Fun with Vacation Planning
by Scott Hardie on April 16, 2016
I think I have discovered a new interest: Vacation planning. Most people enjoy daydreaming about possible future trips, but not everybody enjoys working out the fine nitty-gritty details of every last part of the trip. I have found that I do. I spent more time planning our honeymoon than our wedding, and even minor day trips take up inordinate amounts of my attention. For a just-concluded five-day visit by Kelly's brother Andy and his boyfriend Joe, I spent weeks of research and preparation. It paid off; we had a great time.
My philosophy of trip planning is that, once you're on site, it's easier to take something out of the itinerary than it is to add something in. I stuff every day of a vacation full of planned activities, and once we're there, if we're too tired or too stressed or otherwise not feeling like doing the next thing on our list, we simply skip it. I don't like to leave gaps in the plan where we could be doing something but we'll probably wind up sitting around doing nothing because inertia takes over.
Besides, filling every moment of the itinerary allows me to experiment with different arrangements that maximize our time -- for instance, by putting these activities in this order on day 1, and those activities in that order on day 2, we can squeeze out extra time for another activity that we'd otherwise have to miss. If I'm going to go to the effort and expense of traveling, I want to make the most of it. And of course, it's fun to think about the trip from every possible angle.
So far, Kelly has been a good sport, putting up with my questions about which activities and destinations she'd prefer, because she knows that I'm taking care of the research and reservations and other work. I fear that I control the process too much in the interest of having the best possible trip, but I have to trust her to tell me if I'm becoming a control freak.
What did Kelly and Andy and Joe and I do in five days? We hunted for seashells on the beach, fed flamingos in a zoo, drove up along the keys, played Mario Kart and other games at home to relax, rode roller coasters, saw an explosive stunt show, shopped for exotic foreign candy, watched belly dancers and hibachi chefs, and ate a huge variety of food. I'm not going to bother sharing photos as you've probably already seen them on Facebook (friend me if you haven't yet). The success rate turned out the same as other trips that I've planned extensively: Around 90% of the trip was fantastic, and the rest either couldn't be helped due to unforeseen issues, or fell victim to schedule-trimming on site. I couldn't be more pleased, and I'm looking forward to the next family visit already.
Next up: Kelly and I are going to New York City for a weekend this August. I'd better get started. :-)
Two Replies to Fun with Vacation Planning
Chris Lemler | April 18, 2016
I heard it's a nice and a big place to go see
Logical Operator
The creator of Funeratic, Scott Hardie, blogs about running this site, losing weight, and other passions including his wife Kelly, his friends, movies, gaming, and Florida. Read more »
Sinners and Losers
Last week, Katherine Harris publicly denounced the first amendment, calling it "a lie" and said that we were supposed to be a nation of religious law. She also said that not to vote for a Christian is to vote for sin. (link) Apparently in Florida that gets you elected: Yesterday she enjoyed a landslide 50% victory over her competitors in the Senate Republican primary despite a bumbling campaign. Go »Scott's Pet Peeve #2519
Why do some microwaves have a convenient quick-start option if you press 1 or 2 or 3, so that they instantly start cooking with 1:00 or 2:00 or 3:00 on the clock... but DON'T have this same functionality programmed into 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9, which do nothing when pressed alone? How does an engineer possess both the vision to provide the former and the lack of imagination that results in the latter? Go »Flow Charts
Meet the marriage of rap music and Microsoft Office: (link) Why do I have the feeling Herbert Kornfeld made some of these? Thanks, Marlon. Go »Heart Burn
The recurring pericarditis that I mentioned elsewhere is now believed by my primary-care doctor to be heartburn or possibly an ulcer. The latter explanation is possible I suppose, but I'm skeptical about the former since it feels less like an acidic burning than like a sharp localized lower-chest pain such as a knife wound or bullet wound. Either way, it still keeps occurring every few weeks, it still hurts like a son of a bitch and keeps me awake all night, and I'm way beyond sick of it happening. Go »Cliché
Mighty Girl found a fun and simple way to make her announcement. Go »
Erik Bates | April 18, 2016
[hidden by author request]