Hello, My name is Richard and I'm an obsessive planner.

Read more guidebooks.

There have got to be some specialty travel books that, even if written for interests that you generally don't share (Birding! Clubbing! History of medicine! Vegans!) probably include a mention of some sight or cafe or fact, the knowledge of which would enhance your trip.

If you leave near a big city, the public library can be a goldmine for this stuff. No need to take a break from your planning hobby just because you have a trip in the works.

Is your passport valid?

Start planning your next trip. That's what I'm doing now.

Plan for others. That's what we are all doing here.

...become familiar with the Trip Advisor "Things to do" menus for the various places you'll be visiting - just to have a comprehensive listing of what's on offer at and near the places on your particular itinerary, and then filtered per your specific interests. Works well for restaurants and accommodations too.

Or read novels that are relevant to the area(s) you'll visit.

Have back-up plans for the inevitable bumps in the road... particularly if your trip involves anywhere in the Alps.

Have you exhausted You Tube videos, too?

There is always more to do! Have you researched restaurants you may want to eat at and looked over menu's to see what you will order?

Online language lessons?

The American XC Skiers Association's International XC Ski Travel 101 is a good resource even if you don't ski.

...this resource was originally created for USA participants in the
annual Master World Cup trips, so many members have used these
techniques and tips for any type of international (and longer
domestic) XC ski travel.

An example tip:

Most Europeans travel with very few changes of clothing. Keep it very,
very simple and try to bring only clothes that can be used in a
variety of situations. Focus on the stuff you need for skiing and then
just the basics for all other times. A very good travel tip is to lay
everything out ahead of your final packing -- then try and reduce your
load by 15-25%. The lighter and slimmer your bags, the better. A great
tip is to bring a small container of cold water detergent so you can
do a quick hand wash of ski and travel clothes over the trip.

Boy do I recognise myself here! :-)
And I do exactly what everyone posted before me: listening to more rick steve podcast, go on tripadvisor on "things to do", take ideas of restaurants, help others on their own trips, I have started looking at my next tripS, read on the history of where I'm going, look up anything related to the country I'm going on Youtube, street view, google earth name it!
Thanks Richard, I feel I'm not alone with this desease. :-)

Where are you going ?

Been right there before!!! I've already got a pretty detailed plan for summer 2018:)

How about a practice pack? and going over packing list? Make sure somebody at home has your itinerary just in case. Have you already looked at possible places to eat? (probably). Check public transportation schedules again as they sometimes change. If you're driving look into possible construction projects that may be in your way.

I would search through every available address on GoogleMaps Street View, walk every millimeter of the territory covered, then cancel your tickets, because you won't have to travel anymore.

Well I see I am in good company.... I have done pretty much what everyone is suggesting except bone up on some language and reading a novel. We are staying in Amsterdam, Montepulciano, Siena, Florence, Beaune and Paris over a 21 night trip. Mostly places we have already been with some new. Keep the suggestions coming!

chexbres,
I'll do you one better... I can put on my virtual reality goggles with street view so it's like I am standing there. It turns out that just because I see a picture of it doesn't compare to the real thing. On my first trip to Paris I had street viewed the walk from La Châtelet to my hotel it made the real walk easy.

Check the weather forecasts every day and plan your extra-cold and extra-hot packing tweaks. Notify your banks and credit cards. Make sure your bills will be paid while you're gone.

You want obsessive-compulsive ? You've come to the right place.

I'm leaving for Amsterdam, Vienna and Budapest on 4/19 so I've spent the last week in a frenzy of research and planning, mostly because 2 months after I booked my trip I developed a medical issue, then 6 weeks of uncertainty as to whether I'd be going, then surgery and 6 weeks off work and now I'm back to work tomorrow for a month. I've had to ramp myself up considerably after all this uncertainty, but I think I've got it sorted. My only suggestion for what else you can do is brush up a bit on whatever language you'll encounter, I've been enjoying learning more Hungarian on Duolingo for free.

It's not the same as being there, but google images of the places you will visit and daydream.

Take out your itinerary and plan ehen you will write trip reports!

Richard, have you heard of the principle of diminishing returns? There's such a thing as too much of a good thing...I've found that doing Street View of every potential street has a way of ruining the surprise of vacation. Some things should be left unplanned so you give yourself an opportunity to experience some surprises, whether good or bad. Technology and advanced booking and planning tools have had good and bad consequences.

I say step back and engage your other hobbies totally unrelated to this trip. You've already put a fork in this trip, there's no more "extra" stuff you should feel compelled to do.

Pat yourself on the back repeatedly. I'm a planner too but I never seem to find the time to plan as much as I want to, so I'm always scrambling at the end. I am wondering how the heck you do it.

If you get tired packing yourself on the back, you might want to get a new hobby or find a new volunteer activity to fill your time. I so wish I had that problem.

Oh, puh-lease...you're out of things to plan for you one upcoming trip? Cry me a river...

I'm currently planning...

1. Northern Japan (all around Hokkaido, Japan's wild, northern island). This is our next trip (in July) so is my primary focus right now, but I'm also working on the planning for our trips after that...
2. Sardinia (plus a couple days in Amsterdam on the way in, and Prague on the way out)
3. Mexico (Mexico City, monarch butterfly reserves in the mountains of eastern Michoacan, and scuba diving on Cozumel)
4. French Polynesia (Bora Bora and Moorea, then a week scuba diving islands across the Tuamoto archipelago)
5. New Zealand (about 3 weeks across both the North and South islands, plus a week in China on the way back - probably just Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai)
6. After that we're trying to decide between Norway, or the Baltics (Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania), or Haida Gwaii (formerly Queen Charlotte Islands, out in the Pacific off the coast of British Columbia). Tough call on this one.

We have more on our list but those are further out and I can only juggle so much...

Of course, these trips are scheduled (or penciled in) going out through the next 2-3 years, but we do need to make some firm decisions on some of them, which means planning is a prerequisite.
So yeah, I got a lot on my planning plate...but I love it so I am not complaining!

Richard,

Are you going to be renting a car? If so, do you have your IDPs? Have you researched the wines of Italy and France? Which do you want to be sure and sample? Get a fast start on packing, then winnow it down. Can't beat learning a new language or two.

Maybe take some time to read up on dining options in different price categories to try out (from casual to fine dining if that's something you want to experience). I find it helps to do a little research to avoid making any disappointing choice. I also might look into good options for a drink with a view (sidewalk seating, rooftop terrace, etc.). And if visiting a bigger city, maybe familiarize yourself with both the subway lines and local bus routes if you haven't already done that. If you are going someplace where a lot of what you are going to be doing is located outdoors, make sure you have your back-up plan plotted out in case you wake up one morning and find the weather is not cooperating - this way you can switch gears really quickly and do something else if needed.

Hummm... Seems we're all a little OCD 😊.
Seriously, if you take any RX drugs, make sure you have an adequate amount then add a weeks worth. Know the generic names and have them written down.

I love the planning process!

Yes, you do have a lot of company. Agree with Traylaparks and Ilja - start researching for another trip, even if it's not for a couple of years. So many possibilities and so much research to be done :) The problem of course is that you may end up with a few years worth of trips. Also you can check out Duolingo.com for easy and free on line foreign language lessons that are simple, as well as search youtube for The Travel Linguist which has free video lessons with basic lessons. Both are fun and easy to use. Good luck curing your obsession!

Agnes...I passed that point months ago I'm sure. Larry, next Saturday is our trip to AAA to get our IDP's, that's when the trip starts to get real for my non-planning wife. I think I'll concentrate on French wine vocabulary for Burgundy.

I could never travel that way. Rarely plan much beyond the first two days and the last day. It has to be stressful to stay on a schedule that tight. How do you deal with bumps in the road? How can you go off on an unexpected tangent if everything is tightly planned to the last detail? Many of our best travel experiences were never planned.

Are you aware that the New York Times has decades of Travel Section articles available on line? You are allowed to access ten articles for free each month. Guess you'll have to postpone your trip!

You are in good company around here. I am pretty obsessive too, I guess. I don't always enjoy it either, but I cannot help myself. I enjoy the early stages when it's brainstorming and daydreaming about what the trip will be like. The worst part is deciding what to cut out, where to spend one day less than I would like so that the whole trip fits into the allotted time (usually 14 days on the ground in Europe). My wife is pretty much disinterested in the entire planning process. I think a lot of couples are that way.

About a week before I leave I usually send my man Jefferies to check out everything. He samples the restaurants and copies the menus, checks out the hotel rooms and arranges for redecorating where appropriate. And he secures the car he will be driving for us. Otherwise we don't do anything special.

About a week before I leave I usually send my man Jefferies to check out everything. He samples the restaurants and copies the menus, checks out the hotel rooms and arranges for redecorating where appropriate. And he secures the car he will be driving for us. Otherwise we don't do anything special.

Richard: french wine vocabulary? I'm french so ask me all the questions you want! :-)

what I have found very good is to go to Youtube and search documentaries on either history or artists or food... See what you must see, eat or learn more about.

claudecyr65,
Thanks...Rick has a primer of useful phrases and I've found some online but since you offered... It seems that wine tasting by bike, many of the local producers don't always speak English like I will encounter in many of the more "touristy" places on my itinerary. I know it's not the road less traveled but still...
So any suggestions are appreciated.

tgreen,
Everything worth knowing is covered on YouTube.

So Richard, if it's pinot noir, which is pretty much all of the burgundy region for the reds
1-look at the wine and say: "hum... très jolie robe, claire et lumineuse"
2-smell and say : "de belles arômes de cerises, de mûres"
3-then taste and say: " hum... Quelle finesse! "

You will look like a pro and a champ! :-)
They will give you a free bottle! :-)

I suggest looking at a map of Europe or a rail map to get ideas as to where to go next, ie towns and cities that are not inundated with American and international tourists, esoteric places you want to track down in Germany, Poland, France, Sweden, Czech Rep, and so on. Numerous cities and towns fit that bill. When I look at the map, the imagination kicks in, say of France, there are tons of places I still want to get to, likewise in Germany, where? Bavaria, Ostfriestland, Brandenburg, Saxony, Mecklenburg, Holstein, etc.

The problem is deciding on a particular city/town Re: the planning... I have just under two months left before flying out from SFO, 95% is packed, organised, reorganised, still the important odds and ends remain to be done.

Read the news in English about the countries you are visiting.
https://www.thelocal.fr/

I'm also a researcher and planner. One challenge had been how to organize and make the best use of the gathered information. Creating custom offline maps for my phone and tablet has been a game changer for me. I can now

• archive/organize/edit my research notes in one place, during my planning process and while on location
• fine tune itinerary and travel routes based on these notes
• eliminate the bulk of hard copies I used to carry
• stop worrying about online connection
• share these maps with other travelers long after my trips

I posted my method in this thread:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tech-tips/smartphone-app-for-maps-pre-planning-and-real-time-routing-guidance

The Telegraph has a ton of great travel articles, in case you want something more to read:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/Burgundy/Features/burgundy-attractions/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/Burgundy/Features/burgundy-restaurants/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/Burgundy/Features/burgundy-canal-journeys/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/Burgundy/Features/burgundy-events/
And of course, use the "Search" box at the top of the page.

I stay at small little hotels. One thing I'll do is street view the area so I can figure out where the entrance is, what it's going to look like, before I get there.

Quoting Gen Eisenhower re: D-Day: "“Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable".

I'm a month out as well, and just reading fiction related to places we're going.

I ALWAYS click on the "obsessive planner" titles on whatever travel site I'm visiting. Guess I'm in the group. I wonder what it is about us??? I do not obsess about anything else excepting travel planning - really :)

Our trip is in mid- September and we are pretty much done with the selection of hotels, day trips, car rental, flights booked.... but I do continue to visit all my usual travel sites hoping to gleam some new information or maybe even add my own comments.

I do get a smile on my face when the "multiple trips at one time" folks write in.... for me it's May in the VI, July in Hawaii and the September in Italy. But I'm already "jonesing" for 2018 to start planning.

I did order a book to read about the Medici's and I did watch the Netflix series already. It is our second trip to Italy which means I read a bunch of books for the first trip.

Hi Richard,

In addition to Youtube videos, you could plan out a 'movies (including those with English subtitles) that mimics your trip, in terms of itinerary. Then, watch them, perhaps one each night for the next few weeks to help get you in the mood.

Enjoy.

I'm a month out as well and I'm starting to get that panicked feeling that I'm not ready! This happens everytime and soon I'll have that dream where I wake up the day of the flight totally unprepared. It must be my mind's way of making sure I get that fight or flight response so I can get my stuff done. I've had renewed passport for a couple of months, have my IDP, have all lodging, transportation and all possible advanced tickets booked. I plan to call my banks soon. Getting a massage tomorrow to manage all this stress lol! Aw, life's a bitch, ain't it? Such awful first world problems.

How about opening a nice bottle of wine and going over the plans with your non planning wife? My husband and I usually take on different planning duties and then enjoy coming together to share our findings (with a bottle of wine).

Claudette, I think everyone on this forum should count their blessings that any problems discussed here are truly first world problems.

Jeanine, My wife's eye glaze over after a few minutes of trip talk. Don't get me wrong though...she loves traveling, just doesn't want to plan (other than approving pictures of hotel rooms). Full disclosure..she handles our day to day stuff so this is her chance to turn her brain off and let me do the driving. Literally...she usually drives, except in Europe and then I do all the driving.

We should have another thread about our non-planning partners.

Ha! I am the trip planner in the house and my husband doesn't. But, now my kids love to select hotels/apartments , concerts and the tours!! I love to research and book good restaurants in the end.

Have you researched the great and reasonably priced restaurants the locals frequent in any of the cities. Found Some small gems in Paris and in the Jordaan in Amsterdam. Truly fun having the waiter or waitress trying to translate the Dutch menu into a language we somewhat understood. English, French, Spanish we weren't fussy. We know some Dutch words, sauces and vegetables were always a pleasant surprise.

Travel brings planning into focus.

Do you have a plan in case of an alien invasion? I can lend you mine. They all seem to hit all the tourist attractions.

Hopefully you're also obsessive about packing early. I leave at 4 AM tomorrow for Guatemala and I did 80% of my packing a week in advance. That left time to deal with some unexpected packing snafus. And the night before I leave, I'm on this Forum, so clearly it worked to keep tonight manageable!

Richard:

Take a look at this link, http://adventureswithsarah.net/pre-travel-tasks/. The blog is written by Sarah Murdoch, who is both a guide for Rick and one of his writers. Part of your trip needs to be spontaneous. There are many times the guide book say turn right and we will turn left just to see what is there. We always leave time for "off the cuff" exploration.

Ed

Ed,
I agree...i plan for only what needs reservations. Daily itineraries are wide open to see how we feel at the time.