SAB

I don't know how long I spend researching and planning trips, but I do know that the time spent not only adds to my enjoyment of the trip but is enjoyable in and of itself. It extends my involvement with the area I'm planning on visiting and in my mind extends the vacation in the same way that sharing my experiences extends the vacation. Someone asked me how I could spend so much time planning for a two week trip, they just didn't understand that the planning was part of the trip.

suze

I think to be fair you need to factor in that people who regularly read Fodor's forum likely spend more time planning for trips, because they enjoy the research, than the average Joe or Jill. I have friends who shockingly do no internet research and seem to have fine trips to Europe.

TexasAggie

Hi missypie,

My mom teaches in Texas schools and the unsettled dates are driving her nuts!!

I have lived in Colorado since 2003 and have no children (well none yet at least! we're thinking in about 3 years when I am 29 would be a good time for that!). There are a couple other posters with "aggie" in their name so perhaps you are thinking of one of them?

kswl

"I have friends who shockingly do no internet research and seem to have fine trips to Europe."

I do, too, and find it both mystifying and annoying.

maitaitom

I started planning Tuscan Tom's Tours one year before our trip. Love that Google, too! Unfortunately, even with all my preparation, I forgot to read the best-selling book, "Putting Gas In Your Car For American Dummies."

Seriously (or as serious as I get) my ratio was probably about 3:1 planning to trip.

Even though I had everything charted, except for firm museum reservations, we still did many things on a whim. Also, being spontaneous gave us the chance to stay at the great Pool Heaven place in Chianti.

The best part of planning is it affords you the opportunity to make choices once you're there without wasting a lot of time.

SB_Travlr

Have to confess, I LOVE the planning and pondering. Usually start out with an idea and a guidebook, try to find pictures, trips to the library -- then it's time to start the board research. To me, it's all part of the fun. Actually, if you think about it, sometimes the planning can be better than the trip, because when it's just in your head, nothing goes wrong! F'rinstance, in your mental image, putting gas in a diesel car just wouldn't happen...;-)

It's really only in the last few years that I've been this way. Maybe because on one early trip to Italy, we didn't know what the possibilities were, so wasted precious vacation time debating how to spend the day, and ended up not being thrilled with what we decided.

I have also learned to "plan" for down time in a major trip. When we took the train cross-country, we were happy that a rainy day in Glacier NP meant naps and chilling out for the day instead of more sight-seeing -- we had already seen so much that we were a bit in overload. The rain meant we had time to reflect and digest, and chat to our B&B hosts about life there in winter. It was a really enjoyable day.

Now my family and friends know about my obsession, and ask my advice for their own travels!

murphy89

I planned obsessively - daily for almost a year, before I left on my 3 month trip to Europe. Everyone thought I was nuts. :-B

n the other hand I had a friend go to Europe for 4 months with only a vauge idea of where they were going. I thought she was nuts.

For me planning is half the fun actually - the anticipation of it all!

Cheers,

Murphy

Nina66

You're right, the planning and the anticipation are half the fun.

I get so excited when planning my trip, I find an off the beaten path hotel sight or event, some have been way too far off of the beaten path ;-), or some little know exhibit or museum, concert etc... I feel so proud that I've 'uncovered' these hidden treasures - some as fantastic as I had invisioned and some not so fantastic.

Sometimes I think that we will be the only people in the world that knows about it, then we get there, and I wonder who blabbed to all of those other people, and what are they doing here.

I can't decide if I liked the planning part better before everyone was on line and I had to go to bookstores, the library, etc.. or now, having everything right here on my keyboard. Of course, I still go to bookstores and the library, old habits die hard.

I too have friends who call a travel agent, usually booking a package or a tour and don't bother to do any research. They say that the tour company takes care of everything, all they have to do is show up.

My time, my $$$$, my trip.

They take vacations, we travel.

Nina

Nina66

We have an 80 year old neighbor who had traveled extensively with her now deceased husband. Since he passed away, she has been traveling with friends, sometime times independantly or with with tours, depending on the location.

I know that she is an avid reader and used to do extensive research for all of her trips. In a few months she is doing a going on a tour in France and then spending the last week in Paris alone.

As she hasn't been there in about ten years, I decided, unasked, to help. I schlepped a bag of books, magazines etc.. to her house. I couldn't figure out why she was so blaise about her trip and didn't seem to be making any plans for her time alone, except for booking her hotel.

Then it dawned on me - she will be reliving past trips, with her absent husband at her side. This is 'their' trip, not mine.

Nina

wombat7

Thanks Nina - very touching post

kswl

Missypie, the gymnastics coach will probably wrongly interpret your questions as trying to further your daughter's interests instead of your need for travel dates! When our daughter qualified for the world championships in Irish dancing, my first thought was: oh goody, a trip! After being thrilled for her, of course

ceb7369

Nina,
"We have an 80 year old neighbor who had traveled extensively with her now deceased husband."

I hate to interject foolishness, but when my tired eyes first read this, I thought she was traveling WITH her deceased husband! I've been online too long when my mind starts rationalizing why a woman would travel with her dead husband...

Pegontheroad

I think my sister, Maryfran, is undoubtedly the world's greatest planner. She loves to make spreadsheets, and she makes doozies for our trips. There will be one for hotels, with names, addresses, website addresses, dates, costs in euro and dollar, trip advisor ratings, etc.. There will be another for the different modes of transportation, with all related information.

For the cities we'll visit, she makes spreadsheets with sights we may want to see, addresses, etc. She also finds recommended restaurants and includes info about them.

An especially useful spreadsheet is the budget sheet, which will have both estimated and actual costs.

By the time she finishes, she'll have perfected five or six different spreadsheets with all the information you'd ever want. I don't know how long it takes her, but I'm guessing it's a full-time job for months.

Me? I buy a plane ticket, and I reserve a hotel for the first night.

LoveItaly

Well inspite of loving Fodor's I am not a planner, never have been and never will be. I have a lot of information in my head as to places to visit etc., and I do have a photographic memory so that is a help.

But having the plane reservations,
knowing where I will be staying for the first night or two, having all of the financial details taken care of, having the proper documentation etc. is all I really need.

Maybe it goes way back to when I was a child. It seemed liked every hour was scheduled. And than as an adult and having a business plus family plus lots of civic activities and social obligations every moment seemed to be scheduled. So I did not ever want a scheduled vacation.

And now that I am retired I hate schedules and appointments more than ever. I always get done what needs tending too but I like to have some flexability even with that. And as always I do not want my vacation time to be a "have to see or do list". My best memories of all of my trips are the moments that were unplanned. I will try to start keeping a trip journal though. Something else I have never done.

CRAZY4TRAVEL

Traveloholic and Planoholic...guilty as charged. Planning is half the fun really...helps to build the anticipation.