Having just gotten back from vacation and having lots of people asking questions (both before and after), I started thinking about something that has come up in the past in relation to how different people plan for vacation. It is interesting to me how different some people are. Some people's preferred vacation is hanging out at the same beach resort for a week while others pick up and fly to Europe with no plans or even a hotel booked.

Obviously there are times and places for each of these, but if you had to choose from the following options to describe your preferred method / level of planning which would it be closest to (some generalizations are certainly still made here):

A) Planning only the major arrival/departure to/from the destinations. Most of your sleeping arrangements you prefer to simply figure out as you go (getting a room at a hotel/hostel wherever you are, camping, etc.). You have a general list of some major things you'd like to see or do but that's about it. You're flexible/have no schedule for the day-to-day activities but tend to do/see a lot instead of staying in one place.

B) Planning the major arrival/departure plus planning your sleeping arrangements ahead of time. You have a general list of some major things you'd like to see or do but that's about it. You're flexible/have no schedule for the day-to-day activities but tend to do/see a lot instead of staying in one place.

C) You plan the major arrival/departure, your sleeping arrangements, and what you will do/see each day. There may be some 'wild card' time but for the most part you know what you are doing when for most of the trip before you ever leave your house.

D) You prefer packaged tours and like to buy trips where the general itinerary is already fairly pre-packaged and you don't even have to plan out the main activities and don't have much time to go 'off course'

I would say cruises and resort hotels both fall into either C or D for this discussion.



I'll start off: I have found that my wife and I are usually in the B category. I'm not daring enough to not have sleeping arrangements planned (ie A) but I am usually good as long as I know we have set transportation to/from the beginning/end as well as a roof over our head each night. I do some planning to make sure it is at least feasible for us to hit our priority 1 stops (review public transit routes and any seasonal variables for example) but the rest is pretty fluid/open.

8/12/2014 5:23:58 PM

I highly recommend sitting around and thinking about your vacation for an extended period of time. This will save you the time and effort of actually going on vacation.

8/12/2014 5:27:35 PM

I'm definitely a B. this is exactly the type of trip I am going on in a couple weeks. Arrival and Departure is set along with transportation between the 3 major cities. We have the hostels reserved and a general idea of things we'd like to see in each city. But what actually happens when we get there is going to be decided on the fly.


Though I have had success on less "risky" trips going with the A method and using hotwire or another booking site to "name my own price" and wind up with a very nice hotel room in the city for fairly cheap for the night.

8/12/2014 5:28:29 PM

it really depends on where/when you're going. if this is Europe in peak season, I'd go with B. if it's Europe in fall/winter/spring I would go with A.

I've gotten some insane deals using the "name your own price" app and multiple credit cards (if you're too high you have to lower criteria) by getting hotels at the last minute. I stayed in one in Amsterdam that was almost $300 a night and got it for $60 and split that with a friend. $30 to stay in a four star hotel beats $20 to stay in a hostel all day.

8/12/2014 5:42:02 PM

in between B and C but more towards B - we usually make a note of the things we want to do and when they are open / closed and then just go from there unless reservations are required

8/12/2014 5:54:49 PM

I do C, I plan every hour and make a travel book in a moleskine-type notebook with maps and info. It's only a plan though, it evolves as I go and I use the same notebook like a journal and add brochures and stickers and stuff. Brochures, post cards , and stickers are my favorite souvenirs because they are free or cheap, easy to pack, and easy to flip back through.

8/12/2014 5:55:08 PM

I book everything way in advance (hotels and airfare) and have a basic itinerary of places/thing I want to see, assuming it's an expensive/far away place like Europe or Hawaii.

If it's a weekend trip or a place I've been to a bunch, I'm more inclined to not plan anything and just see what happens.

Overall, vacations have always worked out better whenever I've planned ahead than when I just tried to wing things though.

8/12/2014 6:06:07 PM

B. And am in the process of planning this right now.

Maybe it's just my personality or whatever, but I would be far too worried about not being able to get a hotel or whatever if I didn't plan ahead for it. When I go on vacation, I want to be able to relax and kinda go with the flow...not being too regimented with my schedule. But I gotta have my sleeping arrangements figured out beforehand. All I need to know is how and when I'm getting there, and where I'm sleeping. Other than that, I can figure the rest out once I'm there.

For me, it's just way easier to get the big stuff (travel and hotel) out of the way, and then figure the rest as we go. Gives me flexibility about site seeing and things like that, which I prefer.

[Edited on August 12, 2014 at 6:14 PM. Reason : d]

8/12/2014 6:12:27 PM

A. Sometimes you just gotta sleep at a bus station.

8/12/2014 6:30:35 PM

Still rather stay in the hostel for the character

[Edited on August 12, 2014 at 6:37 PM. Reason : but a 60 dollar hostel not a 20 dollar hostel]

8/12/2014 6:36:53 PM

Between B and C depending on the trip.

8/12/2014 6:48:13 PM

We're usually in the B camp. If we really really want to see something we'll buy tickets or plan in advance, but we always leave ourselves time to sleep in or just hang out at our destination.

8/12/2014 7:51:45 PM

Chalk me up to being a C with some B thrown in every once in a while.

I justify it to stay within budget and because most of my vacations are splurges and my actual vacation time is limited. I want to stay and eat at the best places, and see the things worth seeing. While it's fun to wander, I'd rather have a plan. I'm still able to immerse myself in the culture of wherever it is I'm visiting, and I get more done.

Funny enough, my wife wanted me to be more spontaneous with vacations and we did it her way once. She now prefers for me to plan

Found one of my itineraries to sorta describe an example of how I plan. It's part of a weekend trip to Blowing Rock. I don't think it's too complex or detailed:

Breakfast - Cafe Gouda
Hiking in Linville Falls area
Lunch - Snacks/Protein Bars
Hotel - Chetola Resort
Dinner - Timberlakes (Inside Chetola Resort)


[Edited on August 12, 2014 at 8:08 PM. Reason : .]

8/12/2014 7:54:31 PM

I'm usually C but only because a portion of my trip usually is a sporting event or something only at a certain time like a concert and I never risk going on a trip without tickets in hand. My list of other things to do and see is usually extensively researched because I get bored at work but I never plan an hour by hour itinerary or anything. Only time I did a D trip was for our honeymoon at an all inclusive and I'm not sure I'll ever do that again.

Quote :

"I'm still able to immerse myself in the culture of wherever it is I'm visiting, and I get more done."

Yeah I research/plan more because I'd like to do "local" things instead of tourist traps. I'll usually try to find the best way to get to the best areas instead of being laser focused on one restaurant or one destination.

[Edited on August 12, 2014 at 8:03 PM. Reason : .]

8/12/2014 8:00:19 PM

I choose "C" because that is generally what I do. One of my sisters, me, and some of our cousins have decided that we want to start traveling together. Number 1 on my bucket list right now is New Mexico and the International Balloon Fiesta. I'm hoping to do this next year and have already mapped out the entire trip and what places I will be on what days. It will take 11 days. My sister also hinted that she wants to travel to Utah, so I have a rough draft made for that trip and that will take 11 to 13 days too. We have already planned to take a capital building tour and go on a bureau of printing and engraving tour next time we go to DC. After that we will probably go see some things we have already seen, if we can talk our dad into going for once.

8/12/2014 11:42:35 PM

tl;dr

8/12/2014 11:58:36 PM

Quote :

"I'm usually C but only because a portion of my trip usually is a sporting event or something only at a certain time like a concert and I never risk going on a trip without tickets in hand. "

I didn't think about that. That's definitely true. But generally speaking, that's the only thing I would plan for in advance.

I was thinking more along the lines of having a strict itinerary for the entire trip and sticking it to it. If the trip is for a specific purpose (seeing a game), then I'll make sure to have tickets for that and know about parking and such beforehand. Other than that, I'm definitely B.

Quote :

" I choose "C" because that is generally what I do. "

I lol'd...that's a pretty good reason to choose C then

8/13/2014 8:27:53 AM

Depends on the trip. I backpacked Europe and was mostly A with a little bit of B.

Now that I'm older...it's probably more C because we go to one area and stay there. So obviously the sleeping arrangements are done in advance. Then I'll book a rental car or golf-cart depending on where we're at. Then I'll research bars and restaurants to see who has the best reviews and what we might like. I'll make a list of places we'd like to check out. If it's a really popular restaurant, I might make an advanced reservation if necessary. I'll also price out excursions and maybe reserve one in advance if they say that's recommended.

I don't like all-inclusives and having everything planned in advance...but I do like to have a good idea of what we're going to do and places we'd like to eat/drink/see.

8/13/2014 8:39:45 AM

^ I also don't like having everything planned in advance, but if it is in Europe I will definitely scope out transportation costs. I prefer to know ahead of time if it is a good deal to get day passes or weekend passes, or should I just pay per trip for the Subway/Trolley/Bus.

Also, when I am in Europe, I will look for major parks and places nearby where I can easily buy grilling supplies, food and beer.

But in the USA, it is just B. I wing everything except sleeping.

[Edited on August 13, 2014 at 8:57 AM. Reason : d]

8/13/2014 8:57:16 AM

Working in the travel industry, I can say that A-D are definitely representative of age of the traveller.

The older they get, the more they want planned out.

8/13/2014 9:14:49 AM

I have progressed from fully C to B-C with dreams of trying A as I've gotten older. But I married someone in the military and that beat a lot of my Type A planner mentality out of me.

8/13/2014 9:17:11 AM

good responses

^^ that's exactly what drove me to make this thread. While I see A-D spread throughout the age groups (since there are always outliers), I notice that most people around my parents age are more toward the C-D side whereas it seemed many people around my age are more circling around B. Do you think it is more age or generational?

8/13/2014 9:39:10 AM

Skwink did make me start to think its more generational for sure.

So I'd say its a combo of age and generation.

8/13/2014 9:41:18 AM

I also think the range of A-D varies on how much traveling you do. If you're comfortable going to new places frequently, you may be less likely to plan everything out. As we make more money and take more trips in a year, I find myself planning everything out less and less. When you have one trip that you plan for all year, it's hard not to think about it and research stuff in advance.

8/13/2014 9:57:17 AM

^^i think a lot of it is generational... many in our generation were exposed to travel a much younger age than our parents or grand parents. It allowed us to become self sufficient and more confident travelers as we've gotten older ourselves.

however, it's not across the entire generation. I have a husband and wife friend that are seemingly scared to death to travel abroad or anywhere without a complete itinerary and almost never take any multi-destination trips. The most exotic place they've visited is Mexico for an all-inclusive.

8/13/2014 10:17:36 AM

anything involving more than 2 people would have to be C. otherwise things could get disorganized

8/13/2014 10:33:21 AM

I didn't travel much growing up, only because my fam couldn't afford it. I'm not very scared though...I'd just say more uneducated about traveling abroad.

I would want to have sleeping spots set up my first couple of times, and then I'd be ready to just go balls out on a trip after that.

I deal with sports travel and people with A LOT of money. They want everything planned out for them and get upset if any part of the travel has to be cancelled due to low numbers.

8/13/2014 10:42:38 AM

I guess I should add that when my family travels back home to Iowa we soort of have things planned out as far as family reunions and that kind of stuff, but we also play it by ear and stop in to visit people, if we have time.

8/13/2014 9:41:38 PM

A, but i like to stay in one place for a few days at least

8/13/2014 9:51:19 PM

If you travel to a place where the first language is different, reviews on english sites will not even come close to revealing the best places. You will.end up at the best of all the tourist places and get a false impression. Its much better to get boots on the ground and ask locals first.

8/14/2014 12:14:31 PM

good call Earl. There's nowhere on the internet with that information

8/14/2014 12:15:27 PM

Quote :

"I guess I should add that when my family travels back home to Iowa we soort of have things planned out as far as family reunions and that kind of stuff, but we also play it by ear and stop in to visit people, if we have time."

I don't think going home really counts as traveling in the sense that this thread is discussing.

8/14/2014 1:00:24 PM

A. Buy the plane tickets and figure everything else out when we get there .

8/14/2014 6:25:51 PM

I pretty much always do "A".

I went to Peru for 2 weeks one time, and all we had planned ahead of time was an Inca trail hike to Machu Picchu, because you have to buy a permit and they apparently sell out of their allotment of them. Other than that, we did Lima, Cuzco, Inca trail to Machu Picchu, some time in the Amazon and a tour down there, etc, along with 3 domestic flights...all 100% on the fly.

we did a work trip for a week out to Fallon, NV...I ended up working a deal to fly home out of San Francisco instead, and on the last day in Fallon, rented a car and went out to SF for another few days. Made it up as we went, day to day.

"D" sounds like a shitty vacation.

8/16/2014 1:55:29 AM

Yeah theres spmewhere on the internet if you are going to a country where people use smartphones to rate everyplace they eat at AND you can read the local language. If not, the trip advisor reviews you are reading are from all the other tourisis that visited the place and had no idea just like you.

8/16/2014 2:16:37 AM