How do you plan a sightseeing vacation?

[Deleted]

I just realized that I have never really fully planned a sightseeing vacation - one where I'm 100% in charge of deciding what to do, where to go, how to get there. At least not for longer than a weekend. Most of the trips I've planned myself have either involved a tour or staying at a resort where you only really have to plan 1-2 things other than laying around on the beach.

I'm trying to plan a trip to Seattle/Portland and I've gotten a lot of great recommendations, but I'm a little overwhelmed trying to figure it out. Too much information! This may be a dumb question, but does anyone have a great strategy for how they sort all the different things they might want to do and plan it? Google is obviously helpful but I want to make sure I'm not missing things, that I'm doing things in logical order, planning the right locations to stay where it makes sense for the thing we want to do, etc.

I know we have lots of seasoned travel planners here so tips would be great! Thanks!

[ddi741]

I usually go to trip advisor and look at their top attractions for the area and then pick a few we might want to do, research & book them (or move on to something else). We do the same thing with restaurants. I also ask people for suggestions. (This board was helpful with my Sonoma trip)

[ECB]

I married my DH. Thta's how... He's great at planning vacations.

Past that, though - when I do help him, we mark stuff out on a map to see where everything falls. That helps give us an idea of where to go/ when. We also keep track of what things are weather dependent. Like going to the top of the Space Needle - you want a clear day for that. So of our list of things we wanted to do, we also determined what things were flexible and we could swap around if the weather didn't cooperate.

Also, you have to accept that you won't be able to do 'everything'. You will miss out on stuff. But that's o.k. - add it to a list for the next time you go. We also try to plan things being realistic about what we'll have the energy for. We can't just "go go go" all day. We like and need down time. That can be a nice lunch! It doesn't have to be a nap. But we do take into account what we know our energy levels will be.

[Deleted]

I spend a lot of time on TripAdvisor. The forums there are great if you are going to a more popular destination. I usually post on the destination board, tell them what I'm hoping to do, give them my proposed itinerary, and the locals are usually more than happy to make suggestions and critiques. Actually though, if you just search the forums, you'll probably find the suggestions and critiques from a previously posted itinerary.

[v]

Tripadvisor is really helpful. I'd look through their top attractions and top things to do to get ideas on what we should be doing. Concierge.com is also great, though it tends to be much more tailored.

I really like Eyewitness guides. Guidebooks and maps help us pick logical orders.

Pull up old articles from the websites of Conde Nast Traveler, Travel & Leisure, and Food & Wine for more ideas.

For restaurants, I go by Zagat or, if in a city served by Eater, that (I'm sure one or both of those cities have Eater sites). Chowhound too.

For hotel locations, I ask a native or a friend who has been recently or again, Tripadvisor is great.

And I ask here (or on the Travel board here).

We tend to not overplan though -- we'll plan things that HAVE to be planned ahead of time ahead of time, and we'll pre-book tours, but we like the flexibility to sit down at night and say "Okay, tomorrow is the day where we'll do x" instead of having every minute planned months ahead. We tend to be able to cover a lot of ground quickly, so that never really gets in the way of us seeing everything we want to. If anything, we tend to finish places off a day earlier than planned (which gives us a nice lazy day of drinking or going to a park or whatever).

I also subscribe to a philosophy that if we like a place, we'll be back.  So if we miss some things we'll get them next time. That way I don't feel guilty not covering all possible ground in one trip.

[mich1]

I don't. It probably makes me a horrible tourist but I rarely go someplace with a set itinerary. When we went to Turkey, we had a good tour book and a reservation for the first week in Istanbul. The other 3 weeks, we figured out after we got there.

I did have some help from my Turkish friend, who introduced me to a tour guide she had used to tour Cappadocia, and took her recommendation for staying at a guest house in Kas.

[audette]

Sadly, we don't really do much planning. Instead, we come up with a list of the things we'd like to do. Kinda gather that up based on what we know of the area, what we hear about it, things we read online in the last couple days before travel. And then we prioritize them based on our interests. (ie: when we went to London, we picked a time period, and prioritized the places that were relevant to the Tudors and 20th Century wartime... things outside those periods were lower priority; for Seattle, we'd probably decide between museums, nature, foodie stuff, etc) We would try to fit in the priority items, and if time permitted, we'd fill in the gaps between those with other things on the list.

[spunkarella]

Let me say I love doing this and probably go overboard, because it's fun for me.

I start by looking on tripadvisor, blogs (search "blog destination trip report), slow travel forums, etc. to see what I might want to do, then I make a big list of everything under the sun.

Then I research hours for these things as applicable, noting days when certain things are closed. Then I map them out to see what could logically go together.

By this time, I have a pretty good idea of what things I absolutely want to do. Starting with these items, I make a rough schedule.

Add in plenty of time for breaks, spontaneity, and doing nothing/wandering around. Then add in smaller/less important items based on proximity to the big stuff.

It sounds like I could be a really rigid, anxious traveler but I promise I'm not. Doing all this beforehand makes it much easier for me to relax and be flexible on the actual vacation, and not waste precious vacation time figuring our when to do what, or worrying about missing something I really want to do or see.

[yentl]

I will have to preface my advice by saying DH is definitely more into the logistics aspects of planning. However I do my fair share as well! When I get overwhelmed I tell myself I don't have to see everything, I will see the important things and if I try to do too much it won't be fun. The point of this is to have fun, not to see it all! That usually helps me calm down a little.

Ditto Tripadvisor as my first stop. Then I will figure out what my priority must sees are, followed up by what I want to do if we have time. Then I start grouping must sees together by and location/distance. As all of this happens I'm often talking to others about the upcoming trip and people are giving me word of mouth recs and I'm still doing online research to figure out details of what to see while I'm there.

Usually things sort of naturally fall into days based on must dos being sorted into locations, and I try to set aside chunks of time for spontaneous things that come up when we get there. We are always flexible and things change. I want to be able to see something that looks cool and tack it on to the list instead of feeling constrained and like we don't have time.

As far as where to stay, if it's a city and I don't have transportation I just try to make sure I'm somewhat central, it's fairly safe and I'm within walking distance of public transportation. Usually things can't go too wrong if those criteria are met. Reviews are your best friend when it comes to stuff like this.

[gt7301b]

It depends, for someplace like Seattle/Portland I don't do a lot of booking in advance and wing it a little bit more.

Like others have mentioned I come up with the top list of things that we want to do and then I book my lodging so that it is somewhat centrally located to the most activities we are interested in.

Then I kind of wing it. If there are things that we want to do that are only open for a particular day or time I make note of that and then plan around those things. (or restaurants that need reservations) If someplace has super long hours I also make note of that, as it may give us more flexibility. I will try and group things by location so we minimize travel time back and forth. I usually have a few must visits, but I wing the rest of it.

[cajunmom]

I use Roadtripper. You can put in your route and then look for all sorts of attractions up to a certain distance from your route (scenic spots, theme parks, all sorts of things). I just did one for our San Antonio trip and have the things we want to see marked on a map with our route.

[mich1]

The one thing that I might suggest is that if there is any activity that you want to do that requires some sort of lead time, you might want to make the reservations now....and then work around it. For instance, if you want to have a meal at The Herb Farm in Woodinville (I do recommend this, it is awesome), then you'll need to make reservations before you get here.

The other thing I suggest is that when you plan on moving, rent your car right before you leave. So if you fly into Seattle and are planning on flying out of Portland, I'd take a shuttle to the hotel and do whatever you want around Seattle. If you plan on doing something at the end of Seattle where you need a car (going to Woodinville, or the San Juan Islands), you might want to pick up a car right before you plan those events. Having a car in downtown Seattle is a pain in the ass and expensive to store. Most hotels do have parking, but the parking is not inexpensive - normally ~$30/day.

Then drive directly to Portland. I can't tell you how useful a car is in Portland though, so whether you keep it or not someone else can give you a better idea as to what to do.

[v]

UTrip.com is also a really fun website -- it will give you a personalized itinerary based on your preferences. Locations are limited but Seattle and Portland are on there.

[Deleted]

I ask all of you and do a lot of research on what to come up with.

To plan it, I make two lists, to do, and food. Then I prioritize the lists. Every item get's it's own little sticky note, the 1x1.5 type and they are color coded (yes, I clearly have issues), they I put those sticky notes onto a calendar by day and re-order them by location, set tour times, etc. The sticky notes are nice so you can keep re-arranging. I build some flex in there as well and don't hesitate to ask people when I get somewhere what they recommend. We had amazing Italian and pizza that way in Boston.

ETA - I tried the Citymaps app and didn't love it.  To keep things easier when I'm traveling, I just snap a pic of my sticky notes.

[Wanderista]

I start out with a rough idea of things that I think I'd like to do. I then do some research. I do use TripAdvisor but also Wikipedia, general Googling, and any other info that I come across. I might do a Google Image Search of a place to see if it looks like somewhere that I want to go. I do consult local tourist sites too and Lonely Planet if it is an overseas place that I'm really unfamiliar with - for those places, I do get one or two guidebooks and do more reading. I try to find out if there are interesting features that I can focus on.

From the research, I can get a sense of things that I'd really like to do. I then basically build an idea of where I want to go, to stay, to probably dine, etc, based on the logistical constraints - budget, time, priorities. From there, I can generally see the trip coming together. I try to make sure that there is a nice blend of activities that I really want to do and also unstructured time for relaxing, exploring and the unexpected. 

My trip planning is thus driven by priorities. Some of the priorities can be adjusted based on research. If I were planning to go to Seattle, I would probably give myself a certain amount of time in the city to explore big landmarks/classic experiences that I really want to see, to visit a few quirkier places, and to spend a certain amount of time just chilling out and taking in the feeling of the city. I would then probably want to spend a day out on a ferry to explore an island and enjoy being around water. I might also try to spend a day out at some kind of nature park or scenic woodsy area. I might leave off a few things that I'd like to do but prioritize less because that would give me something to come back to. (I'm not someone who needs to see "everything" in a destination once).

[Deleted]

Apr 22, 2015 10:51:33 GMT -5 cajunmom said:

I use Roadtripper. You can put in your route and then look for all sorts of attractions up to a certain distance from your route (scenic spots, theme parks, all sorts of things). I just did one for our San Antonio trip and have the things we want to see marked on a map with our route.

This is helpful. I think my biggest thing at this point is that I'm still not sure how much time we will need in each place, and I need to start booking places to stay. So I want to have a general idea of how much we want to cover in one place before moving onto the next, and approximately how many days that ends up being.  I think having a general understanding of where everything is in relation to other stuff will be helpful.

[mbcdefg]

When we pick an area, we make a list of the things we want to see ... Sights, activities (boat ride, hike, scenic view), restaurants or foods (XYZ Restaurant or, example, find any good deep dish pizza place in Chicago), shopping (I like thrift shops and locally made products), and MH always looks for beer (brewery, brewpub, bottle shop, glassware).

We look on Yelp and Trip Advisor, I'll look at travel/food blogs for recs. and I also ask on this board.

We talk together and decide what our Must Do attractions are and then we build around that. We plan out a schedule based on the neighborhoods in which the attractions are located, and we also pay attention to opening/closing times.

And we pad out the Must Do attractions with local stuff. So if we go to X Bottle Shop, we'll look for a local place for lunch or shopping afterward. We don't keep a super-strict schedule, but it helps to maximize our time and it makes driving/parking more efficient, especially in cities where it's expensive or a pain to park.

[shaynaatl]

I mainly use the forums at tripadvisor.com. You can follow them for a few weeks and gain a bunch of knowledge.

[sporky]

I buy travel books and write down all the things I want to see or do. Then I look at a map of the area I'm planning to visit and start marking the different attractions that I've picked from the books. That helps me see what to group together on what days. Then I look at websites for the attractions and TripAdvisor to plan out how long I might spend at each place and to gather additional information. Then I just string it all together into a cohesive itinerary. I love love love travel planning.

[ESF]

In addition to the suggestions that have already been mentioned, I like to do internet searches and try to track down the local publications to see what they recommend. This is usually how I find restaurants. But it's also a good way to find interesting day trips, special exhibits, etc.

In your case, Sunset magazine may have some information that may be helpful in planning.

[alleinesein]

Figure out what your must dos/sees are and then get a map. Look at what is close to each other and try to do 2-3 things each day. I also check the websites for individual attractions (mainly museums) to see if there are any special events going on while I am in town and to check for any type of closures.

[ESF]

When we were on Orcas Island last year, we went on a whale watch one evening, we spent an afternoon doing sea kayaking, we went to Island Hoppin Brewery, and we went and shucked oysters at an oyster farm.

We ate a lot too. Happy hour at the New Leaf Cafe. And all the things at Brown Bear Baking.

[LoveTrains]

Apr 22, 2015 11:25:29 GMT -5 jenny1980 said:

Nights 1-2: Seattle
Do: waterfront (ride the Great Wheel) and Pike Place Market, pop over to Ballard for Golden Gardens park & downtown Ballard and beers with Jenny. Visit Woodinville (30 minutes outside town) for wine tasting. 

Nights 3-5: Orcas Island
Do: see whales, hike Mount Constitution, read/relax and walk on the beach

Nights 5-7: Portland
PDX girls will be more helpful here

ETA: Portland is about 3 hours from Seattle. Seattle to Orcas is 3-4 hours including the ferry (which can be busy during the summer, so I would do Orcas during the week and avoid Fri/Sat/Sun)

I also really liked going to the Ballard Locks. You can watch the boats come in and go through the locks and there is a beautiful arboreutum there. 

[LoveTrains]

Also I will be in Portland from August 9-11 so clearly plan your trip to see me, k?

[Deleted]

Apr 22, 2015 13:19:54 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

Also I will be in Portland from August 9-11 so clearly plan your trip to see me, k?

Ah, that would be fun! I think we're probably going to be there in July, actually   I'm still not 100% on dates but the only ones in August that seemed to work with our airline miles run into other plans/school starting. Hopefully things will line up to meet somewhere else at some point though! 

[rosiedozie]

When we went to Seattle and Portland I took our master list of recommendations (activities, breweries and restaurants) and mapped them out. It's super nerdy, but it helped us to see which were near eachother so that we weren't wasting a ton of time zigzagging all over the place.

[cajunmom]

Apr 22, 2015 11:16:24 GMT -5 @buckybells said:

Apr 22, 2015 10:51:33 GMT -5 cajunmom said:

I use Roadtripper. You can put in your route and then look for all sorts of attractions up to a certain distance from your route (scenic spots, theme parks, all sorts of things). I just did one for our San Antonio trip and have the things we want to see marked on a map with our route.

This is helpful. I think my biggest thing at this point is that I'm still not sure how much time we will need in each place, and I need to start booking places to stay. So I want to have a general idea of how much we want to cover in one place before moving onto the next, and approximately how many days that ends up being.  I think having a general understanding of where everything is in relation to other stuff will be helpful.

It's been very helpful for us. You can better plan your route to maximize your time. It's also shown us things/places we had no idea about but ended up loving. 

[agnes]

For my Europe trip I did lots of google searches (that lead to blogs, sites, etc), Trip Advisor, and searching/posting GBCN. I looked at maps to see locations and found out about transportation and went from there.

For our road trip this weekend, H planned specific hotsprings and then told me about other stuff we could do. He already knew about the area. And I posted on ML to see if anyone knew of any must sees, dos, or eats.

Nothing is ever set in stone. We kind of wing it. Like in Europe, we just kind of walked in a general direction of something and hit up some sightseeing spots.

[msmerymac]

I'm the one in charge of planning vacations, and I do what rosie does: I usually find the sites I want to see. Then I find what is close to each other. Then I cross-check my list of bars and restaurants and see what's close. Then I plan from there. So for example, in London, we did St. Paul's Cathedral, the Tate Modern and the Tower of London in the same day, along with a restaurant I wanted to try for lunch in east London. I also had to make sure I knew the sites I wanted to see were open when I wanted to see them - so no tours of Westminster Abbey on Sundays, for example. The Louvre is also closed on Tuesdays, I think. That sort of thing.

[pyramidsloth]

I love planning trips! DH and I used to live in Europe, and he left the planning entirely up to me. Which was fine; I love researching famous places, good restaurants, locals choices, etc, and making my choices based on all those factors. I occasionally check out guidebooks, depending on where we're going. 

My best advice is to space out sightseeing with relaxation. Nothing annoys me more than going on a vacation with someone like my mom; she's a wonderful woman, but she has the mentality of "WE MUST SEE EVERYTHING THERE IS TO SEE OR I'M GOING TO BE HORRIBLY DISAPPOINTED WHEN WE LEAVE!" Think Clark Griswold in National Lampoon's European Vacation. My mom and I went to Paris together my senior year of college, and by the end of the week, I was exhausted and ready to throttle her. She also has a really bad habit of reading a million guidebooks, and taking everything in there as the gospel. Example: She refused to eat food from street vendors in Paris, despite me insisting overandoverandover again that street vendor food in Europe can be quite tasty, and a nice thing to eat for lunch. She would insist on eating lunch at a restaurant in Montmarte, because "Hemingway used to wait tables there!" Well, okay, it might be worth stopping for a photograph, but just because he waited tables there doesn't mean that the food is good (and it wasn't. Very bland and overpriced). So, that's my biggest piece of advice. Absolutely see what you want to see in terms of attractions, neighborhoods, museums, etc, but make sure you're not running yourself ragged. Nothing worse than getting home from a vacation and feeling like you need another vacation just to recover. 

I'd also recommend going to website, and getting locals recommendations for restaurants and things like that. I think many times, guidebooks highlight popular restaurants that are very pricey (even the ones with one or two $ signs next to them often seem to be more than I'd like to pay), and not necessarily the best food in the city. 

As far as sightseeing, depending on how long your vacation is-sorry, I didn't read any other replies-I'd balance one or two museums/attractions/whatever with leisure time built in. Also, if you're going to a place that will truly take all day to walk through (for me it was the Louvre), then I wouldn't make any plans for the rest of the day. Just see how you're feeling, and then you won't have the added pressure of, "okay, I'm exhausted from walking around all day, but we have reservations at this really nice restaurant and I'd hate to miss out on that."