Do you plan compulsively or sometimes just "Wing IT" on vacation

[SunandFun83]

I am a compulsive timeshare planner. I write out all my reservations at least fourteen months ahead so I have time to review and revise the list. Then I reserve my weeks end to end from Presidents' Week to the week after Easter. I see great bargains show up on TUG last minute or some rental ads, but, I am always overbooked.

Well I did it, I rented my personal mid-March two week reservation at Ocean Pointe and I am just "Winging IT". I did put in several II exchange requests to see if a great trade happens(Crystal Shores or Oceana Palms from a MCV one bedroom?). My wife is reading umpteen cruise books to be ready for the "Last Minute" Cruise Deal. We are committed not to commit until we are inside the 45 day TUG Last Minute window.

How do you rate yourself: Compulsive timeshare planner or FREESTYLIN'

Can you share a great story about your last minute vacation. (I am a bit scared with nothing reserved after February 6th and a Polar Vortex in the forecast)

 

[MichaelColey]

We've done it both ways. We tends towards freestylin' for places we've been before, and planning more for places we've never been (especially if it's overseas).

 

[Passepartout]

DW is the 'vacation with a clipboard' type. Every day is full, museums, activities, highlights to see, concerts, plays, etc. etc. I am more of the go with the flow type. If she wants to go someplace, I'm up for it but left to my self, a lounge at the pool in the sun until Happy Hour is fine, then I'll move indoors.

Good thing we're all different. It'd be terribly boring if we were alike.

 

[Ty1on]

I am a compulsive timeshare planner. I write out all my reservations at least fourteen months ahead so I have time to review and revise the list. Then I reserve my weeks end to end from Presidents' Week to the week after Easter. I see great bargains show up on TUG last minute or some rental ads, but, I am always overbooked.

Well I did it, I rented my personal mid-March two week reservation at Ocean Pointe and I am just "Winging IT". I did put in several II exchange requests to see if a great trade happens(Crystal Shores or Oceana Palms from a MCV one bedroom?). My wife is reading umpteen cruise books to be ready for the "Last Minute" Cruise Deal. We are committed not to commit until we are inside the 45 day TUG Last Minute window.

How do you rate yourself: Compulsive timeshare planner or FREESTYLIN'

Can you share a great story about your last minute vacation. (I am a bit scared with nothing reserved after February 6th and a Polar Vortex in the forecast)

We plan the location and time pretty compulsively. Once at a destination, we 100% wing it.

 

[GregT]

Can you share a great story about your last minute vacation. (I am a bit scared with nothing reserved after February 6th and a Polar Vortex in the forecast)

Yes, I am a compulsive planner -- and hate leaving things to chance. i remember when my Q1 2010 travel plans changed and I had to cancel the primary plan. Well, I found myself waking up in the middle of the night and checking II's overnight loads. Lo and behold, my exact new target reservation appeared and I booked a Studio at Ko Olina. My first trip to Ko Olina, and it only cost me 4K Worldmark credits.

I have two systems (HGVC and Worldmark) that really reward the last minute traveler. Marriott has a modest discount within 60 days, but those two systems rock.

Good luck with your travel and I applaud your bravery!

Best,

Greg

 

[Ty1on]

Yes, I am a compulsive planner -- and hate leaving things to chance. i remember when my Q1 2010 travel plans changed and I had to cancel the primary plan. Well, I found myself waking up in the middle of the night and checking II's overnight loads. Lo and behold, my exact new target reservation appeared and I booked a Studio at Ko Olina. My first trip to Ko Olina, and it only cost me 4K Worldmark credits.

I have two systems (HGVC and Worldmark) that really reward the last minute traveler. Marriott has a modest discount within 60 days, but those two systems rock.

Good luck with your travel and I applaud your bravery!

Best,

Greg

You are totally like my wife. She'll bounce up at 4 in the morning and start looking for hotels and flights. Now to train her on exchange systems....

 

[vacationhopeful]

....
How do you rate yourself: Compulsive timeshare planner or FREESTYLIN'

Can you share a great story about your last minute vacation. ....:

A good friend is an "experienced world traveler" .... I am just experienced in getting thru life.

It was a late May, 2005 Sunday. He was recovering from both 2 knees being replaced at the same time - he had developed "cabin fever". I was coming down to his house for several Sundays bringing down a stack of newspaper with a danish as he could still not drive. He made the fancy hot coffee drinks and we would read the papers. Nice quiet Sundays.

I found an ad for $400 RT airfare to Budapest - new route - in 4+ months out. I read the ad; he commented that was a GREAT fare to Europe; asked if he had been there. Neither of us had; he asked, Want to go? Booked the vacation for the last 2 weeks of November ... brought Guide books for Eastern Europe.

Our plans were - as neither of us READ the guide books BEFORE the trip - the arrival and departure dates in/out of Budapest. We each had an Eastern Eurorail pass - he had never ridden the rails. I wanted Vienna - he wanted no Vienna; agreed on Budapest and Prague. Got NO Vienna as I traded those days for single night in Karloy Vary (which became 3 nights). And we did a day trip to Krakow.

His extended family - 2500+ miles from us in the USA - SOLD each square on a betting grid as to when WE would part company during the trip. He thought every email he got during the trip was strange, as they all started with, "Are you 2 still travelling together?" Budapest, Prague, day trip to Krakow, Karlovy Vary and then back to Budapest.

We decided the last several days of the trip .. we had NOT seen enough and we were having a blast! So we decided to do it again - same time, the next year.

And we did it again ... I went back to Karkow for 3 days & another 3 days in Karlovy Vary; he stayed for the entire 2 weeks in Budapest. And I had another friend (former good friend due to the trip) insist he wanted to come.

We still mention the trip of YEARS ago ... and still is listed on the top 3 trip I have taken. He is now living in Thailand ... closed up his house in NJ 2 months ago. And he brought up the Eastern European trip ... we grinned and mentioned the interesting moments of that trip. The taxi driver who was taking us for a "ride", hotel rates I would argue DOWN at every place, the Christmas market where he discovered "grog", the conductor I threw luggage at to get us ON the train, etc. And almost NO ONE spoken English nor was anything translated. It was a GREAT TRIP and still a good trip the 2nd year.

 

[Marathoner]

I never used to plan for my trips and they were usually good. This has changed because exchanging timeshares really rewards upfront planning more than a year out. In addition, my kids are now at school age so that we are locked into their school schedule. As a result, in the last couple years, we have become much more compulsive planners like some others here. This advanced planning included booking flights way in advance.

I was recently invited to a good friends wedding at the same time as a planned vacation next year. As a result, I'm now going to have to reschedule my vacation plans and pay the airline change fee for my entire family.

I see now that I need to recalibrate my long-term vacation planning such that changes which incur fees such as airline tickets are planned with much shorter notice while I continue my longer term timeshare planning.

 

[Beaglemom3]

I am some of both. For hotel/timeshare, trains and plane reservations, I plan well in advance and especially when using rewards points; hotels or FF miles.


I plan the daily activities according to the weather before getting there unless it's something like touring Buckingham or Windsor palaces and the Covent Garden Flower Show. The I get the tickets ASAP and build a trip around this.


If it's a rainy, gloomy, day, then that's a museum, gallery day.

If it's a sunny day, then that's a day to take a coach bus/boat tour, castle/palace/historic site, garden, etc. walking day.

In this day & age of online weather forecasts, it's doable.


Works for us.

0

 

[Fasttr]

Definitely a planner. I find that planning "virtually extends" the vacation, as you get to think about it long before it actually happens, extending the joy!!!

 

[JIMinNC]

Owning timeshares for the last 17 years has forced me to transition to a planner. Before that, we rarely planned trips more than 3 or 4 months out, sometimes less than 30-60 days out.

By contrast, my wife travels two or three weeks a month on business and frequently makes her airline and hotel reservations 1 or 2 DAYS in advance. So it drives her absolutely crazy when I ask, "Where do you want to go on vacation in 2016 and 2017?" Advance planning to her is one week out.

 

[LUVourMarriotts]

I used to plan things out in detail, getting approval from my wife along the way. Since our daughter came along, I think I've decreased my planning each vacation. I've realized, especially with a young child, its a lot more difficult to plan with great detail. The only exception was our Disney trip last year, which you kind of have to plan with detail, with dining matching park, etc.

Our most crazy planning vacation was one we did with our friends. It was actually our very first MFV stay as owners. We brought our good friends that introduced us to Vacation Club. We didn't realize that they were EXTREME planners. They literally had every minute of every day planned out. About half way through the week, we told them we needed to do our own thing. We also decided that we aren't great vacation friends, just great friends.

 

[SueDonJ]

I try to plan the dates/resort at least a year out so that I can book as soon as the Reservation Windows open, then put together a vague list of what we might want to do during the stay. Once we get there we decide how much of the list to complete based on weather and how ambitious we're feeling, and we check local calendars for last-minute plans.

Our usual trips are returns to home resorts where it's much easier to wing it as we go. With new destinations/resorts I do more advance research/planning.

With Don all the way across the globe these past couple of years my planning has gone to the dogs; for that and a number of other reasons we both are very much looking forward to 4/1/16.

 

[MichaelColey]

By contrast, my wife travels two or three weeks a month on business and frequently makes her airline and hotel reservations 1 or 2 DAYS in advance. So it drives her absolutely crazy when I ask, "Where do you want to go on vacation in 2016 and 2017?" Advance planning to her is one week out.

I can relate to that, except my business travel (dates, anyway) is planned out well in advance. Some of it, I know a year in advance, and most of it is 6+ months in advance. I often don't get around to booking the hotels until 1-3 months in advance (except in a few places where I know the best places go quick).

Looking in TripIt, I have 25 trips planned between now and April. Most are business trips for me. Some are for my wife. And a few are vacations for all of us.

I still have a two-page list of details to take care of (hotels, finding helpers, ordering electricity, making payments on our booths, providing insurance details, etc.) for most of the trips for October and beyond.

 

[alexadeparis]

I have 20 trips in my Tripit for the next 5 years, of either confirmed timeshare exchanges (through 2016) or future travel plans I expect to execute (2017-2019) and approximate months. I like to do 3-4 vacations a year, so I try to spread them out about 3-4 months apart, typically.

For the ones that are confirmed, I start research as soon as they are confirmed. I used to be an EXTREME planner, but I got some pushback from my relatives/friends that I was jam packing the to do list too full, and no one had any down time. If it were me traveling alone, I would probably try to do 6 things a day to maximize the use value of my vacation, but my family hates that.

So now I do not plan to the extreme, I just try to plan a morning activity, afternoon activity, and one meal, and the rest of the day is down time. Since we usually stay in timeshares, we alternate between eating out for lunch or dinner, depending on what else is planned for the day. On a seven day vacation, I try to eat 3 lunches and 4 dinners out, and all breakfasts and the rest of the meals in. I scour travel books and websites to nail down all the activities and I try to stagger beach days in between active things so there are some rest periods. Since I slowed down the schedule, I get no complaints.

 

[suzannesimon]

I love the planning almost as much as the going so I am booked through Dec 2016. The problem is other travel opportunities come up short term and I take advantage of them also (spending too much $$) or I pass and kick myself for planning so far in advance. Once we get to our destination, I let everyone do their own thing. If it is just the 2 of us, there is no planning at all until we arrive. If it is extended family, I plan dinner reservations for key nights (Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc) and one family excursion. After that, they are on their own.

 

[geekette]

I'm never interested in a regimen on vacation as that's not restful to me. "What is there to do?" is pretty much a question I never ask because I don't care, I can entertain myself by doing nothing or whatever is around.

There might be a thing or two scheduled because it involves vendors, but otherwise, I wing it.

 

[x3 skier]

Leisure Planning consists of picking a month to go to Europe and then stalking the airline sites for low miles or low bucks business class fares. Has worked out in Oct and Nov for the last 15 years .

Since my timeshare at The Allen House has vaporized, I'm more flexible but since Oct and Nov are such nice months weather wise, this year I've got the tickets and hotels booked for Oct. Used up most of my remaining Delta Sky Pesos on that one..

Once there, it's visiting a few old favorites and just winging it, especially if it's a new place.

OTOH, the three months in Steamboat Springs skiing is a constant every ski season.

Cheers

 

[Finntastic]

i became a time share owner in april 2015. we have planned a yr in advance usually. right now i only take a big trip once a yr due to work and kids. that means 9-10 days! when i am retired i want to do some winging it trips! our last trip to MOW our boys did not want a lot of plans so our days were unstructured which was nice.

 

[A.Win]

The decision completely depends on the place and the time.

If it is Orlando, you always have Plans B, C, D, and E. Many timeshares in that area are quite nice and reasonably priced. Late planning will work just fine.

If it is Paris, there are only a couple timeshares. And the hotels are quite expensive. Plus there is a language barrier. Plans B, C, and D are very very expensive or it is lousy hostal!

The other main factor is the season. If it is during peak season, planning in advance is needed. Like snowbird season in FL or summer at Myrtle Beach.

But for offseason trips, late planning can work really well. Just use all the last minute specials from RCI, II, Groupon, etc. etc. Many nice resorts are never fully booked in the off season. It is easy to rent for less than MFs.

 

[akdrc]

Planned Spontaneity.

Usually works, though earlier this year I did end up with a timeshare (from the developer) a rescinded a few days later.....

Now I am here.....

 

[#1 Cowboys Fan]

I have the 3-ring Binder----sometimes DW doesn't even read it all----and I have scores of hours into it!!!!!

Since we are both golfers---Tee Times are a necessary 'fixed' event.
So, every day revolves around those (generally from the golf web sites, 3-14days in advance).

I am 'nice' enough to allow flexibility on our non-golf days----LOL!!!

Pat

 

[jehb2]

Most years we go to Hawaii. We wake up, have breakfast, then say "so, what should we do today."

This year we went to Europe. 8 cities in 35 days. We weren't on a rigid schedule, but we woke up knowing the main sites / activities we would be doing that day. However, we were still flexible.

I should add that I probably spent 12 months planning the "getting there and getting around" part. It really paid off. Once we landed I never had to refer to my notes. We only took public transportation. We traveled between most cities by trains which I had booked 3-6 month in advanced. I learned how to save money on metro tickets. I knew how we could eat inexpensively. I knew how to avoid long line and how to avoid scams. And when one of our trains was cancelled due to a strike I had a plan B. My kids and husband were very impressed.

Funny part--When we first landed in Europe my husband said "You know I have no idea where we're going." He did have a detailed itinerary w/ addresses & phone numbers in his bag though.

 

[Mamianka]

I have 20 trips in my Tripit for the next 5 years, of either confirmed timeshare exchanges (through 2016) or future travel plans I expect to execute (2017-2019) and approximate months. I like to do 3-4 vacations a year, so I try to spread them out about 3-4 months apart, typically.

We are obsessive - both of us. I am the lady who databased several thousand classical CDs by every possible parameter, using a barcode scanner. I maintain a professional database of thousands of pieces of literature for the flute in various ensembles, that someone asked if it was my DOCTORAL thesis (nope - just fun . . . it's only a disease if someone ELSE does this - and better than me . . ). On my phone, linked to my desktop computer ( and ALL my devices) is a Google Sheets file of a multi-page database of our past, present future vacations and plans, the points we have in every category, including SkyMiles, and *live* sheets that update our progress in meeting future FREE travel goals. There is more - it gets embarrassing. The chart right now goes thru 2019. Older trips get moved out - we started the chart in 2010, the time of Marriott's Great Awakening (or Deluge, or Downfall or whatever title suits you . . ). We do not do well with unscheduled time - we DO schedule in relaxation ("Nap now - one hour.") but before we leave home, most nights have dinner reservations made, tickets have been purchased for several events, plans have been made to meet friends, etc. A film crew used our front yard for a shoot - they wanted hedges that "looked like "some old guy trimmed them almost daily with manicure scissors." My husband asked if that role had been cast yet - because he IS that guy. And yet - everyone tell us what FUN we are to around, and ask ME if I had ever written scripts or comedy professionally. Nope.

BTW - we also *love* Mel Brooks. My husband wants me to teach him "Sweet Georgia Brown" - in Polish. In Blazing Saddles, the Governor (Harvey Korman) is named LePetomaine. As someone who is a flutist, I fell on the floor in hysterics. If you want REALLY arcane Mel Brooks trivia - look him up. I had a similar reaction in the new Mission Impossible movie - let's just say that I was not the ONLY pro flutist who suspiciously said "There is no BASS FLUTE part in the opera Turandot!" - and then could guess the next scene.

Those of us who are PLANNERS seem to be in the majority here - but then, those free-thinkers might just be less likely to use TUG???

 

[SunandFun83]

Have you ever been to .......

A good friend is an "experienced world traveler" .... I am just experienced in getting thru life.

It was a late May Sunday. He was recovering from both 2 knees being replaced at the same time - he had developed "cabin fever".

I found an ad for $400 RT airfare to Budapest - new route - in 4+ months out. I read the ad; he commented that was a GREAT fare to Europe; asked if he had been there. Neither of us had; he asked, Want to go? Booked the vacation for the last 2 weeks of November ... brought Guide books for Eastern Europe.

.

Your post was so passionate about travel, spontaneity and getting back on the horse after having his knees done that it actually brought tears to my eyes. thanks for sharing.