The Travel Planner Who Forgot to Plan Her Own Trip

There are certain things you would think a travel advisor would be really good at. Planning travel is probably near the top of that list. So imagine my surprise when I looked at my calendar recently and realized that I’ll be in Barcelona in about two weeks… and I have absolutely nothing planned.

Nothing.

Well, technically, I have a cruise to get on. That part is handled. But I’m arriving in Barcelona a few days early, which means I have four whole days in one of my favorite cities — and until very recently, I had given those four days approximately zero thought. Apparently, I am much better at planning everyone else’s travel.

The funny thing is that this actually happens more often than you might think. When you plan travel for a living, your own trips can end up being the ones that get pushed to the bottom of the list. There are clients to take care of, trips to research, reservations to make and approximately 47 tabs open on your computer at any given time. And then suddenly you realize: Wait. I'm going there, too.

Fortunately, I know how to fix this problem.

The advantage of having been there before

Barcelona isn't a new destination for me. I've been several times, so I don't feel any pressure to check the major sights off a list. I don't need to stand in line at Sagrada Família. I don't need to make sure I walk down Las Ramblas. I don't need to see every major attraction just because I'm in Barcelona.

That's one of my favorite things about returning to a place you've already visited. You get to stop sightseeing and start experiencing.

Instead of asking, "What are the things I absolutely have to see?" I can ask better questions: Where do I want to wander? Where should I have lunch? What neighborhood haven't I explored enough? Where can I sit with a glass of vermut and watch the city go by? What restaurant sounds too good to pass up?

So I finally did what I would tell a client to do: I started planning.

A list, not an itinerary

I'm not creating a color-coded schedule with every hour accounted for. That's not how I want to travel in Barcelona. Instead, I now have a list of restaurants I'd like to try, neighborhoods I want to explore, and a handful of places that caught my attention. I'll make a few reservations where I need to, and I'll leave plenty of room for whatever sounds good when I'm actually there.

Maybe I'll spend an afternoon wandering through a neighborhood I've never really explored. Maybe I'll find a little café that wasn't on my list. Maybe I'll have an unexpectedly long lunch.

That's the beauty of having already done the "must-see" Barcelona. I can slow down.

And sometimes, that's the best kind of travel.

There is something to be said for planning less

This little realization has also reminded me why I don't believe every trip needs to be packed from morning until night.

Good travel planning isn't necessarily about finding more things to do. Sometimes it's about figuring out which things are worth planning - and which things should be left open. For this trip, I'll probably make sure I have a few great meals, choose a couple of neighborhoods to explore, and leave the rest flexible. And if I happen to spend an afternoon doing absolutely nothing except wandering around Barcelona? I'll consider that a very successful travel day.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some restaurants to research.

Because apparently, even a travel advisor needs a little help planning her own vacation.