I understand that my approach to domestic travel is a bit different from the average person's, but it wasn't until I took a break from organizing my trip to Chicago (!) that I realized exactly how intense I can be. This is an all consuming process for me, but the results are so well worth it.
I already know the times I will be at my selected tourist traps, how long each tour will be, how much they will cost, and know two or three ways of using public transporation to get between them (complete with fare and schedule details). Google-mapping directions isn't enough for me.
I went and looked at Google Earth images so that I have an idea the type of architecture and landmarks I can expect to see while walking around (helps keep me from feeling- or worse actually being!- lost.
I've read Yelp and TripAdvisor reviews of each place I'm going to visit to determine how much time I want to spend at each place, and also to know what are the "not to miss" items at are.
And this is for a trip I'm taking in less than a week!
I will be headed to Massachusetts in July for a convention, and have decided to tack on a day in Rhode Island just to help the blog along. I already know what I want to see in each state, and have general concepts of how I will be able to move around between the cities and states on my list. I'll do the hyper detailing once I purchase plane tickets up there.
I'm also going on an Alaskan cruise, with an extra day and change tacked on to spend time in Seattle, Washington. Of course, I've already started researching things to to there and making guesstimated budgets based on what I find.
I've even started thinking about 2014, where I'm hoping to get to Hawaii with my family at the very end of that year.
I plan and research and calculate each and every possible detail that could arise (such as, will there be traffic in Chicago on a Sunday? If so, what's it like and how will it affect the buses?) so that once I'm there, I don't have to be paranoid and overly worried while walking around. I can relax a lot more, and just enjoy my surroundings.
You know, and not totally look like a tourist whilst I walk around so as to avoid being jacked!
