I was very interested in the discussion about planning. I am starting to do that now. I would go back one further step to general destination. For example, we must be in England for my mother-in-law's 90th birthday in the beginning of December so that means that our European vacation will be in late November, early December. I am not so well-travelled that I have a dearth of destinations! But I would like to be somewhere where there is still autumn, not winter weather. We are considering Spain, Portugal or the coast of France / Spain (Cote Vermeille).

We also need to think about what KIND of travel - apartment stay in a city or village, inn-to-inn walking trip, car, bus or train trip between several destinations or ? Each has its advantages and a different impact on our wallet. We really enjoy settling in somewhere where we don't have to eat in restaurants for every meal. Originally we had planned to do a walking holiday but it is rather late in the year. We are still exploring whether this is feasible.

Take a look at TheTravelzine homepage. I like Don's planning tips - he starts from travel budget and time. http://www.thetravelzine.com/planning.htm

I do believe in good maps and plenty of research. I use the public library for my travel guides. I get an overview from several guidebooks and then I buy one good one for each area (the newest available). Thank you, Edna, for your tips about organizing all the information! I realized on my last trip that I had some restaurant recommendations closer to our hotel but I forgot to print them out and take them with me.

Frances Toronto, Canada