Travel Planning Tips: The Pitfalls Of Over-Planning
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In the excitement of planning a holiday or trip, it’s easy to fall into the trap of over-planning.
We’ve all been there – mapping out each day with military precision, determined to squeeze every last morsel out of our travels. Yet, the secret to unlocking the most memorable and enriching travel experiences is surprisingly simple: don’t cram too much in.
The quote, “act like you’re coming back,” forever changed our approach to travel.
FOMO: Why We Over-Plan Our Travels
A familiar culprit lies at the heart of our over-scheduling: Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). The urge to extract every possible experience from our travels drives us towards itineraries crammed with activities.
We chase the dream of witnessing all the landmarks, indulging in experiences, and capturing the perfect moments for social media.
We dart from one attraction to another, adhering to precise dining schedules.
Gotta fit in with our ongoing plans!
Stress and Burnout: The Unwanted Travel Companions
“How was the holiday?”
“Great, but I need another to recover now!”
No one embarks on a journey hoping to encounter stress or burnout, yet they often become unwelcome companions on tightly scheduled trips.
Whether you’re lounging on a beach holiday with snorkel tours, glass-bottom boats, paragliding, or exploring a city, the constant pressure to adhere to an exhaustive itinerary can sap the relaxation and enjoyment out of your experience.
The quest to do it all can ironically leave you feeling like you haven’t truly experienced anything—just a bunch of snaps to show your friends who don’t care and with no real meaning behind them.
Missed Opportunities: Beyond the Itinerary
What about the market you passed, drooling at every stall because it wasn’t on your itinerary and you didn’t have the time to explore? That would have made a perfect picnic down at the local park.
Must catch that next bus!
Hola to the unexpected fiesta you could have joined.
What about those days when you wake up not feeling your best? A rigid schedule leaves no room for listening to your body’s needs or for serendipity to guide your day.
Linear plans, if you like.
By embracing a more flexible approach to planning, we open ourselves up to the full spectrum of what travel offers: the sights, the senses, emotions, and connections that can only emerge when we allow space for the unforeseen and the unplanned.
Crafting a Balanced Itinerary
Set Priorities:
Travelling often involves a long list of desired experiences and pins on Google. The key to a fulfilling trip is prioritising these experiences while being realistic about potential delays and other obstacles.
The advantage here is the flexibility to include secondary options if time allows. Removing planned activities leads to disappointment and can even spark disputes among couples or groups.
“I want to visit this.”
“No, I want to go there.”
Such disputes become a recurring theme.
Luckily, I struck gold with Russ here. We get the beauty of listening to other people’s arguments, snarky one-liners, and bitter jibes. The ones wearing the trousers usually get their way.
Our strategy? Both select one top priority for each trip and consider everything else optional.
Build In Down-Time With Flexibility
Everyone craves a chilled night in, yet predicting when that desire or need will strike is the real challenge.
After a hot sunny day in Malaga, we opted for takeaway from a local restaurant after exploring extensively on foot. I picked up some beers, and we settled into bed with a TV show.
Airline on YouTube if you’re being nosy. Remember the Britannia/Easyjet show?
It was precisely the kind of evening we needed.
Having plans that evening would have been a regret, as neither of us would have relished them. We understand sometimes it can’t be helped as some attractions require booking months in advance.
Accept Things Won’t Always Go Your Way
You can’t plan for this, so they’re not on itinerary spreadsheets.
Unfortunately, sh** does happen.
Accept that people saunter and hold you up, accept the bus driver having a cheeky ciggy despite the bus being 30 minutes late, and accept that your food may take up to an hour to be served because it’s busy.
Last year (2023), we sat on the tarmac for over six hours in Gatwick due to a storm, running out of fuel and missing our slot. That’s a whole day wasted. We didn’t get to our hotel until 21.30. It sucks, but it’s uncontrollable.
There are so many ifs, buts, and what-ifs we can’t plan for, so loosening ourselves up can give us freedom.
The worst culprits are usually UK itineraries without any thought or clue how crap our public transport and road infrastructure is.
Don’t Underplan & Know Your Stuff!
Underplanning doesn’t mean going all in with the ‘DGAF’ attitude because that will end badly. It just means easing off the spreadsheet filler.
Know your sh** and plan your accommodations and routes. Do they change on weekends? Check public transport prices, learn some of the local language, take any safety measures you might need to, etc.
That’s not overplanning; that’s just being smart and saving money.
Final Thoughts On Travel Over-Planning
We ummed and erred over posting this. We hate to feel like a nagging mother and love to keep our minds open.
After all, everyone is different and has a different style. That’s probably why you won’t see an itinerary post on our blog; it seems like a school trip to me. They’re also wafer-thin on details.
Another reason is that we believe one of the leading causes of arguments whilst on vacation or travelling is heavy schedules. If you’re a solo traveller, I guess it’s about listening and knowing your body.
Whatever your flow, happy travels, folks!
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