Trips Require a Lot of Prep Work

I will embark on my first trip to Spain very soon. Though I’m finishing with last minute preparations for the trip, I thought I would recount the various things I am doing to help make it a more enjoyable vacation.

1. Select the city (or cities) you wish to visit. This posed some challenges for me. Why? There were so many places in Spain I wanted to visit and a very short period of time to travel. I ended up selecting the two most important cities I wanted to visit: Seville and Madrid. Be realistic in your destination selections in terms of travel time there and back as well as what you can see and do there.
2. Decide when you will go. I chose spring as it bypasses the cold winter temperatures and is before the hot summer months and crowds. Decide carefully as you will have to give up certain things such as for me, the Feria in April (Spain) and other cultural events (like bullfight season). Lock in your time by requesting vacation time at work or blocking it out on a calendar.
3. Make a list of the sights you want to see and activities you want to do there. You will go through your list and mark if they are open or available for the time you are going and when. Google hours and prices and jot them down on your list too.
4. Create a table containing each “day” you will be there. Under each heading, write down which activities are available for each day and include the hours. Don’t worry about having a long list for each day. You will weed it down further later on. Repeat the same activities each day they are available.
5. Conduct prep work by reading about your destinations through guide books, magazine or newspaper articles and internet searches. Incorporate any findings in your list. Don't forget to research national holidays or days when certain places will be closed as well as sleeping accommodations and transportation. This would be a good point to print out a map of the city and star each sight and activity on the map. Try to find reasonable lodging in a more central area around all of the sights and activities you want to do. Keep in mind that you will be spending more time out and about rather than at a hotel. Don't focus so much on amenities and more on location and price. In Seville, I chose to stay at Hesperia Sevilla and in Madrid, Hotel Europa. They are moderately priced and more centrally located to places I want to visit in each city.
6. Use your map and your table to find sights and activities that are close by each other. This will help keep transportation costs down getting from one place to another. Make an educated guess on how much time you will want to spend at each place (use your research from Step # 5 to help you answer this question). Start crossing off activities by the day on your list that are not near each other. Cluster sights and activities by the proximity to each other and not from your hotel. You don't want to spend a couple of hours at one place, just to spend that same amount of time getting to the next location. Make sure you are able to hit each activity or place once throughout your stay.
7. Book your lodging accommodations and flight arrangements. Consider flying out the night before. For me, I made sure to get an evening flight so I may sleep the night away while traveling to the location. Look for ways you can incorporate sleeping time into getting to your next destination. It not only saves you time, but energizes you for the next part of the journey.
8. Get addresses for each sight, activity and lodging that you can print out and have offline. I recommend printing out a map you can fold easily to place in your pocket that has the addresses on one side and the starred location on the map. During rest times, you can consult your map and make alterations to your itinerary faster. Plus, this is easier than carrying around a guide book. You should also print out a copy of your flight itinerary and hotel reservations. They often contain reservation numbers that you can give the receptionist quickly.
9. Finally, start packing at least a couple of weeks before your trip. throw everything you think you will want to take in your luggage. Then start playing devils advocate with each article. Really justify it going with you. Be practical and reasonable. Weed out frivolous items keeping in mind that you will be enjoying the location (people and culture). If you think of it from that perspective, it will help get you down enough so that you are not lugging around everything and the kitchen sink! Unlike popular demand, you do not need a new outfit for each day you are gone. I recommend taking one small suitcase and one small "day" bag. You will thank me later when you're rushing through train stations, bus terminals and airports.

Some more tips:

• Don’t try to cram too many activities in one day. You will pull your hair out trying to get them all done and not have very much fun in the process. Depending upon the amount of time at each location, select a handful of sights or activities per day. It is always easier to add another activity to your day's schedule than feeling like you have to fit it all in one day.
• Fifteen to twenty days before your trip, contact your local bank branch and order a few hundred dollars in the currency of the country you are visiting. This will help you when you land and must find a taxi or other transportation to get you to your hotel during late night arrivals or very early ones. Banks may not always be open when you arrive and ATM machines may not always function properly. Plus, the exchange rates could be worse at travel facilities such as airports, train terminals or bus stations. Local bank branches will often need at least 10 days to order specific currency. This will help make you saner when you get off your flight.
• Carry a phrasebook or pocket-size dictionary at all times. Even if you know how to speak the language, you may be traveling with others who do not or you may not be familiar with all vocabulary on signs or words spoken to you. If you are the only one who speaks the language in your group, it will help your traveling companions feel better knowing they can consult a phrasebook or dictionary if you are unconscious or incapacitated. Be safe! Think ahead!
• Don’t keep money in one spot on your body. Spread it around (like in socks, shoes, different pants pockets, etc.). If you get mugged, you will feel better knowing you have some extra cash stashed elsewhere on you to help get you by until you can get some help or additional currency.
• Check for specific inoculations for the country you are visiting. Some injections may require that you have a series or the injection months before you set foot in the country. You can Google search for government inoculation recommendations.
• Don’t bring your current cellphone. This is a perfect opportunity to use your previous “old” phone. If something happens, you won’t be out an expensive phone. Often times, you can set your old phone to the factory reset and set it up as your own audio guide or offline map holder. This way, if your phone is stolen, important and sensitive information about you will not become the property of another.
• Photocopy your passport (the page with your photo on it) before your trip and carry it separately from your passport. Never keep them in the same piece of luggage or on you at the same time. Again, if something happens to your passport, you can bring your photocopy to a U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate for assistance.
• Have a list of allergies and medications that you take with you when you are out sightseeing. This list will help medical professionals attend to your needs in an emergency. It would be helpful to look up the terms in a dictionary to have the translation available.

What preparations do you do for trips? Do you have any helpful tips? Comment below and keep the conversation going.

¡Buen viaje!

~Keith