Too much planning?!?

[jilly]

So I'm planning a first time trip to Europe (3 weeks in September) with my boyfriend (we live in NYC). We want to reserve private rooms and I'm an over-planner... which means I'm getting burned out before we even start. How much planning should I be doing? Is it better to wing it? Should I consult a travel agent?

Also, I'm having issues with train distances... with longer trips (7 hours for example), it's better to do an overnight trip, right? And how do I reserve sleepers/couchettes?

I'm so excited, but I'm getting really stressed. Anyone have advice for nervous backpacker virgins??

Thanks!

[pinion]

First thing, go to your local drug store and get some valuum

No, I'm just kidding.

The whole appeal with backpacking is the unknown. If you over book your trip or over plan it your going to take out alot of the fun. Don't consult a travel agent, they'll just try to set you up with car rentals and hotels...you don't want that.

I would reccomend booking your first few nights. Thats it. From there "leap frog" through cities. Example, you show up in Munich, plan your next stop and book your hostel. A day or 2 before you plan on showing up in the next city is enough time to get a room. Watch out for local holidays though, hostels get packed!!!

Overnight trains for covering long distances are your best bet. This way you aren't wasting a day and usually they're pretty cheap so you also take care of finding a place to sleep. 2 birds with one stone.

To reserve sleepers/couchettes you'll have to show up at the train station before your train leaves and reserve. I never booked the sleepers so I couldn't tell you the price.

Advice for being nervous? Enjoy it When you get the travel bug thats part of the addiction!!

[jilly]

Big sigh of relief. Thank you so much for calming some of my fears... Whether I take your advice and lay off the worries, that's still in the air. I'm the prototypical Type A. Which is maybe why I need this trip?

Thanks!

[jilly]

... but wait, are you sure I should wing it if we would really prefer private rooms and not dorms???

[TheJake]

yea jilly... we are sure.... wing it!

From all of us here at Tpunk... we swear planning your first couple of days and then winging it from there is the only way to go.. This allows for last minute changes which are bound to happen and just a ton more freedom... You can always find a room a day or two ahead of time

[blinkchick2134]

I'm an over planner too. Lucky for me my trip to Europe was with a tour group type thing so I did no worrying!

Don't be nervous, even if you end up in a city with no hostel openings or no clue where you are, the important thing is that you're in Europe. You never know what's around the corner. When I was in Toledo I got kinda lost. As in I knew I was around the right area just not exactly. When I walked around the next corner I came face to face with the most beautiful view of anything ever. If I'm having a rough day and I think of that day, I can't help but smile. So don't worry it will all work out.

As for how much planning is too much. I'm one that will search out a damn city for two weeks to find all the nooks and crannies. But as I'm planning (err thinking about) my 2005 trip to Europe (and hopefully Egypt) I'm limiting myself to listing cities, what I want to do there (as in see the Tower of London or Stone Henge), what hostels are close by w/ their directions and costs. As I get closer, and decide I am doing the trip - right now I'm kinda broke, I'll probably give myself a week or so in each city. Maybe book a hostel in each major city just to make sure I'm gonna have someplace to sleep. Hostels can get crowded.

[pinion]

^ amen brotha!

... but wait, are you sure I should wing it if we would really prefer private rooms and not dorms???

Positive. The first few days will probably seem a be hectic & overwhelming, but you'll settle into everything after the first week. I promise

If you ever do feel overwhelmed with everything just take a deep breath. When you're there you have no real time table to attend to. If you show up a day or 2 late to a city, its no big deal. If you miss a train and have to hang out in a city for another few hours catch up on writing postcards or grab a beer. Its not like you're late for work or anything.

[pinion]

lol sorry blink, didn't mean to call you a brotha. You squeezed your post in there before I could finish mine

[jeanninej]

That's funny. I am from NYC and I am a crazy planner too I can't help it. Me and my boyfriend are leaving for Europe on Friday for our first time. We are going there for a month. And I planned the whole trip. From train tickets,overnight train reservations, hostels and airflights. So I'm going on a schedule. Most people say to just "wing it" but I feel more comfortable knowing where and when I'm going. Hopefully I won't miss any trains But I think we are covering alot of ground. And that's the goal I intended. Here are the places we are going:

London
Amsterdam
Paris
Venice
Florence
Rome
Barcelona
Madrid

We want to try to go to Morocco from Madrid but we onlyhave 3 days in Madrid so it doesn't seem likely. Oh well, there's always next time

[jorgino]

About 4 years ago I went backpacking around US for a month, I started off planning every single second of the trip and then what happened.... ...I got burned out, so I decided to let go and enjoy the trip itself, it was so funny because all the stuff I planned actually didn't quite happen the way I planned and all the stuff I DIDN"T PLAN came to make my trip unbelieavable, I still have good feelings about those moments, also just think, imagine yourself sitting at a table with some friends, showing pictures from your trip, you can say: "And here is the Tower of London, I planned on going there and I did" or "you see this cool guys in this picture with me? I met them totally unexpected in this awesome pub I found by chance and we decided to hang out in the Tower of London!" Yeah, I guess you get the point...

[clevercraig]

I here ya'. Before my first trip I think i might have planned to much and when I was not planning I felt as if i should be. it's natural, relax. Yopu'll be fine. I'd rather worry about planning to much as opposed to saying "it's all good."