As you know from previous posts, we love to travel. We prefer journeys of roughly three weeks in duration and we don't like organized tours although sometimes that is the only way to see what we wish in the allotted amount of time. We prefer to experience the maximum at the minimum of financial expenditure. Another preference is to take the Robert Frost road which is to say the road less traveled. One way is which we plan and execute is with our travel folder and a good guidebook.
The travel folder is a simple manila folder with the spring clips to hold the pages in. On the left side is our itinerary in chronological order. It contains in a table from left to right:
- Date and day of journey (i. e. Day 25) and location of that day
- what we wish to see that day
- the nights lodging ( inn, B & B,etc.)
- Daily mileage (we prefer to drive)
- Total mileage
As a sheet is completed it is moved to the back.
On the right side of the folder is the documentation to support what is on the left side. Here would be car rental agreements, lodging confirmations, and/or maps from Google or Yahoo maps. (Navigation is crucial when driving in a foreign country, particularly one with a different language. In our case the non-driver reads directions to the driver.) These pages are moved to the back also as they are used. There is also an additional manila envelope attached to the inside of the right side which keeps small items such as tickets or brochures where needed.
This folder has the culmination of about nine months of planning. The bulk of the reservations are made on line as well as the details of attractions to see. Details of attractions are very important when visiting popular sites. In France there are days when there is no admission charge to national attractions. That is when crowds are at their greatest. To be confronted with the least crowd we try to visit in early morning or late afternoon and pay admission. Also be aware that some attractions close during lunch. We missed the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum in Albi, France, because we were there during lunchtime. Lunchtime was two hours long!
Get a good guidebook. We prefer Rick Steves'. We have long been fans of his travel shows on PBS and have used his books and travel products successfully. But we investigate other books as well. Lonely Planet and Frommers' have good books too.
Planning pays off when you're traveling and a travel folder is a big part of planning.
Sources:Travel stuffTravel books
