How to

How to plan a trip day by day

You do not need a perfect plan. You need days that fit. Here is a simple way to build them, one day at a time.

1. Put the fixed things down first

Some parts of a trip are not up to you. Your flight lands when it lands. The hotel lets you in at a set time. The museum ticket you bought is for 2 PM on Thursday.

Start with those. They are the frame the rest of the trip hangs on, and they tell you how much of each day is really yours.

2. Give each day one anchor

An anchor is the one thing that would make the day worth it by itself. A hike. A market. A dinner you have been looking forward to for months.

One anchor per day is enough. Two is a busy day. Three is a day you will spend watching the clock.

3. Fill in around the anchor, by area

Now look at what is close to the anchor. Lunch nearby. A park on the way. A shop two streets over.

The biggest waste on any trip is crossing a city twice. Keeping a day in one area fixes most of that before it happens.

In Roamin Robin

Open the map for a day to see every stop as a numbered pin, in order. If the line doubles back on itself, you have found something to move.

4. Put real times on it

This is the step most plans skip. Give each stop a start time and a guess at how long you will stay. Then add the time it takes to get from one to the next.

The first time you do this, the day almost always turns out too full. Better to find that out on your couch than at 4 PM with two stops left.

5. Leave gaps on purpose

Lines are longer than you think. Lunch runs over. You find a street you want to wander down.

A day with an open hour in the middle can take a surprise. A day planned to the minute cannot.

6. Keep a "maybe" pile

Not everything needs a time slot. Keep the extra ideas to one side. If the day runs fast, pull one in. If it does not, nothing is lost.