Oh the Places You’ll Go–After Coming Up with a Plan
I know this may seem painfully obvious, but before we go on any trip I do a lot of planning ahead of time. I mean A LOT. I check out every travel book I possibly can at the library (I’m pretty sure the people at our library think I’m crazy), I go to local book stores, I read reviews on travel sites; ultimately I try to be very meticulous and dot every “i†and cross every “tâ€. My husband even tells me he knows I will look at things from every angle and consider every contingency plan. Sounds great, right? So what’s the problem?
The problem is despite my Type A meticulous personality I am still human. I still make mistakes. I get so focused and start working towards a specific goal (or plan) I stop looking at the bigger picture. I get so determined to make something work that I don’t stop to reevaluate to see if this is really the best idea or if we should try to do something else. Because of my meticulous planning, I can make almost anything work; but just because I can make something work, it doesn’t mean it’s the best idea or the best way for us to do things. Sometimes I need someone else to check me and to ask if what I’m planning is really what’s best for us.
I also need to remember ultimately who I’m doing this for. I’m doing for our family so we can have a nice family vacation together that we can all enjoy. I need to remember that sometimes we should sacrifice the better deal for convenience (especially with the kids).
I’m currently planning another trip to Europe for us in the fall. There is so much we would like to see and do, but we’re not going to be able to do it all in one trip. I need to remember we’re traveling with the kids and we will go at a slower pace than we would without them. While I also still have to be frugal in our planning, I also need to make sure that I do what makes the most sense for us and not just go chasing after the best deal.
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Heels First is the travels and tribulations of two twenty-something frequent fliers jumping into the world of travel. Join Keri and Jeanne as they tackle mileage runs, elite status, and of course–the perfect travel accessories.
My motto is enjoy what you are doing and don’t worry about what you are not. There is always too much to do and never enough time.