How much research and planning do you do for a trip to the unknown?

[motion]

This subject has me a bit torn.... I'm traveling to 4 different continents in the next 60 days. I've always approached travel as an adventure, and prefer to not have solid plans. I love the feeling of stepping out of the airport terminal into an unknown world, and having a go at it. These days, its fairly straight forward to find a wifi signal and book hotels, and I prefer to kind of wing it as I go along.

When traveling with Mrs. Motion, I have a well researched itinerary all worked out, to alleviate her anxieties. I have no such anxieties. I've been lost in the middle of third world countries on a motorcycle all by my lonesome and absolutely relish it!

So now we have wifi everywhere, apps for your phone and local SIM cards, and a seemingly unlimited supply of information to research before going on a trip. I'm not sure if I'm down with it. I'm thinking of taking the train between Johhanesburg and Cape Town and just watched a Youtube video of someone describing the experience. I kinda feel like I've been ripped off a little bit... that the surprise and discover have been taken away.

The internet age is smoothing out the rough edges of discovering the world, IMHO, and making memories less everlasting. Its kind of dulling the experience. Which is a conflict for me, since I'm a tech & gadget freak. So, from here on out, I'm vowing to myself to strike a balance between knowing too much up front, and discovering cool places and things without any forethought. Kind of the anti-tour group mentality.

Anyway, just thinking out loud.... anyone else been through this?

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by motion

The internet age is smoothing out the rough edges of discovering the world, IMHO, and making memories less everlasting. Its kind of dulling the experience.

My wife and I talk about this often.

The changes that have occurred in India and China are just mind blowing. When we first started going to India, making an international phone call required a trip to a local telephone exchange. No cell phones. Certainly no internet. You stumbled upon things and took the day as it came.

The last time we were there, our iphones work, and we stayed with my brother in law, who had fast DSL at this house. Yeah, technology is great. But its also a giant intrusion.

The world is growing up all too fast for my taste. I like to go someplace and get lost....

[javadog]

I prefer to get my money's worth, so I tend to plan what I want to see and where I want to go. I don't do organized tours, but I don't wing it, either. You are going places that are different enough from your world that the experience should be memorable. Why not be picky about where you go?

Take China. Not sure I'd want to go there, as I grew up in Asia and I'm familiar with their culture, somewhat. Still, if I went there, I'd probably not go to Beijing, or similar places. It's a large, polluted city. Seen those before... There are areas of China that are breath-takingly beautiful. Might want to visit those, instead. You won't get there without research.

Japan is another place that requires a little planning. Winging it it there would be a waste of time and money. The language barrier and the way their country is organized make it difficult to navigate. By the time you figured anything out, you'd be headed back home.

Lots of the places I'd go won't be tech-friendly... I wouldn't put all my eggs in that basket.

JR

[recycled sixtie]

I agree with you to a point. I find that if I think that either A,B or C is a possibility then up pops D. Then if D is a possibility then I would need a back up plan. I think that you can have all the info in the world, apps, wifi, cell phones etc but there can be a fly in the ointment.

These problems can be two legged namely yourself or somebody else, 4 legged critters or nature at its worst. Nothing is for sure 100% of the time.G.

[scottmandue]

I plan the dooky out of my vacations! Then I get there and generally just go where the wind blows me

However I always do make sure transportation and accommodations are carved in stone. In your case (international travel) obviously you will need those things nailed down.

Sigh... I remember being young, jumping in the car, hitting the road, driving until I was tired and pulling into whatever funky little hotel/motel I could find... those were the days.

[recycled sixtie]

To answer your question better now. If I plan a trip with my wife it is carefully planned. Flights, hotels, rentacar etc. If by myself my camping trips and hiking trips are less planned. I just let wifey know where I am going. Sometimes out of cell ph. range but it usually works out. Sometimes sleep under the stars!G

[Rick Lee]

Motion, hire a local English-speaking student to take you around. Make it clear to them that you want to see off the beaten-path kind of stuff and don't want to eat western food. I did this in Beijing once and got a real thrill out of simply going to the girl's house, as I had never been in a private residence in China. It was quite an experience then, but is old hat now, since I have in-laws there. I also did this in Chongqing and it led me to some restaurants no foreigner would have ever found on their own. And it's always good to have someone like that book travel for you to get to your next destination.

I've also done a lot of research AFTER I've been to a place because I just didn't know about it before I went there.

[Seahawk]

When I was a younger man there was zero issues parachuting into odd places. We all have stories so I have a ton of off grid guided tours.

Now, I am what I call a "hub and spoke" guy: I plan the hub, the core stuff, but don't obsess about the spokes, let that come to me once I get there: the spokes don't matter, either which one I travel out on or how I get back.

I do, these days, need the hub. I think it is from doing a lot of travel with my kids: nap time at the hub

[ZAMIRZ]

I have found a lot of the information online doesn't suit my style of travel and what I like to see. I much prefer asking friends/family who know me what I should do and checkout. I pay especially close attention to close friends who come back from some place gushing to me about how I would love it, and have gone places based on those recommendations and had the time of my life.

Usually the only thing I look-up online are ethnic foods / restaurants I gotta hit and maybe try to find a hotel deal.

It's funny you mention the train from Cape Town to Johannesburg. I've heard it's spectacular, and never wanted to ruin it by watching it on YouTube. I will get out there eventually and see it for the first time live and in color

[imcarthur]

I plan intensively. I travel a lot in NA for work & since I travel fast, I need the hotels sorted out ahead of time. Ditto restaurants – especially if there is a customer involved.

For vacation travel with my wife, I plan as well. Maybe it’s my age or the way we like to travel but having to stress about the next hotel or the next thing to do would suck the fun out of our vacation. Tours & especially tour groups with their flag waving guides are abhorrent, so I self-plan but I do it starting a year out. To me, it is a third of the fun. Plan. Execute. Trip Report. I know, it’s a very military attitude but it works for us & we have great vacations. We ‘step out’ just enough along the way to keep it interesting.

BTW I researched SA a few years back thinking about a self-drive expedition through Kruger Park. It is very doable. There is even a Kruger Park forum . . .

Ian

[BeeMaster]

Try not to look like a tourist especially her. No jewelry, no fancy clothes, not so much make up, no watch or necklace. All that stuff makes you a target for theifs and scammers. Now depending on how ruff a country you are going to, their are armed tour
Groups also. But basically jeans and a t-shirt and what ever else climate requires.

[motion]

Originally Posted by BeeMaster

Try not to look like a tourist especially her. No jewelry, no fancy clothes, not so much make up, no watch or necklace. All that stuff makes you a target for theifs and scammers. Now depending on how ruff a country you are going to, their are armed tour
Groups also. But basically jeans and a t-shirt and what ever else climate requires.

My wife does not agree with your logic!

[imcarthur]

Originally Posted by BeeMaster

Try not to look like a tourist

I peruse a lot of travel forums & this topic comes up constantly. While it is good advice not to flash your wealth, the $1000 camera around your neck or the iPhone in your hand is a pretty good indicator. You ARE a tourist. Locals will NOT mistake you for a local.

Ian

[nostatic]

I'd rather eat ground glass than travel these days - unless I'm going to a gig. So all my planning goes into how to avoid traveling

[Captain Ahab Jr]

We enjoy driving holidays as we live in Europe, so many different cultures and very easily accessible.

I do all the route planning with where we will stop before hand not because of any anxieties but as our trips are limited to only 2 weeks we have to keep up a certain travelling pace so don't have days to waste.

For places to stay we usually book the first nights accomodation and just wing it when we arrive at each new place or have a look the night before on the internet and make a few telephone calls to check room availability or book while we are driving.

Our last two week trip, was about 2500 miles started in Italy, went through Bosnia, Serbia, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Czech Republic, Austria and back to Italy.

We have never had any problems finding a nice place to stay. We travel with two young children and they love the excitment of not knowing where we will stay each night as we alternate the type of place we stay at from basic but clean family guest houses right upto 5 star luxury hotels.

Next year we plan to do a 6 or 7 week trip across the US, we will take the same approach with out past trips with this trip but I'll need to tap into the Pelican knowledge of must see places away from main toursit destinations.

[BeeMaster]

Have fun! That's what it is about.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by motion

My wife does not agree with your logic!

You guys were a treat for the locals. Blond hair on Mrs. M - big time attraction.

Same day as this below pic was taken in Baku, circa 2005. a 19-ish year old "punk" looking kid was walking by the DVD/CD shop where I had just bought every Zeppelin CD made for about $20 and he glared at me like I was an alien. I mean, it was nasty.

So, I dig deep, with all the sensitivity I can muster, I blurt out, "What the eff are you looking at". He says, "Nothin' Man, Sorry"

Heh-heh. My foreign travel diplomacy video is available for only $19.95.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by motion

My wife does not agree with your logic!

Look at those white people

[look 171]

Part of the fun is getting lost in a foreign country but happy wife, happy life? Did lots of it with my girlfriend, now wife, back before we had kids. No way in hell my dear wife will allow that type of traveling in 3rd world countries with kids. I did China 15 years ago way before the explosion of buildings, pollution and the mass amount of tourists like today. I had to get on a tour down the Yangtze / 3 gorges cruise when they were building the dam. That was the only time I was able to speak to a bunch of tourist from US and Europe. Other then that, it was the couple of people in the hotels. I went and got lost for 2 months there bumming around with a back pack. Great times.

[Bill Douglas]

For a start don't take the train from Joberg to Cape Town. You miss 99.9 percent of what there is to see. Get a car and drive to the coast - the rest is adventure.

I research things so I don't miss out on anything worthwhile. Something like Lonely Planet. I sure don't make booking in advance and go wherever I like in whatever countries.