How do you travel?

corblimey

Apologies if this a well worn subject, but a quick scan of the previous 3 months threads dug up nothing. I'm going on what I would consider to be the trip of a lifetime to Japan later this year. Since I don't know if/when I'll ever get back over there, I've organised my trip in order to maximise my time. I know the area I'll be in each day and determined what I need to see and do. I've marked these things on a map and even have a general idea of how long it will take, so I'm not trying to do something 10 minutes before the place closes, etc.

I showed this detailed itinerary with some degree of pride to a friend, and he broke his h:(le laughing, saying that when he travels, he just goes. We're very different people, but his whole point was he likes to experience the country, not what Lonely Planet thinks of the country. He organises hotels, etc before he goes, so it's not pure seat of your pants flying.

If it was somewhere I had a better than 50-50 chance of ever seeing again, I would surely do it his way, but I think for a place on the other side of the world, maximising your time there by seeing the things and places that every other tourist the world over has seen is the best way to go.

So just wondering how many people are comfortable with just being dropped off, getting lost in a foreign city and perhaps missing some more important sights, getting involved with locals, etc.

mikedragon32

I organise to the nth degree. Right down to how long I'd have to wait for a bus from my destination airport. I don't have a set itinerary for when I reach my destination, just for getting there and home.

Quite sad really, but I could never just arrive somewhere and think "right, now what?". Fair play to those who do. I'm sure they enjoy themselves!

mickman

i would also organise things. there is nothing worse than being on holiday and coming home and finding out you missed the best things cos u were too dis organised

Ponster

The wife laughs but I usually produce an Excel sheet with each line letting me know the date, where I'm gonna be, the hotel I'll be staying in that evening. Everything gets printed out and taken in a folder and also emailed to myself.

I tend not to let things to chance, esp. when it's a place that I probably won't be heading back to any time soon.

dereko1969

I'm with the OP's mate on this one, tbh it sounds very an*l planning every single aspect of a trip. I would plan to a certain extent but not down to the hour, you may think you know what you 'have' to see but until you get there you won't know what the vibe is and stuff you may prefer to spend more time on doing will determine how you travel.
it's also really important to remember when going by the guidebook that
a) they're written a year before they're published so could be well out of date by the time you get your hands on the latest version, and
b) every other fecker is probably going by the same book so all you meet are other backpackers

taking time out to follow your nose is one of the exciting things about travelling you won't know until you go.....as they say

unreggd

How does wandering around aimlessly make a trip more "real" ?

You should make a list of places u wanna go

And if you wanna do lots in a small amount of time, make an itinerary

It doesnt mean you have to follow it exactly, it just gives you an idea of how you could fit everything into your trip, if you wish

TBH I'm sure the OP's mate just goes on the booze on his holiers

corblimey

unreggd wrote: »

How does wandering around aimlessly make a trip more "real" ?

You should make a list of places u wanna go

And if you wanna do lots in a small amount of time, make an itinerary

It doesnt mean you have to follow it exactly, it just gives you an idea of how you could fit everything into your trip, if you wish

Yea, that's my general idea. I know where I'm going to be and what's there. If get to the first thing on my list and it's so fricking awesome, I never want to leave, then anything else on the list drops off. The only condition is that there are some things that have set times, like boat trips, etc and I have to stick to them pretty stringently, but I have plenty of time to make judgement calls on the fly

unreggd wrote: »

TBH I'm sure the OP's mate just goes on the booze on his holiers

You're not far wrong

Winters

My first holiday as a backpacker was interrailing down through Europe from Belgium to Spain. I detailed all the train and connections that I was going to make. All my accomodation was booked and organised. I had quite a detailed itinerary and enjoyed myself.

I have gone interrailing twice since albeit with a mate. On the two occastions the only things booked were the flights and the interrailing tickets. We had no idea where we were going and only really decided on the day. The one rule was that we would only spend one night in each destination.

On a few occasions we would just arrive at the train station in the morning and get the next train leaving and then simply get off the train when we got hungry. It made for some fantastic spontaeonous trips. We have so many stories that simply would never have happened if our holiday had been planned.

There's a lot to be said for both approaches but I feel now, having experienced both, that spontaneity yields the best memories but it really needs a hardened traveller to pull it off. Depends on where you are going though as well I suppose.