Los Angeles Times had a great article today regarding happiness, planning and how long happiness lasts after travel ends. Since planning is so much fun and makes us happy, how early should we start planning the next trip?
http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-vacay-20100613,0,2600430.story
For the record...I just returned from Paris/London 4 weeks ago and starting to "casually" look at "the boot" posts for our 2012 trip.
While "we should go to Europe soon" is something I'd been saying to my boyfriend for over a year, we actually took out a map and started seriosly talking about our October 2010 trip last December. Now that we're down to less than 4 months away, I'm excited to start actually booking all the details -- it might be silly to get excited about riding a train, but I was just a little giddy when we booked our Eurostar tickets from Brussels to London.
That said, I'm concurrently thinking about where I want to go next year. I think I hear Vegas, NYC, and maybe Chicago or Austin calling my name!
I got back from my Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Rothenburg trip Dec 10, 2009. I started to plan my Italy trip end of January. I will be buying airfare this week, so up until I buy airfare, I call it planning my imaginary trip. But it will soon be a reality in a couple of days.
I returned last Wednesday at 15:45, fell asleep at 19:00 and woke up at 02:00 when I got on the computer and starting planning our next trip! Actually I probably already starting getting some ideas while on the last trip. Since I usually use ff miles for our flights, that ticket is purchased about 10 months before the trip then I can start researching Rick's books for where we might want to go and transportation connections.
This way I'm still happy from the memories and happy to be planning the next trip!
PS: Thank you, Rick & ETBD for making all these trips possible!!!
I seem to always have at least a few "rough drafts" in the hopper for potential trips. For those I find articles, deals, reviews, or other interesting notes and save them into an electronic file.
As my next vacation time approaches, I decide which trip to take based on some combination of which is more appealing to me right now, weather/time of year, and which I can get the best deal on.
As the trip gets closer my planning gets more intense. Usually the four months before a trip include answering all remaining questions and watching fares for the best time to buy.
It really is never too early to start planning. Just don't confuse planning with buying tickets and making hotel reservations. I generally start looking very early (couple years to at least one year out) finding old guides, looking on line, reading books or watching movies that feature the area. All of this is fun for me, educational, and really, one of my hobbies. As an example, I may be going to Barcelona for a week for business this February, we are thinking about hitting the Yucatan for Day of the Dead this fall, and I am starting to work up plans for a "Beer" trip in either the spring or fall of 2011. This gives me plenty of dreaming to do for the next year.
Like Brad, I've got a few trips planned for the next 3 years. I'm always looking at going.
I spent two hours in the bookstore looking at guides for my next trip--and this year's trip(s) is/are still weeks away!
We just got back from Spain and are now watching DVDs, reading guide books & studying maps for Great Britain in Spring 2011! I figure that the more you plan - the less you miss.
We usually start talking about our next trip before we get home from the last one. Last year we talked about going to Turkey in 2010 as we're driving through Croatia. This year we are going to Turkey with a stopover in Greece on the way home.
We are also always having discussions about where we are headed in the future - Sicily, Greek Islands, back to the Greek Peloponnese peninsula, Egypt, etc...
Of course we always have to have something planned - quick trips like weekend in Vegas, San Diego, Hawaii, Napa or the US Open.
Being retired I don't have those dreaded back to work thoughts and although there is a little let down it is nothing like it was while I was working. For my still working wife it is different. Upon return, I start processing my many photos which takes hours and they are on my computer as my screen saver so I can re-live my trip. I do allow myself time to reflect on the trip and savor those moments before any serious planning for future trips although I have general ideas of where I want to go. How early is too Early? My next trip does not start when I depart but rather when I begin planning for it so I guess it is never too early.
I always have ideas in the back of my head, but I typically start planning after Christmas. I usually have a post-Christmas let down, there's all those decorations that have to be put away, and the weather is really dreary here. So it is fun for me to look forward to planning my next vacation in ernest. Since we have always taken either a summer or fall vacation, the timing works well. Ideally, I think it's best to start at least six months ahead (particulary if you are working full time or are really busy) so you can really research your options. There's not a lot of downside to starting earlier unless you can't stand waiting for the trip to roll around.
I agree! I think planning is a big part of the enjoyment! I start planning at least a year out for big trips :)
Anna, I vote for Chicago! :)
I kinda thought maybe I was obsessed with travel, but it looks like it is more of a practiced event. It's nice to know that I am not the only one who starts brainstorming immediately after a trip.
I am just home tonight from 19 days on the road. I will spend the next month pulling together my journal notes, photos and notes on things I will do differently next time.
Then once that is complete, I will start planning the next trip.
I love it when a plan comes together!
I went to London last November and by January I was already planning a trip to Ireland or Scotland for the end of this year!
It does keep me happy to have something to look forward to.
Angela, I love Chicago! I've been there 3 times in the last few years, and I would go again in a heartbeat. My indecision about Austin v. Chicago is based mostly on indecision between two music festivals :)
And to the poster above me, I really agree with "it's nice to have something to look forward to." As long as you don't spend your time wishing away the interim between now and your trip (which can be hard), it is absolutely exciting to have a trip to look forward to.
Since we are not going again until 2012 and 2011 is a domestic trip I was kind of waiting until RS' Italy 2012 and Rome 2012 become available. Are there usually alot of differences in the books from year to year?
I start planning my "next" trip on the plane home from the last (current?) trip. I used to do it on the way over but I've learned to relax a little. Right now I'm a little deeper into the plans to go to Cornwall in April '11 than I am in the trip to Ireland in '13. Still, it's never too early to start. There is a lot of research to do even for a place you've been a dozen times.
Anna, Another vote for Chicago.
I will be purchasing our tickets for a May 2011 Paris trip in a few weeks. But we have been planning for about a year . . .when we came back from Tuscany.
I just paid our deposit on an apartment in Paris for July 2011. It's never too early!
I'm going to read that article! Just got back a few weeks ago from France/Holland/Germany - and plans are beginning for Barcelona in Fall of 2011. I love the planning (research) part of it all.
Never really stop planning. Last trip was in 2007 and I still look at this site and the helpline on a daily basis; look at the NY Times Global Edition (used to be the International Herald Tribune) every day; look at the BBC New website on a daily basis. Every time that I find an interesting link, I bookmark it for future reference. The next trip is being planned for France in 2011 and I already have information ready to go for it. Besides, the Lotto may pay off and I could leave earlier than I think!
