This is going to be slightly different post than others about travel that have appeared on our blog. Instead of reflecting, commenting, or giving the day-by-day of a vacation, I'm going to discuss how I plan them.
It's always quite the process when planning a vacation.
Step #1: Ideas
The first step for me is where do we want to go, followed by who is going. Depending on who is going I have certain ideas in mind. If it is just a family trip, then I tend to do things Michael and I would like plus Lizzy. If it is a girl's trip, then there might be a dash of paranormal thrown in. If it is a big friend's trip, then I try to figure out what is something a large group of us can do and would be interested in going together.
So at times I'm just picking from the states left to visit:
Alaska (Going here in 2024)
Connecticut
Delaware
Idaho (technically I did spend the night in 2022)
Oregon
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Or I’m going to someplace else that I have already visited but want to share with Michael and Lizzy or my friends. Also, with the pop-up I’m looking up places that might be interesting to do a camping trip.
This step is really vague and just what might be interesting. I also look through my trip idea plans I have already made to see if any of those might be of interest.
Step #2: When and Where?
This is an important step cause the time of year matters. As in, is it going to be way too cold or way too hot at said trip or is it peak season. Peak season matters cause prices of lodging could be high but also the space could be limited.
For example, going to Sanibel Island, Florida in March. The weather is going to normally be warm in upper 70s or maybe low 80s but not extremely hot. However, this is when the "snowbirds" are there and it's hard to find lodging.
Another example is, Rocky Mountain National Park in July. The weather is prefect, but again this is peak season so expect crowds.
Now I don't shy away from peak season, but I do keep it in mind when narrowing where we are going. With the place being narrowed down, it's time for my favorite part.
Step #3: Research and Plan
This is when I start researching what to do, where to go once we are there, how to get there, place to stay, places to eat. Now with Lizzy in tow I also make sure there are things that might be interesting for her to see and do.
I do a mix of Google and Pinterest searches. I write out a list of anything I find interesting.
Here’s an example of when I was researching Gulf Shores:
It's starts as just ideas.
From the research I start planning and nailing down the lodging and figuring out how we are going to get there (road trip or airplane or train). I take my research and turn it into an itinerary.
Step #4: Pack and GO!
Easiest step in my opinion but sometimes the most challenging. I tend to get way too excited about an upcoming trip and want to start packing a few weeks before hand. I write out a list, though at this point I have a nicely typed list I have saved and just print it out. I also print out the itinerary and any documents we might need (boarding passes, tickets for events).
I also figure out which one of our bags gets to go on said trip. We have one big suitcase that we call the "Ireland suitcase" it has gone to Ireland with one of Michael's friends, but, sadly, never with us. Now normally this is our road trip suitcase, but if we fly Southwest (bags fly free!) it might not come with us. Then we have our "Michael bag," it has Michael's name stitched right on it, and two black suitcases. These most of the time come with us.
The night before I'm super excited and finish whatever packing is left. Such as, bathroom items and chargers. I also clean up the house much to Michael's annoyance.
Then we wake up and go!
Hope you enjoyed the insight on how I plan trips. I'm excited for the trips I have planned for us in 2024!
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