Over prepare...

Over prepare, then go with the flow.  -Regina Brett

I honestly thought I came up with this saying and have been using it for years. I was all set to use it as a clever title for this post. But, a quick Google search today told me that Regina Brett is actually credited with it, so I'll give credit where credit is due. Nice work, Ms. Brett.

Over prepare - Nothing feels like a bigger waste of precious vacation time than trying to decide what to do with your time while on the vacation.

"We could go to the museum but they're closed on Tuesdays and today is Tuesday."

"There's an awesome sushi restaurant but we're too late for a reservation."

"I wish I would have known about that before we got here..."

We've all been there and I absolutely hate that feeling. I like to be so over prepared for a trip that not a single precious moment of time is wasted trying to decide on what options are available. I'm also one of those people who looks up menus for restaurants before we go, but that's a different post.

If we are going somewhere new for more than 24 hours, you can bet that I will type up a color coded itinerary, print at least once copy for each member of the group, and email it to them.

Go with the flow - Nothing is set in stone. Some things are pretty solid, like prepaid tickets to a show, but most of the time the itinerary is flexible. This is where Dan and Caden really shine. If we see a sign for a Farmer's Market, we're probably going to pull over and check it out. If we are wandering and see a restaurant that has a cool vibe, we'll eat there instead of one on the itinerary. It's all about options. If we didn't stumble upon a restaurant with a cool vibe, we'd consult the itinerary for some ideas of places nearby that I've already done my homework on.

This pirate themed gummy candy store was definitely not on my itinerary for Paris, but we all knew as soon as we saw it that we would be going in.

I like to think my thorough planning has packed in some incredible experiences for us and helped us make the most of our time in new places. I will also admit that many of my favorite travel memories were made when we went off-itinerary.