Successful trip planning can be a complex and involved process. Check out these guides on how to put together an excellent vacation!
After spending time picking out a destination (see Part 1), figuring out where you’re going to stay and what you’re going to do (see Part 2), and building an itinerary (see Part 3)…it can seem like a trip loses some of it’s magic. Where’s the spontaneity? But I promise that a little pre-planning can actually make it easier to change plans or adjust on the go!
What types of spontaneous situations would pre-planning make easier?
There are lots! I’ve highlighted a few of the most common below.
Food: It’s lunchtime and everyone’s hungry. Sure, you could just pop in anywhere, but there’s no guarantee how good the food will be…or if it will be a good value…or if they can accommodate specific diet needs…. You could always pullout your smartphone and start searching…as everyone gets hungrier and hangrier by the minute. Scroll fast! Being vaguely familiar with restaurant choices that are within your budget, meet your dietary requirements, and are located in areas you’re going to already be in can make decisions about food go a whole lot smoother!
Extra time: What happens when your estimated times aren’t quite right…and you only spent half a day in the Louvre instead of all day (should have read my blog post on Surviving the Museums of Paris!). Now what? Having a back up list of things you’re potentially interest in doing (but didn’t make your ‘must do’ list) means that you don’t have to waste time trying to figure out what to do in your free time.
Bad weather: There’s one absolute that you can’t control…and that’s the weather. Knowing what the average weather is like at your destination during your visit is important in the planning stages, but what if Mother Nature decides to throw something different at you? (During one visit to Paris, I got to experience record snow fall…with about 24 hours notice. As soon as the weather forecast was out, pretty much the entire city announced its shutdown for the next day. But I didn’t want to lose a day of my trip!) Having back up plans for weather means that you can adjust easily and not loose time trying to figure out what to do instead.
Public transportation: For those of those that come from areas with minimal public transportation, using subways, buses, and trains can already be intimidating. Thankfully they are relatively easy to figure out (see these blog posts on the Paris Metro and London Underground for public transportation details for those cities), but some routes are easier and more straightforward than others…and you may have multiple choices for convenient stations to pick from for a destination. Being familiar with the maps ahead of time can help make your public transportation trips a whole lot less stressful.
Pre-Planning for Spontaneity
So how do I pre-plan for the above situations to make sure that I have maximum flexibility on the day?
Food: I admit I’m a bit of a foodie. I also eat a predominately (though not exclusively) plant based diet. Just stopping in the nearest place is probably not going to make me very happy. I want good food…I want options that I can enjoy that don’t contain meat…and I travel on a budget, so the price needs to be taken into consideration. One of my favorite pre-planning activities is to make a list of restaurants that I’m interested in trying that are located in the same zones that the attractions I’ll already be visiting. Rarely do I pick a specific restaurant to visit at this stage, but I want a list to refer back to so that I’m not choosing from *every* restaurant in the city when it comes to time to eat. I also make sure to ask for recommendations when I check into my lodging and add those to my list as well.
Extra Time and Bad Weather: Remember those lists of ‘must do’ and ‘would be nice to do’ activities? And how not all of then ended up fitting into the itinerary? That’s okay. These are great options for any extra time that opens up or changes due to weather. Make note of where these things are located and what their open hours are…that way if some time opens up in your schedule or you need to substitute in something indoors because of bad weather, you already have a list to choose from (with no extra work!). These ‘extra’ things don’t have to be ground breaking. It’s perfectly fine to list ‘read a book in the park/cafe’! In fact, I highly recommend it. You don’t have to be doing something 100% of the time. Sitting and reading a book in the park in Paris or laying by the pool in Vegas are just as valid as spending time in the Louvre or catching a show at a casino. (Check out this list of Less Touristy Things to do in Paris…that are still full of the Parisian experience.)
Public Transportation: Before my trip, I try to become at least a little familiar with how the public transportation system works and make sure to save a copy of the route map to my cell phone. Each evening, when I settle down in my hotel room for the night I take the time to plan out my public transportation route for the next day. While I understand the systems well enough to adjust on the fly, it’s one less thing I need to worry about.
Remember: It’s okay to change your mind
Except for pre-purchased tickets and reservations (and even a lot of those can be adjusted last minute), nothing you put down in set in stone. No one is going to check and make sure you did exactly what you said you were going to do in your rough itinerary. You can make changes, adjust, and completely head in a different direction if you so choose…right up until the last minute. Planning just helps you be able to do so a whole lot easier!
