Getting Started
Trips generally start 2 ways:
1) you have a destination set and want to look for historical events in that location; check out TRIPS SORTED BY DESTINATION
2) you have a time period, person or event in mind and want to know where you can go to experience that historical period; start with TRIPS SORTED BY TIME PERIOD
Not fixed to any particular time or place and just want to plan a fun historical trip? Check out the Posts page to see all the trips in one place!
For media and travel goodies I love, see the Resources page!
Planning & Preparation
Once I know what cities or countries I’ll be visiting, the next step is to figure out timing & transportation. Do you want to rent a car or travel by train? Will you have an afternoon or a week to explore?
I use excel to create itineraries so that my agenda, travel times, costs, lodging, meals, activities and everything are in one place. Not sure what sources to use? I’ve compiled my favorites on the Resources page. I love the planning part – it’s like a virtual trip before you even leave your house!
I tend to book airfare, hotels, cars, tours, etc as soon as my plans are pretty set to make sure I can do everything I want to do. It’s going to be a challenge over the next year to see how the industry rebounds from COVID. Many of my posts will be pre-pandemic trips, so do take that into consideration as places may be reducing hours/capacity or closed for good.
Final Details
As a US traveler generally going to Europe, I haven’t encountered any need for travel VISAs or specialized documents other than a passport to travel abroad. Be sure to verify the visitation requirements, as some countries do require a certain length of time on a US passport to be valid prior to entry. You don’t want to get denied boarding at the airport because your passport expires within the required timeframe!
I also do a final check of lodging plans over the last couple of weeks prior to leaving. In 20+ years of traveling I’ve only ever showed up once to a B&B that didn’t have my reservation; so now I review hotel confirmation #s and email B&B’s a couple of weeks out to ‘remind/confirm’ my stay and give them a heads up in case there is a conflict!