My blog buddy, Tony Newboult, who blogs at A Wobbly Rotten Neutron, is planning to visit New York City this fall with his two teenage children. It’s not their first trip to the Big Apple but the first one that I’ve promised to help him plan.
I asked him a few preliminary questions when he told me but once I started making a list of things they should do when they’re here, I realized I needed a bit more information. The list I came up with below is one I think a travel agent would probably need but it can be used by anyone who’s planning a trip.
Here are some questions I came up with:
- Where do you plan to go?
- When do you want to go?
- What’s the purpose of your trip?
- How long do you plan to stay?
- How many people will be traveling with you? What are their ages?
- What type of accommodation do you prefer? Hotel, Guest House, Villa, Bed and Breakfast, Hostel, etc.
- Will (name of place) be your primary destination or will you be traveling around?
- If you’re planning to travel to other places, do you want to fly, go by train, bus, car, etc.?
- What do you like to do when you travel?
- What’s on your must see list?
- Is there anything you don’t want to do/see?
Although it’s not listed above, one of the most important considerations is budget. How much Tony or anyone has to spend will determine what kind of trip he will have.
Since Tony’s British, he won’t need a visa for the U.S. He also won’t need vaccinations. But he should consider getting travel insurance and bring any medications he needs. If he or any of his children has food allergies or is a vegetarian, he should disclose this to the airline so other arrangements can be made.
With answers to these questions, it’s easy to plan your own trip or one for a friend.
What do you think? What other questions would you include?
I have a trip coming up. An extended one. I haven’t traveled by plane since 9.11, so I know I need to find out what the prohibited travel items are. I hadn’t even thought I could be accommodated, as far as being a meatless eater. My plan is to take a few snack items anyway, since I can be a little finicky when it comes to eating. I may have to hit you back later if I think of any anything, for sure.
Looks good – I would also ask about what they like to eat. Please share when you finish – we are going to be in New York next month!
because i’m a total food ho’ i’d probably ask him what kinds of food he and the kids enjoy – so much to eat there!!!!
You must be excited. A few snacks are great either way, since there could be delays, etc.
Thanks for that. I’ll add that to my list.
Thanks, Totsy! Can’t wait to hear about your trip.
Hahaha, good one, Jenjenk!
Thanks, Jan. I’ll definitely share.
Great questions, Marcia – and one that I can use soon since I plan on being in NYC in Nov. Thanks for sharing your travel planning tool with us ~
Hi Marcia
I can’t access your Cotton Club blog post that you wrote on the 31st August.
I saw a TV show last night, called “I’ve been rich all my life”. It featured some of the show girls who danced at the Cotton Club, Apollo, and is it the Savoy? in the 1930’s.
17 years ago, they got back together. Now in their 80’s they are still tap dancing and putting on shows.
It was a wonderful show, full of good humour and lots of photographs of the old days, and some footage of Bo Jangles. One good old girl is 96 and can’t dance anymore but still goes to the rehearsals to give the other dancers a hard time.
You might enjoy it.
Just doing the math. Maybe the TV show is more than a few years old. Never mind, it was great just the same.
You’re welcome, Nancy!
It seems a few other bloggers are heading this way. I’ll make sure I have a good variety of things for everyone to see and do.
You seem to get a lot of good old shows. Do you remember the name of it? It’d be lovely to see it.
Sorry about that, Narelle. Try this link http://insidejourneys.wpengine.com/?p=6771
I’ll have to see if I can get that show. Amazing the camaraderie among those performers.
I think I would ask him too what kind of shopping place he would like to go !
That’s sounds stupid but when I’m travelling, I like to bring back home something from the place that I visit, like a leather bag from Firenze, Italia because the leather’s work is a kind of speciality of the place, or Alabaster’s stone from Volterra…
Or just simply visit some shopping center who have a big history like “Le Bon Marché” or “Le Printemps” in Paris, France or “Hamley’s, Harrolds or Fortnum and Mason” in London…
What do you think ?
Not that I can help but I’d like to know what to do in NY if I ever visited. I hear lots of raves about the great restaurants there.
I think “How long will you stay” and “What is the purpose of your visit” are the two most important because they will determine your complete itinerary for the most part. After that it’s a matter of budgeting both time and money. I can never fit everything in when I visit NYC!
Hi Marcia
It was called “Been rich all my life”.
It was on late, so I didn’t catch the end of it. My husband told me that the old girl died, and the others danced at her funeral.
Thanks Marcia, this is great and thanks to all your contributors!
Terrific suggestions and tips. Of course, the best part of Tony’s trip is the fact that his currency(the pound) will go far here in the USA while our dollar will buy very little in the UK. Conversion rates are important to consider and how much we plan to bring in cash. TY! 🙂
Good point. Thanks, Elizabeth. I’ll definitely add that to the list.
You’re welcome, Tony!
Oh, how sad. I’d be bawling like a baby!
I’ll have to look it up. There’s a channel here that runs old movies, I’m sure they have it. If not, I can check Netflix.
Thanks, Narelle!
You’re definitely right. Thanks, Scott.
And there’s never enough time to see everything here.
I’ll be posting a list shortly. Thanks for visiting.
Good idea, Isabelle! Thanks for suggesting it.
Those are great questions since things change so frequently – like the Statue of Liberty closing for renovations. Also, buying tickets in advance could save time to see and do more.
Thanks, Michaela. You’re so right. I’ll keep that in mind as well.
Thanks for visiting.
Very helpful information. Many people like to go somewhere on the spur of the moment, but half the fun for me is the planning o the trip and brainstorming all the possibilities!
Thanks, Roxanne. I do spur of the moment trips as I’m not a great planner but I keep a list handy all the time.