This is just a sneak preview of how I plan itineraries and prepare logistics for travel. Sneak preview lang ha? 😛

Planning Itineraries

Chris and I plan our itineraries well because we really want to make the most of our trips, plus both of us have certain must-see, must-photograph and must-eat places in every place we go.

One of the reasons we take ample time in researching about a country or a city is because it is a means for us to come up with an itinerary that will have the musts on our list plus have some time for rests in between and time for exploration and surprises.

A sample itinerary would look like this:

We gave each other lists of places we want to see, restos we want to dine and activities we want to do for each city that we plan to visit. Pag may list na kami, saka kami bubuo ng itinerary.

Please don’t be fooled by our itinerary, you might think we follow everything to the dot. Although there are specified times for each place/activity, it only serves as a guide. On a given moment, we are very flexible especially if a place or an activity is extra fun and enjoyable. May mga parts pa rin dyan na we can readily give up if needed or we can cut short if the place turned out boring and pointless to explore.

Some reasons why you need to plan your itineraries:

• You need to determine what outfits you need to bring.
• You need to make reservations at hotels/restaurants you want to dine in.
• You need to know what activities you want to and have money ready for entrance fees, train/cable fares, etc.
• You need to identify your top of the list places to go to given a certain amount of time.
• You still need to rest—you may be able to go to all the places you want to see but it’s not worth it if at the end of the trip you suffer from overfatigue or worse, you get sick in the middle of your trip.

Preparing Your Logistics–in other words: Packing your stuff for travel

This is one activity that I love doing—packing everything for travel. Ako ang dakilang tagapag-impake ng pamilya ko. Sa tuwing mag-travel ang family ko, ako ang naiiwan na nag-aayos ng lahat gamit at naglalagay sa maleta. Ang pag-iimpake ay parang isang laro sa akin–feeling ko Lego ito na binubuo kaya kahit pagod at puyat na ako sa pag-iimpake ng maleta ng bawat kapamilya ko, okay lang sa akin.

Here’s a peek on how I pack my stuff:

1. With our itinerary at hand, I prepare a travel list like this:

2. I have what I call a “packing rehearsal” (parang dress rehearsal kumbaga sa isang theatre play). For short trips (10-15 days), I practice packing at least a week before. For long trips (16 days-up), I rehearse a month before. Why? Pag long trip mas madaming dala, kung talagang overweight na ang luggages mo (airlines have certain weight limits), you have the option to (1) lessen your stuff or (2) send your things via DHL/Fedex/UPS–for these two reasons you need ample time.

Now this is what happens during rehearsals:

I lay all the things I plan and want to bring on my bed. It literally looks like a mess but it’s “my storm before the calm” kaya wala nang kokontra (my family knows that when I start packing I’m not to be disturbed coz I really focus on it–ganun ako ka-enjoy pag nag-iimpake to the point na super nagko-concentrate ako) and believe it or not, it’s still sorted out in a way that only I can understand. 🙂

In one corner, I have there my gadgets, travel diary, travel guides and reading for pleasure book (for this travel I’m bringing “Love in the Time of Cholera”).

In this corner, you’ll find all the souvenirs, chocolates and loot bags I will be giving away to friends.

This colored folders contains important documents for the trip: e-tickets, hotel confirmations, etc. Why four folders? Each luggage will have one folder each so that if we lose a folder, we’ll have an extra somewhere.

The small fuschia bag is where I’ll put my passport, a copy of my e-ticket, money and one credit card. Whatever happens I’ll have my this bag wrapped around me everywhere I go, as in EVERYWHERE.

If I have laid out everything I need for my travel, I start putting each one unto their respective luggages. Packing can take hours or even days. I never stop unless I get everything in the right place or I get the right weight for the luggages.

3. Secure the little ones that may spill

This is one of my favorite activities in packing—packing for my toiletries. I like finding mini-me shampoos, conditioners, lotions, etc. They’re sooo cute! For some essentials that I can’t find mini-ones, I buy little bottle/containers (see facial cleanser bottle below). But before putting them inside the luggage, I make sure they’re tightly closed and plastered with sticky tape to avoid spills inside the luggage:

So there, some of my packing-for-travel habits. I still have a lot more “rituals” prior to traveling I’d like to share but I’m pressed for time right now as I about to leave in like 2 days!!! 🙂 Yes, 2 days!!!! Can you believe it?

Am I ready? Let’s see:

• I’m done with 3 weeks worth of work at the office
• I’ve filed all my day-offs and vaycay leaves
• I have somebody who will take over for me at work while I’m away
• I’m done with pasalubong shopping
• I’m done with packing (just need to double check everything tomorrow)
• I’m done with preliminary preps for Chris’ Welcome Party next month (menu finalized, guests confirmed)
• Confirmed driver that will take me to the airport
• Checked-in online and booked seat on the plane (Yay! I got the window seat)

So I guess I’m ready.

Travel is one of my passions and I make sure that I’m almost 100% ready for it.

Being Mentally Ready

For me, this is the first step and the most important aspect in terms of preparing for travel. This helps in readying the self for the challenge that travel may bring. Travel is enjoyable but exhausting and the only way to ease off a bit of stress is to start with the strengthening and conditioning of the mind.

Why the strengthening of the mind? Travel will present situations that will need you to think–like figuring out how to pack your things, planning your itineraries, knowing the ins and outs of an airport, analyzing maps and directions, etc. Sa pagba-byahe, kailangan streetsmart, madiskarte at kalmado ka. Bawal ang mental block at bawal ang tanga (sorry, but I just had to emphasize that). My way of mental strengthening is to study the country, maps, itineraries, good and bad reviews and even hearsays. I take everything into account. In this way, I’m able to have a sneak peak on what to expect on the place I will be going to. This practice lessens the element of bad surprises for me.

And what about conditioning of the mind? This one will help you in hoping for the best but expecting the worst. Not all trips are made in heaven. Almost all travels are prone to situations beyond your control. Condition the mind that you should be ready in bad situations that may come up, in that way, you can also prepare for plans B, C and D. Prior to travel, I play a mental game called “What if?”. What I’ll do is ask myself “what if” questions regarding travel, for example: “What if I lost my luggage, what will I do?”—questions like that also makes me logistically ready. For that question, one of my answers would be “to have my airlines’ phone number for lost luggages”. Most importantly, I condition my mind that every trip will have its hassles and my formula is to still enjoy it (it might turn out to be a blessing sometimes!) and to get thru every bad situation as gracefully as I can (the last thing I want to happen is to lose my temper).

Being Physically Ready

As soon as I know the date of my travel, I immediately start a couple of physical activities:

1. Briskwalk 4-5 times a week from 30-45 minutes.
2. On weekends, I mix briskwalking and running.
3. Lift light weights for strengthening of arms, I try to do this thrice a week
4. Eat more rich in protein foods.
5. Eat youghurt at least a week prior to travel (youghurt helps in the adjustment of your stomach because when you travel you are susceptible to eating new cuisines).
6. Religiously drink my supplements: Vitamin E and C, Calcium and Biotin.
7. Sleep every chance I get

For my vaycay and wedding in January 2007, I physically trained six months prior to leaving Sydney because the reason of my travel then was of too many tedious things: my wedding, honeymoon, vacationing the phils. For the seven weeks of non-stop going and eating everywhere–not to mention that weddings are really really stressful!–I never got sick. My physical training paid off. On the other my husband got sick two weeks prior to our wedding day–hah! He wasn’t physically prepared.

For my upcoming trip this week, I started physical training on the 3rd week of February. Then I also had an additional task: to eat McDo’s cheeseburger twice before I leave Sydney. To make the long story short: I stopped eating hamburgers in 2005 but I eat when I travel coz I sometimes want one. Now since Hubby told me that we will be staying at place where there is a nearby Jollibee (yay!), so I needed my stomach to familiarize with cheeseburgers again, hence, I ate McDo’s cheeseburger twice now. Now I think my tummy’s ready for Jollibee.

Up next: Travel Preps (Itineraries and Logistics)