Travel Preparation: The Plan

Why do I plan a trip rather than just go and see what happens? Well, I’ve done both.  However, planning is driven in part by what I want to accomplish and the nature of the travel.  Sometimes travel is to an island in the sun where planning is greatly simplified; sitting on the beach is the plan.  Other times, I am travelling at great expense with time limitations and the goal “to see as much as possible without going nuts.”

So the question is how much planning. How much depends on the goals of the travel and needs:

• You know what you’re going to do
  It doesn’t make sense to wake up in the morning in some foreign country  not knowing what to do.  Fumbling around looking for things to do is a waste of time.  Whether you actually do anything is a different question.
• You see all the things you want to
  Often there are more things to see than there is time; prioritization comes into play and is best drafted prior to travelling. A related point is you don’t miss something you should see  because you didn’t know about it.
• Develop contingencies
  Weather is the thing thing that most often impacts plans; identifying a mix of in-door and out-door activities allows one to select based on local conditions at the time. 
• Getting the things (hotels, shows, etc.) you want
  Last minute hotel selection can work but if you want the best value for your money those hotels are often booked well in advance. A good show may have seats available but there is high risk they won’t be or choice will be limited.
• Simplifying the travel period
  Travel introduces a level of stress; the goal is to minimise that as much while travelling so that you can focus on the experience itself and avoid needless distractions. Removing real-time decisions and travel choices is one means of doing so; planning does that.

Over the years I have come to a routine planning process.  Occasionally new tools become available that result in process improvements (e.g., better information for decision making, faster, more efficient planning, etc.). Broadly the steps I take are:

1. Confirm the destination:
   This is generally at the regional or country level, for example: Portugal.
2. Approximate duration and time of year:
   Duration is one of the major constraints; time of year dictates weather and availability of attractions,  for example two weeks in November in Portugal: rainy season, temperatures in the mid teens celsius; beach activities likely limited.
3. Identify key attractions or sites to visit
   These are the broad strokes, that set the overall framework of the travel plan, for example Braga, Lisbon, Faro. 
4. Draft the route between the key attractions
   This becomes input into travel options, such as plane, train, bus, car, etc.
5. Identify any secondary attractions
   Secondary attractions are opportunities located near the key attractions or  those encountered along the way, for example I look for World Heritage sites such as Tomar
6. Allocate time to each (key / secondary) attraction,
   This is important to ensure the plan is practical.  For example, I have two weeks: [1] can I see everything? [2] how much time can I spend in each place? [3] is it enough, etc.[4] how much time does it take to travel between locations?
7. Draft photography plan
   Review pictures of the areas you are considering.  Even if you’re not a photographer, looking at pictures of the attractions will offer more insight into what to expect and thus help when prioritization becomes necessary.  
8. Find hotels / Prepare budget
   You know where you are going, what you want to see, now select hotels.  Sum up the costs and if it’s within budget proceed.  
9. Make reservations, as necessary and appropriate,
   This is about getting the hotels, shows, and other attractions you want.  It also reduces stress during the travel period; it allows one to focus on sight seeing rather than finding hotels, standing in lines for seats, etc.  
10. Document and publish the plan,
    A complex plan is difficult to remember. Put the details in an electronic calendar, publish it to PDF, and print it out (some places want hard copy of confirmations), for example, the full itinerary, confirmation numbers, costs, prepaid vs. not.  

Execution of the above process is greatly simplified by the availability of in-line resources and other tools:

• Google Earth:
  Plot routes at a high-level; time between locations, see pictures of sites, hotel locations
• GPS Device [e.g., Garmin]
  Plot detailed routes, time between locations. Load all hotels and sites to be visited before departure
• Hotels.com
  To see hotel reviews and make reservations
• World Heritage Site
  A point of view on significant sites to see. Travel blogs etc. offer many opinions. If nothing else the World Heritage Sites are selected based on publicly disclosed criteria. 
• Wikipedia / Wiki Travel  
  Background and history check. Helps in selecting local attractions.  Wikitravel offers insights as well.
• Google Search
  This casts the widest net for information about a location or site.  
• Flickr, 500px, 
  A good source of pictures, often at a higher quality.
• Calendar program
  Putting the complete itinerary into a calendar helps organize things and confirms completeness.  I use Mac’s Calendar program which allows me to synch it to my iPhone, publish it so family and friends can see it and print it to PDF so I can store it off-line and print it.