If you’re a couple, this section may well be a factor in determining whether you’re still a couple five years from now. Don’t neglect it!
- Did you decide last time, and now it’s someone else’s turn? Do you owe the kids one from last time? Or is the field of decision wide open? Do you all agree on who the main planner(s) is(are)?
- How long do you want to be away? What flexibility do you have? Can you leave sooner and/or return later? Do you have any key dates to work around?
- What are your anchor locations, events, or activities? Which events or activities are only on certain dates? How long will you allow for each major stop?
- What are your possible additional destinations? This may require a surprising amount of homework, but it pays off. When we went to Amsterdam, we did the work, and learned that we really had to go to Delft, Bruges and Haarlem. They were all wonderful, and it would have been disappointing to learn later that we could have gone and they were so close. (see the page on Side Trips)
- Do you like to see a lot of places, or dig in and explore just a few? Are you OK with packing every morning, or do you hate it?
- What do you require for a comfortable flight, when it’s the distance you’re thinking about?
- What kind of vacation do you want? How busy? How much walking?
- What mobility constraints are there? Does someone have a bad knee, or hate trains, or need a rest break twice a day?
- What’s your normal maximum number of steps in a day? How do you feel about cabs/Uber, subways, trains, walking?
- What’s your budget level: same as usual, a little more, a little less?
- What would you change from what you did last time?