Anybody else spend more time planning a trip than actually being on one?
 

LOL! I spend weeks and weeks just trying to figure out where to go - for a one or two week stay!

Don't get me wrong. i think it's it's half the fun! I feel like I get a taste of so many places, even if I'll never get there.

Anyone else?

Lisa

Absolutely! Planning is "almost" more fun than the trip itself. I spend weeks researching a potential trip before I take it. Wouldn't you just hate to return from vacation and realize you just missed the opportunity to see something great because you didn't know it was there? Anticipation is half the fun!

Joy

Yes, I spend a great deal of time planning especially when I'm heading to a new place. It's one of my obsessions!

Usually, but I can also be inpulsive.

I just booked a trip for this weekend, an hour ago.

Keith

I did have definite Miami plans but now that this stupid Jeanne is out there, I am having to replan replan replan.

Should I fly in earlier or a day later?

The hurricane is headed towards me (South Carolina).

Should I wait to see if it tears up my coast and home or should I just evacuate to Miami Beach?

My sister and brother in law are in Miami Beach but what about my pets?

This is making me insane.

No, I don't want to plan any longer.

Definitely.

The planning is the fun part!

Absolutely.

Oh yes! Planning and looking forward to a trip is like Christmas for adults.

I start planning the next trip on the way home from the previous one. So the planning (or dreaming) takes weeks, months, sometimes even years!

Yup, I spend a lot of time planning our trips and researching on Fodors Forums. I don't spend a lot of time trying to figure out where to go though as we already have a long list of destinations. And I agree, the anticipation is half the fun.

I couldn't agree me - the planning and anticipation is part of the experience. Sometimes when folks (not on this board since most people here do their research) complain about bad vacations, I can't help but wonder if their trip wouldn't have been better if they had spent some time planning ahead. Like a couple I know who went to the remote island of St John in USVI and were upset there wasn't much night life. Duh!!

While the planning isn't quite as much fun a the trip, I DO get a lot of pleasure from the planning...that's why I enjoy Fodor's so much!
We have a 12 day trip to southern Utah coming up in a few days and we're all booked and even have dinner reservations at the North Rim nad at the Hell's Backbone Grill already.

All the preplanning not only helps me look forword to the trip but makes the trip better since I have a good idea of what trails I'll want to hike and what restaurants I might like to try.

I also take a LOT of photos with a digital (400+ in a week last year)so I also get to re-live the trip for days afterward as I download and edit all those images.

I am always the happiest when I have a future trip "on the back burner".

I've taken several trips doing the reverse -- I did not plan well enough.

I once returned from England and found that I'd styaed in a hotel with a wodnerful Elizabethan Feast dinner, but I did not even know it was there. I arrived late and left early. If I'd known, I would have revised the schedule and arrived in time for the feast.

And I've been to Seattle several times without finding out what special events were on, did not get tickets, etc.

APPLAUSE FOR POSTERS -- I do know that if I take a trip somewhere in the USA soon, people here will provide lots of good tips. So thank you all in advance.

BAK

I LOVE having a trip to look forward to...but hate the planning. Who has the time? But since you guys like to plan so much, maybe I'll just have you plan my next trip! ;)

And the same to you BAK- you are very helpful with any Montreal/Canada questions!

We do tend to spend quite a bit of time planning our trips..but a lot of that is because we feel the planning is just as fun a part of the whole experience as the actual travel itself.

I have noticed that a few people on these forums, tend to plan down to minute details that even I never think of..is that a good thing? I still like to have some surprises when I get there:)

My mom doesn't like to research or watch travel shows on places she is going to visit because she prefers the surprise (lucky for her my dad loves the planning part). As I said, I love the planning. I think it often makes a trip less stressful as well when you have tickets purchased, restaurants chosen, clear directions, etc. I like to get as much info as I can before I travel - somehow for me being there is always so much more amazing than just reading or seeing something about a place on tv. I guess it's just personal preference - like finding out the sex of a child before it is born (I wanted to know both times w/mine!)!!

BTW, Scarlett, I believe I read you are going to Oregon? I saw Food Network is running an episode of $40-a-day on Portland today if you are interested.

My friends and family think I am quite obsessive about planning my vacations.

I am currently in the very early stages of planning a trip back to Europe in 2006. What can I say, it's the only way to beat the depression caused by the return from our trip this past spring.

How much I plan depends on what my destination is and if I've been there before. If I'm traveling within the U.S., I may spend a week or so just researching what interests me. If it's to another country that I've never been to, I'll take months (literally) researching everything - I always fear I'll miss someting great and I'll never have the chance to return.

I LOVE IT! I have a folder on my desk marked "future travel" and if it gets too empty, I feel deprived. There are currently about 6 itineraries sitting in it. Yipppeeee.

Every few years, I contact each of the state travel and tourism bureaus where I'd consider vacationing (typically 25-30 or so) and get them to send me their general information package. When the avalanche of catalogs arrives, I spend tons of time poring over the info to try to come up with good vacation ideas.

So for me, the dreaming and planning and anticipation is as much fun as the trip itself. Now, if only the amount of vacation time I have could even begin to cover the time it would take me to visit all the places I think I'd like to go, that'd be great.

Oh ya-its insane. The last 2 trips we took overseas I booked in August, departed in April, and spent every minute in between obessively planning. I must research every possible B&B option-are there pictures? Personal recommendations? Do they have a bar? (the most important question;))...
The last trip we took to Scotland I had detailed directions to every stop we were making-a precise route everywhere, and the history of each plae we visited down pat.
Now I'm planning a Vegas weekend in January and its seriously keeping me up at night. Ugh!