MY LIFE : MY ESSENTIAL PRE-TRAVEL RITUAL

Hey Trotters...

How time flies and before I knew it, its already 21days until the epic Second Honeymoon on a Second Year Wedding Anniversary to Thailand... And, gosh, am I flabbergasted-ly, jumping out of my skin, over the moon excited about pressing that Play button on my long planned to the 'T', long anticipated and long enthused travel plans... XD

In this blog entry I would like to share with all about my pre-preparation travel "Ritual"... I have done this on all my travel endeavors that I have been to before and it is a great tool to help me along during my trotting through many destinations. I call it a "Personal Travel Guide Manual" and its a personally designed diary which is made up of a recycled notebook or years-gone-by organizer plastered with all the information printed out from the internet on each page to create a manual of information fully catering to my wants and needs to bring along during my venture. It compromises of many street maps from Google Earth, tour information, dining guide, my selected accommodation guide and many more interesting facts picked up from here and there...

Why create such a "Personal Travel Guide Manual", one may ask???
Well, first of all, I am not the type to want to spend ooodels and ooodels of money on Travel Guides pre-written on sale at the bookstore which ranges from RM90 to the hundreds. What with the use of the World Wide Web! And who is to say that those Travel Books are accurate in prices and information once one reaches a travel destination? For me with a personally created book, you will know which information pasted in there is dated or updated. I have encountered personally tourists coming to Sabah carrying a "Lonely Planet Travel Guide" and quoting directly on certain prices and information from the book which, even though it was applicable before, does not apply in the Now... And I have seen the frustration on their faces as they flip through pages upon pages of unnecessary information. *Dang* I thought, all I can do is to pity them and direct them onto the right path...
Secondly, a personal manual caters directly to what you want and need and only to the places your looking forward to visit for sightseeing, shopping and exploring. And you know which page and on which sector you left the information on, less hassle and fuss.
Thirdly, why buy when you can create. It is much more fun and cost effective to DIY, for me personally anything DIY is heaven! And it is great to know that you can be organized and see your efforts put to good use each time you travel!
I could think of many more reasons towards my adoration on this pre-travel "Ritual" but I would leave you guys with three for now... =D

As stated on my previous blog towards my travel plans to Thailand. I have created and carefully molded an Itinerary since January 2009 and I have also included it into my Personal Travel Guide Manual. I will include some sneak shots of my manual and since pictures speaks a thousand words so I will let them do the talking for me... Here they are :-

Information Written, Printed and Pasted on a Recycled Diary

Print out Maps of Tour Destinations too... Even though, we will have a Tour Guide but it is just for information...

Also pasted in the Tour Vouchers and booking confirmation from the Thailand Tour Agents for security purposes... One can never be too careful...
*No Photo as it reveals personal information*

Researched and pasted all information on the accommodations I will be staying at... Including the booking confirmations and email conversations...

Also included in the mix are our Flight Itineraries...
*No Photos as it reveals personal information*

Finally, our very detailed, day-to-day travel itinerary... So we know what we gotta do on the time we have to do it in... It is personally drafted and completed... Had lots of fun completing this part of my manual.... It includes the tour descriptions, things to bring on the tours, daily meals and important information about each tour...

There is also a section for Day-to-day on the go notes, budget outline and Things to bring on the trip...
*No Photos as it reveals personal information*

These are my tools used during my pre-preparations... The black diary is my
"Personal Travel Guide Manual"
which I will be taking along with me during my travel to Thailand...

I guess that said it all... Remember I mentioned that I was an obsessive compulsive traveler? Well this proves it! I took a test on what traveler I was on Tripadvisor and I was subject A=The Perfectionist... And although I confess on pre-preparations I do get obsessed and must have my information planned perfectly but guaranteed I am not a fussy traveler (if I was, I would have already had my fair share of being thrown out of the tour bus... which luckily "fingers crossed" I haven't... Teehee). Surprisingly when I travel it is more of a laid back enjoy the sights, sounds and smells... When it comes down to it, that is what traveling is all about! If one gets peeved off with every little detail that does not go as planned then that is not life now is it =)

Neway, until I see ya next time on my blog page!
Wishing all Travel Trotters out there wherever you may roam a secure, safe and informative travel!!!

Thanks for visiting!
MTJ