you have the time; it's one of our favorites & defintely less crowded & more peaceful than Old Town.

Thanks again everybody for all the tips/suggestions/guidance. It's really been a huge help - might be a while before I post again, if at all now - things are starting to come together at last - Kat

Good for you, Kat! Have a great time!