Feeling a little rusty?

I felt rusty, too, but when I made my 5 day trip to NYC last October all my planning skills came right back. I have a master packing list that I consult no matter if the trip is for business, domestic, or international--it has never failed me! I bring a semi-rigid plastic zipped envelope to hold any printed tickets or other info I might need, and before I leave I do my little travel notebook that's around 4 x 5" and fits in my purse--all my research goes in it, flight and hotel info up front, then a page per day for planned activities, including transit notes, etc. I use the pages after the daily ones as my travel journal. It's been especially helpful on return trips to cities where I want to re-visit something or forgot how hard it was to find something.

For my trip last Sept, I had a list of things I needed to do at home before I left. Things like register trip with STEP (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program); stop mail; pay an extra month on utility bills; turn furnace down to x; let my neighbor know when I will be away; confirm hotel reservations, etc.

Of course, I threw the list away after the trip. I'll have to create another one and make sure I save it this time. 😊

Yep, I felt rusty too when I traveled last Fall. It took me weeks to pack, lol. I did better when I went to Hawaii in January but somehow that was easier. Now I am 3 weeks out and getting stuff organized.

I'm referring to my packing lists now and have them printed out and on top of my suitcase.

Did you say you use the app for Tripit?

For the last several years I've just been doing an itinerary on google.docs. I do not have spreadsheet skills as I never used them in my career so I'm more comfortable with and less intimidated by Google Docs. I make a table (4 across and 20 down because 20 is the most you can do at a time) and title the columns (Date/Activity/Transportation/Lodging) and add the dates down the rows. I save them for viewing offline. And yes, just updated to add CDC card and tiny purell, lol!! Plus since I read Cameron Hewitt's blog last Fall have added a thermometer and a Pulse Oximeter to my travel kit.

I've now partially put my packing list on googledocs and have lists of Paris Museum closures plus other reference documents.

My pattern the last few trips has been to do independent travel for a couple of weeks and then do a tour, either Rick or Road Scholar. I've found that it's easier to create 2 itineraries for each half of the trip and then I can add in notes at the bottom of each on restaurants possibilities. I also color code them across the top and down the sides...!

Fun topic! I love to know how others organize their trips!

I go on vacation to get away from spreadsheets. I'm not creating spreadsheets for fun! ;-)

I've been doing this too long so I'm old school. I print out a calendar (plenty of free templates online) for the time I'll be gone, and fill in the blanks with pencil.

You must have your airline's app on your phone, but you must crosscheck it with your email because they will reach out to you either way (or both).

On my trip in December I spent the night before returning to the US in my Paris hotel room filling out and uploading documents to Delta, so I was very glad to have my cellphone AND my tablet with me.

There are lots of vloggers who give "helpful" advice on packing. My wife seems to be quite fond of this woman at the moment.

https://www.youtube.com/c/Justineleconte/videos

I do 1 and 2. Don’t use trains very often as we rent cars.
I could never do number 4 except for a special event! You are very organized. Weather changes clothing choices frequently.

Carrie, thank you for the reminder of STEP! I just added it to my international checklist.

Here’s mine to get you started since you want to create one. The first one is domestic trips where we are both traveling. The international list is recently just me traveling so less house items to do.

To Do List before a Domestic Trip

A home for Jackie - Rover.com

Plenty of food for Jackie.

Switching wedding rings? Store my ring in the safety deposit box.

Make sure we pack plenty of our medicine for the time period, plus a week.

Set up home lights remotely.

Replace batteries in my small flashlight.

Bring Earth Breeze washing machine detergent sheets for doing laundry & washing AirBnB bedding.

Hold our mail.

Someone to throw away our newspaper.

Print Google maps for all locations - highlighted spots for activities.

Print a copy of the credit card statements if hotels are paid ahead.

Upload everything on TripIt.

Masks for airplane & indoors!

CDC cards

Any travel requirement docs, i.e. Hawaii

Pack Swimsuits & sandals

Notify at least one neighbor to remove any fliers, watch for anything odd.

A tank full of gas in the vehicle.

Clean out refrigerator the week before.

Pay bills ahead of time.

Arrange snow removal.

Water the houseplants

To Do List before an International Trip

Take Airborne the week before a trip.

Obtain local currency ahead of time, if needed - avoids transactions when we have jet lag.

Check both ATM cards by withdrawing a small amount of dollars before the trip

Notify banks you’re traveling.

Switch wedding bands. Store my ring in the safety deposit box

Register trip with STEP (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program)

If traveling separate from Dan, have him not be using the same credit card as me while I’m out-of-country.

Make sure I have plenty of my medicine for the number of days plus 7

Replace batteries in my small flashlight.

Wash my clothes a few weeks ahead to make sure I’m not allergic to the laundry detergent. (This happened once when Tide changed their formula with no update on the container.)

Print Google maps for all locations - train station to hotel; highlighted spots for activities if not just using screenshots on phone.

Print a copy of my credit card statement if any hotels were paid ahead.

Print an itinerary summary and a train travel summary with Reservation codes. ICloud folders for train tickets, too.

Pam, yes I use the TripIt app and like it a lot. Right now it has a short local trip and two Italy trips loaded on it! As soon as my itinerary is pretty solid, I start adding any special restaurants or gelato shops, etc. into it. I also use it as my “could do” activities with just fake times added. Each evening I look over those options to decide what I might want to do in that city the next day, along with any reserved activities.

And good idea to note museum closure dates! We once had a morning zig-zag stroll around Venice to go see a less-touristy palace. When we finally arrived, oops, it was closed on Tuesdays!

Christa, you sound very organized with good ideas of how to improve each trip!

Roubrat - LOL! It’s great there are many options, so we can gravitate to the ones that work best for us. My normal day-to-day is no longer Excel pivot tables, etc. so it’s actually fun for me to pull up a previous year’s Excel European trip to use as the template to fill in the the next trip.

Traveling is just like riding a bicycle......if you fall off, you just have to get back on.

Wait, that's not right.

I know........if you fall off a horse......you never forget how.

Jean.....I read your posting. If I did all that, I'd need a vacation from planning my vacation.

Pam......I used Tripit for a few years. No I upgraded to Tripit Pro. It's great and you can share your itinerary with anyone.

I'm intrigued. Downloading TripIt. It's gotta beat my current word document system lol

After 2+ years stuck at home, I am feeling very rusty and have lost my self-confidence and self-assuredness with regard to travel. Hopefully it will return on our next trip to Italy.

"I am feeling very rusty and have lost my self-confidence and self-assuredness with regard to travel. Hopefully it will return on our next trip to Italy."

@Mary - My experience was that as soon as I checked into the hotel and got out to walk my usual arrival day loop...I was fine! Well, actually I was OK once I boarded the International flight.

Jean, thanks so much for your "to do before" lists. That's very helpful!!

You guys put me to shame. All I have so far is a bunch of scribbled on stickynotes and half of those I can no longer figure out what I was saving them for. I do still have your packing list, Jean, and plan on using it for this trip. Since I'm staying in the same place the whole time, I will probably look at the tripit app for my fall trip which is now up to 4 countries.

Finally made my plane reservations and the next day I got the dreaded flight change message. My two hour layover in Seattle coming home was now 4.5 hours. Shout out to Delta, I was able to use their online "change modify flight" and within a couple minutes, I had a better way home.

Leslie, it’s so wonderful to be planning again! Hopefully your flights will continue to work out well!

Frank II, actually goes very quickly.

TripIt - just click “forward” for any emails with reservations.

Excel file - it’s the same template I’ve used for years. “Copy/paste” & rename, and it’s ready to be used.

Packing List - it rarely changes year-to-year - just selecting which shirts I want to take. I always take a black dress w/ 2 scarves and black pants. The CDC card & masks were the exception.

Yes I’m definitely feeling rusty but also excited (& nervous). For our first trip in 2+ years, we have chosen Paris, with a few days in Dijon. We have opted for a favourite & familiar destination to get our travel skills back. I am a paper & pen planner. My lists are on small sheets that fit in my day planner and can be taken out to go with me. All travel documents are printed out and saved in email. We still use a paper map book & our Paris one has lots of post its for restaurants etc from previous trips plus new additions. Will also use the paper bus map for Paris and pick up the city map for Dijon at the tourist office when we arrive. As long as paper is available, I will use it LOL.

Here is another vote in support of TripIt. I find it very helpful, especially if I am planning multiple trips at the same time.

Hi Claire, Paris is always a good idea! 😉

I love maps, too. Here’s a link I shared earlier, so you can enjoy your Dijon tourist map & print it at home. If you search on cities, Dijon has a tourist map, a city map, a tram map, etc.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/handy-site-for-tourist-maps-for-travel-planning

Jean, thank you so very much for your link; it looks very helpful! Happy and safe travels!

Rusty for sure - I love the planning, but didn't feel any excitement until I rebooked our flights last week. I thought most of the planning was done as I just wanted to do the trip we cancelled - but now I find out one of the tours I wanted to do in Scotland won't work at all because they only do them every other Friday - including the one we arrive on, and then the next is the day we leave for England, so now I gotta slog thru all the tours and figure out what to choose instead and it feels like WORK!

Not rusty, but also not as detailed as you either. What I am having trouble with is building an itinerary around timed entries. I suspect I'm going to miss the good ol' days when we could just show up and get in.

Thanks for the tip about TripIt. I’m going to give it a try. You sound very organized to me!

Another +1 for TripIt. It handles most forwarded email reservations except for a handful (e.g. it wouldn't process my London Walks reservation, which was just a regular email). But TripIt tells you it's having troubles and sends a link so you can easily turn it into an activity. I also set up my own system using a time stamp to organize info like daily to do items (0:01), itinerary for the day if on tour (0:02), restaurant ideas (0:03), activities (0:04), etc. And though I don't have the Pro version like Frank II, I can add individual planners and viewers to trips.

I also feel pretty rusty planning my June trip, so I've returned to my trusty electronic packing list document (developed over 10 years, last used fall 2019). After every trip I write a few notes at the top reminding myself what worked and what didn't, as well as updating the packing list for things I forgot or didn't use. I've added a few things to the list based on current events - vaccine card, masks, hand sanitizer, etc. but the rest of the list is still pretty solid. The list is in Word and once I've nailed down the list for a specific trip, I print it out and use it as a checklist. I keep most of my travel items in a plastic bin, so it's easy to pull out what I need.

My packing list also has the pre-trip to do items, finely honed after personal experience (I also test laundry detergent like you Jean). New items for my upcoming trip include confirming all the covid requirements for the countries I'm visiting plus arranging a return covid test (cross fingers the US will drop this by June). Other things I have on the list not already suggested by others include pre-arranging birthday card/gifts (for my June trip, also Father's day); get a hair cut; double check what phone settings need changing (e.g., data roaming/background apps off); set light timers and furnace for vacation and turn off water heater; change the time on my tablet; upload copies of reservations/confirmations/insurance policies/photos of passport to DropBox and making sure I can access from my phone and tablet; clean house and put on fresh sheets (which feel amazing that first night back home).

OK, one thing I'm definitely going to implement going forward is adding notes to my lists after the trip with what worked, what didn't, what I never wore/used, etc.

Great thread all round!
Another thing to do before a trip if your home will be unoccupied while you're away is to turn off the water to your washing machine and ice maker.
Unplug anything that doesn't need to be on 24 hours.
Timer switches in different rooms for lighting.

Allan, THANK YOU for that reminder about timed entry tickets. I just assumed it wouldn’t be an issue for my June itinerary because it’s mostly smaller towns. But, I just checked Cremona, Italy for their violin museum, and it’s timed entries. Even worse, for some reason, all of their weekend tickets for May, June and July are unavailable for days they are open. I sent an email and hoping for the best!

Here:

Load any relevant apps (Subway routes, Airline stuff, City/Country info) into my iPhone.

Pack my phone charger.

Make certain my credit card is ready. Passport. etc...

Count the days of travel ... Add one day ... that is how much clean underwear and socks to pull out of drawer and put in suitcase.

Maybe check the weather to determine the right jacket.

Find a ride to airport.

I'm not sure why, but a few years ago, I changed from using TripIt to Kayak trips. My recollection is that they are quite similar, but I can't remember what made me change. One benefit is that I can look at the app and see all my past trips and the hotels, etc. I primarily use it as my electronic version of my itinerary. I can send tour information (I use Viator.com and forward the confirmation emails to Kayak). I wonder if Kayak has a mechanism to scan in my Covid vaccine card?

As a back up, I also print out an itinerary and put the confirmation emails into an organized binder. I separate the binder into different categories: flights, hotels, trains, tours. I find this is easy to use if we get into a cab and for some reason the driver is unable to understand us or the address of the hotel. We can simply show her the email printout if we can't easily locate the information on the phone. Plus it's no big deal to hand over the paper and not worry about getting it back.

Finally, we scan our credit cards (back and front), passport, drivers license, etc. and email a copy of all electronic documents to both my personal and work emails. This came in handy the one time we were pick-pocketed and we had to contact the credit card companies. Oh, when I'm in Europe, I change wallets - I don't carry my regular USA wallet because I do not need everything in it. I bought a small front pocket wallet with a tether (think biker wallet for middle-aged uncool guys). I usually carry a debit card, one credit card and some cash. In the past, I've been afraid of leaving my wallet behind or having it fall out of my pocket. The tether will help with this (hopefully), especially after a night out.

As for packing lists - I make a list of the minimum I can survive with (I usually just bring a carry-on for up to four weeks of a trip). Then if there's space, I add things I might like to bring. I buy powdered laundry detergent and put it in a zip lock bag, spread it out as flat as possible and put it in the bottom of the suitcase. Periodically I wash my clothes in the hotel sink. It has worked out well in the past and I've found that some inexpensive detergent works just as well as expensive detergent.

One final tip - I own a Loctote indestructible locking backpack. Mostly I use it to store my valuables if I'm alone at the beach - I can lock it to the beach chair. I've also found it to be useful in a hotel room where there is no room safe. I can lock up my stuff and attach it to a stationary piece of furniture.

Thanks for starting this thread. It reminded me that I need extra medicine in case I test Covid positive and have to stay longer. Of course the President could get rid of that concern.

Interesting about Tripit. I tried it several years ago and my documents disappeared into the ethers, which made me nervous… so I am hesitant to use it again, but maybe they got the kinks out. Instead all info sits in my ‘travel’ email. In addition, I organize just like Christa, even down to the way I organize my travel notebook.

Fun topic!

Hi Wray, I’ve been using TripIt since 2018. I think I just used the free version for 2018 and then went for the Pro version beginning in 2019. There’s an option on the opening page when you have the list of trips to slide the bar over from “Upcoming” to “Past”. Is that where your missing info went? I just checked, and I can view all of my past trips - a nice walk down memory lane and reminded me of a few small museums & restaurants I enjoyed, etc. that would be helpful when someone asks a question on our forum.

Cala, right before June would be perfect! ; )

I'm another one who uses TripIt.

Jean, I've been using the free version but have been thinking it might be worth getting the pro version in order to be able to upload documents, such as tour tickets. Do you like the pro version and find it to be worth the cost?

Wow, so many great ideas on this thread! I usually rely on a mix of using Google Sheet/Doc for planning and my itinerary, and my iPhone notes app to keep track of my to do/to purchase lists. After our trip last summer, I meant to write down what we each packed (we travel with young kids) but I never did end up doing that. I did note that my son's passport would expire in 2022 so we applied for his new one. Child passports are only good for 5 years so it's a much shorter window to keep track of.

A few other helpful tips that I picked up from the forum were to place an Amazon Fresh order for the day you return (I filled my cart in advance and then checked out when I knew my flight would be on time), and also to dump the coffee grounds from the morning you leave. No one wants to come home to a moldy coffee maker.

I am definitely going to copy and paste several of these ideas into a master list!

Hi BB, here’s the list of additional benefits with the pro version of TripIt:

https://www.tripit.com/web/pro/pricing

I know that airline apps give updates, but I find TripIt to work best and send out the info the fastest. For instance, I had my husband’s trip to Florida on my TripIt to track their info & itinerary. Our oldest grandsons were traveling with him, and they began calling me “The Wizard” because they had flight delays, gate changes, etc. going on for a couple of hours. Every time I received an update from TripIt, I texted it to them. They knew it before any updates on the monitors or announcements or airline app updates, etc.

I just find it very handy to give me the info I might want to know and to store everything at one location.

Thanks, Jean.

Hi Jean, I'm sure it was the free version I used, but it was at the latest before my Sweden trip in 2015...but could have been way before that as well. It is likely something I didn't notice at the time. I'd never find those forms at this point, but I'll consider reviewing it for my next trip altho my system works well at this point.

I’m the same old school with Phred, print out a blank calendar and pencil everything in by hand. However everything also goes straight onto my Apple calendar, Siri nicely asks me when I get an email on a hotel or air reservation if I want to add it to calendar. I like having the paper calendar too, many times has been more helpful than sorting on my phone.

I guess I'm a travel slob. But I do have a file folder with paper copies of all reservations and plane info. And if my itinerary changes, I'm carrying a small tablet that's so much easier to use--making reservations on the fly--and cancelling reservations.

I keep all my packing cubes, electronic cords and plugs in my 21" backpack suitcase all the time. No losing it if it's there.

All I have to do is count my days I'll be gone and put in a shirt for every day and 2 pairs of slacks. And grab a handful of underwear.
That's it.

I got tired of unpacking my suitcases only to find I only used 1/2 of the clothes I originally packed.