My name is Becky and I'm a travelplanaholic..

[minnieandmickey]

Anyone else like me, I have the next 8 years of vactions planned for . Here it is:

2002 : cruise/New Orleans (me and DH only)
2003 :10 day WDW (with kids)
2004: 3 day cruise/4 day WDW(me and DD) and possibly a family trip
Washington DC
2005: 4 day DCL cruise and 3 day WDW (sons 16th birthday)
and 3 days at DL for 50th ann celebration
2006: save for sons Graduation trip
2007: Tokyo for DS and DH (grad trip)
2008: save for 2009(maybe a small cruise)
2009: Trip to Europe to celebrate our 20th ann
and DD 16th and DS 21st Birthday
UK, Ireland, Paris (DLP), Italy


I think my OCD is vacations. Anyone like this or am I in a ship by myself. Of course lets also see how many of these plans will come true.

 

[SeaSpray]

I don't think I'm as bad as you are But I definitely love planning our family vacations!!! I never get tired of researching our upcoming trips. Although I have to say that the research I'm doing for our cruise next year is NO WHERE as much fun as researching and planning our Disney World vacations. We've already booked the cruise, I know basically which excursions we're going to take, and beyond that, there's not much else to plan.

8 years worth of plans already, huh?? I only have the next 2 years planned, and they are definite plans

Good luck, hope you do take all of the vacations you have planned!

 

[mrsv98]

MY is Becky and I am a travelplanaholic!!!

Tho I have to admit, I am not quite as bad as you! I have the next 3 years planned:

2003 Feb week in WDW at VWL with extended family
Aug week in Door County, WI

2004 Spring Break in New Orleans taking a niece with to be built-in babysitter

2005 Disney weeklong cruise to celebrate my 40th and DD's 5th birthdays in April

I am still trying to work in a trip to Europe once DD is 8 or so. I went to University in England and have wonderful friends that I miss a lot. Now I just have to get DH on a plane

Plus we go on little mini vacations to places like the Dells and Lake Geneva. However, we are getting a puppy for our dog in Feb so I think next year we will be limited in where we can go until she gets a bit bigger.

Do you think there is a 12 step program for people like us?

 

[DocRafiki]

Do you guys actually have all this stuff planned out, like hotels, itinerary, travel plans?

And would anyone like to plan my trip to France next year? All I know is I want to be at the Eiffel Tower, DLP, or both on Sept 18, 2003. I know nothing about travel in Europe!

 

[catsrule]

I have vacations for the next 5 years 'dreamed' out, but they aren't actually booked.

 

[EROS]

BECKY, you've obviously been blessed by lack of unexpected tragedy in your life. I haven't been so fortunate. As a consequence, I try to go for the gusto..............TODAY!!!! We plan our vacations as far as 1 year out, but I emphasize to all that nothing is assured in life besides death and taxes .....

CARPE DIEM!!!!!!!

 

[mrsv98]

ooo Doc, it would be so much fun to plan a trip to France....let's see you have to go to:

The Tullieries (recently restored)

Le Louvre

Muse D 'Orsay (an old converted train station with an amazing cafe on the top floor...there are enormous clock faces in each end and you look out over Paris through the clocks!)

La Orangerie

walk up and down the Champs Elysse

Go to the second level of the Eiffel Tower (don't bother to go all the way to the top, way too much hassel for a marginaly better view)

If you like modern art, then the Pompedeau

The Rodin Museum with its outdoor sculpture garden

Spend Sunday morning at the Tullieries, watch the children sail their boats in the round ponds, while their parents smoke endlessly and read the papers

take a boat tour from the Pont Neuf

Wow, maybe I should go to Paris! BTW, what is DLP and why is Sept 18 important?

As for my stuff, yes, I have the first two iteneraries, accomodations and such and I am reading books about New Orleans for the third. I tried to make ressies for the Cruise, but Disney is not as forward thinking as I and won't let me book that far ahead yet!


edited to say that NONE of my French spellings are likely to be coorect!

 

[Planogirl]

I have lots of potential trips in various planning stages but nothing booked or paid for yet. I like to dream about all of the things we'll see when we go to WDW, Disneyland, Colorado, various tropical islands, England, Holland, Spain...

 

[SDAngel101]

Any one of you care to pack me up in a suitcase and take me with you on ANY of your vacations?? They all sound SOO fun!!

 

[Doctor P]

We try to plan several years out to make best use of our DVC points. We are generally planned out through 2005.

 

[abaldacci]

but not that far out. I am now in the process of planning a suprise cruise for my DH one we didn't get to take because of 9/11. I hope I can keep it a suprise, but thats just in March /03
I always start planning the next vacation before the one I am planning present is taken.

 

[adamak]

Hello Becky.
Finally I felt like I met someone who can understand me. I am too a travelplanaholic. I don't plan 8 years ahead. But if I don't die tomorrow, here are my future dream trips -

2002 - Turks & Caicos (hopefully in Dec)
2003 - Hong Kong / China (that's home)
2004 - Paris / London (maybe more)
2005 - cruise somewhere, maybe Alaska
2006/7 HK again, because Disney HK is opening.

And of course, WDW in between. My whole life is about saving moneys for trips, and planning for them. My saddest time in life is when I get back from vacations.

 

[minnieandmickey]

Adamak, I totally understand,especially the saving and getting back issue.
Ok,besides the cruise for this year, nothing is booked as of yet these are just vacations we are planning on doing. Currently I am obsessing over our WDW vacation for next year. The others will get booked on a year to year basis, after that.

Oh and EROS, being married to a police officer I have had to train myself not to worry about what can/cannot happen. If I sat around and worried about these things then my vacations would be spent at our regional sanitorium. I mean what would life be without dreams, pretty boring.

 

[DocRafiki]

Originally posted by mrsv98


Wow, maybe I should go to Paris! BTW, what is DLP and why is Sept 18 important?

DLP = Disneyland Paris
9/18/2003 = my 30th birthday

Now I'm all excited from reading all the interesting things to see. Tell me more! The only things we're seeing for sure are the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and the Louvre. We're considering DLP and a side trip to Normandy and Mont St Michel. Who can tell me where all the great castles are? I haven't started planning or even reading the tour books yet.


What are you thinking of doing in New Orleans? I used to live there but, sadly, never saw many of the tourist sights.

 

[minnieandmickey]

Well we only have 2 full days there so I guess we will be doing very little. My husband is a history buff, so he wants to do all the history sites, me on the other hand, I want to do the aquarium and the french quarter, and the trolley to see all the old ,beautiful houses in the garden district. We are pretty good when it comes to negotiating on what to do so, either way I know we will at least be eatin good.

 

[DocRafiki]

If your hubby likes history and you want to see the quarter and the garden district, definitely go on an historic home tour. I love them, though I've never toured any in NOLA. One I've wanted to do is Longue Vue (sp?). I wonder if they have tours that include multiple houses? I love driving around looking at the old houses from the outside. The streetcar would be GREAT for that! OOh... I really am sad that I never went on a haunted house tour! OK, it's time to go visit friends back home

 

[minniecarousel]

OK - all of you planners: is it less expensive to do a package for WDW & the Disney Cruise, or is it cheaper to plan the individual parts of the trip? We're planning on doing 4 days at WDW, and then the 3-day cruise with our college age kids next summer. We've always done the package, but I'm wondering if I can do it cheaper on my own. We're pretty spoiled, staying at the Boardwalk the past few times, and I know we'll want verandah staterooms. I'll post this over on the cruise baord, but I thought I'd ask here since this thread was started.

 

[mrsv98]

Oh Doc, Mont St Michel is AMAZING!! I had forgotten about that place. Do you know the monks still live and work there. They close the abbey several times a day for prayers. Even when it is open, if you listen, you can hear them chanting in other areas. Just make sure you leave before high tide! You should definately do a tour of the Loire Valley and see the Chateaus, they are magnificent, especially the ones of the Medici family. There are lots of day trips you can take and you should go on a guided one to hear all the history and gossip! Consider Chartes for the cathedral with the astonishing stained glass. It all depends on how long you will be there and how much $$$ you want to spend.

And hey, no for turning 30! I was still in grad school at 30! It only gets better as you go. In my 30's I have: completed my Masters from Cambridge, met my DH, fell in love, got married, had a baby and bought a house! And I still have a few 30's left to go!

BTW, we are thinking of doing New Orleans in March/April of 2004, after Mardi Gras. We want to take a niece to help with DD as I don't think cemetaries will interest her that much! We are reading guide books now to get a feel for where to stay and for how long.

Have fun!

 

[DocRafiki]

Even when it is open, if you listen, you can hear them chanting in other areas.

ooooooooooooooooooooh that would be fabulous!

I'll have to take notes on what you're telling me.

Well I hope my 30's are as productive as yours have been

minnie - I haven't done a cruise OR any sort of package. Maybe someone will read your question when I BUMP.

 

[onemichelle]

Great thread!! My husband thinks I have a trip planning obssession, I tell him it is a hobby! My only problem is that no matter where I START planning a trip to , I always end up wanting to go to Disneyworld!! If it weren't for my husband wanting to go elsewhere (which I always enjoy, it just never occurs to me!) I wouldn't end up anywhere but Disney.
I think it is cheaper to do the components yourself, which also gives you the flexability to add more days at the parks. I think the nicest thing about booking it all through Disney is that they handle so many of the details.