What do you do

[Typhoon1]

Welcome to my world. :) "Hello, everyone. My name is Patricia, and I'm an over-planner."

 

Better to over plan, than under plan. DH leaves me with all the planning, then wonders how the flights, hotels, and excursions somehow came together.

[Rebel54]

I buy underwear (you DID ask). A vacation, any vacation, deserves new drawers. It just does.

 

That's awesome. I am treating myself to a very fancy new full length gown for one of the formal nights....since I will also need it for a military ball we are going to attend when we get back :)

[Rebel54]

All great suggestions and I'm taking some of them on :). Get to print my express docs on Sunday so that will give me something else to do !!

 

I do have my first aid kit. My reg meds along with cold, pain, stomach stuff.

 

I went and got some travel size items on Wed....

 

I also bought a luggage scale so I can make sure I don't over pack a bag and have to pay the weight fee's like I did going to Vegas last year. His shoes and my tripod are HEAVY!

[HamburgAvonLady]

How about paying your household bills a little ahead if time --- setting your clothes out and then packing HALF of them ---- updating your travel insurance ---- making sure all your family documents are in order with instructions to those at home as to where to find them (in case). Make arrangements for a relative or neighbor to take in your mail, water your plants, take care of kitty/fido.

[maxout]

How about, instead: "Patricia is an obsessive compulsive moron"?

 

I think everyone else's advice to chillax makes more sense.

 

The only thing I can say in my defense: for years I travelled with a senior with Alzheimer's. "Be prepared" was more than a Boy Scout motto.

 

Patricia you are the antithesis of moran!! Great advice. :D

 

Thx, Spencer

[NoobCruise]

i buy underwear (you did ask). A vacation, any vacation, deserves new drawers. It just does.

 

great idea lol

[monina01]

I watch sailaways...:D (up to a point of obsession and being so tired during the day due to lack of sleep because of the time difference).

[Rebel54]

How about paying your household bills a little ahead if time --- setting your clothes out and then packing HALF of them ---- updating your travel insurance ---- making sure all your family documents are in order with instructions to those at home as to where to find them (in case). Make arrangements for a relative or neighbor to take in your mail, water your plants, take care of kitty/fido.

 

Hehe I've already set up my ebills for the next three months :) Everything is on line.

 

My next thing is to set up my Household guide book for my aunt. She has trouble with the technical things like turning my alarm off and on.

 

I've scanned all my important documents and put them on a flash drive in case of emergencies.

 

Aunty is going to be here to take care of the doggies and all that.

[Rebel54]

I usually get right in the car and drive to the port or the airport. I'm a terrible procrastinator. I'm usually up very late the night before figuring out what I need to bring and getting it packed. More often than not, I'm at a 24 hour store at 2:00AM buying something at the last minute.

 

On my last cruise, we had a 11:00AM flight on a Saturday. I STARTED packing at 7:00AM that morning. I had been away on 2 week business trip and didn't get home until late Friday evening and was doing my laundry at midnight. Now, I will admit, that was cutting it a little too close. :cool:

 

Hehehe. I can't do that. I am too OCD!

[Hawaiidan]

The more you plan, the more detail you anticipate, the more you try to control the future, the more likely you will be upset and frustrated.

 

I remember George Patton saying," plans are only plans and once you actualy begin they will ALL change" Plans are a starting point not an end in themselvs.

 

Leaving discovery and mystery all open and letting each day evolve has much more pleasure and enjoyment awaiting them The over planner has only failures to acheive their attempt to manage both their lives, and those of others.

 

I work as a national Park ranger seasonaly, and see all sorts of cultures and people come to our national parks.

 

One set arrives with wonder and amazement ready to absorb what they might discover. They have a wonderful time and leave inspired. They allow themselves to learn as they go and truly connect to what they discover. They have broad smiles, and love life more dearly.:o

 

The other group arrives with thumb drives, ring binders and printed timetables. They have closed their mind to discovery and in its place put their obsession to be in control of every last detail. They leave frustrated because things somewhere did not go to their plan. They discover nothing, they already thing they know more and discover nothing. They blame others, the weather, the Park, for ruining their plans.... how dare they:eek:

 

What group do you want to be in...it is your life:cool:

[NoobCruise]

The more you plan, the more detail you anticipate, the more you try to control the future, the more likely you will be upset and frustrated.

 

I disagree with this, at least for us. Before our trip, I research research research - obsessively! so I know all our options. When we're on vacation, we're very laid back, easy breezy, roll with the punches. I have excursions booked that I really want to do. However, if they get cancelled, I'm not going to be disappointed or cry my eyes out, because I have a list of half a dozen other things that I would love to do. If I walk on to the pier and am told my excursion has been cancelled, our response will be "Darn!" then shrug and say, "OK, lets go do this instead!" and bam! we've already moved on and are excited for whatever our next adventure is. If I haven't done my research, then I leave myself open for disappointment because I won't know what's available for alternative. For me, learning about where I'm visiting and making plans is half the fun of vacation and extensive research doesn't mean uptight OCD, it just means more fun.

 

There are people who allow themselves to be disappointed over little things, and there are people who plan and then roll with what ever happens. There are people who rarely experience awe and delight and there are people who experience it all the time, even in everyday things. I have lived very close to Yosemite my entire life. We go up there hiking at least every month, often more. And I still experience awe every time we drive in to the valley and I see sights I've seen thousands of times. Our next cruise is Alaska. I doubt I'll be disappointed, even if it rains every day we're there and all of our excursions are cancelled. Why? because I have alternate options planned for worst case scenarios.

[fann1sh]

Hawaiidan, I like that Patton quote. Bismark's chief of Staff said it first:

 

"No battle plan ever survived first contact with the enemy."

 

Personally, I am never, ever disappointed when all my cruise plans go "Psssst!"

 

My over-planning is BECAUSE things go "Psssst!"

 

In February, on St Thomas, I had a Plan A, and a Plan B.

 

But, "ship happened".

 

We didn't actually need the ER, no bones were broken, but it was great I knew the best place for my injured friend to sit and watch the world go by. I had both a tensor bandage, plus OTC + prescription pain killers in my purse. :rolleyes:

 

We all had fun.

[jimmy2x]

I buy underwear (you DID ask). A vacation, any vacation, deserves new drawers. It just does.

 

Actually, I take my OLDEST underwear and throw it out after use. Ensures I get at least SOME new stuff each year and makes the wife happy.;)

[pdmlynek]

Actually, I take my OLDEST underwear and throw it out after use. Ensures I get at least SOME new stuff each year and makes the wife happy.;)

Yes, I've done this too. Underwear that is about to be tossed out (if it can't be turned into a rag) can be thrown away at home just as easily as when traveling. The advantage of throwing it out when on the road is that you lower the amount of clothes that you bring back, and free up some luggage space for souvenirs.

[pdmlynek]

The more you plan, the more detail you anticipate, the more you try to control the future, the more likely you will be upset and frustrated.

 

I remember George Patton saying," plans are only plans and once you actualy begin they will ALL change" Plans are a starting point not an end in themselvs.

 

Leaving discovery and mystery all open and letting each day evolve has much more pleasure and enjoyment awaiting them The over planner has only failures to acheive their attempt to manage both their lives, and those of others.

 

I work as a national Park ranger seasonaly, and see all sorts of cultures and people come to our national parks.

 

One set arrives with wonder and amazement ready to absorb what they might discover. They have a wonderful time and leave inspired. They allow themselves to learn as they go and truly connect to what they discover. They have broad smiles, and love life more dearly.:o

 

The other group arrives with thumb drives, ring binders and printed timetables. They have closed their mind to discovery and in its place put their obsession to be in control of every last detail. They leave frustrated because things somewhere did not go to their plan. They discover nothing, they already thing they know more and discover nothing. They blame others, the weather, the Park, for ruining their plans.... how dare they:eek:

 

What group do you want to be in...it is your life:cool:

 

I like this post. I certainly agree that a plan is nothing, planning is everything. But I do not think that either of the two groups of people that he has described is good.

Hawaiidan’s description of the second group is unfortunately a danger into which a lot of planners fall into. They make a schedule, fill it up minute-by-minute, and when something happens, their plans fall apart. Then, instead of enjoying the vacation, the people in the second group try to catch up to their plan. These people are cheating themselves of enjoyment that the travel should bring.

However, the first group, those who do not do any planning and discover the destination as it presents itself, are cheating themselves as well. The place that a visitor sees is not just a beach, or a castle, or a museum, or a mosque, or whatever. It has a rich history, or a rich background behind it, or is somehow important. People who come into a new city, a park, or an island clueless, will not be able to appreciate what they are seeing or experiencing.

I think that there is a third way. I think that travelers can read up on the history, background, and culture of the places where they’ll visit and understand the context of what they are seeing. Studying what animals live in the park, what king build the castle, or what story is behind the cave drawing will make the traveling much more enjoyable and fun.

As far as planning goes, I typically read up on about the history, and plan on visiting about three weeks worth of museums, churches, parks, and other attractions, for each week that I will be visiting. I have a general idea what we’ll see and do, but I simply travel as needs change. I generally learn more about the area then the locals, and many times I know more about an archeological sites than the tour guides. When planning, I know that unexpected will occur: there will be strikes, or remodeling of a museum, or bad weather, or road closure, or political upheaval, or busses break down, etc. and this is just a part of travelling. None of these bother me because there is a backup plan, and another backup plan. Planning also gives me flexibility: if we want to stay on a beach a couple of hours a little longer, or if we need to cut a visit to a museum shorter, or if we see an interesting parade that we did not anticipate, we are able to do so without having to check our itinerary, and feel comfortable skipping some things or adding some things to our travelers.

It is the planning, and the enlargement of knowledge about the area that we are visiting that the planning provides, that is important, rather than is a plan.

[NoobCruise]

[quote name='pdmlynek'][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=navy]I like this post. I certainly agree that a plan is nothing, planning is everything. But I do not think that either of the two groups of people that he has described is good.[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=navy] [/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=navy]Hawaiidan’s description of the second group is unfortunately a danger into which a lot of planners fall into. They make a schedule, fill it up minute-by-minute, and when something happens, their plans fall apart. Then, instead of enjoying the vacation, the people in the second group try to catch up to their plan. These people are cheating themselves of enjoyment that the travel should bring.[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=navy] [/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=navy]However, the first group, those who do not do any planning and discover the destination as it presents itself, are cheating themselves as well. The place that a visitor sees is not just a beach, or a castle, or a museum, or a mosque, or whatever. It has a rich history, or a rich background behind it, or is somehow important. People who come into a new city, a park, or an island clueless, will not be able to appreciate what they are seeing or experiencing. [/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=navy] [/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=navy]I think that there is a third way. I think that travelers can read up on the history, background, and culture of the places where they’ll visit and understand the context of what they are seeing. Studying what animals live in the park, what king build the castle, or what story is behind the cave drawing will make the traveling much more enjoyable and fun. [/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=navy] [/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=navy]As far as planning goes, I typically read up on about the history, and plan on visiting about three weeks worth of museums, churches, parks, and other attractions, for each week that I will be visiting. I have a general idea what we’ll see and do, but I simply travel as needs change. I generally learn more about the area then the locals, and many times I know more about an archeological sites than the tour guides. When planning, I know that unexpected will occur: there will be strikes, or remodeling of a museum, or bad weather, or road closure, or political upheaval, or busses break down, etc. and this is just a part of travelling. None of these bother me because there is a backup plan, and another backup plan. Planning also gives me flexibility: if we want to stay on a beach a couple of hours a little longer, or if we need to cut a visit to a museum shorter, or if we see an interesting parade that we did not anticipate, we are able to do so without having to check our itinerary, and feel comfortable skipping some things or adding some things to our travelers. [/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=navy] [/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=navy]It is the planning, and the enlargement of knowledge about the area that we are visiting that the planning provides, that is important, rather than is a plan. [/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Absolutely 100% agree! Sounds like we plan and vacation the same way! You can't catch us off-guard or disappoint us. When a plan falls apart, we just change directions and take off running in a different direction than we expected :)