Robespierre, I downloaded the Venice map but when I went to sync it to the Palm, I got a message stating, "There is no application on the organizer to handle this file." I'm still learning to use the PDA and may not have everything set up or I need to upload a program in order for the PDA to recognize it.

Monica

Pocket Streets is for Windows only AFAIK. There might be a translator program for Palm, but I've never run across it.

Very new-age -- a yellow legal pad for taking notes and making plans. DH then makes a one-page calendar showing our itinerary, reservations, etc. We take the calendar, along with cut-out articles from various guide books with notations in the margins of tips from Fodor posters. For notes during the trip, I take a very small ringed notebook. This is the method we used BC (before computer) and it still works for us.

I think there's a grave danger here. All these people cutting trees in North America and carrying the pulp to Europe and depositing it there can only create an imbalance in the Earth's center of gravity, throwing off the axis and plunging us into the sun.

Beware.

Robespierre - hahahahha

I used to just make a one page list of things I had to see on that particular trip - or try to see anyway. I had already read the books so I knew the info and usually how to get there.

now I take a book or maybe two with me, and pore over it at breakfast time for what to do on a given day. unless of course I have enough lead time, like this trip coming up. many of my recent trips were planned in 3 weeks or so, this one I actually have 3 months!

All these batteries discarded from battery operated devices will pollute the earth so quickly we'll all be dead or on another planet long before the earth is unbalanced.

Monica, will be curious to know how your PDA files work out - if it is easily retrievable, might be a good idea for me to check out too!

but I'm still a Franklin Covey day-by-day planner person, still don't have a Palm.

Despite all the technology, the really best place to store it all is still in your head!

We have started a web page, using a Wiki, I believe the technology (or something) is called. My husband set this all up. I have a lot of links on it, to Deyrolle, and Fat Tire Bikes, and all the other things we want to do. I have links to newspaper articles, and many threads here. All are organized by subject, more or less: Walks, all degas' walks, or Train Info, with links to where we can print our train tickets, and of course, restaurants. I will have a manila envelope with what very little paper we will need - apartment contract, few other things. Next thing is to prioritize roughly what to do each day, and write it up and upload to the site.
Since we are a group, this is handy for everyone to look at, and add things if they want. I don't think the rest of the group has, but, they can. And, we can get to it from any internet cafe.

I don't travel that much; however, I am traveling to Benelux in 20 days

I started a word file, I keep copying and pasting info there. The first page is a calendar I created using tables. I have which place I'll be in on what day, and when we plan on taking a train to our next destination. The days are not filled in so I can write in our plans as we go.

The next page of my word doc is a list of each hotel, address, phone, and when I'll be there. This is a quick reference for me, and I can print that sheet out for my pet sitter. Oh, I also include directions to the hotel.

Next I copied and pasted mine and my travel friend's flight itineraries. JUST IN CASE, something gets misplaced, and this again is easy to get to.

The last pages of this file are the museums I'd like to go to and when they're open. I don't have it set when I'm going to them yet, but I can reference that list and fill it in in my blank calendar.

So, for a new fodorite and this being my first real trip, I think I'm doing well I think I'll use a light folder or 3 ring thing to hold these, I can also add brochures and stuff to it as I go

I don't know if it would be possible for me to plan a trip withou the assistance of Excel. Excel does so much more than just organize a raggedy mass of notes. It also can keep a budget for me and provides ready access to internet links to a multitude of websites.

These are pages of my workbook for this May's trip to Central Europe:

Itinerary: The first sheet in my workbook is a summary day-by-day itinerary of cities we'll be visiting.

Hotels: I also set up a spreadsheet for each city we'll be visiting, to collect information about hotels, with the names of the hotels I plan to contact, links to the hotels'websites, a column to mark the date I sent an inquiry, the date I received a reply, and whether the reservation was confirmed. Each city's page also has columns for the rates quoted, and a column for my personal comments about the hotel.

(As I send and receive booking information requests and responses, I set up subdirectories in my outlook folder on my computer, with a subdirectory for each city, and * move incoming and outgoing e-mails to the appropriate subdirectory for that city as they are sent and/or received.)

Budget: This keeps track of all anticipated and actual expenses in one central place and divies costs between my sister and myself.

Hotel Addresses and Phone numbers

Directions to hotels and other important locations.

Detailed itinerary: with specific sites I'd we'd like to see,a more fully fleshed out version of the general itinerary, with links to helpful sites.

Flight information: Airline, Departure, Arrival, Booking #, and cost

Railpass information.

Just before we leave on the trip, I'll go through the spreadsheets and the e-mails and e-tickets and print out the ones we'll need to have readily available. I'll put them in a flexible binder, in chronological order, to tuck in my backpack.

I get a kick out of people who toss unneeded paper as they go, as if their load were seriously lightened in the process.

Robespierre, thanks for the information. I'll do a little research, but in the meantime, I'm sure I would prefer to have my paper map in hand, rather than using up battery time with the Palm. I also make notes on the map when I find something interesting.

Flygirl, so far I love the Palm! Tony bought it for me after doing a lot of research - he found this to be the best one for my needs, plus he bought the wireless keyboard so I can type my journals on a daily basis rather than using the stylus on the tiny keyboard on the Palm. I had been talking for a while about buying the smallest notebook computer but really didn't want to worry about carrying that extra weight plus the cost of it. My Palm and keyboard, combined, weighs only 11.5 ounces.

I have already uploaded all my documents onto the SD and still have 87-90% available space. I have 85% available space on the internal memory after I uploaded 12 games, which I can play while on the airplane or in the terminal.

I also started my trip expense sheet by adding the various categories for each day so I'm ready to just fill in the expense and location of that expense.

I think it will be great to have this on my trip.

Monica

All great ideas. I think I might try try to convince my husband to buy the Palm he's been eying early and I'll initiate it for this trip. That way I won't have to haul my laptop to Paris just so I can access sites by internet. So many great ideas, so glad I asked.

I just read through this post and I thought I never had that much information about places to go and then realized that was due to the fact, I took tours and spent my time with family or pen-friends. Now I am going on a trip where will be self-guided and no family/pen-pal to point out the sites.

I find great information on this site and others, but find it overwhelming to organize. You all have great ideas that I am sure I am going to implement in my future trip.

Thanks!

Like wanderlust, I use a flexible and light 3-ring binder. In the months leading to the trip, I search and read way too many threads and articles on the internet which I sometimes cut and paste to a Word file (then separated by city). Sometimes I cut & past just the website address for later use. Then about a week before the trip, I go through all the info I've collected (which has been separated by city) and delete duplicates or things I really don't need. Then I make sure to have about 2 pages in the front of my folder that contain the following:
(1) All the flight, hotel, transfers info (obviously including reservations)
(2) Contacts
(3) Commonly used phrases translated in the language of the respective cities I'm traveling to
(4) Photocopies of our passports
I use tab dividers with pockets for each city we visit. I print the info I've gathered (2 pages per sheet) -- these are tossed out along the way. In the pockets I stow maps, etc plus brochures, metrocards and other knick-knacks from our visit. I scrapbook, so it was a breeze doing my last Europe scrapbook because of this method. Plus, I also carried a very small journal.

I use the same method as Debbierpof. As my cover sheet on that day's travel, I include driving directions from viamichelin.com when needed. In addition, I copy pages from guidebooks and trip reports. Then I literally cut and paste them into sections. Stuff them in plastic sheet protectors and off we go...

Marsha,

Thanks for asking this question. Marking for future reference.

This is pretty low-tech: I save posts to a folder on my desktop or print them out in hardcopy weeks/months in advance. In spare time, I read and highlight specific recommendations. Then I transfer names of restaurants to color-coded index cards...say, pink for restaurants, blue for "must see" and yellow for shopping...one set for each destination. Each city's cards are paper clipped together and I only carry the ones I need that day. I suppose you could transfer to PDA instead of index cards but the cards are easy to slip into a back pocket or purse and refer to quickly. It works for me better than carrying a sheaf of papers!

Well...I write lists and lists of restaurants and sites that sound great in a yellow steno pad, then leave it on the coffee table That's a good use of research!

Fortunately I also copy cool ideas from Fodor's into a word file and I print it out and actually bring that!

I'd love to try the Palm - which model works best for this?

Well, I finally got DH involved. He made me a spread sheet and is happily entering names of resturants, must sees, shops, tours, etc by arrondisement in columns by category, with relevant info, like best dishes, cross rues, etc. We'll see how this work and I too will probably leave it on the dining room table, but following others advice i will email to myseslf and access it by internet in Paris if necessary. Thanks again for all of the thoughts. Robespierre, really wanted to try the pin symbols on the maps you gave the url for, but all I got was a broken symbol on the page. Any thoughts?