I spent most of my life trying to lead a well organized, carefully planned life. The plan didn’t always work but I felt comfort in knowing I had a plan. Having a job did required planning out the day, but I also had a weekly plan, a monthly plan and yearly goals. I started and ended each day with my to do list. This even extended to my vacations. I would plan out each day in advanced and had an itinerary of sites I wanted to be sure to see. My calendar and my watch were my friend. 
The last vacation I took was two weeks driving the California coast from San Diego to San Francisco. My uncle Jim had been diagnosed with cancer so it was his last trip before he started his treatments. He would live five more years. I planned out every day, booked all the hotel/motel rooms in advance. I found out when the ferry boats left to Santa Cruz Island, the buses to Hearst Castle. I know how we would be spending every day before we stepped on the plane to San Diego.
Once I retired I throw my clock away. The only time I use my calendar is when I set up a lunch or plan a date. I go to bed when I am tired and get up when I feel rested. Being a diabetic I do have a meal plan for each day, 150 carbs and 1,600 calories. No other part of my day is planned.
I don’t expect to plan any more vacations. Just unplanned road trips. If I get up and fell like hitting the highway, I just go, maybe north, maybe south, which ever direction I feel like.
I prefer the unplanned trips. Even though I have enjoyed all of my vacations, I always had one on the clock, one eye on the itinerary. Now it just whatever the day brings. No plans.
1. When you go on vacation do you make up a daily itinerary before you leave?
2. Given a choice would you prefer to have a very planned out organized day or just take each hour as it comes.
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May 2, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Indian Lake Papa
Semi - plan - but tend to make plans as we go along. Many of my plans involve the outdoors so weather is a factor.
May 2, 2008 at 7:42 pm
brandy
Ed, I LOOOONG to be an organized person, but… I am not. I wish I could plan my days like you described above. I think I would get a lot more done.
I do plan things to some extent, but nothing is ever set in stone….it’s just a generalized idea usually. I do have to say though that I am a stickler for being ontime, so whatever I have to do to be ontime for something, I do it. And I plan for the time it takes. But other than that, I am not really a “planner.” If I feel like doing something, I do it. Otherwise, I don’t.
May 2, 2008 at 9:03 pm
edfromct
Papa, have you and Mama done any vacation traveling out side of your trips between Michigan and Florida?
Brandy, what was the last “real” vacation you and Jake went on. Could you use military transport to fly more cheaply if you wanted to take a long trip. I used military standby when I was in the Army but that meant not knowing which flight I might be on.
May 3, 2008 at 12:36 am
tam
Take each hour as it comes.
I use to be a big planner. But at some point I let that go. i don’t know when or why.
The last time we went to HI we were with my in laws and they had a plan and schedule for everything. It stressed me out. A LOT!
The first time I was there with just B. No plan. No agenda! Perfection in paradise!
May 3, 2008 at 5:53 am
Indian Lake Papa
Ed - sometimes we take day trips often. However we have a cabin booked for a week in June in the U P (upper Peninsula) we are going with friends. We will fish, sight see, and women will read books. We may drive to CT, Manchester late summer or early fall for a week to see family. We usually do some over nighters during the summer. We also have group trips already planned and booked in FL.
May 3, 2008 at 11:33 am
edfromct
Tam, I use to be a lot like your in-laws but now I have also let go of my agenda and take each day as it comes.
I first vacation I took was an unplanned trip to Hawii. I was 18 and had been working at my first job. I had extra money for the first time and walked by a travel agency with pictures of Hawii. I went in an booked the trip on the spur of the moment. I did fry my skin the first day and spent the next day recovering. After that I rented a car and drove around the Oahu. Spent a day at each of the other islands. All my other vaction trips were planned down to the hour.
Papa, it sounds like you and Mama do get around. You should teach the women folk how to fish.
If you do get to Connecitcut let me know. Manchester is only an hour or so from my condo so I will drive up and we can have lunch.
May 3, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Indian Lake Papa
Mama is not a fisherman! She does like lunch though - we will be sure to connect if we get to ct this fall! We would both love that!
May 3, 2008 at 4:25 pm
brandy
Ed, Jake and I have not been on a real vacation in about 6 years or so. We had our honeymoon (Lake Tahoe) and a few trips to Branson when we were first married, but that was it. We have had at least one weekend getaway a year since Dylan was born, but that was only b/c of my mom. Now we don’t have that.
We could take standby flights, but I am not a flier…at all…so to take a standby flight would be awful for me. I’d need to toss back a few first. HAHAHA!
Most of our fun “trips” are camping. We love camping. We would like to take some sort of vacation just the two of us though, but we have no clue what we’d do minus kids!
May 3, 2008 at 5:29 pm
1godsgal
Hi Ed…There is nothing Jer and I love more than deciding how many days we’ll be gone, then just taking off in the car. Usually we have a destination, but not always. We stop, we meet new people, we decide things as they come….we tried planning once, and it just caused way to much stress to stich to an agenda. So we plan as little as possible….then gooooooo!
May 3, 2008 at 9:13 pm
tam
Ed - that sounds like the perfect HI trip to me!
Brent and I keep looking at each other a lot lately saying “WE NEED A VACATION!” We rarely go anywhere anymore. That’s why we love Fridays. Those are his days off and all we know is that we’re gonna get in the car and just go for the day. We love it. BUT with gas prices even that is becoming limited…
Wow 0 call me debbie downer
(no reference to you deb
)
May 3, 2008 at 11:30 pm
edfromct
Tam and Deb, one great thing about being spontaneous is you never know when the opportunity for a trip will come up. When it does you just go, no need to waste time planning. Even a one or two hour drive in the country can help re-charge the batteries. With the cost of gas that may be all we can afford.
Tam, I’ll bet Kass and Kota would love to take charge of the house for a day while you and Brent take a short trip.
Brandy, camping does sound like a lot of fun. Something I might really enjoy, if it wasn’t for the camping part.
If I stay in a hotel does it still count as camping? 
May 5, 2008 at 8:34 pm
mandythompson
Vacation? definitely slightly planned AND slightly organized all at the same time.
friday i’ll hop on a plane and head to the beach with my in-laws. i’m SO excited! we’re planning on being lazy all week! and i’m planning on coming back with a tan! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!