One of the things that drives me nuts is not having a plan. I can be flexible once the plan is made, but I don't like wasting time trying to come up with a plan on the fly.
For this reason, I always create a trip itinerary before we travel anywhere. That way we have a general idea on our goals for the day, the meals that would work best for those goals, and how early we need to head out to reach the goals.
I always start with a table in a document. I've played with it a bit, and for longer trips I prefer to have a table for each day. I label the top of the table with the date and the day of the trip. For example: July 1, 2023 - Day 1.
Longer Trips
Under the top row I usually put Time and What in two separate columns. Then I document the ideal time, and what is happening at that time. If we are checking into a hotel or campsite, I make sure the check-in time is listed under time, and what is where it is. Same goes if we have purchased tickets for an activity. I make sure the time and the activity is listed.
I find our family can drive a distance of between 8-10 hours mapped out without stops. From there, I plan where we'll stop overnight, and our stops for the day.
Last year I started documenting suggested rest stops by looking at the map and mapping out 1.5-2 hours at a time. With three small kids, it's helpful to stop frequently to avoid the emergency bathroom stops. This has also helped me become familiar with the route and know where food/restroom/gas stops are sparse. This also helps when planning lunch. Will we be near restaurants in the 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 range, or will there only be a rest stop around? If it's only a rest stop, we bring a picnic lunch, or heavy snacks to get us to the next restaurants. Planning ahead for meals helps keep everyone happy.
I list the meal under Time (breakfast, lunch, dinner), and I list the menu including the ingredients under the What. Having meals in the same document as the itinerary is helpful when planning. On days that we will be away from our campsite for a long time, I like to plan simpler meals. I days I know we can make it back to camp earlier, I plan the meals that will take longer.
Under each day, I list what we plan to do that day. Do we plan to leave Yellowstone and visit Grand Teton all day? That means an earlier morning, quick breakfast, picnic lunch and an easy dinner. Are we staying in Yellowstone for the day? What section do we want to focus on? Which hikes would be good for our family?
I look at hikes that sound interesting and check out the round trip distance. I know my kids limits - so if it's past it, I don't list it. Or I list it for the afternoon and my husband and I can try a solo trip if it's not too far from our campsite. If the hike will work for my family, I add it to the itinerary with the duration. That way we can easily decide if we're up for it or not.
Simpler Trips
If it is a simpler trip - like to a local state park - I create my itinerary a little differently. I still list the date and day at the top. Next row will include our ideal departure time and where we're going. Then I have three columns; Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Then I list the menu under each of those. Usually for state parks, our days don't need to be so planned out as they cover smaller areas.
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