DonnaD44

Why is it that so many Fodorites and travelers in general are obsessed with planning out virtually every detail of their trip before they ever leave the house.
It seems to me that some of the most wonderful travel experiences I've had are the result of being spontaneous and accepting whatever comes my way. Deciding which restaurants, which boutiques and which travel routes to take well in advance are self-limiting and lead to the same trip that everyone else has already taken many times over.
Is it just me or is there a problem with this planning thing?

Clifton

Oh, I don't know if it's a problem as long as they enjoy it and it doesn't travel their travel partners crazy.

I have to admit, I read a lot. Try to learn a lot about what's available and I think part of it's just that I'm fascinated with the world. But it all ends up as a wish list and we don't really end up "planning" very much. Especially not if we staying within one city. We'll start our trip in just 6 weeks, beginning with Budapest. I have no idea where we'll eat, where we'll walk, what we'll see. But I have a bunch of notes on what attractions there are and how the metro system works. For the rest of the trip through Hungary and Romania, we don't even accomodations booked or anything like that. But again, I've got a pretty good idea what areas would be good to see. Did a whole lot of reading.

So does that number us among the planners or the non-planners?

Clifton

I also don't preview. "doesn't travel their travel partners crazy" should be "drive" (although that is one way to travel).

artlover

I love to be spontaneous on trips, but I also like to know what options are available to me. I like to more or less have a "rough draft" and let the details fill themself in as I go.

But I do like to have the hotels reserved in advance--I used to travel and just book as I went, but that takes time and energy (and doesn't always guarantee a place.)

Also, for some things, if you don't plan in advance, you won't get in, or will have to wait in horrendous lines...such as Alhambra in Granada and the Academia in Florence.

Plus, I LOVE doing the research--to me it's a real learning experience and lots of fun.

PLMN

I'm all for spontanaity (sp?)when appropriate. In my particular situation we have planned portions of the trip and left room for the spontaneous (sp?)

Sometimes people have a husband and teen that will be staying home and they will need to know where to reach the spouse/parent in an emergency.

Sometimes there is a limeted amount of time and there are places or things people REALLY want to see and if they don't do it on this trip, they may never get to do it and will regret having missed out.

Sometimes there is a heck of alot of time between knowing you are going on a trip and the actual going, so to fill up your time you spend hours and hours and hours researching and you end up making certain plans.

I'm sure there are people out there that will plan for far more than me. I have left the week in Cortona unplanned and ready for spontanaity. \/

Ann1

I don't know that most travelers are obsessed with planning out virtually every detail of their trip. I think most people that travel a lot are like the above poster, Clifton. You read and educate yourself as much as possible about the areas you're going to, make a wish list and wing it. We never have a sted fast plan. We wander, find out of the way places and find truly local restaurants. I think a small percentage of travelers are obsessed. Yes, you do see some on Fodors.

Travelnut

Planning is a 'personality' trait. Some people are 'wingers' and others are 'obsessors'. A Winger won't be happy if forced to map out daily itineraries, know when museums are closed, choose a hotel after reviewing 1,472 choices, etc. An Obsessor won't be happy (or even sane) trying to fly by seat of their pants. There is no way I want to use my precious vacation time perusing a guidebook with hubby, 'what do you want to do today?', 'I dunno, what do YOU want to do?..' We line up our choices in advance, and there is always more left to do or see for next time. If something great pops up, then we make room for it.

Patrick

Here's a thought. Maybe you just thought some of those experiences that came your way were wonderful because you didn't know they were there. The planner not only already knew about them, but made sure he didn't miss them. Don't you wonder what other wonderful things you missed because you didn't happen upon them, but if you had studied up you would have sought them out?

By the way, I think extensive planning only works if you are also willing to let the plan slip from time to time. Besides, I'm already living my trip when I'm planning -- which makes it a much "longer trip" than if I wasn't busy planning it all year.

indytravel

I like to have the hotels booked in advance. They can be a big percentage of a vacation cost. By booking ahead I know what I'll be spending. The few times I've gotten rooms on the fly I've ended up spending more than I needed to.

It serves another purpose. If I try to book a hotel 3 months in advance and there's no vacancy it's a warning. If I check around and other hotels are booked I know something big is going on at that time. I don't want to be in a town when something big is going on. I prefer to avoid the crowds, the extra wait at restaurants, etc. I'll change my itinerary to another town.

I like options. I make a huge list of things to see and do. That way I have stuff on the list for a rainy day and stuff for a sunny day. I'll never see everything on my list, but it's there if I need it. If I'm sitting in a delightful cafe on a beautiful afternoon and people are endlessly parading by I might not move for a couple of hours and see that extra museum. But I know the museum is there and open if I want to see it.

I like to research my transportation. I rarely rent a car when traveling by myself. It's too expensive. I check train service to nearby towns in case I decide I need a day trip. I had 4 nights in Dijon this spring. I knew I could take the train to Besançon rather than an outdoor tour of Dijon and a trip to the spring at Tonnerre if the weather was bad. It was raining so I went to Besançon. (BTW I should have planned a little harder for the Besançon contingency plan.)

So for me the planning mostly boils down to saving money so I can vacation more.

suze

I'm not a planner- past plane tickets and hotel reservations. I think the 'obsessed' you might be seeing more frequent posts from, are because these folks are organized and willing to share their travel tips on this board.

I can help, but only *after* I've been gone!

rex

Planning the details of lodging and transportation means reducing "wasted time" to the least possible amount - - leaving more for spontaneous discoveries - - shopping, dining, local entertainment opportunities and more.

For more than half of my Europe travel, I have enjoyed making arrangements for 3 or 4 to as many 16 people traveling "tout ensemble". Planning where that many people can eat is frequently impoertant in avoiding chaos.

Best wishes,

Rex

zwho

I guess I'm one of those obsessed with planning, but I never have seen it as a weakness. Thats one of the reasons I love this web site. I'm not the only one, like in my real life where most of my friends and family don't care about travel as much as I do. We always have lots of spontaneous experiences, because we are independent travelers, (not part of any organized group), but I always have an outline of a day by day itinerary. For one thing, I also love the research almost as much as the travel. For another, we can only be gone so much, so I don't want to miss something really important (in my view) because who knows when or if I'll ever return. Anyway, thats the nature of this web site. For people interested in travel who have questions or comments about where they were or where they are going. What do you want us to discuss here? The stockmarket, soap operas? If we weren't an obsessed bunch, there would be no need for Fodors travel talk!

nanb

I certainly plan our flights, and the places to stay . but other than that, i look at it more as exploring opinions.
This is all part of the anticipation for the trip.
and as i am usually traveling as single adult with anywhere from 2-4 teens, I can not really be "spontaneous" .
But, that is OK, and it certainly gives me something to look forward to in the future

nanb

ACK ! i meant "exploring options"
I get plenty of opinions here

Ann1

I don't think hotel reservations are considered obsessed. They're considered smart. If you don't do that, you may find yourself without a room in a descent area. I think obsessed is planning each hour of the day. That's not fun.

rj007

I book lodging in advance. I definitely don't want to waste vacation time running around trying to find a place. I enjoy browsing travel guide books and reading travel literature. And, of course, spending time on this board. Like zwho, most of my family and friends don't care about travel so this is a great place for one of the driving passions of my life.

There have been times when I have just opened a guide book and picked something totally at random. I don't plan a minute by minute itinearary. I figure if I don't see something, I will see it at another time. Ater 7 visits to London, there are still plenty of things I haven't done yet. I was looking a guidebook for A'dam and suddenly realized that I will see more Vermeers than I ever have. Can't wait!

SeaUrchin

I don't plan out my day to day activities, I can't live or travel like that. I just learn as much as I can about a place I am visiting so I can get options and learn about interesting sites and their opening times. Also what is in certain museums and churches which may interest me.

Then either the night before or in the morning I decide what to do that day. So Travelnut, if I were eating breakfast with your husband I would say "how about doing this today?" "OK, let's go!"

francophile03

Planning is more than half the fun of the trip itself!

jjester

I agree with Francophile3 - the planning helps build the excitement of the trip. And pre-booking most hotels, flights, special meals out, etc means that there are no unpleasant surprises that could ruin the trip of a lifetime. However I also like some flexibility so I don't plan everything down to the last minute and am prepared to change my plans where appropriate. That way I get the best of both worlds!

paula1470

Pre-planning is part of the fun and necessary if you are planning a trip for a group of people. When I am traveling by myself or maybe with one other person, I love to explore and be spontaneous. But if you are traveling with other family members or friends, you need to have airfare, hotel, etc planned ahead.

When I go on a trip to a place I have never been before and I know my time there is limited, I don't want to waste time looking for lodging or going to a museum if they are closed that day. One my recent trip to Paris, I learned about the city ahead of time (a lot of it from people on this forum). No one else in my travel group was very interested in doing the planning, although I did ask them to please give me input on what they wanted to see. Based on that, we made a list of things we wanted to do and the best day to do them. I certainly didn't want to plan to go to the Louve on a Tuesday and find out it was closed when I got there. I had some restaurant recommendations from this forum. We went to a couple and discovered new ones on our own.

That said, we certainly didn't stick to the plan. If we found something we liked better, we did that instead. I have to say that all the research I did on Paris made our trip go very smoothly. We had time to experience some items on our wish list and time to just explore other things that came our way. I think

planning is also important for a first time visit to a location. We also went to London but because I had been there before, I did very little planning and we had a great time. When I return to Paris for my second visit (and I hope it's soon!!), I doubt I will be as obsessed with the details because I now have a foundation of the city. I think pre-planning is only as good as the ability you have to change it!