So my family is planning a trip to Portugal & Spain this summer (YAY! Grand reveal!) but it has been a pain in my bum trying to coordinate this trip. The past few weeks I’ve been looking at two different countries and trying to coordinating 5 schedules which had me feverishly googling, reading, bookmarking, and researching. I was having literally nightmares at night about this trip and I probably mentally (& verbally) called it off numerous times.
Sorry mom if you’re reading this! 🙂
Read more: Travel Tips: Traveling with Family
But then my husband just straight up told me to step back. Stop. I was trying to pack too much in. He was so right.
I took a step back. Thought about what the point of this trip was and came to my computer with a clearer mind. I cut out the part of the tip that was driving me bonkers and then everything started falling into place. I started to enjoy the process of planning again. Yay!
If you’re planning a trip, or scared to start planning, maybe the answer is to cut back. You don’t need to see all the highlights of Europe in a week; maybe spend a couple of days slowing down in any given city. Not only will it make planning easier, but you’ll probably save money and enjoy it more. Oh and, I wrote a few posts on the process of planning (funny enough, I keep referring back to my own words while going bonkers planning this trip!):
- How to Plan a 2-week Trip: Part 1
- How to Plan a 2-Week Trip: Part 2
- How to Plan a 2-Week Trip: Part 3
So in the end he is our TENTATIVE plan for about 2 and a half weeks in Portugal & Spain (there are still some tweaks in the works):
- 4 in nights in Lisbon with day trips to Sinta & Fatima
- 4 nights in Madrid with day trips to Toledo & Segovia
- 2 nights in Cordoba
- 3 nights in Granada
- 3 nights in Seville
JMF
3.19.18 Update: Will & I are buying a house & he has a summer program so we had to cut out Portugal and Madrid from the trip and just doing a Southern Spain trip while my parents & sister are going on to Portugal afterwards.
Enjoy Granada!