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 »
Dr. Jerk
I wish doctors would treat me like a person, instead of a fat person. No matter what complaint sends me to the doctor in the first place, within minutes, every visit turns into a conversation about how I need to lose weight, and what will happen if I don't. Like I haven't tried a thousand times to lose weight. Go »Where the Hell I Have Been All Year, Part III
This is a long story of interest only to friends of mine and people who really want to spend fifteen minutes reading about my life, but I've been promising to reveal this secret for the better part of a year and the time has come: Kelly Lee and I were a couple again this past spring. I kept it secret because A) it was difficult to tell the friends who had supported me during her breakup that we were dating again and B) for the duration of the relationship I didn't know where it was going and I wanted to know this before I said anything. Anyway, this story is solely my point of view and may not be fair to hers. Go »Bill$
Saving up is hard to do. I'm spending every dollar I have after the holidays to move Kelly here next week, then we have to move again in two months to a larger place. And I have more than a grand to pay in taxes. Go »Fantastic
The 20th Century Fox sequel "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" debuted as the No. 1 weekend flick with $57.4 million in sales, slightly surpassing the $56.1 Go »Earth to Cat
What part of get down! are you pretending not to understand? Go »
Erik Bates | April 18, 2016
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