No real plans - crazy???
 

I read these boards basically every day and see wonderful plans laid out by fellow travelers -

We are headed to Paris for 10 nights.

I have our airfare, our apartment and I have tenative plans to go to London for 2 days one night during that time. I have the reservations through Marriott points and can cancel without any penalty.

I am reading, bookmarking - taking it all in.

Last time we went - I had many tours reserved in advance, and we kept on a pretty serious pace.

This time I am really toying with being armed with information but not planning too much in advance.

My only concern is missing out on something... not sure what though???

Thoughts? Do you do this? Is everything planned day by day? I see so much of this and wonder how much of those plans stay intact?

Just suggestions:

I am like the ultimate un-planner. When my mom and I came twice to Paris, we didn't plan out every single thing. We made a list of x-amount of things we had to see or do: ex. Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Orsay, walk along the Seine, Montmartre. Then each day we'd wake up and say, So, what do you want to do today? If we weren't sure, our lovely friend Sara taught us a simple trick.

Ask: Honestly, and without worrying about what I'm going to think, what would you rate going to x on a scale from 1 to 10.

Do that for the second thing, and you'll see which one you prefer.

I think you actually miss out on more (the life! the culture! the smells!) when everything is strictly planned.

Sheep - GREAT suggestions -

Honestly? I think I wore my dh and two girls out when we were in Europe. We came home EXHAUSTED.

If you don't know what you're missing, you won't miss it.

Actually, your plan sounds like heaven to me, but I'm not sure from your post whether you've been to Paris and London before... Is this a return trip or the first time?

My favorite travel quote:

Be a traveler not a tourist.

A traveler sees what he sees, a tourist sees what he's suppose to see. :-)

Have a great trip!

I'd make a list of things I wanted to see, and then put them in order of most important. (With 10 days in Paris, I would most certainly take the day trip to Versailles.)

When my daughter and I were in Paris last year, we had an "open" plan, if that makes sense. We had some things we wanted to do, and had "semi-planned" but kept an open mind. For instance, we wanted to do a sunset cruise on the Seine, but the weather did not cooperate (rainy and foggy that evening). So the next day, while walking the Seine, we realized we were at Pont Neuf and decided to take a Seine cruse then, because it was gorgeous and sunny out. It was a good choice.

Additionally, a transportation strike closed all the museums the day we had planned to do Louvre and Rodin museums. Instead, we did the "church" route, St. Chapelle and Notre Dame, etc. since those were not affected by the strike.

If you've never been before, I'd at least "semi-plan" by making a list of things I'd like to see, in order of how much. Then let the day take you...

:) Have fun!

Hi dawn, I sure agree with the other posters.

I have known so many people that come home from Europe almost ill because they have had every moment planned. Those always seem to be the people that didn't "like" London, Paris, Rome or whereever. Well it is rather hard to enjoy a place when you are dead tired, your feet hurt and you haven't taken the time to just enjoy where you are.

People forget that weather can influence how you enjoy an activity. When travelling you can have a day when you don't feel quite well especially when eating different foods or perhaps more food than you eat at home, walking so much more than at home, jetlag etc.

I agree about making of list of the most important sights and sites you really want to see and either the night before or over morning coffee plan the day. And stop at a cafe and relax and have some sort of a drink and "people watch" before you get tired. Or find a park bench in a lovely nice park and again just relax and "people watch". Or take time to take a long hot bubble bath. An hour siesta can sure be nice too and than you can enjoy our dinner and strolling around without feeling half dead.

I think your "being armed with information but not planning too much in advance" is the best way to truly enjoy your trip.

Hi D,

>This time I am really toying with being armed with information but not planning too much in advance.

Great idea.

You have plenty of time to just enjoy Paris.

Our umpteenth time to Paris is coming up this May.

I have one thing for each morning and one for each evening plus a few resto res.

The rest of the time will be spent looking at parts of the city we really like, or parts that we haven't seen yet. It won't matter.

>My only concern is missing out on something... not sure what though???

Well, you probably want to miss some of the high-rise projects on the outskirts.

La Defense at night is quite missable.

I don't mind not going to the Moulin Rouge, Lido, etc.

Enjoy your visit.

((I))

I would only plan two things. I keep a notbook where I mark down which day certain sites are closed. It would suck to want to go to the Louvre, leave it for your last day, and then discover it was closed that day!! YIkes.
And, if planning a trip to London I would book my Eurostar tickets 90 days in advance to get the best price, last minute tickets cost alot more.

Other then that I plan nothing, the weather,and how I feel in the morning( ambitious or not) often determine what my plans are each day. I have been before so I am not desperate to see the main sites, although I often return to favorites again and again.

I'm very much a planner on a first trip somewhere. I always have an itinerary, but that doesn't mean we necessarily stick to it. It's just a rough guide so that we don't miss something that we really want to see. I also leave plenty of time for just wandering, enjoy people watching at cafe's, etc.

On a subsequent trip to the same place I am willing to wing it more once I've gotten the "must sees" under my belt.

Either way, you should do what YOU are most comfortable with. Everyone travels differently and there is really no right or wrong way.

Have a great time! :)

I've found that detailed, hour-by-hour itineraries don't work out for me. I do like some pre-planned structure, but I've learned to keep lots of open space within the structure. Everyone is dfferent though, some people do best when everything is wide open, some people probably do happily follow highly detailed itineraries that are worked out months in advance.

I would definately make a list of everyone's must-sees, and make a note of the opening/closing times and what day they are closed to help prevent any inadvertent disappointments.

I like having loose plans for some days- one thing for the morning, one for the afternoon. Or even just one thing for one day. Also keep a couple of daytrip options in mind, with the idea that nothing is set in stone.

I also like blocking off days or half-days as "free days" with no plans, etc. They can days to split up, days to sleep in, shop, wander around, whatever. I've found that if at all possible, I like keeping my last day in a city as a "free day", because there is usually a museum I want to return to, or something I missed that I want to see before going home.

If you want at least one nice dinner out all together, maybe think about that ahead of time. I would also think about blocking off least one dinner out or one afternoon or *something* that is just you and your husband :) which would also require some plannning with the kids about what they would do during your date time.

Wow... GREAT advice/insight.

To answer the question - it is a return trip to Paris but as posted before - we were there for only a few days and VERY jet-lagged due to delays in travel and ending up in many different timezones! LOL

We have never been to London, I will most likely have more of a "plan" of sorts for those 48 hours because it is shorter period of time.

Yes, I was going to book my eurostar tickets 90 days out - so that means we would "have" to go those days.


AA love that quote!!

Sarge - It sounds like you and your dd had a lovely time. I hope to be able to travel with just my daughter at some point.

LoveItaly - I think I was that person who was almost sick by the time they got home.

I was SO tired... one day in Rome we were so exhausted (this was the tail end of our trip) that we went to the Hotel De Russo (I think that is the name?) and had massages and relaxed in their indoor pool. We did not want to do ANYTHING. I did not want to eat another meal out - got food to cook that night in... I was toasted.

I think that did color my perception of course. We "felt" the best in Montruex and in Florence - we were about 4 days into travel in Montruex and then the middle of the trip was Florence. No surprise to me that we enjoyed these two areas most!

Ira - you are so cute - yes, it does sound like I want to miss out on those areas ;-)

Enjoy YOUR visit. :-)

Apres - I love your suggestion of blocking the time out for just dh and I. I think we can pull that off on this trip because we will have my 18 year old ss with us. I was not comfortable doing that on our last trip with just 10 year old dd and 13 year old sd.

I do not want to spend $$$$$ on expensive dinners with children whom will not appreciate and most likely complain about "weird" food.

One thing I am concerned about is what you suggested with the closing of places etc.

When in Hawaii I never really plan much - book, beach, I am a happy girl... but one year the girls wanted to do something and sure enough the only day that we wanted to go was full of jelly fish so we were going on another day - but the park was closed!

We travel with fight, hotel and car rental reservations. The only things other we do in advance are those that are very difficult to get (like one of the Vatican special tours of the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London.)

We then have guidebooks and list of what we want to see - with closing days noted. After that we just go as we please, based on weather, mood, how late we were out the night before - and interesting things we find on the way.

Otherwise IMHO - it's too much like a forced march rather than a vacation.

I think I was so worried about "missing" something - or that we would "never" get back to Europe... We were on the go almost every day.

I am going to do exactly what most here have said - bring the books, note the important information regarding times etc and go from there...

One special dinner/evening for dh and I - I am still nervous about going out and leaving the kids in an apartment but I am sure I can find something close by the apartment.

Planned: You'll see what you mean to see and be enriched thereby, with the attendant risk of unmet expectations.

Unplanned: You'll see little if anything at all, but since your expectations were lower anyways you'll be happier.

So are you seeking self-enrichment or happiness?

AA, I also love your quote!!

DH and I are seat of the pants travelers. We always have our flights and rental car. Sometimes we have all of our hotels prebooked, sometimes we don't. We have discovered interesting places by being able to take the unplanned fork in the road!!! Hence, I love your idea of going with maybe just a list of things you HOPE to do.

Enjoy!

Carol

We don't plan much either. I usually have a handful of things I really want to see and do but I don't schedule them unless I absolutely have to. I travel armed with printed off info from fodorites, a travel guide or two which I tear up as I go along, and then I find local information about what's going on wherever I am.

I know I might be missing something great by not scheduling or buying tickets beforehand but on the other hand, sometimes a great opportunity arises for a spur-of-the-moment adventure and I'd hate to have to turn it down because I've got tickets for something else.

You just have to accept the fact that you might miss some stuff, but other stuff will replace it.

Que ... but what about self enrichment that leads to happiness? ;-)

Hi dawn, I think dinner out with your husband would be one thing worth carefully planning ahead for. Anslem could probably recommend a good restaurant near the apartment. Set aside the night you'll go, see if you need to make reservations.

Will you have cell phones on the trip? Has your 18 yr old ss babysat the younger teens before? If not, maybe do a few trial runs at home first- good excuse for you and your husband to get out for dinner a few time :)