How To? Part 2: The Different Schools of Planning

This is part 2 of my five part How To? series. In this article I will go into more depth about the initial planning process. Ideally, you should try to do initial planning anywhere from 6 months to one year before you planned date of departure.

There are three main schools of though when it comes to planning a long term trip. The first school, which comprises the majority of people, is the “I hate planning” school. These are the types of people I talked about earlier, who love to talk about the fantasies and fun or traveling, but are turned off by the amount of effort that must go into planning. Even minimal planning, which can lead to a fantastic voyage, are too much for these people. Either they won't go on a trip at all, or will do the “lets just go and see” voyages, which are a bit too risky for my part.

The second school is the “I'm too scared to leave anything to chance,” the other extreme. While rare, these individuals will plan every detail of the trip, from where you're going to exactly which cafes in Rome you will be frequenting for breakfast every single day. At their extreme, these individuals can take the joy out of traveling. Often, the “scared” types will opt for packaged tours which take care of all the details.

True veteran travelers belong to the third school, the “planning is half the fun,” school. We (yes, I'm a card carrying member) love to research travel destinations, read books about the history of places, learn the language before we go, and more. Some in this school no no greater joy than finding the cheapest airfare or best hostel deal – even if it takes hours of research. Yet we like to leave a lot open – information is the main planning goal, not setting a strict itinerary. “How can we do?”, rather than what are we doing?” is our motto.

All three schools have their benefits and faults. If you naturally have a hard time leaving too much to chance, then maybe a packaged tour is right for you. Some of the best travelers I know fall into the first school; they never plan, nor do they research, yet they always have a fantastic time and learn the tools of the trade while abroad, not at home. They look at us “planning” folk as strange folk, because they believe that you can never research traveling, so why even try?

Since I am in the 3rd school, and find that learning and reading about not only destinations, but also hostels, hotels, and airlines, can be nearly as much fun as the actual trip, I believe that adequate, but not obsessive, planning can only make a trip more enjoyable. You can never (nor should you try) to plan for every contingency that occurs during your trip. When I was in Southern India in December of 2006, I carried a Lonely Planet Guide with me, and made a point to check out the historic attractions of the region. Nothing I read prepared me for what happened on December 26th, when the Tsunami slammed into the coastline only miles away from where I was. The devastation completely changed my plan, historic and cultural sights seemed insignificant compared to sheer loss of life and livelihood that had occurred. The next few days were spent reassuring my friends and family that I was alright, and aiding as best as I could not knowing the local language, the aid efforts.

There is not best way to plan. Success rates vary within all 3 schools, but the real determinant is will. If you have the will and drive to take a tour, no matter how you go about planning, in due time, you will be enjoying the experience of a lifetime.