Monica

That should have been, "If you call it anal, then I am."

Erin

I don't think planning is necessarily an "age" thing! I'm an anal 23 yo. But I am travelling alone for the first time for 2 months and maybe that is why I planned ahead. Basically I was worried about being homeless without a car so I thought I should at least have places to stay reserved. Other than that I have a lot of flexibility. Now, if I was travlling with friends or family, I think I would leave the planning up to them! But I actually had fun making my itinerary and learned a lot too.

Greg

If spending almost a year planning a honeymoon to Spain isn't anal, I don't know what is! Funny thing, though, I'm not near that bad in "real life." I just want to make sure that this trip goes well and Michelle (my fiancee) loves the country as much as I did when I visited almost 20 years ago. She's accusing me of over-planning the trip, wanting the ability to change our itinerary on a moment's notice; hopefully, I have built enough flexibility into the schedule to allow that. <BR> <BR>Someone once posted on this board that half the fun is the anticipation of the trip. They're absolutely right! Now, if October would only get here - soon!

carol

Yes, I prepare a fine-tuned itinerary months in advance of a trip and enjoy every minute of the planning. However, I must admit that I am also a major wanderer, always wondering what's just around the corner. I find it very easy to combine these seemingly contradictory traits when travelling. I always start the day by going to the first site on my plan for the day. After that, I make minute-to-minute decisions about what's next, and drop the plan if I feel like it. Somehow, when you know exactly what you're missing, decisions are simpler. Of course, it's easy to be spontaneous when you travel alone, and also one of the great benefits of solo travel.

lisa

People make fun of me for my detailed itineraries, but they're important to me because if I'm only going to be in Paris for 5 days, I want those 5 days to be great. I don't pre-plan every minute, but I figure out which museums are open which days & hours and plan accordingly in advance. Also, I like to research in advance to find a few recommended restaurants in my price range that are near where I'll be on a certain day, and put those addresses on my itinerary too -- that way I don't have to lug a whole guidebook around with me all day -- all I need is my itinerary and my map. If I happen to walk past a place that looks great then I may try it, but if I don't then at least I have some recommendations with me to fall back on. I will also plot on my map the locations of any particular shops that I know I want to check out, so that I can see in advance where they are in relation to other things and go to them on days when I will happen to be in that neighborhood visiting a nearby museum or something. I also build some "down time" into my itinerary just for walking, shopping, relaxing with no goal in mind so that it's not all "go go go." <BR>Plus, I find planning an itinerary as fun as the actual trip itself.

mary c

I agree with Elaine. And Elaine thank you for your Paris file!! It's helped me with my itinerary. ;-) mary c

Judy

Who needs an itinerary? I do. The trip we took to London 3 weeks ago, was my most "planned" trip and my most enjoyable. We did reservations for theater and certain restaurants. I was very happy that all went exceptionally well... I had all kind of contingency plans if certain things happened, and we were fortunate that nothing extraordinary interfered with our plans,,,, Our dear best friends like to wing it, and I know they would not be good travel companions for us. The uncertainty would drive me bananas! But to each his own, right? Also, I adore the trip planning segment almost as much as the trip itself! I learn quite a bit while researching, and this helps my to enhance my enjoyment immensely. I figure that is why I am such a fanatic Fodorite. Happy travels, Judy

Dean Cain

Sounds good, Judy... <BR> <BR>Maybe you can plan a trip for me! <BR> <BR>

Judy

Dean: better bring your surfboard and get in line, big guy, I am very much in demand! Judy &lt;g&gt; ;-)

Lynne

Like others on this thread, I love doing the research for every trip we take. I plan my itineraries first by making lists: places I'd like to visit; things I like to do; restaurants I'd like to eat at; shops I'd like to get to and so on. I include details like geographic location, hours etc. Finally I block out rough itineraries based on proximity and hours, trying to group places that are relatively close to each other and open on the same day. I try to plan so that I maximize our visit by using "open late" days and special event dates accordingly. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but I always have a general idea of which direction to head in each day. We stay flexible and often detour as more interesting things pop up as we travel. I don't think I would be comfortable without at least a general outline of what I want to see and do to get me started each day.