Diglossos

Many people want to plan that “perfect” vacation.  Each person has a different idea of what that means, but there is some fantasy that guides everyone and influences choices.  Because everyone’s different, each one has a different reason for visiting a place:

• I saw this place in a movie when I was a child, and I’ve wanted to visit ever since.
• I read a book/article, and thought that it would be nice to go.
• My family goes there every year.
• I studied about this culture, and now I want to see it for myself.

Those are just a few reasons, but I’m sure we can come up with 2 or 300 more.  The point is everyone wants to have a great, memorable time.

In order to facilitate that, many people put together plans to ensure a successful trip.  They’ll pore over maps, read all kinds of travel journals and magazines, and make all kinds of schedules.  They’ll ask others for advice, and they might even enlist people to travel with them.  If you’re in a relationship, then maybe you already have a companion, and you’re just trying to figure out what to do.  After all of the research, you come up with a destination and itinerary and you get going.  What can go wrong?

Well… Many times people get so enamored of their plans that they forget the reason why they made the plans in the first place.  While it’s good to have an idea of what you want to do, don’t make that the overarching reason for trip or your life while on the trip.  Here are some tips to help avoid the pitfalls:

1. For each itinerary option, have an Option B.  If you planned a day of walking or hiking, what do you do if it rains or storms?  If you wanted to go out on a boat, have an option if there is a high wind advisory.  Be flexible.  No one says you can’t swap Day 1 plans with Day 2.
2. Make sure you add rest and leisure time.  It’s great to want to hit 10 things in one day, but keep in mind that in reality you may only get through 5.  Be OK with that.  If you burn yourself out on the first day, you won’t make it to any of your other activities.  Get the sleep that you can’t always get.  Eat slowly and enjoy your lunch.  Enjoy that conversation with the friend whom you don’t always see.
3. Know the type of trip you’re taking.  Consider that your trip may not be about visiting the place, but rather it might be about doing specific things while you’re there.  For example, you may say you want to visit New York and sight see, but your plan shows you hitting 10 different antique shops in one day.  So, your trip is really an antique excursion in New York.  Be conscious of what you really want to do, and plan for that.
4. Make sure that your companion(s) want to do what you want to do.  Nothing is a bigger buzz kill for everyone than realizing that you all had different ideas about the trip, and now there’s pressure where there wasn’t supposed to be any.  If you like golf, but your friends thought you’d be going on a spa trip, they won’t appreciate the 9am tee time and day at a gold course.  You, too, won’t be happy if your golf buddy’s not in the mood to play.
5. Be open to others wanting time to do their own thing.  If you plan a museum excursion on one day when someone is either not a museum fan or has ideas of shopping, be flexible and let the person have a morning or day without you.  After all, it’s that person’s vacation, too.  It’s OK to have differing interests.  Enjoy that time apart, and look forward to sharing stories when you get back together.  Don’t begrudge anyone some time for their own discovery.
6. Don’t overplan.  Some people will actually schedule things down to the minute.  For example:  “Get up at 6 and shower and be dressed (45 minutes).  Be downstairs for breakfast by 7 (20 minutes). Get to bus for trip to ruins (1o minutes).  See ruins (2 hours)….” I’m not kidding.  Some even schedule bathroom breaks.  The fact is that if you’re in a new or unfamiliar place, chances are that you don’t know exactly how everything works.  Just as landing too late to catch a connecting flight will mess up your day (let alone your plans), local schedules may not be as you understand them to be, or the local custom is that times are estimates.  Your day can be shot before you even walk out the door.  Be more generous with your time, and bank for unforeseen circumstances.
7. Instead of planning to the minute, just list things you’d like to do that day.  To ensure greater success at getting them done, organize your day around things that are near each other and avoid zigzagging across town.  It’s far easier and more pleasant to do a few things that are within a few blocks or a couple of miles of each other than to spend your time in cabs or other public transportation just getting to them.  For example, if a few things are on the east side of town, while others are on the west, split your day or days by geographical location.  You’ll save money by walking to your destination, and you may actually get more done than you expected.
8. You may find that you like something so much that you want to spend more time there.  So, go ahead.  Take the time.  You earned it, and you may not get the chance to visit for a long time if ever again.

While it takes a little work to plan a vacation, the vacation itself should be like work.  Take time to enjoy yourself and to enjoy the company others, either old friends or people you meet along the way.  The funny thing is that you won’t remember what or how you planned, no matter how much time and effort you put into it.  What you’ll remember is what you did, with whom you did it and how you felt.  And wasn’t that the point when you first thought about it?

© 2011, Peregrine