Vacation planning burnout

I sometimes reach a point in my planning where I've researched too much, I think.

Everything I read shows me additional possibilities, and there comes a point where I am overwhelmed by so many options and I freeze up a bit. I get over it if I take a break from thinking about and reading about vacation options, for at least a week.

How soon do you leave? Can you give yourself a week breather and see how you feel?

Thx good suggestion. I have two months left. I agree. Maybe ne I will focus more on what to pack next week and then back to itinerarys. All of the major stuff is done such as transportation and accommodation.

I always burn out! I go crazy then just stop, then start again. And, even after planning several trips I still get overwhelmed and frustrated, that's why I start early so I can have times to just stop and take a break.

I think the accommodations will be most important to get dialed in, then the rest you can just take it at the pace you want. Good that you got the Eiffel Tower tickets. When you are ready, get the accomodations and then go to the next most important thing. If you don't "finish" what you had hoped to achieve it won't matter. You can figure that out as you go if needed.

It is tedious and exhausting. I love planning all my trips, but I just have to take a break sometimes.

It sounds like you've done a lot of research and decided that you want to explore London, Florence and Paris. It also sounds like you're all set for Paris and now you need to do some prioritization for London and Florence.

Do you have your logistics planned enough to know when you will be in Florence and London, how many nights you'll be each place, and how you will get to and leave from them?

Or are you trying to determine those logistics based on what you want to see and do in each city?

When I plan a trip, it's a little of both. The seeing and doing always includes some just being there time, too.

By the way, what city/cities are your European arrival and departure points for your trip? How many nights total will you be there?

Answers to the questions above may be helpful for those who respond to your posting.

If you have transportation and accommodation already set up, you know how many days you'll be in each city and it seems like all you need to do is prioritize your sightseeing. For the Eiffel Tower, certain concerts or plays, and such, that may require getting tickets in advance, but for most sights it doesn't require any real preparation. Just reviewing a guidebook or two so you know what the options are, what you want to see and do most, and when things are open or closed. You don't need a schedule in advance for each day. Weather will affect some of your days. Strikes and such might require improvising at the last minute. Packing requires planning but not too far ahead.

Why not just take a break from the details, maybe read some history or historical fiction about the places you're going, or see some movies? Take a step back from the detail and remember that nothing will go exactly as you expect and the little surprises, good and bad, are what make travel interesting and (with the right attitude) fun.

I do this a lot. I plan my trips early (I need a lot of notice for time off at my job, so I know where and when I'm going at least 8-10 months out).

I get gung ho on planning at the beginning, then kind of loose momentum for a while. So I make sure I have everything time-sensitive done (things that need to be done early, like your Eiffel Tower reservations), then I take a break. Usually somewhere around 1-2 months before the trip I get more focused again. Totally normal.

Take a couple weeks off if you can. Then pick London or Florence and devote a week to getting a basic plan together for that city. Repeat for the other city.

This approach isn't for everyone, but I subscribe to the idea of eliminating the inessential (an idea I saw originally ascribed to Warren Buffett). For example, make a list of all the things you may want to do on a trip. Then prioritize the top 5 items. These are the focus of your trip. These deserve your attention, research, and focus. The other things might be nice, and you may do them, but they don't deserve the depth of planning that the Top 5 items do. Not everything needs a "plan."

For example, my top items last year were: Day at Plitvice Lakes, Day in Dubrovnik, Day in Mostar, Day in Budapest, and Day in Lviv. Even for cities where I was spending multiple days, I would only really plan out activities for just one day, and then let the other days be flexible. There were additional destinations that I didn't spend much time planning: Kiev, Zagreb, Split, Hvar, and Kotor. For all of these, I had a general idea of the options available, but no rigid plan of "must see" and "must do." I know that I probably missed out on things in each of these locations, but wouldn't trade the relaxation of being able to do whatever you want without feeling overwhelmed by a plan.

When I am planning a trip, I do it this way: I plan one "major" thing In the morning, and one in the afternoon (and possibly evening). I have a list of less important things in mind, generally near one of the major things (or on the route between them) that I will fit in if I have the time. For example, the last time I was in Madrid, I planned one morning for the Real Palacio and Almudena Cathedral (right next to each other). In the afternoon, I planned to see the Thyssen museum. In the morning, it turned out that I also had time for a little shopping, and a look at the Plaza Mayor and the San Miguel market. In the afternoon, the Thyssen didn't take as much time as I thought, so I also had time for a hop-on hop-off bus tour that I had not even thought about before I was there. The bus tour really added something to my trip, so I was glad I was able to fit it in. No matter what, you aren't going to be able to do and see everything there is to do and see. If you make sure you hit your personal important things, your trip will be a success. You can just see the rest later (I will be leaving on my 4th trip to Spain in a couple of weeks).

I think the key is just pacing yourself and doing a little as you go, not front-loading almost everything at once so you begin to almost loathe the process after a while. Concentrate on just one place at a time and set some time aside just for that place, break stuff up into small tasks. And don't forget diminishing returns - after some point, more planning and more choices is just too much and won't add value to the trip. If it starts to feel like a chore, just stop and pick it up once you feel excited about it again which may take some time. Only concentrate on time-sensitive things that really need to get squared away sooner rather than later. Best of luck to you!

I always do this. I get hyper excited about a trip about 6-8 mos before...do the planning, look at maps, things to see, buy guidebooks...then I'll read the first 10 pages of said guidebooks and then set them aside, along with everything else.

I have a trip coming up to Toronto/Niagara Falls (6 weeks away) and I looked at the first few chapters of my guidebook back at Xmas...and haven't opened it since. For the last month, I keep saying - you gotta look at that guidebook! And I still haven't cracked it open. (But I do get way more excited about Europe travel than travel within my own country). A month ago I booked our airbnb's for TO, and just started this week booking the one night stays for our drive there and back.

But I feel ya. I prob won't crack that guidebook back open for another month. For Europe travel, about 6 weeks before I start getting excited again. For North America travel, well, I won't get excited until a few weeks before. Even looking for that perfect place to stay can feel like a chore and (yeah, I'm crazy) it's one of my fav things to do! But I do find accom hunting and booking makes the reality of 'it's not far off now' sink in.

Funny story about planning well ahead for our ETBD Venice-Florence-Rome trip:
We connected with two other group members early and arranged to buy 4 seats to the Teatro la Fenice in Venice for an evening of classical music. With much monolingual difficulty, I eventually secured four tickets on the Teatro's website for will-call pick up. (At one point - after repeated entries of the requested customer info - I was sure I had actually purchased 16 seats for that evening's event ! )

Two months later - on the evening of the performance - we arrived to find a handwritten note on entry door - in Italian - announcing a spontaneous strike by the orchestra - in protest of the government's cut in arts funding. Box office staff were amazing in the efficiency with which we all got cash refunds, NOT a refund to my credit card. With obvious long faces of disappointment, we asked if we could at least walk about for a few minutes, to at least enjoy the grandeur of the house. They waved us through.

As we sat in some of the box seats, taking in the architecture, we noticed people wandering onto the stage, pulling along chairs, music stands and instrument cases. When the group had grown to eight persons or so, a gentleman walked out to them with a sheet of paper which he passed around. In a nanosecond, there were upturned hands of exasperation, muffled obscenities (?) and the slamming shut of cases. The musicians, it seems, were as uninformed as we members of the audience, and had just discovered they were on strike. They stormed off, stage right.

We eventually headed out for a much-earlier-than-planned dinner. As we knew from our readings of Rick's book and blogs on Italy, being flexible makes for more enjoyable travel. Early tickets to the Teatro were a great plan but it evolved a bit differently than expected.

Oh Tom!! That is a great story! In spite of the disappointment, you had a little Europe Thru the Back Door moment.

Debbie, I start planning the next trip on the plane back to the US, if not sooner! I also get tired of planning; it's not dwindling excitement, just planning fatigue.

If I decide I don't want to commit to accommodations, I sign up for last-minute deals from a booking service, or just check online the night before I move on. I take long trips with lots of structure (those super-economy train tickets!) and I miss the spontaneity of the days when I showed up at the TI office and they found me a room.

Yes, I hit burnout ... so many hotels to compare, so many trains, SO MANY DECISIONS!!! I posted earlier about booking "adequate" hotels just to get it done and out of the way. Took a few weeks off from planning and now I am OK. But we have NO reservations for museums, tours, concerts, restaurants ... just lots of walking around.

Thank you all! It helps to know this is normal. Great ideas too...

It's my first trip to Europe plus I'm going solo.

I start in London for 3 nights then eurostar to Paris for 5 nights. Fly to Florence 5 nights train to cinque Terre 4 nights then fly home from Pisa (staying the night before to make things go smoothly)

I'm not too stressed about London, I will be tired and I'm already hoping to return next year lol. All I want to do is the show, changing of the guard, London tower and pubs, maybe tea. Oh and harrods lol. Florence I want to take a bus for a day to Sienna. The museums and alto Arno up the hill for a picnic (or two) gelato and lots of picnics. If it's really safe to wait to book the museums until a few days prior than I can relax about it.

When I planned how long in each city I thought Florence would be my favourite, people watching etc but after planning I wish I had more. Time in Paris.. Guess I will have to go back next year lol
Thanks again for your replies. Makes me confident in taking a break won't hinder my planning. Cheers!

The only tickets you should get in advance are for the Accademia and Uffizi in Firenze. Sometimes they do sell out.

Debbie, you've just typed two of my favorite words: London pubs

We have used this book several times over the years to do mini pub walks in whatever neighborhood we find ourselves in: London By Pub

In the morning before we set out I'll take photos of the sections we think might be relevant for that day, so we don't have to lug the book. We bought our first copy in a bookstore on Oxford St on our first trip in 2003, and lugged it around the rest of the trip. The most useful guidebook I've ever bought! ☺

p.s. Vancouver is one of my favorite beer cities!

Debbie, just don't try to plan everything. Have a general idea of what you want to see, and go with the flow when you hit the ground. Things become much more clear when you are actually there, and see the topography, how easy it is to get to each site, transportation, and how you feel. What is really hard for people to see from here, is how much of your time is eaten up by logistics, transportation, time for meals, restroom breaks, etc. Some people want to plan every hour, only to find that there aren't enough. There is joy in spontaneity.

I agree with everyone else that one sometimes needs a break from travel planning (as much as I like it).

Since you've budgeted a good amount of time in Paris, Florence, and the Cinque Terre, you don't need to micro-manage your itinerary in advance. I agree with the advice to pick two things for each day that are priorities (one morning and one afternoon), and then let the rest happen as it happens. With Rick's books handy, you'll be fine going with the flow.

The one exception is the Uffizi and Accademia tickets - you really do need those in advance.

For London you have less time, but you also said you plan to return soon. So, again, pick two things for each day. As for Phantom tickets, I don't know if those are hard to get on the day of performance. Unless it's selling out, you can just wait until you get there. Whatever you do, DON'T plan on seeing a show on your first night (or for me, the second night as well). It's a sure recipe to sleep through it due to jet lag.

One great piece of travel advice I got years ago was that there was sure to be something I was desperate to see that would closed or unavailable during my visit - so accept it now and avoid disappointment. Another way to put this is you will see what you will see, and you will indeed miss everything else - and that's OK. So, just get those few advance things nailed down, and you'll be all set.

I agree that knowing what are the 3 to 4 "must dos" for any location is key. I also want to stress that your "must dos" don't have to match with those of others or popular guidebooks. Determine what is important to you. People would probably be horrified that my sister and I spent three days in Paris and didn't enter one art museum. We knew we had a short time, had different priorities for that trip, and realized we could come back again. We did our top 4 items and had a wonderful time. We hope we will be going back for more in the future.

Focus in on your top interests and enjoy.

It's so easy to get caught up in every tiny detail of a trip but there IS such a thing as overplanning!
When we travel I book airfare and hotels first...then rental car if one is needed...long-distance trains next...
After that I make sure to get tickets for anything that MUST be purchased in advance...things like specific performances and places where I want to be able to skip the ticket lines.
I used to book tickets for everything else to save a few bucks but, honestly, I'd rather have a little more spontaneity and flexibility in my trips now so I only do this for things where I know the lines will be long or things that might sell out.
Once you have a list of general things you want to see in each place , book what NEEDS to be booked in advance and then just leave everything else for when you get there. You can also read the guidebooks on the plane...it gives you something to do on the long flight and builds excitement for what is coming when you get off the plane!
That's my two cents...

More and more, I find that one of the top items that I plan is WA&L@S. That's "walk around and look at stuff."

Hi Neighbor to the North---

We are leaving for a three-week stay in London later this month and we have nothing booked or planned other than two plays, one at the Globe ( they do sell out) and one at the National Theatre. We have been there before and our usual plan is developed day by day, and includes a lot of walking.

I do not know if Phantom tickets sell out, but with such a short stay, and the good advice above that you don't want to go on the first night and probably not the second, I suggest you book your ticket now for the third night rather than wait for what may or may not be available when you get there.

http://www.thephantomoftheopera.com/tickets/box-office

You might also book the Tower of London so you can skip the line. I don't know if they still mail tickets to you like they did when we went ten years ago, but if so, you need to allow time for that--- several weeks.