suze - I am an OCD planner before the trip, but then once we get there, I generally end up throwing the plan out the window and go with the flow. But at least I always know what we COULD be seeing if we were so inclined

We spent almost a week in Amsterdam last summer and people swear by our lack of easily-described itinerary, that we must have gone there just to get stoned, which is certainly NOT the case. We saw some stuff, we went on a couple bike tours, we wandered around, we hung out - we had a FABULOUS time. But we didn't go to the Van Gogh museum, or the Rjiksmuseum (sp?) or the Anne Frank house, or ...

For Amsterdam I actually did buy a guidebook since I had never been before and wasn't familiar with the city. I used Let's Go. It was helpful for maps and one rainy day I hunted out a museum to go to (Tropenmuseum) which was weirdly wonderful.

For Venice I didn't know I was going to be there. I was visiting a friend in Switzerland and she said I needed to go somewhere else for a few days so I took an overnight train to Venice. Since I was already in Europe, I couldn't find a guidebook in English (only French) so I just went in cold. Worked out fine.

I always do get a city map when I arrive. A good map is KEY to a non-planned vacation so you can find the interesting things once you're there.

You know, there will always be "haters", or people who are so utterly and absolutely judgemental. Everywhere, not just on Fodors. I, too, had suspended trip reports. Then I did do one on my last trip to Italy and even my really brief trip to Montreal. If people don't like it, that's certainly THEIR problem and not yours. I've read all kinds of things that different people have done on their trips and just about every time (unless the trip reporter tried to do too much in too brief a period of time and is complaining about it, or they report on an illness or a crime that marred their trip), I think "how cool". And I, too, rarely take photos, I just never got into the habit of it, didn't have a camera for ages, and even when I got one, I just wasn't in the habit of taking it with me everywhere and snapping photos. I just came across a journal of notes I'd made on a trip to Rome and Florence that I never reported on here. I made some cool observations and I kind of wish I'd posted a report, but I'm back to doing that now when I travel, so I guess it's all good. The way I look at it, Fodors owns this place, and if they want to censor me, fine, but no one else, IMVHO, has the right to do that.

BC

I have a universal answer to all these people who think I was wrong (not) to do something on vacations: "so sue me for my vacation time and my money"

NovemberMoon, we must be twins separated at birth

Well, Adrienne, I'm heading to Paris/Amsterdam on Sunday, so maybe I'll give a trip report another go 'round. Amsterdam will be a first for me.

Bookchick, why do you assume anyone who is not interested in the travel habits of others are "haters"? That's pretty harsh. Everyone on this forum (including me), by definition, loves travel and loves to hear about it. We wouldn't be here otherwise. But it's presumptuous to assume everyone should feel as we do, or are waiting with baited breath to hear how we experience destinations. In general, tales of other peoples' travels are like tales of other peoples' dreams...boring. I only regale those who I know are truly interested. You have to know your audience.

StCirq -- Certainly hope you do resume posting trip reports. Your Passage to India was amazingly vivid.

Not much to say on the rest. Don't read most trip reports after the first few paragraphs, because most writers here haven't learned the first rule of good writing, which is knowing what to leave out.

As to personal travel style. Your vacation, your time. Personally, I "soak up the atmosphere" between the two or three sites I aim for in a day. Imagine I'd be bored silly "soaking it up" for more than an hour or two a day.

Well, this is really interesting. I posted this morning (and it's now late at night) that another reason I wasn't posting trip reports any more was that I did not approve of Fodors owning my words and would never post another trip report because I do use my words for other purposes for which I actually get more than just applause from the crowd.

That post has been deleted. It was in answer to Nikki's post, and I believe all I said was "Well, I don't want Fodor's owning my words," and something to the effect that the calling my reports "insipid" was merely the thing that got me thinking about whether I wanted to post or not.

It appeared either right after Nikki's post or after Lavandula's. I really, really wonder what the editors are up to this time. Care to comment, editors? It's no biggie to me, since I will never again post a trip report here anyway, so let me have it. There was absolutely nothing obscene or even mildly derogatory in it - it was only observation.

"it was only observation."

And a good one it is. I also leave out the best lines, and sometimes observations, because l don't particularly want to give them away. Of course, my supply of free guidebooks has dried up since I arrived at that realization.

Wow Suze, I salute you!!! I don't over plan, but part of the excitement for me is to know something about the place I am visiting, especially which galleries/museums I might be interested in and whether or not I'm going to have enough time etc. I don't think I would be able to travel the way you do!!

"People always seem disappointed when I return from a trip without a checked off list of "must see" sites seen"

I'm sorry to hear that. What "people" do you mean - posters on Fodors, co-workers, family, neighbors?

Fortunately, we haven't had this experience. People sometimes asked if we visited x or y or dined at a or b etc but nobody was judgmental about it.

StCirq- did they really delete one of your posts because it was unflattering to the Fodors image? I guess I am naive and never realized the editors were watching this site so closely. I do enjoy reading well written posts, and I have been quoted in their San Diego book, however I never realized real writers could be taken advantage of in that regard. Too bad, we all miss out on your beautiful words and imagery. Maybe Fodors can hire you to travel the world and report back to us???? Wouldn't that be nice.

Per topic of photos...I realized long ago the postcard photographers are skilled at capturing the area and so I just buy a few.

Per topic of note taking... I found old notes from a trip to England and Wales, it brought back so many memories. Someday I will post trip reports, I think at this point I owe three.

Per topic of maps: I own one from each place I have visited and still got impossibly lost in each. I am hoping for some sort of tracking/gps unit I can wear as a headband. The ideal unit would tell me where the nearest pastry/gelato/ or coffee shop was located.


Have a great day...tina

StCirq~ I've read a number of people saying this morning that their posts have disappeared (one over on a fitness and health topic in the Lounge, so nothing controversial). But does seem a bit 'coincidental' considering your chosen topic.

cathies~ You'd be further shocked, I rarely visit museums. I can't describe the excitement getting off a train (like the Venice trip) with nothing planned beyond knowing how to find my hotel.

Well, all I know is that I posted, and the post disappeared. It's so odd, because Fodors itself tells us all that once we post, they own our words. Do they hope we don't notice or know that? (And isn't it interesting to note that they CAN just pull a single post and not delete an entire thread, which has been a subject of note in the past). I saw the post up there, so it's not like something went digitally awry or anything.

This is disturbing to me. Hello....editors, I'd like an explanation, please.

Suite7, sorry, I'm unable to understand your final comment. "I only regale those who I know are truly interested. You have to know your audience." Okay, good for you. But one does not need to register on Fodors in order to read a trip report, so "your audience" is virtually anyone with computer access who would like to come to Fodors to read a trip report. If you don't want to read one, fine. If you don't want to write one, fine. If you think it's an utter travesty of life in general that someone--anyone--opted not to go to, say, Castel Sant'Angelo when they had the opportunity to, that's fine, too, just don't feel you need to point out the "travesty" to whoever wrote the trip report and let it be known they didn't go to Castel Sant'Angelo. But dear, really, to say "you have to know your audience" is a bit over the top, considering this is a public site which can be accessed by anyone with a computer. Fodors actually <i>encourages</i> people to write trip reports, which is why they want the folks who write them to "flag" them as such. Again, not reading one doesn't make you a "hater". Not commenting on one doesn't make you a "hater", either. However, don't feel you have to pick out things you'd have done differently or places you'd have opted to go to that the writer of the trip report didn't--doing that would make you a "hater", yes.

BC

I also am surprised that anyone was so closely reading what we wrote on a mild-mannered thread like this one.

As far as deleting single posts from a thread, absolutely they do that, quite often in fact. Especially in the Lounge. It makes reading thru a thread extremely confusing. Because the comment the next person may be referencing, is not longer there!

I'm surprised too. Still waiting to hear from the editors why they chose to delete the thread that was in no way in violation of ANY of their rules. Deafening silence from them.

Well suze, I think that's wonderful. To be so free that you can just think..... 'hmmm maybe I'll go to ...... and hop on a plane and go. It would be great fun.

What do you do if you get somewhere and you hate it?