The travel planning struggle is REAL - my tips to make it easier!
Mr Big's attempts to book a trip without my help. A few jolies choses and a mix of hotels by the sea or in the countryside.#54
This week Mr Big booked our 20th anniversary celebration trip in October.
He hated it!
I had given him some indications of hotels (of course) and put him in touch with the fabulous Mr Tripper through whom we get the best rooms and advantages when we travel (see below).
Yet, he still found it a pain. And I get it because despite what he thinks, I too, do NOT like doing all the travel planning.
What I like is finding the beautiful places where we’ll stay. Once that's done, I'm delighted if someone else takes care of everything else - booking flights, car rentals, airport parking, restaurants, what to see, activities, spa treatments etc.
I calculated that there are actually a minimum of 12 tasks for each trip. Some of them require extensive time, such as comparing the flight costs or car rental costs. And there are even more task if the trip includes different stays, transfers or obviously if you go to a country which require a visa, special vaccination etc…! At least there are no Covid related tasks to do now, that certainly added lots of admin.
Here are some tips to speed up the process - all tested by me over the years
I created a checklist in my to do application which I can quickly duplicate for any new trip
Of course I look at my map of hotels curated over the years to identify the best hotel near the location we are going to. This is one of the bonuses for paid subscribers.
Mr Tripper is the best! He is very well connected to many of the best industry people, visit many of the hotels and often is their official photographer. He has a beautiful blog (in French) too. He can advise on the best rooms and because he’s now a Virtuoso travel advisor, can book them for you and get you advantages such as upgrades, free breakfast etc. Do tell him I sent you there. There is no commercial link between us, he’s just great and I thought you should benefit from his insider knowledge too!
I use rome2rio.com to quickly figure out the best travel options from A to B.
I started using the flight search on booking.com. I discovered recently that you can put two or more airports you are flying to or from in the search box, which makes it so easy to see options. Handy when your destination is more or less the same distance to different airport.
I forward all my travel booking information to tripit.com which collates all references etc.. That way, during the trip, I have all the relevant document and information in just one place.
What about you? Do you also prefer focusing on hotel selection or do you enjoy handling all aspects of trip organization?
And if you have any good tips to make this easier, do share them in the comments.
Jolies choses
Maison Paloma - beautiful table or ceiling lights as well as frames hand woven and custom-made. It may take some time to get them but they are really pretty. Each production is unique and is hand woven in the south of France.
Courant sauvage - with the heat in London this weekend, I reminded Mr Big that we need a “parasol” so that we can read in the garden all day long. Those made in France ones look lovely.
Business & Pleasure - I also like those umbrellas from this US brand but with the taxes etc. this might come as expensive. Also available via amazon.co.uk but again not for the faint hearted!
Extra finds
Château des Fleurs Paris
From 500 euros - Check latest prices and availability
Located rue Vernet at the top of the Champs Elysées, the Château des Fleurs is a new luxury boutique hotel in a magnificent 1900 private mansion characteristic of the Parisian Right Bank, a stone's throw from the Golden Triangle and the Arc de Triomphe. The lobby and lounge are lively places where Parisians and passing travellers meet for a drink around the bar or to relax by the fireplace while exploring the library. Behind their curved doors, the 37 rooms and suites on one or two levels offer a cozy and sophisticated atmosphere. No pool
Teranka, Formentera
From 383 Euros - Check latest prices and availability
Teranka is a boutique luxury art hotel, set on a protected, beachside estate, on the magical island of Formentera. There are 35 rooms, a pool and two restaurants. It is adults only though
Tonnara di Scopello, Sicily
From 325 euros - minimum 2 nights - Check latest prices and availability
That view! I think you’ll recognise it from a James Bond movie too. In Sicily and right on the seaside, a series of apartments in former fishermen's accommodations. All the housing units have a sea view. No pool but you're right on the sea side!
Le Doyenné, France
From 225 euros - Check latest prices and availability
25 miles south of Paris in the small village of Saint-Vrain, the Australian chefs James Henry and Shaun Kelly transformed the former stables of a 19th-century private estate into a working farm, restaurant, and guesthouse. No pool
La Ferme HIbride, Provence
From 200 euros - Check latest prices and availability
The concept: agritourism in a contemporary setting in the Lubéron, Provence.Each of the spacious eight tower rooms, two studios, and two 3-bedroom houses is unique, decked out with Matali Crasset’s trademark polychromatic sleek minimalist furniture. An outdoor poo