How do you plan for big vacations

[kwelch10377]

other than Disney....

I am just starting to plan for a trip to London and Paris in Aug 2015 and I have no idea where to start. Most of the trips I have planned have been to Disney, all inclusive type places where I didn't really plan much or places that I am already familiar with so not much planning was needed. In starting to do reseach for London and Paris I feel like I have ADD. So my question to you is how do you plan for big trips like this? Do you figure out what you want to do while you are there first, figure where you are staying, etc.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

other than Disney....

I am just starting to plan for a trip to London and Paris in Aug 2015 and I have no idea where to start. Most of the trips I have planned have been to Disney, all inclusive type places where I didn't really plan much or places that I am already familiar with so not much planning was needed. In starting to do reseach for London and Paris I feel like I have ADD. So my question to you is how do you plan for big trips like this? Do you figure out what you want to do while you are there first, figure where you are staying, etc.

I went to Paris, the Swiss Alps and Munich a couple of years ago. It took A LOT of planning because I planned everything myself (itinerary, flights, purchasing train tickets between cities, hotels, food, etc.)

It was my first time going to Europe so I started by reading Rick Steve's book Europe Through the Back Door. It gave me a good overview on planning a trip to Europe. From there we picked our cities we wanted to go to, and our dates based on work schedules and weather. From there we decided which dates for which cities. Then I booked hotels. Then I figured out exactly how to get from A to B to C with flights and trains. Don't forget figuring out things like how you will get from your hotel to the train station--walk? taxi? metro? Then I figured out what our not-miss attractions were and how long it would take to do each thing.

I bought the specific country versions of the Rick Steves books and also just researched on other online forums (Trip Advisor, etc.) for other tips and recommendations.

It took A LOT of time. I also spent a lot of time planning what to pack. Microsoft OneNot was great to have on my laptop to plan my trip.

Good luck!

 

[sam_gordon]

If I were doing this, the first thing I would pick would be when to go. Obviously vacation schedules factor in, but so does... any big activities happening where I want to go (upping hotel costs), weather, etc.

Then I'll get a rough idea of what I want to do and when I want to do it. That allows me to book flights & hotels. Then it's just "filling" the days.

 

[JanaDee]

If I was planning a trip of that magnitude, the first place I'd go would be a bookstore for a guidebook.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

What do I want to see?
How much time do I need at each place?
Where to stay?
How to get from place to place?

 

[minnie mum]

When we have vacationed in overseas locales, we have done almost exactly as Badgergirl. And the first stop IS the bookstore for a few reliable guidebooks. For Europe we have always used Rick Steves' books. For other areas, Rough Guide or Lonely Planet. They have a wealth of information which is essential BEFORE you start making firm plans. TripAdvisor is also good as a second opinion when you come to making firm decisions on accommodations, transportation options, and sight seeing (in that order).

 

[elaine amj]

Just did Europe in March and only had 3 months to plan. I am an uber planner who likes to spend as little as possible so it was tough and my one regret was I didn't have the time to do enough research.

You have lots of time - but I would get started now. I often book flight tickets as much as 1 year out as that is often when they are cheapest.

I start with reading guidebooks online or from the library to get an overview of what to see and do. Then I start picking out what we would like. From there I figure out approx how long a trip I would want to take and when I would like to go.

After dates are confirmed, it's time for the nitty gritty.

Good luck - Europe was fantastic What I found most challenging (and time consuming) was understanding the transportation system of each location. I ended up with a trip that bounced from city to city (5 different spots) so it was many times more work. For a first trip like that, it qould likely make more sense to base yourself in as few places as possible. That way you don't have so many different systems to figure out. I'd figure out one city and then have to figure out the next city. It was a lot of information to absorb and handle. I loved bumping from place to place - but maybe not ever again with so little time to plan.

 

[Amy]

Get some guidebooks, maybe stop by your local AAA and see what travel brochures they have, and check out TripAdvisor.com. Awesome website for reviews and they have discussion forums to answer your questions.

 

[kwelch10377]

Get some guidebooks, maybe stop by your local AAA and see what travel brochures they have, and check out TripAdvisor.com. Awesome website for reviews and they have discussion forums to answer your questions.

I do have some guidebooks and have spent a lot of time on Trip Advisor.

 

[Andtototoo]

When we've gone overseas, we always take a tour for our first time in the country. That saves us a lot of work , gives us a solid overview, and gives us a safety net (which is important because my dh is a nervous traveler).

A tour itinerary can also give you a good starting point to figure out a plan if you are doing it on your own. Another good place to start is, for example, looking at the list of attractions on something like the London Pass or a hop-on/hop off city tour bus-- that will give you an idea of what is popular, the hours, etc.

Another tactic is to make a bucket list to start with -- what are your dreams? What do you absolutely MUST see in a country? For me, in Italy, I HAD to see Venice. For my dh in France, he HAD to see some Loire Valley chateaux and Mont St Michel. My dd wanted to see the inside of Buckingham Palace (which is only open when the Queen is not there, so that helped dictate the dates).

THEN, read some guidebooks and get more ideas. I really find the DK full color guidebooks really help me find places, then narrow it down. I know a lot of people swear by Rick Steves books, but I've found his quality varies by country (utterly worthless in France, but excellent in Italy).

 

[elaine amj]

Love the bucket list. That really helps!

 

[surfgirl]

London and Paris are easy - tons of information

1) What time of year?
2) What type of hotel (ie. hotel vs. apartment)?
3) flights to/from US (I would recommend open jaw)
4) How get from point A to point B (Eurostar - buy tickets early, will save beaucoup bucks)
5) Read trip reports on various websites (slowtrav.com, fodors.com, frommers.com)

I also look at tour agencies for ideas - what do they do? Good ideas to hit the hot points.

What age and how many kids? We were just there and had a *fabulous* trip. Some different things, but included:
London?
- climbed O2 arena
- bike tour in London
- Harry Potter studio outside London
- overnight visit to Leeds Castle
- visit to Dover Castle
- Harry Potter walking tour in central London
- brass rubbings at St. Martins in the Fields
- "Matilda" the show
- British Museum
- Tower of London
- National Portrait Gallery
- Cabinet War Rooms

Paris?
- scavenger hunt of the Louvre (competitive!)
- Musee d'Orsay
- chocolate walking tour
- Musee de l'Orangerie (Monet's water lilies)
- cooking class (cookies, chocolate mousse, parfaits, and chocolate lava cake)
- climbing Notre Dame towers
- Climbing Eiffel Tower
- climbing Sacre Coeur
- bike tour with biking around Versailles
(I would also recommend Picasso museum - has been closed and will just re-open)

Two great cities to go with kids!

send me a pm and I can send a link to my trip report if kids are similar ages.

 

[kwelch10377]

London and Paris are easy - tons of information

1) What time of year?
2) What type of hotel (ie. hotel vs. apartment)?
3) flights to/from US (I would recommend open jaw)
4) How get from point A to point B (Eurostar - buy tickets early, will save beaucoup bucks)
5) Read trip reports on various websites (slowtrav.com, fodors.com, frommers.com)

I also look at tour agencies for ideas - what do they do? Good ideas to hit the hot points.

What age and how many kids? We were just there and had a *fabulous* trip. Some different things, but included:
London?
- climbed O2 arena
- bike tour in London
- Harry Potter studio outside London
- overnight visit to Leeds Castle
- visit to Dover Castle
- Harry Potter walking tour in central London
- brass rubbings at St. Martins in the Fields
- "Matilda" the show
- British Museum
- Tower of London
- National Portrait Gallery
- Cabinet War Rooms

Paris?
- scavenger hunt of the Louvre (competitive!)
- Musee d'Orsay
- chocolate walking tour
- Musee de l'Orangerie (Monet's water lilies)
- cooking class (cookies, chocolate mousse, parfaits, and chocolate lava cake)
- climbing Notre Dame towers
- Climbing Eiffel Tower
- climbing Sacre Coeur
- bike tour with biking around Versailles
(I would also recommend Picasso museum - has been closed and will just re-open)

Two great cities to go with kids!

send me a pm and I can send a link to my trip report if kids are similar ages.

Thanks....I don't have kids, so that doesn't factor into my plans.

 

[surfgirl]

Thanks....I don't have kids, so that doesn't factor into my plans.

no kids, so many of those things are fun for adults without an age restriction!

for example, the scavenger hunt at the Louvre - we were the only group with kids - and we came in 2nd place to a group of all 20yo's.

- climbing O2 - minimum age of 10 - totally fun for adults - we would do it without kids.

- bike tours are always fun!

good luck.

 

[MIGrandma]

I've never planned a trip to London or Paris, but for trips we go on I do a lot of internet research first. I find out what hotels are in the area, what restaurants, attractions and/or things to do, etc. If there is a Chamber of Commerce I usually get information from them, or send for vacation brochures and books from the areas. I ask for info here, from people who have been to the destination we are planning to go. Maybe buy a book about the destination from a book store (we are planning for Hawaii in January 2016 so I've already bought a couple books). The more information I can gather, the better. And I enjoy doing research for our trips, to me that's half the fun of the trip. I like to have as much planned as possible, but still leave some room for spontaneous things too. And for cruises I like to research the ships we're thinking of going on, from the ship websites, and reading all the reviews I can get my eyes on. As for the ports of call I do research on them too, to learn more about the things to do there so we can decide what suits us best.

 

[Poohforyou]

Go to www.frommers.com and use the guides for London and Paris. The site is a great planning resource.