My question is, what happened to peoples sense of adventure. Isn't finding the best place to photograpgh the Golden Gate Bridge part of the trip. Finding your way from point A to point B is part of the fun. Finding your own favorite restaurant or hotel is all part of the experience.
I do not mean to criticize, only to suggest to people that traveling is an adventure and something to be experienced.
In my mind if you have detailed your vacation to the 10th degree, research it to death through other people on this or other boards, you will have not fully appreciated traveling.

Tim -

Whatever you do, don't post this kind of question on the Europe board. The people who are constantly patting themselves on the back for going through tourist-friendly regions of Europe with their trips completely mapped out think they are amongst the bravest and most adventurous in the world. They will NOT like this remark.

If I can afford to take only one vacation a year, you'd better believe I don't want to waste my time at overrated tourist traps, flea-bag hotels, or overpriced restaurants that serve below average food. Can I have a good time no matter what if I'm with my family? You bet. But if I can avoid bad experiences with a little advanced research, why not make my vacation the best it can possibly be?

I agree with you in the abstract, Tim -- exploration and falling into a great place completely by accident is part of the wonder of travel. But the fact of the matter is that I was more willing to let this happen when I was a student and had all the time in the world, than I am now as a working professional with very limited vacation time.

I want to make the most out of my time -- and I have the newfound appreciation that when I go somewhere, I might not necessarily be able to go back there in my lifetime. As a result, I don't map out everything and I leave about half of the stuff to chance, but I also want to make sure that I don't inadvertently skip the "not to be missed."

I like a good adventure, but that does not include, will my hotel have bedbugs,are the garbage cans outside the window,do I have to stand in line at the museum for hours in the rain...I like to have the hotel and any reservations for shows,extra trips,taken care of, so I can enjoy the exploring of a new place while not trying to cope with something that could have been avoided with a little advance planning.

I'm all for sense of adventure, but what makes you think you'll just stumble upon some of the greatest finds in travel without doing research? Talk to people who spent thousands on trips only to have people say "oh did you see this, or eat there, or stay there?", not knowing these gems existed. What a waste. What if in finding your own favorite restaurant you wind up in lousy overpriced tourist traps when the restaurant next door might have been a real find with fabulous food at a great price? To each his own. If you want to wing it, fine, but I prefer to benefit from someone else's experiences, good or bad. I personally research my trips to the 10th degree. I always come back knowing that I stayed in the best hotels and ate in the best restaurants for the money, saw everything there was to see, and found all the right shops.

Oh, and if you think it's fun to find your way from point A to point B you've obviously never been stuck in a car for 14 hours with whining kids, an exhausted and cranky spouse and the possibility of hundreds of miles without food or lodging. Lots of fun. Just ask the people whe nearly ended up in divorce court after that kind of a trip! I guess I'm not that adventurous.

I think some people are more adventurous once they arrive in a strange place, but before they leave they are trying to get a "feel" for it by asking lots of questions.Some people do not have a lot of time to make mistakes and find some stuff out on their own, and some people are so excited about going somewhere, that they like to ask a million questions, feeding their excitement.We are all different and react to things differently...and some are new at this and want to be sure to do everything right...It is an individual thing~

I agree with you - BUT - if you're pressed for time, you want to know this stuff ahead of time. You can waste too much time, energy & gas if you're wandering around.

You're somewhat right. But if you can do your homework ahead of time and focus your vacation efforts in those directions that will most interest you and your family, it will provide a greater chance of fun for all. The smart thing to do is to make the plans, but also make allowances for diverging from the plan.