Like life, when it comes to vacations it is never good to over plan. And as much as I love to be spontaneous, that is how you end up in Virginia Beach, 4th of July weekend at 3 'o' clock in the morning seriously considering staying at a hotel with bullet proof cops in the parking lot and what could only be blood stains on what passed for carpet. But that's another story...
Sometimes, an adventure is so epic in scale and ambition that it calls for some serious considerations and (gasp) reservations.
We call these binder worthy vacations. They usually are at least 2 weeks long and have multiple destinations. Our first binder vacation took us to Newfoundland and the maritimes and resulted in this.
First you need a destination or two (anywhere will do) some imagination and a propensity for adventure.
Next we head to a bookstore and stalk the travel section for good guide books to our chosen destination. This process is best with coffee.
Then once you are completely excited and inspired by what you discover, make a short list. This is a list of places that you absolutely must see on your trip. Sometimes this list is also long.
A calender is handy.
Next, you will need a binder. I like these because of the elastic closure (good for holding in all the stuff), also the softer cover with the rounded spine makes for easy packing.
Also, you will need these or some other binder pockets, one for each day of your trip.
Let the planing begin!
As you schedule flights and reserve accommodations print out the confirmation data, directions, cancellation polices (I will get to that later) and any other info you might want and place it in the pocket for the appropriate day. It isn't uncommon to not have (free) internet access so having hard copies of your itinerary is a nifty thing. You can also include info on your must sees, things like hours and fees are good to know. Another reason I like to have a binder 'pocket' for
every day (reservations or not) is that it is a great place to store ticket stubs, recites, travel info and anything other memories you pick up along the way. (this is when the elastic closure on the binder becomes a necessity) I don't know how many times I have gone back to the binder to find the name of the resturant we ate at that one time. It also comes in very handy if you happen to be blogging your vacation.
Remember at the beginning of this post, the thing about not over planning? Here is a trick...schedule in extra time for "stuff" and "exploring". In general we try not to "schedule" more than half (or less) of each day (including driving time) so that there is plenty of time to get side tracked. And just because you have this nifty binder with stuff, don't be afraid to change your plans! That is why you print cancellation info. Also, you never know when something may be canceled for you, having all the info will help with re-scheduling as well.
Now...go forth and travel! Just don't forget to send us pictures!
