This is what I do. I start hitting the internet AT LEAST 1 year ahead of time if it is a big trip like Hawaii, Europe or the Caribbean. If you are going to somewhere like this, you usually know pretty much that far in advance.
Write down every restaurant, hotel, etc. that you think you might like & then start whittling down from there.
Know your budget, then find the little out of the way spots, what everything has to offer & then plan accordingly.
When we spent a month in Hawaii in 2004, I went on hawaii.com & there were tons of activities & we decided what we wanted to do & then found the best deals. Of COURSE check out lots of different websites & find the best deals.
I talked to a lady in Hawaii that complained of the $45 breakfast she & her family had & I about fell over! I asked her where she ate that at & she said the hotel she was staying at. Well, DUH! You don't have to pay high prices for anything if you just do your homework! NEVER eat at your hotel. Most of the time it is a rip off unless it is included in the room price.
Plan every aspect of your trip, make an itinerary, but leave time to relax & also time to reschedule if you have to. Things do come up that are unexpected & you absolutely don't want to be disappointed! Exampleur 27 year
old daughter wanted to go to Hawaii in 2005, so we accompanied her. We had planned the helicopter tour for our 3rd
day there & because of the weather, had to reschedule. Luckily, I always leave the last day free for shopping, or just such things as rescheduling.
If I had planned to leave to come back home early in the day, we would have missed the tour & I do believe I would have been more disappointed for my daughter than she actually would have been!
Another tip, if possible-depart from home to your destination as early in the day as possible & return home as late in the evening as possible. The first day is always shot because of car rental pick up & finding your way to the hotel & checking in. It also may take you a while at the airport if you are unfamiliar with it. So, just figure the first & last day is pretty well shot. That is why I advise leaving for home as late as possible.
It is never a mistake to be totally prepared. Just do your homework, look for the best buys & always, always leave room for relaxing & enjoying the trip & any rescheduling that may come up.
Hope I could help.

Attention: P.M.!
If you want some great ideas-drop me an e-mail! I have tons of ideas & tips & great places to go! I love to help people get the most for their money & time & fun! I have helped a couple of people so far & have had a blast doing it! Just drop a line at [email protected]!

"One person's over planning is just another's careful scheduling."

That's what I keep telling them!

I would be regarded as a compulsive over-planner by most I suppose. But I prefer to think of it as cultural research with the "plan" being a research by-product. I love this part of my travel! It fuels my excitement, not detracts from it.

I start early. I'm always reading guidebooks. For our Loire-Burgundy trip this September, I started reading a Loire Valley guidebook as we took off from CDG, returning from a trip to Paris-Alsace in May 2004.

I make a list of want-to-sees, cull that down to 1-2 must-sees per day, arrange those by day to factor in closings, special events, and transporation logistics. I do factor in wandering-time, cafe-time, watching-life-go-by time. It's not planned minute-by-minute, but more "this is before lunch, and this is after lunch."

That serves as my outline. As I read and research, I add in historical notes, architectural details not to be missed, interesting facts, suggested shopping stops, etc. I cull information from multiple guidebooks as well as Internet sites and travel forums.

In some places I always make restaurant reservations. In cities like Paris, often for lunch and dinner. Or, for example, in the little towns, if it is a popular place with only 5 tables. We are foodies, and sampling the cuisine and wine is one of our greatest travel pleasures.

I've found that if I email the hotel concierge (we usually make reservations 8-10 months in advance) with my proposed list and and let him/her know I am open to suggestions, I will get good feedback. It is rare that we have been disappointed. I have also found that many European restaurants, both small and large, appreciate the courtesy of a reservation. Most often, we get a better table than someone who just shows up.

In some cases, I merely have a list of 2 or 3 places in whatever town or neighborhood I think we will be in at lunchtime or dinnertime.

After all my plans are on paper (virtual paper that is), I print them out in a 4X6 format that I paste into a leather bound journal. I add some other touches like vintage charts, currency conversion, small maps of neighborhoods or towns, things I want to shop for, list of cheeses I want to try, etc. Voila! I have my own personalized guidebook plus empty pages for keeping my travel diary.

But I have learned to be flexible. You can't plan for weather, illness, strikes, unexpected closings.