How far in advance do you plan your vacations

**MANDERS** · 05-16-2002, 08:27 AM

We have only taken 3 real vacations the rest were to see family and I know what there is to do there etc.First one we took to Panama City for our honey moon and really didn't plan at all,second was to WDW in July 2000 and planned what I thought was a lot but didn't get to do much of what we wanted.Third was to Gatlinburg TN this past FEb and we planned a little.Dh thinks i am weird for reasearching and planning our Sept 2003 trip to WDW already.For things like this I think you need to plan well in advance to know what you want to do save enough money andget the best rates.I even have a notebook for our trip and plans.Anyone else go into so much detail.OK if you think I am crazy for doing this WDW is more than just the magic kingdom it is 4 theme parks,3 water parks,20 hotels,has a whole nightblub scene and tons of restraunts and shopping.So I guess it takes a lot of planning esp since it costs so much you want what you pay for.

**Jerseygirl** · 05-16-2002, 05:13 PM

I do it similiar to you. I actually have a file of all the brochures I get, magazine articles of places I want to see, good hotel reviews etc. When we start making plans for a vacation I pull out the binder marked "current vacation" and start filling it with the hotel info, coupons, maps, places I want to visit and if we get airline tickets, confirmation #s etc. We do a lot of 3-4 day mini trips so I kinda have it down to a science.

**CAGmomof2** · 05-16-2002, 08:04 PM

We try to plan our vacations at least 2 to 3 months in advance!!

**wife228** · 05-16-2002, 08:08 PM

Can't say we go on vacation. There isn't time for us to go. During the summer Gregg works 90 hours a week and the weekends are spent working on the yard. With 2+ acres planted we are so busy with that, that we run out of summer before we run out of things to do.

**KathiS** · 05-17-2002, 03:31 AM

My planning depends on what kind of trip we are taking. For cruises I do lots of research both before and after we book. First on where to go and what the best prices are and, after we book, to learn something about the places we are visiting. For trips like the one we are going on in June, to Disneyland, I do research to find the best prices on hotels and try to search for money saving ideas. I have a file box where I keep the information for each trip. Each trip has a file in the box. I also keep maps and other info I come across that I might find useful later. We love to do daytrips and I am always researching ideas for those as well.

**Bevv** · 05-17-2002, 05:51 PM

our last trip, to washington DC was about 6 months in the planning stage. Same for our upcoming one to differnet Pueblo sites in new mexico. Looking at websites, books, getting online info, etc to make the most of the days in the area