In Retrospect...

There's always something to learn from a trip - no matter how much you travel. Good for you thinking about it and writing it down while it's still fresh in your mind!

very wise.

As for the plans, Plan A should be a real plan, not a list of ideas. By which I mean know exactly where the hotel is, how to reach a railway station, where you might eat on first night etc. Sounds like taking the fun out but there is no fun in getting off a train and finding that the hotel is 5 miles further than you expected - and up hill. Or finding it's very convenient for the station - but the station is miles out of town and that's where the only restaurant is. Or hiring a car and discovering the hotel is in a traffic free village and you can't drive closer than 3 miles.

SteveB, sounds like the voice of experience! All great ideas, especially having a real plan and not just a list of ideas. Great examples of things that can happen no matter how much you may have traveled before. You may think there is a bus or train to get you into/out of town, but schedules change, hours can be inconvenient (5:55am bus out of Todi).

Zoe, your list is right on. SteveB, thank you for your comments as well. Those of us who get teased for "overplanning" salute you.

No, I don't plan out every moment, but I do know how to get from the arrival point to the hotel, and I do have printed out copies of all the reservations in the handiest pocket of my bag.

As I reread this, it sounds grumpier than I intended it to. Monday morning blahs?

I can't seem to visit Europe without spending time in Budapest: as you say, it's a wonderful thing to feel at home and I always find something new to delight me.

As for travel after surgery, I had a major upper abdominal surgery in early Feb--I pushed like crazy to get it done in order to have a fighting chance to make my trip in mid-April and my one fear was not being able to lift my suitcase onto a train or over my head into a rack as I had to quit my usual gym routine for a few months. Surprisingly all went very well, even my energy level was as usual.

good points, all.

Considering point 2 - I'm not perfect and will get caught out one day, but I try t scan all reservation correspondence into Dropbox so I can get to it anywhere there is internet and I save printer ink and bulk.

For those of us mid-techie competent with iPhones: you can save e-mail attachments to your iPhone by opening the Mail function and pressing/hold the icon of the attachment. Options will then appear such as adding to Notes, etc.

Excellent list!

Having just done this yesterday in preparation for departure in a week, check and RECHECK all reservations and pre-purchased tickets. I found some train tix that were required in paper form that I had not printed. Sine we will mostly be in apts, getting a printer could be tough. Might showing on the phone have worked? For the weight of 2 sheets if paper I am not willing to risk it.

You are right: problems can be solved. Gotta roll with the situation.

Monday is a good day to travel between cities; Sunday not so much

Amen to that! Have arrived twice in tiny towns where there was no opportunity to provision an apartment with so much as coffee and bread before the next morning.

Thanks for reminding me about travel on Sunday -- took a look at my December plans and confirmed that I had only scheduled ONE Sunday travel day, into a familiar city (Munich) with grocery stores in the Hauptbahnhof.

Interesting, Zoe. I have a trip approaching. Only two places. One city I barely know (Berlin). And another (London) which I have visited twice before (though this time much more time during the day will been spent outside the city). Your third and fourth points.