I’m a planner, but I only make a list of what to put in the car before I leave…that’s it.
I’m one who packs either the morning of a trip…or the night before.
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Yes to this! On our list trip our D set up a shared google doc that we could all add to as we did our own research. Worked out great and it was lovely for everyone to feel part of the planning.
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Love, love the idea of having certain family members take on certain things!
Adult son mentioned he’d like to swim in a cenote while in Mexico - maybe he can research that!
I will have to discipline myself to let go control and my inclination to research everything lol!! This will be character building for me. 
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Yes, I do read reviews of lodging and attractions so I know what to expect & avoid. It has served me pretty well over the years. When we went to Japan, we spent a few days before and after the tour on our own. One of my friends had particular things she wanted to do so we deferred to her but we helped find lodging for our last 2 days in Osaka by asking a friend who was teaching in Japan.
She was pleased we were all enthusiastic about the things she planned and we divided up the cost.
We are getting lazier so fine with just booking tours instead of me planning everything. Having to lug all the medical equipment everywhere makes it just a bit more challenging to be able to get up and go.
Cruising is something we have only done once—Alaska. It does sound nice to consider, especially in smaller boat on a river.
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We also have been having airlines provide us with wheelchair transport from ticket counter to gate, from one gate to next at connections and from gate to baggage claim. I just have too much medical stuff to easily lug around and H is never positive whether his knee or sone other body part may be acting up. It has allowed us to be a bit less stressed because we can leave the navigating the airport to others and they help us make our connecting flights.
The other thing is it helps conserve my batteries of my medical equipment for the flight instead of having to use them up navigating the airport. I like H having a wheelchair with me so we get to everywhere together.
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Great tips here.
One thing I do is use Google Keep checklists because I can access them on both my phone and my laptop, and I can duplicate a list and tweak it for different times of year, or different kinds of trips and climates. Just tap the button to uncheck the boxes and I’m ready to start checking things off again. This is all so I’m not reinventing the wheel each time I travel, and because it’s so easy for me to forget something on the way out the door.
So I have Google Keep checklists for:
- Going to Hawaii
- Going to stay with my folks in the winter
- Going to stay with my folks in the summer
- Travel-travelling packing (e.g. spending 2-3 weeks traveling around a different country)
I also have a checklist for leaving the house, with things on it such as:
- setting light timers (or apps)
- running the dishwasher on sanitize
- changing the thermostat
- locking downstairs windows
- texting Neighbor 1 and 2 that we are leaving
- etc.
I would also make Google Keep packing checklists for my teen if we went on a trip together, and then “share” them with him in the app. At that point it was then 100% his responsibility to pack his bag. If he showed up in Hawaii without a bathing suit? Then he needed to buy himself a bathing suit. 
He backpacks a lot, and now uses Google Keep checklists for different types of trips, e.g. snow camping, summer backpacking, etc. That plus a couple of meal plan checklists make getting out the door and not forgetting an essential a whole lot easier!
The shared checklist feature is great, because you can see in real time what is and isn’t handled in responsibilities you share with another person(s), from grocery shopping to closing up the house before a trip, you will all know what’s completed and isn’t without texting back and forth or one person being stuck with handling the list.
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We’ve travelled a few times in Europe with others. Logistics and decisions can be more cumbersome, but it adds some fun and also peace of mind. Sometimes we’ve divided the research and ticket purchase tasks.
On Europe trip with kids after younger one’s 2015 college graduation, he was definitely our transportation navigator! After semester abroad experience in Singapore (with many Asia side travels), he was well trained on doing maps etc even w/o any cell connection. In Munich, for one city excursion by train he looked at phone in the station and said, “Well we can take train A. But… if we do train B and then switch to train C we will get there sooner”.
My husband always makes travel google doc with day by day info, reservations etc. I carry backup printouts for the key item.
VIATOR tour tip - We like booking through Viator (so far only in Europe and Hawaii and Mexico) because they usually allow cancellation until 24 hours prior. That allows the group to have tentative plans to work around but flexibility to change prior day based on energy levels or appealing alternatives.
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Another tip I just remembered:
I try my best to never book 3rd party. If I book a flight, I might use an aggregator to find the best price but then will go to the specific airline to book the actual tickets. I book directly with hotels. I book tickets directly with the sight or tour group that will be operating the activity/sight.
If a problem occurs - it is always easier to fix if the booking was direct with the provider.
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More awesome tips! Thanks!
I did not know about Google Keep and the checklists. Will look into it! I’ve used a Google doc that was shared with the whole family - it just had sooo much info (for Europe trip) that I get exhausted just thinking about it lol.
Like the streamlined checklist concept!
Colorado_mom - we used Viator in Italy and Liked them too!
HIMom - I have a family member who just started using wheelchair for his medical condition at large airports - said it made a world of difference!
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Our motto is “you either have a great time or a great story”.
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For international trips, we join tour groups and let them take care of accommodations and logistics. It has saved us so much time and effort by leaving the planning and driving to them so what we do is simply to enjoy.
We are bicoastal so we travel a lot and we’ve splurged by getting credit cards that allow us to have priority access check-in and boarding, CLEAR+ security and usage of airport lounges. These little things provide added comfort and convenience and to reduce stress.
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But in reverse, we could not buy naproxen OTC in France. Needed a script.
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I had to laugh just as I was reading this thread, my husband handed me a spread sheet he had created for our next trip. It’s a slightly complicated trip involving traveling with my 94 year old mother in law, meeting up with brother in law and then us flying out of the country. Lots of moving parts but it has all come together.
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I have an excel spreadsheet “packing list”. I customize it for each trip.
Yes, there are stores everywhere…I still pack what I call my “drug bag” (I don’t call it that in Security) with tylenol, motrin, benedryl, immodium, pepto, bandaid etc. Even if I am in NYC and there is a Duane Reade on every corner, do I want to go there at 2 AM? Also, if there is something I HAVE to have clothing wise it goes in my carryon. I once traveled to rural Illinois for a family wedding and my bag was lost at O’Hare. I did not have my dress or shoes. No one in the family is anywhere near my size and I have narrow feet. Thankfully the bag was delivered in the nick of time.
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All these reports of spreadsheets & packing for potential medical issues are making me feel so much better! lol
I had ordered activated charcoal, pepto, etc. for upcoming trip to Mexico and no longer feel somehow guilty that I am an ‘over-worrier’…
Thanks!!
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If you are concerned about intestinal issues, I would also recommend taking grapefruit seed extract and ginger extract as a prophylactic. We always take one pill of each before every meal where food safety is a question/concern.
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I carry pepto, immodium and gas x everywhere. Younger S always had a temperamental stomach. Even if he was excited he would get the trots.
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I will order those two (grapefruit seed extract and ginger extract) today! Thank you!!
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Don’t take my husband.
For our last big Europe trip, W worked out all the details with a travel planner and had a folder with everything.
But we sat down together before the trip and I put all the travel details into the calendar app on my iPhone, which I shared with W (you can create shared calendars). This way it was always super easy to check what was coming up or see where we needed to go.
I also put all the hotel / restaurant / train station addresses (and phone numbers) in with the relevant appointment entries so it was super easy to pull up maps when driving or walking as needed.
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