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Meticulous planner? Or wing it?

Discussion in 'Misc. Vegas Chat' started by BostonJP, Mar 12, 2017.

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  1. BostonJP

    BostonJP Low-Roller

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    What type of Vegas traveler are you?

    My wife and I are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum: I'm accustomed to having every minute of my day planned and have the habit of overplanning whenever we go on vacation, but she doesn't even like the pressure of dinner reservations. We are leaving on our third trip next week and have one dinner reservation and also booked a zip line tour, and that's it - I am uneasy about not having more planned out!!
     
  2. queuetee

    queuetee VIP Whale

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    Is that Jamaica Plain?? I only make sure I have dinner reservations for the really good places----especially on the weekend.
     
  3. Flowers

    Flowers VIP Whale

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    10000000% a meticulous planner, but that doesn't mean I have every minute of every day mapped out. On the contrary, especially given that my Vegas trips are not just about gambling but about truly trying to relax from what is a pretty stressful job. I book most dinner reservations, shows, spa treatments, etc. in advance, I plan outfits sometimes months in advance and I begin packing (makeup, toiletries, etc.) weeks in advance. And I think through BR weeks if not months in advance to gauge the nature of how I will play.

    But my meticulous planning, for example, also has my itinerary with a few days with virtually nothing planned, except breakfast, dinner and gambling. It is by design, which is where the planning comes in, but it is actually just the opposite of mapping out the day in detail.

    I also factor in that if I am enjoying being by the pool or playing and I don't want to stop what I am doing I will do that. So I make plans, especially if other people are involved, but I am not 100000% wedded to them in case folks want to do something else. I am also fine if someone says, hey, I'd rather play than join you for dinner. I totally get that, but, for me, making reservations in advance makes for a much more relaxing trip. I don't want to be thinking about what I am going to do AFTER I've gotten to Vegas as that is just wasted mental energy that I'd rather save for VP. :)

    I should also add that I have heard a saying that goes something like this: With respect to enjoyment from a vacation, 30% comes from the planning, 40 to 50 % from the experience itself, and the rest from the memories. That's definitely true for me and probably true for a lot of people on this board given the time we take to look at posts and get ideas about how to maximize our Vegas trips, whether it is coupon running for 24 hours, doing it up for a weekend, or hanging out in Vegas for weeks and living a bit like a local.
     
    Last edited: Mar 12, 2017
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  4. zlanga

    zlanga High-Roller

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    I basically write an hour by hour itinerary, as well as a budget spreadsheet that summarizes by days as well as category (food, gambling, entertainment, etc), and print it all out and take it. I might be a bit extreme, but it really hasn't failed me yet. And yes, my wife told me time and time again that I was nuts for trying to plan the entire vacation. Right up until she took our daughter to Disney World when I had to stay home and work, and found out just how much my legwork up front pays off in the long run! :evillaugh:
     
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  5. LV2GAMBLE

    LV2GAMBLE Certified LOW Roller

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    The first trip or two we tried having an itinerary...didn't go so well. After 16 trips, we now book a show ahead of time if we want to see it and might have places in mind that we would want to eat at, but after those 16 trips, we find that it is far more enjoyable and relaxing if we don't make many hard plans.
     
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  6. Travel Fanatic

    Travel Fanatic The Arbiter of Taste Caviar Kid

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    I tend to plan almost every minute of a vacation. But I inevitably toss some of those plans out the window after I get there and just wing it
     
    The plans have changed
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  7. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    I used to be a meticulous planner for Vegas trips but that has gone by the wayside the more trips I take.

    Having itineraries for work, other vacations and even daily life remains something I do but short of a couple of things now they're all but extinct for Vegas trips.

    In the past I'd make reservations for meals and other things but now I pretty much just go with the flow. Every trip has its own life. I found myself missing reservations and rescheduling others. So now I'll just make sure I have my flights, rooms and upfront comps locked in and I hit the ground running and let the trip develop as it may.

    Last March Madness I struggled with not having plans locked in but once I arrived I found I enjoyed ending up wherever the day took me. I'll be doing the same starting this Wednesday evening when I arrive.
     
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  8. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

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    We make dinner reservations, other than that, the rest of every day is up in the air. Sometimes, we miss the dinner reservations.
     
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  9. Electroguy563

    Electroguy563 Vegas Joker

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    This! :thumbsup::beer:
     
  10. Sonya

    Sonya Queen of VMB

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    I'm a meticulous planner for most trips. However, over the years I've turned to a mostly wing it plan for Vegas. I will have a rough idea of things I want to see and do at some point and just go with the flow when I get there.
     
  11. joespoolhall

    joespoolhall VIP Whale

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    General plan and just go from there. Years ago 2-3 of us would do golf trip 5-6 times a year. Usually the day before the trip we'd get together for a pretrip cocktail to talk about the plan of attack. One trip a relative newbie asked for suggestions on sights to see. We made a list of about fifteen things to see. I think we saw two or three that trip. The same on the next two trips. We decided that other than tee times and a couple of favorite restaurants, the rest of our vacation would be shot from the hip. I can see taking a Vegas Virgin to a few must see sights, but that's about it.

    Good Luck!
    Ric at Joes
     
  12. mileham

    mileham Tourist

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    When I'm in Vegas the only plan set in stone is to be on the plane going back home.
     
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  13. bardolator

    bardolator Lifelong Low Roller

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    I always book flight, room, and car well in advance. Maybe a show or other event that might sell out or that offers a price break for booking early. The rest we leave to chance. It's Vegas.
     
  14. tonysb8

    tonysb8 Low-Roller

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    I usually have a show or two booked with a couple dining options in mind (make the reservations if necessary). Other than that it's usually pool in the morning/early afternoon, some sight seeing (I love just walking around) and looking for that good VP! :beer:
     
  15. woodsie

    woodsie VIP Whale

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    I plan things I'd like to do but not the order or the time that I do them. We basically show up in Vegas with a few bullet points we'd like to hit and then let it happen.
     
  16. bluesdude

    bluesdude VIP Whale

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    I plan to be flexible. We may have a reservation or two and want to go to certain places, but if we don't make it, no big deal! This is vacation. Planning out our vacation to a tee would be stressful for me.
     
    Dead & Co with my son! June 4 or 5th - June 8th
  17. BreakEven

    BreakEven High-Roller

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    I used to be what I would call an "overplanner", but maybe I was a bit of a slacker compared to folks in this thread :) Studies have shown that people get almost as many benefits out of planning a vacation as actually taking one, but I had to find a better balance. I found that jam packing my day full of things didn't really make for a relaxing visit (and also made me mad when I didn't get to do everything on my list). So now I'll make a short list of "must do" things, identify a bunch of "might do" things, and then mostly wing it. I might make a rough plan for a day, like these 3 things are in the same general area so make sure to do them at the same time.

    One thing I also take note of is whether or not the shows/attractions that are on my list have any restricted hours/days. Sometimes something isn't available on a certain day, or has longer hours on another day. That might also include buying tickets for any shows that I definitely want to see. But for the most part, those shows are playing for so long that I don't bother buying tickets in advance. I'll check out the prices @ the tix4tonight booths the day of the show and make my decision then.

    My normal work life involves a little more planning, so maybe that's why I enjoy the lack of a plan when on vacation :)
     
  18. BostonJP

    BostonJP Low-Roller

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    No, it's my (nick)name. I live about an hour northwest.

    It drives my wife nuts too but I love those little moments of redemption. Our last vacation we almost missed our flight home because we didn't stick to my original agenda. We got to the gate literally as they were closing the door. Stressful as it is to almost miss our flight, I appreciated the told you so that I didn't need to say out loud.
     
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  19. flysrb

    flysrb Hey Now!

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    Hey Now!
    a show, bonus point days I want hit, hooking up with friends in Henderson, rest is whatever transposes.
     
  20. hotreds

    hotreds Illegitimi non carborundum!

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    The former. So much to do you could go crazy just trying to figure out what to do if you don't have a plan.
     
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