Travel itineraries are a great way to make your vacation, holiday, or business travel much more enjoyable. Itineraries are not set in stone and must adapt to changes. A flexible and well planned itinerary gives the traveler more time to enjoy the place they visit and less time stressing out what to do next.
Developing an itinerary provides an opportunity to learn and explore the area before even visiting. Armed with this knowledge, we can appreciate the significance of what we’re experiencing and ask quality questions to enhance the trip. We can assess how much time we want to spend at certain places. I researched places I wanted to eat and do. For example, I am interested in art but being in Philadelphia, seeing places that led to the birth of the United States became a priority. I didn’t enter the Philadelphia Museum of Art and spent a large percentage of my time in the Olde City area. I planned on trying out a cheesesteak at Geno’s, Pat’s, or if I didn’t have time, Campo’s. After asking a few people from Philly, they enthusiastically suggested Steaks on South.
Below is the itinerary I created for my 2009 Philadelphia Marathon weekend.
Thursday
1:15p United Flight 376 to PHL
4:30 Land in Philly
5:10 R1 to Market East Station ($7.00 fare)
6:00 Check in at Apple Hostel
8:30 Attend a bar crawl in Olde City
11:00 Sleep
Friday
10:30a Volunteer at Runner Number Pickup @ the Convention Center
4:00p Snack and Walk the last six miles of the marathon
7:30 Dinner with Philly acquaintances
10:30 Sleep
Saturday
8:30a Tour of Independence Hall Tour
10:00 Visit the Liberty Bell
11:00 Congress Hall
Noon Lunch
5:30 Sunday Vigil @ Old St. Joseph’s Church
7:30 Dinner
9:30 Sleep!
Sunday
7:00a Marathon
1:25 R1 to PHL ($6.00)
4:30 United Flight 563 to ORD
6:00 Land in Chicago
7:30 Arrive home
In the margins, I left notes of alternate places to visit, eat, and worship.
Things didn’t go exactly as planned. However, planning, flexibility, and research made that weekend a great trip. What’s your next trip and what do you want to do while you’re there?