Can You Over Plan A Vacation?

 

Introduction 

Do you plan out your vacations?  Or, do you prefer a more spontaneous experience?  Me, I'm a planner.  I love planning every detail of what I’m going to see and do.  I often enjoy the planning process more than the actual trip.  If something goes wrong during planning, it's easily fixed.  But during the trip itself... Let's just say you have to be flexible. 

 

Is it possible to over plan a vacation?  Absolutely.  Let me tell you about a train trip I took out west.  In hindsight I definitely made it more complicated than it needed to be.  It was still a good trip.  But it would have been even better if I hadn't tried to cram so much in.  To be fair though, I was working full time with limited funds, and only so many vacation days.  

 

Phase 1 – Chicago, IL 

My parents joined me for the first leg of the journey.  Saturday we took the Megabus to Chicago (about 6 hours).  We spent a couple days there exploring the sights before they went back home and I flew to Denver.  

 

I have to say, traveling with your parents as an adult is more enjoyable than as a child.  They can no longer tell you what to do.  I was surprised that they wanted to tag along.  But it worked out well.   

 

Phase 2 – Denver, CO 

My original plan was to catch the California Zephyr train at the Amtrak station in Chicago and get off in Denver. But there was flooding in Iowa, so on Monday I had to fly into Denver instead.   

 

I spent a few days in Denver sightseeing and visiting with my friend Marilyn.  We had met six years before on an Alaskan cruise.  Marilyn is amazing.  When she turned 90 she had been to 90 countries and all 7 continents, including Antarctica – twice!  She still travels domestically at 94. 

 

Phase 3 – Amtrak Train Through Rocky Mountains 

Thursday morning I caught the train in Denver.  I had a small sleeper car (Roomette) with a big picture window and a public restroom down the hall.   

 

This was my second Amtrak train adventure.  I had done the Empire Builder (Chicago to Seattle) a few years before.  That trip was about 48 hours.  And frankly, that’s too long to be stuck on a train.  This trip I was only on board for about 24 hours, which was much better. 

 

Don't get me wrong.  I love train travel.  It’s a great way to see the country.  The views can be spectacular (especially the Rocky Mountains).  And you meet such interesting people in the dining car.  They seat you randomly, so you never know who you're going to be eating with.  

 

This trip, I had dinner with a man and his two teenage sons. The father was originally from Truckee (my next stop) and he gave me some insider info.  The sons and I talked books and movies.  The dining car's AC broke down and we were sweating like pigs.  But by then we had all bonded and nobody wanted to break up the party.  I think they had to kick us out. 

 

My breakfast companion was a retired landscaper from the Oklahoma City Zoo.  He was also a former veteran stationed in the Middle East.  We had fun comparing travel stories. 

 

Phase 4 – Lake Tahoe, CA 

Friday morning I arrived in Truckee, CA which is near Lake Tahoe.  I saw Tahoe in a movie and fell in love with the scenery.  I decided I had to see it for myself in person.  This was just a quick (less than 24 hours) stop to see if it was worthy of a full vacation later.  

 

I made a few planning mistakes during this phase.  First, I arrived on the 4th of July.  There was a full parade going on in Truckee when I got off the train.  Keep in mind Truckee is only about a block long.  It was crowded that day though.  And hot.   

 

Second, I didn't have a car.  I took the public bus to Tahoe City to check out the lake.  Normally this is a 45 minute ride, but with the holiday crowd it took twice that.  I didn't have time to see much before I headed back to the hotel in Truckee.   

 

Third, I'm also not a fan of crowds.  Who knew that the most popular lake in the U.S. would be crowded on the 4th of July?  Not me apparently. 

 

Looking back, I should have stayed on the train to its final destination of Sacramento, CA and flown home from there.  Lake Tahoe is pretty, but if you aren't into water sports (which I'm not) it's not really a good vacation destination.  Lesson learned. 

 

Phase 5 – Reno, NV 

I made arrangements for a driver to pick me up at 3:45 a.m. to catch my 6:00 a.m. flight out of the nearby Reno, NV airport on Saturday.  Again, what was I thinking? 

 

To give her credit, the middle aged woman who picked me up was on time.  She was also asleep when I tapped on the car window.  I almost gave her a heart attack.  Not a good sign. 

 

It's about 36 miles or 40 minutes between Truckee and the Reno Airport.  It seemed longer.  Especially since my driver kept nodding off.  I know this because we kept swerving off the road.  (Woke me up though.)  We made it in one piece.  I hope I tipped her well. 

 

Phase 6 – Salt Lake City, UT 

From Reno I flew to Salt Lake City where I had a long layover.  I think like 5 hours.  I had never been there before.  So I hired a taxi (pre-Uber) to take me to Temple Square for a little sightseeing.  The driver also picked me up and took me back to the airport when I was ready.  It was worth the $40. 

 

Have you ever over planned a vacation?  What would you have done differently?