We have our trip planned in May (Italy -> Israel-> Turkey-> Santorini) and I am still working out the details, and some of these questions were on my mind. Since we haven’t traveled a lot, I am wondering how other people plan trips to places they know nothing about.

No suggestions, but wow, that sounds like an amazing trip.

Thanks Irma! I am excited. I have been planning at least 20-30hrs a week the last two months and wondered how other people plan. I am blessed that someone I know gave me the name of private guide in Italy, who also gave me the name of a guide in Istanbul and Greece. I am struggling to find a guide in Israel. I am reading daily trying to learn about these countries, but still have so many questions.

I know there are a lot of people who travel like this over on the conversation side of the home decorating forum. Do you post there? Right now there are posts about clothing and purses.

Is that under Home Decorating?

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/home-decorating-conversations

Wow Raven! That is very interesting! How do I find that on my own? I usually go to Houzz, go to advice, then click on Home Forums then Kitchen Table or Home Decorating. I have never seen those discussions.

sabbath7, Home Decorating, then Home Decorating Conversations.

Thank you!! You guys are amazing!

We try to find a travel agent in the region or Country we are going to visit. Usually 2 or 3 couples. The agent uses her resources for personal guides and drivers. We have done this in Croatia, Argentina and Peru and New Zealand and it makes for a very relaxing and interesting trip. Cost wise it usually is slightly more than an organized tours but so much better.

It depends on where we are going whether we use a tour guide or not. I plan fairly independently so usually not unless it is a country where I don’t speak the languages. Often it is more advantageous (such as the Sistine Chapel) to have advance reservations and a knowledgeable tour guide, perhaps even a personal guide rather than a group if you can. In Israel 4 of us hired a guide through the hotel to take us around for the day. Well worth it and he was very knowledgeable and knew where to take us with no issues.

In London for example, I have done all my tours there on my own except one. A friend and I took one of the all day tour buses to some places we wanted to go outside the city. It was very good.

Our credit card gives us various trip insurance, including medical and trip cancellation so you might look into that.

I definitely try to travel light and look at the expected weather no matter where I am traveling. Layers work best with a lightweight packable rain jacket and minimal comfortable shoes. We definitely plan down time, especially if overseas, because you just get tired, and I for one need to sleep in some days. A siesta before dinner never hurts either.

We have occasionally gone off the beaten path but not in a while. If we are driving, as we were in Germany or the UK, we felt perfectly safe in most small towns.

Sabbath, I think you are spending way too much time on this. At the rate you're going, you will have spent more time planning than the trip will last.

Good info on what to do and how to do it is readily available from Lonely Planet and Trip Advisor. Trip Advisor ranks activities by which people enjoyed most doing. If the idea of private tours interests you, do that but allow time for your own wandering around (but cautiously in Turkey and Israel, safety needs to be a concern).

Dress is the biggest mistake American tourists make. You want to not stick out and where you're going, people dress a bit more modestly and conservatively. Leave your items with loud colors and clothing with writing or sports references at home. No white "athletic" or walking shoes! Women wear more dresses than here but make sure they're not too short.

Have a great trip!

Outside playing, you felt safe in "most" small towns in the UK and Germany? Believe me when I say you were significantly safer anywhere in Western Europe than you would be walking down the street of your home town. That's not new, it's been that way for ages. For sabbath's benefit, that's less true for Turkey and Israel where caution is always a good idea.

I think for a trip like you plan travel insurance is a must. A full coverage plan is not very costly compared to the total cost of your whole trip. There are many companies that will give you quotes. The prices change at 60 years of age. They cover medical evacuation if it becomes necessary. Not something you expect, but it happens. Read what is covered by a good plan, well worth not worrying. If spouse has a medical emergency before you leave, and necessary to cancel. Insurance will cover what you have layed out.

I second Elmer's suggestion of Trip Advisor. You can find all kinds of activities, excursions, tours, etc, and they are ranked in popularity. Along with reviews. And I too agree that you're spending way too much time on this. It's nice to have thought ahead, but your plans may change once you're there. You may decide to do this instead of that. Being flexible when traveling makes it more enjoyable to me. Not sticking to an agenda I've created before I even get there.

Do you hire tour guides if not going with a group? If so how do you find them?

No. Never. We do our own thing.

Do you purchase traveler’s insurance?

No.

How many special activities (like boat rides) do you plan? As many as you can comfortably afford or physically handle?

It depends on the trip, where we're going, and what we want to do/see. For instance, last September we planned everything around a play (Harry Potter) that we booked tickets for, in London. Everything we did on that trip was HP-inspired, including riding the Jacobite Express (Hogwarts train), visiting the pub in Edinburgh where JKR wrote the first book, attending the play, and visiting the Warner Brothers Studio in Leavesden.

We are going to Dublin & London in a couple of months, and are planning to tour the Jameson Distillery and the Guinness Brewery in Dublin; while in London, we are taking a daytrip to Canterbury to see the Cathedral, spending the Royal Wedding Day in Windsor, and possibly going to Brighton one day.

Do you plan any down days for roaming at leisure or do you pack everyday with planned activities?

Typically, on any of our trips, we walk 10-12 miles every day and see as much as we want to. Some things we do buy tickets ahead of time, but otherwise, we just wing it. We're also early-risers, so advance tickets aren't necessary. There's an advantage to being earlybirds - NO CROWDS.

Do you plan your attire according to the country that you are going to, or for comfort?

Clothing is always planned based on WEATHER. My travel wardrobe is mostly black, and multi-functional. I do two weeks in Europe with just a carry-on suitcase every time we go.

Do you ever plan travel that is completely off the beaten path to countries that you know nothing about?

Yes. Scott's Cheap Flights has introduced us to some pretty awesome places.

How long do you usually plan in each city if going to several?

It depends on which cities. If we've been there before, we might spend fewer days. In May of 2019 we're doing Berlin/Prague/Budapest - but only because we have tickets to see Elton John in Prague. :) We are doing three days in each city. We're also very likely to hop over to England at the end of the trip to look at some real estate.

Also, since others have mentioned this:

I'm a planner and a list-maker. I very much enjoy planning our trips, and really don't care if I've spent more hours planning than the trip will take. :) It's all a part of the journey and the understanding and the preparation for the actual visit. I do use TripAdvisor and have learned (the hard way, but it only took ONE time!) to trust the reviews.

I love to research the history of a place before I go, so when I'm actually *there* I know a little (or a lot) about it, and don't have to pay extra for the guided/audio tours. I can just be in the space and enjoy it.

Do try Trip Advisor. Learn to parse the reviews for objectivity. Visit the *FORUMS* for each city or place. Ask questions, outlining what's already 'set in stone' and how much time you have in a place. Tell them WHEN you're going. If you have a budget, post that, too.

Instillchloecat- I as well enjoy research! I have been reading a biography on Bernini and ordered books on Bauhaus and the architecture of Istanbul. I am making this trip into a 6 month deal. I am going to enjoy the research as much as the trip! I want to completely immerse myself in something different from each city we are going to before we go. I have chosen Bernini for Italy, Bauhaus for Israel, and am still working on Istanbul and Greece. It’s like buying a lottery ticket and dreaming about what you will buy when you win!

Do you hire tour guides if not going with a group? If so how do you find them?

We usually just try to do things on our own, but the times we've arranged trips in advance with a local guide have been some of our best ever travel experiences.

On two stops on a month long cruise around the Caribbean I arranged small group trips using local guides/travel companies.

In Costa Rica I arranged ahead for a local guide to pick us up, drive us to a National Park, arrange a snorkeling trip, followed by guided hike through the National Park, back to the small city for a great local restaurant and a trip back to our ship.

In Guatemala I arranged for a local company to pick our group up at the ship, travel across the bay, and then up the scenic river for several miles, stopping at a fortress, a group of local huts, a hot spring and cave, and a local school, followed by a great lunch and local musicians and a trip back to our ship.

In Southern Brazil, I arranged for a local travel guide for just the two of us. He picked us up at the airport, drove us to a nearby Bird Park, and while we were in the Bird park he bought entrance tickets to the Iguassu National Park, and then drove us to our hotel in the park. The next day he picked us up and drove to the border crossing to Argentina, navigated us through, and brought us to Argentina's National Park just across the falls from our hotel. On the way back to the hotel in Brazil, he stopped at the triple border between Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. On the third day he picked us up at the hotel and brought us back to the airport.

Do you purchase traveler’s insurance?

Never have

How many special activities (like boat rides) do you plan? As many as you can comfortably afford or physically handle?

We usually won't plan many special activities in advance and will see what is available once we are at the destination. Although since planning ahead has worked so well for the above mentioned trips, maybe I'll do more of it. (It's sort of against my nature)

Do you plan any down days for roaming at leisure or do you pack everyday with planned activities?

We definitely plan for down days.

Do you plan your attire according to the country that you are going to, or for comfort?

Totally based on comfort for the predicted weather where we are going

Do you ever plan travel that is completely off the beaten path to countries that you know nothing about?

We once went to the island of Madeira that we had never even heard of before going.

How long do you usually plan in each city if going to several?

Two or three or four days.

Berlin/Prague/Budapest= three interesting cities. If that's your order of travel and you''re going by train, try to stop in Vienna (in-between Prague and Budapest). It's another worthwhile city to visit.

When I went to Germany and France in 2009, I planned it all myself, for my kids, a friend/co-worker and one of my son's friends. I booked everything but had lived in Germany for 4 1/2 years so I knew what I wanted to see and do. I made the mistake of not having many down days, making us miss a couple things because the kids were tired of running around so much. I booked a cruise for us on the Rhine river and had planned all the days, booked a tour in France with a company that did tours of the D-Day beaches and surrounding areas. I knew about the Rhine river cruises because I had been to the Rhine Aflame events before and missed my last chance to take a cruise in 1990 because a bunch of officers and their wives kicked us lower ranking people off. I just googled "Rhine Aflame" cruises for companies to book with. When I planned the tour to the D-day beaches I went to Rick Steve's website and asked about tour groups and got really good recommendations for the one company.

Everyone told me on the Rick Steve's website that I was planning too much in a short amount of time, 3 1/2 weeks but had everyday plotted out with things to do and places to see. Looking back, I would have done less and stayed in some places a little longer in order to relax.

Went to Spain last year with no plans, our exchange student and her family took us to different places but we didn't have every day planned out. Much more relaxing vacation with time just walking around the city she lived in and hanging out in the apartment.

We are going to Japan in the Fall and I need to start planning. We're planning on staying in AirBnBs instead of hotels so it'll be cheaper. We're also planning to spend part of the time near my family so that part I can't really plan, have no idea what they will want to do when we are there. I am planning on going to the local fish market in the town my mom grew up in and visiting my grandparents resting place, but other than that I have no idea.

I don't get traveler's insurance.

That's our intended order (as of now), but it will depend on flight costs and whether we get a Scott's deal to Budapest or Vienna instead of Berlin. We definitely want to take the train between the three cities - and will likely fly out of either Budapest (or Berlin) to London on a Ryan or EasyJet flight, then on home from London.

I've been to Prague, but DH hasn't; he's been to Vienna, but I haven't (my sole foray into Austria was Salzburg). Neither of us have been to Berlin - which is one of my huge regrets of "not visiting" when I lived in Germany. I chose Leipzig (twice!) over Berlin just because of JS Bach. :)

Anyway - I'm eager to spend some quality time there, and see as much as we can. Elton John is the icing on the cake - and that concert is on our 20th anniversary, so we'll likely splurge a bit more on that trip. Yes, I'm already planning it. Haha. :)

@Kathsgarden - I agree with trying to do too much. We've found that if we plan to do four "things" in one day, we are simply exhausted after three "things." Buying tickets in advance for the four "things" means we either punt the last one or go anyway, with limited enjoyment because of our fatigue.

We did, in NYC, do four "things" in one day, and it was a 16-mile walking day (in addition to subway rides). That's even with strategic planning to limit backtracking. We did One World Trade, the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island, Top of the Rock, and the Empire State Building. We left our hotel at 7:30am and returned after dinner at 8:00pm. We showered and crashed and slept a full 12 hours, which we NEVER do. It was honestly too much, but looking back, it was so amazing to do the three tall buildings (AND we climbed to the crown of the Statue of Liberty - you HAVE to purchase tickets months in advance) in one day. Something to tell our hypothetical grandchildren someday. :)

I buy medical insurance when traveling out of the country. If I rent a car, I buy full coverage, as high a limits as they offer w/ the rental company. I generally carry a silk sarong/scarf to make myself presentable ....on the spot....when traveling. In Mexico, some churches require women to cover their heads. I covered my legs when entering temples in Bali.

I research what to do in the area where I'm traveling, then talk to the taxi driver I get. We had one taxi driver in Ubed offer to drive us to several destinations, in his beautiful new van, wait for us at each spot and be our guide for the day for $80! It's better to hire a driver, he can stay with the car while your out and about....vehicle break-ins are avoided that way.

In Fiji, the taxi driver conversation turned to "what to watch out for" in the area. He alerted us to scams and dangers. Belize City was another city where the taxi driver gave us warnings....that matched the govt. warnings you can find on their site for travelers.

Wow, seeing Elton John in Prague. Nice. He's on a retirement tour. Maybe you can catch him again in the U.S.

Do you hire tour guides if not going with a group? If so how do you find them?

No, we're not group people, and we prefer to plan our own trips.

Do you purchase traveler’s insurance?

Always. Wouldn't leave home without it.

How many special activities (like boat rides) do you plan? As many as you can comfortably afford or physically handle?

We choose our destinations based on what we want to see and do. It's never a case of, Oh, lets go to Paris, book the tickets and then, What shall we do? So we have some idea of what special activities we want to do. Then we do lots of research on websites like TripAdvisor, the destination's tourism websites and reading guidebooks from the library to see what else appeals. We do not cram every second with activities.

Do you plan any down days for roaming at leisure or do you pack everyday with planned activities?

Down days are always built in because it's supposed to be a holiday, not a route march. Generally we have a wish list of things we'd like to see or do if time and the energy are there, but don't have to tick off every idea (or even the majority of them).

Do you plan your attire according to the country that you are going to, or for comfort?

Both. I think it was Dave Sedaris who once said that it seems rude to visit someone else's country and arrive looking like you've come to mow the lawn. We always dress neat casual- pants and nice T shirts , polo shirts or collared shirts for general day wear, something dressier if required. We're representing our country and don't like to look like sloths anyway even when we're at home.

Do you ever plan travel that is completely off the beaten path to countries that you know nothing about?

We always research but have toured Viet Nam and the back blocks of Bali alone, as well as Hong Kong, Macau, Croatia, Czech Republic, parts of Germany, Poland and Hungary, New Zealand and London. We generally aim to go places where other tourists don't.

How long do you usually plan in each city if going to several?

No set time, because that's a very artificial constraint. No point in saying "Three days here, three days there," etc and then looking for things to fill up the days. We work out what we want to do anywhere, then work out how much time it will take to do that, adding a cushion for resting/things not quite working out as planned. Generally we like to stay at least three or so days in any one destination, unless it's just a travel stop.

Such wonderful, interesting and insightful responses! Thank you all so much for sharing.

We usually go to Europe twice a year - in the spring and then in the fall, as it is less crowded then. We have a general idea of what we want to see, but only make hotel reservations for the first and usually the last night. Everything else depends on the weather and what we want to do that day. (If it will be raining in the east, we go west.) Venice, Barcelona, and Prague each got a week. Our last trip was to Zagreb, Croatia and from there we drove to Slovenia. It was a two week trip. We live on the east coast and found a day time flight to London, so we have been taking that, spending the next day in London, and on the second day flying to our destination. Thus, instead of flying overnight and arriving well before we can get into our room, we arrive in the evening,, eat dinner, go to bed, and have no jet lag.

Enjoy your trip, sabbath7! It sounds hectic but wonderful.

We went to Hawaii for our Honeymoon. My brother had been there twice in the preceding few years to visit our sister who lived there at the time. As we were planning what to do while there, my brother gave us a detailed itinerary from one of his trips, listing locations visited, time spent at each location, any stops along the way, including 30 minute fast food lunch stops. Some of the information was helpful in terms of ideas of what to do, but it was all so detailed and down-to-the-minute that we laughed about it for years. It wasn't until much later that we found out that it wasn't a detailed plan crafted ahead of time for what to do, as we had assumed, instead it was something he created as he was actually doing things to help him with journaling about what he actually did.

sephia_wa - we've seen him a couple of times in the States, but tickets were ridiculously expensive for his farewell tour at the venue in our city. When the European dates were announced, we started looking at those and found out he'd be in Prague on our anniversary, so we just booked them. MUCH cheaper, too. Like - less than 1/4 of the cost in the USA.

imstillchloecat, same here. His tickets were ridiculously overpriced at the venue in my city. I don't mind spending $$ on entertainment, but his tickets were outrageous. He was the first concert I ever saw back in the 70's. Probably paid $10 back then!

The other thing I would mention, as so many people seem to get caught out by this, is to check the Foreign Affairs or Tourism webpage of any of your destinations to see if you need a visa or other travel documents (proof of health insurance etc) to enter that country.

Fodor's has an active travel forum, I like it as well as TripAdvisor. When browsing for ideas, I keep a word doc open, to cut & paste the most interesting tidbits. As the trip warrants, I'll get a map from AAA and mark it up with stuff of special interest ... sometimes that suggests a route to take, or what to leave out. (edited to add: what a great thread -- now I want to do some international travel too!)

I have never made any plans except what hotel to stay in if I am staying in one place. Other times we have landed at the airport and just drove throughout Europe and getting a hotel at wherever we stopped for the night. We had ideas of what we wanted to see or where we wanted to go but no schedule as long as we made it back for our flight home. I was much younger then.