Planning/Prep Flashcards
What to research
- For museums, you can check their website or even call to determine how much time you should budget
-some museums will require an entire day to fully explore… others only 30 minutes
Who to contact before your trip
- Always talk to the concierge before firming up your plans. Nicer hotels offer services that make your trip more convenient and you may want to factor those into your plans. (Example: some hotels will hold your bags after check out and even send a driver to meet you with the bags and take you to the airport, which can make it easier to plan)
- Let the bank know about your trip BEFORE you buy ANYTHING. Banks can cancel your purchases/tickets without your permission (this is what happened to your tickets for SIX)
- Always call the places you want to visit and ask what is included in advance (many places offer coupons and/or complementary tickets to things)
Two ways to confirm reservations (so you don’t get turned away)
- Call them to make sure they have your reservation
- Always look for the confirmation email (if you didn’t get a confirmation email, assume they do not have a record of your reservation/tickets)
How to stay realistic when planning a vacation
You’re not gonna get to do all the things on your list and you have to accept that going into it
Importance of having flexibility in your plan
Have to have some amount of flexibility in your schedule for things you find along the way (like when you went to the catacombs and found the first ever Pizzaria in America)
Good sources v. bad sources
ChatGPT and Google can steer you wrong (ie empire state building). It’s best to check an official website or even just call/email to see when/how long it is open
Importance of hours of operation
When planning out activities, factor in when things open AND close AND what days they are available to avoid missing out
-need all three because they will be useful as your itinerary evoles and things get rescheduled
How long does it take to get ready each morning if the vacation?
Budget TWO hours for getting ready in the morning, not one (especially if you have a female traveling companion)
Strategically chosing a hotel
-Factors in choosing hotel in a big city, apart from price: distance from your activities, safety of the area, transportation, view, complementary tickets/services
-Does the hotel have a concierge? The concierge can actually make bookings for you (especially if it is for something that is comped by the hotel). Those kinds of hotels usually offer services that make your trip more convenient and you may want to factor those into your plans. (Example: some hotels will hold your bags after check out and even send a driver to meet you with the bags and take you to the airport, which can make it easier to plan)
If the hotel rate seems low, you need to call and ask about hidden fees. Some hotels seem like they’re charging a super low rate online, and then you get there and you find out that they charge extra for breakfast or parking
Strategically chosing an airport
-Factors in choosing airports in a big city, apart from price: traffic is more important than location (a far away but less traffic-heavy airport is a better option), distance from hotel, layovers for the flights into that airport
How to fully understand the operating hours of museums
Just because the museum is open doesn’t mean that everything in the museum is open (like the IMAX theater) need to call ahead get the hours for everything inside
Experiences to look for
- Rooftop bars (plan during golden hour)
- Museums
- Emersive Experiences
Packing Tips
- In your toiletries, anything that you’re bringing that could leak should be put in its own ziplock bag so that it doesn’t get all over everything else
- this includes deodorant, which can melt if it gets too hot
- Bring your own hand soap: specifically, select a soap with a scent that you actually like. There’s no way of knowing what kind of soap they’re going to have in the hotel, and you might not like the way it makes your hands smell
- Bring both Pepto and Advil. There’s a fair chance you’re going to overeat and/or get a headache and you do not want that to ruin the trip
- If you are going someplace with very high security, you may need to bring a see-through backpack
- Bring office supply binder clips (the little black ones) so that you can fully close the curtains. For some reason a lot of hotel curtains don’t close all the way
Multi-step process for trip planning
Step 1: look at what is available in terms of activities but DO NOT pay for any of them, even if they’re on sale. (PAYING BEFORE YOU KNOW FIRMLY WHAT DAYS YOU ARE GOING TO BE THERE LEADS TO EXTENDED TRIPS AND POTENTIALLY TWO OR THREE TIMES AS MUCH SPENDING, like Chicago)
Step 2: Look at what dates those activities are being offered, and decide which ones you’re most interested in experiencing
Step 3: Plan out what days you will be doing which activities and in what order (based mostly on proximity and how activities are ‘clustered’ geographically
Step 4: Choose your flight/hotel/airbnb based on strategic factors
- especially distance from downtown
- Want a good cost to customer-rating ratio
Step 5: Figure out transportation to/from your activities
Step 6: Actually make the bookings/reservations
Importance of calling/emailing every place you want to visit EARLY in the trip planning process
Your brain does not want to call/email the places you want to visit. Left to your own devices, you simply will not do it. And without doing this, you will not have enough information to properly plan the trip. You need to make this the “ugly frog” do it as early as possible!
Importance of avoiding popular travel dates
Unpopular travel days (like Tuesdays) aren’t just cheaper… they’re faster. You won’t have to wait in lines to check in for the flight or for the TSA check. Minimizes risk of missing the flight (because things happen and there always a chance you will arrive at the airport late)
Getting ready to fly
1) Minimize what you are carrying in your pockets for the TSA check. Maybe get a small fanny-pack type bag to hold those things. Otherwise you will end up holding up the TSA line while you awkwardly unload and re-load your pockets.
2) Pack a lunch before you fly. They’re not fucking around with these airport food prices ($15+ for a pure leaf tea and a shitty sandwich). Even if you’re not hungry, pack one just in case. After all, your flight could get delayed and you could be for ed to eat at the airport
3)
Importance of beginning trip planning WELL in advance of the trip
Doing the proper planning for a trip takes TIME. It requires at least a month of prep work, research, and coordination
Value of direct booking
Sometimes leads to discounts and special perks. Only use third party apps if you intend to bundle.
- Also makes it easier to coordinate with the hotel when there’s an emergency or changes need to be made which can be super useful
Special considerations for big events in the city like NYE or Mardi gras
If you’re in the city for a big event (NYE or Mardi Gras) you need a specific well thought-out plan for return transportation.
- “I’ll just get an Uber” is not a plan
- Having a hotel walking distance from where you intend to celebrate would be ideal
Importance of having multiple sources when gathering ideas about things to do
You will not think of everything. There will be some great ideas that never will have occurred to you and you need to go and talk to people and figure out what those are. This is part of why traveling with a companion is so great. Talk with people online before you go for suggestions on where to go/what to do
Importance of hat and gloves
You can go like somebody’s cold you need them. I don’t care if it’s warmer than usual or you don’t think you:lol need them. Bring them anyway, you’ll be glad you did
And make sure your hat ACTUALLY covers your ears
Time related factors to consider what scheduling Museum visits
1) The hours of a place is less important than the admittance/entry times. When making plans, ignore the open/close hours and instead record the specific time slots will have to register for.
2) Some places are better to visit in the morning, others are better to visit in the evening. You need to ask about this when you call (example: the ice cream Museum was not a good thing to visit at the end of the day because you got there just as they were closing the open ice cream bar)
When/how to schedule sex in your vacation
Best chance for sex is the DAY you arrive or the day you leave. Do not schedule events for these days. Always set up the trip so that you arrive the day before your first activity. And give yourself plenty of time between when you arrive and when you go to sleep
