Do you plan your trip before you arrive?
By Porcospino
@Porcospino (31366)
Denmark
July 1, 2018 10:19pm CST
In the past I sometimes travelled without planning much. I bought a train ticket or a plane ticket and when I arrived at my destination I started looking for a place to spend the night. It worked well in most cases, but sometimes I had to walk around for a while and sometimes I had to pick a hotel that was more expensive than I planned.
I had a lot of freedom that way and I was able to make spontanious decisions, but today I prefer to book hotel rooms before I arrive. That way I don't have to walk from place to place and I feel more relaxed when I arrive. I usually check the prices, the location and all those things on the internet before I book a hotel room.
Do you travel in a spontanious way or do you book hotel rooms in advance?
15 people like this
21 responses
@mlgen1037 (29886)
• Manila, Philippines
2 Jul 18
Hi Porcospino. We do have our itinerary before travelling. My dad would get mad at us if we dont. Hahaha
5 people like this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
2 Jul 18
An itinerary is a good thing. I didn't have one in the past, but today I plan my trips. Are you planning any trips at the moment?
1 person likes this
@mlgen1037 (29886)
• Manila, Philippines
3 Jul 18
@Porcospino Yes, I am. Will be celebrating second wedding anniversary with my husband and thinking where we can go.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
4 Jul 18
@mlgen1037 That sounds great. I hope that you will have a really nice time together 
1 person likes this
@anamika161088 (11866)
• India
2 Jul 18
I do planning and bookings as well before going to a new place.
4 people like this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
2 Jul 18
I think that things are easier that way. It is less stressful when you arrive and you already know much much your room will cost.
1 person likes this
@anamika161088 (11866)
• India
2 Jul 18
@Porcospino yeah.. Actually I had a bad experience in spontaneous travel when I was a kid. I learnt the lesson to make pre-bookings when visiting totally strange city.
@wolfgirl569 (105945)
• Marion, Ohio
2 Jul 18
I never travel like that but would try to have everything set up so I knew where I was going when I got there
4 people like this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
2 Jul 18
When I was young I didn't plan much. Today I prefer to book a hotel room in advance. That way I feel more relaxed when I arrive.
@1creekgirl (41392)
• United States
2 Jul 18
It depends. If we're driving to another state, we just look for a hotel when we get tired. But if it's a vacation destination, we reserve in advance.
3 people like this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
2 Jul 18
My friend and I have done the same thing. We went to another area in Denmark and we found a place to sleep when we got there. It was not hard to find a hotel. Did you visit many of the other states?
When I travel abroad I book a room before I arrive. I didn't always do that, but now I prefer to do it that way.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
3 Jul 18
Yes, I think that you can find cheaper rooms online. Today I always book online. It is easy to check the prices and everything else before I make a reservation.
@allknowing (136100)
• India
2 Jul 18
I enjoy the planning part and prepare a check list of what is needed
2 people like this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
3 Jul 18
I do the same thing. I have a list with practical information (hotels, tickets etc) and another list with the things I need to pack before my trip. I recycle my luggage list and I adjust it before a new trip.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
3 Jul 18
@allknowing Yes I find practical information online, and I enjoy reading about the different sights that I want to visit when I arrive.
I find practical information online, and I enjoy reading about the different sights that I want to visit when I arrive.1 person likes this
@toniganzon (72281)
• Philippines
2 Jul 18
I always book hotels in advance as I don't want to feel any inconvenience in any of my trips at all.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
2 Jul 18
If you already know where you are going to stay you don't have to worry about finding a place when you arrive. I think that is one of the best things about booking in advance. In the past I sometimes had to walk from place to place.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
3 Jul 18
@toniganzon I did it in the past, but today I prefer to book in advance, it is less stressful that way.
1 person likes this
@toniganzon (72281)
• Philippines
3 Jul 18
@Porcospino Just can't imagine myself walking from place to place searching for a place stay. But to some it's a good adventure.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
3 Jul 18
I understand what you mean. Today it is easy to check the prices online. I always do that when I plan a trip. I also check things like the location. In the past I sometimes lived very far from the sights, so I like to check both the prices and the location.
1 person likes this
@Shavkat (139828)
• Philippines
4 Jul 18
@Porcospino I do agree with you. We need to have some research before traveling.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
3 Jul 18
I also book in advance. In the past I arrived without a hotel reservation, and sometimes it was hard to find a place to stay. I always found a place eventually, but sometimes I wasted time because I had to walk from place to place. Today I feel more relaxed when I arrive.
2 people like this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
4 Jul 18
@LadyDuck Yes, the internet has made things a lot easier. Today I never use a travel agency, I find everything online and I the check the prices, the location etc before I make my reservation.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471354)
• Switzerland
3 Jul 18
@Porcospino Exactly what happened to us, you waste time searching for a place. It is so easy to book online in our days.
1 person likes this
@responsiveme (22926)
• India
2 Jul 18
Half and half I would say...With online bookings available it is easy for me to book for a place before I go .But for local trips around I do spontaneous
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
3 Jul 18
The internet has made it a lot easier for us to book hotel rooms. It is nice to we are able to check the location, the prices and all the other things before we choose a room.
1 person likes this
@sw8sincere (5204)
• Philippines
2 Jul 18
When i plan for a trip, I always book hotel rooms first for me and my family to immediately rest once we arrived in our chosen destination.
2 people like this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
3 Jul 18
I think that is a good idea. It is nice to be able to relax when you arrive. If you haven't made a reservation it can be hard to find a place to stay. I have experienced that in the past.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
3 Jul 18
That is a good idea. I think it is easier to enjoy the trip that way.
1 person likes this
@Jessabuma (31700)
• Baguio, Philippines
2 Jul 18
Yes, it's good to have plans and to be ready always.
2 people like this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
3 Jul 18
I agree with that. Today I always plan my trips in advance and I feel more relaxed when I arrive.
1 person likes this
@Jessabuma (31700)
• Baguio, Philippines
3 Jul 18
@Porcospino yes that's right. It's good to have plans
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
2 Jul 18
I always have to plan my foreign trips ahead of time. My children go to school and a school holiday provides us with limited time. Therefore we have to plan and due to my son being in a wheelchair I try to book suitable accommodation. We like a room on the ground floor or there we wish to be an elevator in the accommodation. I like to look into the wheelchair accessible locations for sightseeing. In 2010 we were going to be staying for a few nights at a relative's home. Therefore we didn't know which time we would arrive in Victoria on Vancouver Island. Every single Lonely Planet listing was full. In the end one found us space at a motel just out the city. In 2017 we found our booked accommodation in Cairo had closed down. We also decided to take a night train to Aswan because we would have arrived late in the evening. It would have been hard for us to find the island where would stay in the middle of the River Nile. It was meant to be on the ground floor and it had a staircase. Our next trip is to various different places and I am still trying to work it all out.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
3 Jul 18
I understand that it is important for you to plan trips ahead of time. Many people want to travel during school holidays and sometimes it is hard to get tickets or rooms if you didn't make reservations early. In the past my parents always made reservations many months in advance if we wanted to visit a popular place during the school holiday.
I have experienced the same thing as you. When I arrived in Hungary it was very difficult to find a place to stay. I finally found a small hotel that wasn't mentioned in Lonely Planet. It was a great place, the owner was very friendly and it wasn't expensive. It wasn't mentioned in the book, but I saw the sign in the street and I went in and asked if they had a room.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
3 Jul 18
Yes, you get often get a good price if you book early. If you book early you also know that you have tickets and room reservations and you don't end in a situation where there are no tickets or rooms left.
1 person likes this
@redhotpogo (4401)
• United States
3 Jul 18
No. I say "I'm going there." And I go.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
3 Jul 18
That sounds like me in the past. Today I usually make reservations before I arrive.
@quantum2020 (12041)
• Ciudad De Mexico, Mexico
2 Jul 18
I travel without booking a place to stay in advance. I always find a room available at a hotel
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
3 Jul 18
I travelled the same way in the past. Now I usually book a room in advance. Do you travel locally?
@dgobucks226 (35574)
•
4 Jul 18
I am a planner. I just like to know ahead of time my agenda so there are no unfortunate surprises. It eases the stress level for me.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
4 Jul 18
I also like to plan my trips now. I visit the websites and make reservations online before my visit.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
2 Jul 18
Planning is good thing I think. It makes things less stressful when we arrive.
1 person likes this
