Big reveal: The hardships of planning a trip no one sees — you have to shoulder these 6 major tasks alone

Text & Photos /Dextalk — Hiking, Chopping Wood, Feeding Horses, Traveling the World

Nowadays, if there’s still someone who goes out of their way to plan a trip for you, then you must treasure that person. Understand how exhausting it is to be the trip organizer — something that’s constantly ignored by the public, especially the trip planner. You’ll only realize how much sweat and effort it takes if you try it yourself. Don’t think planning a trip is a piece of cake, and don’t disrespect their hard work. Every word of thanks from you makes it all worthwhile, but every sour expression from you can ruin the trip — and even your relationship.

01 | Looking up info isn’t the same as a quick Google search

Can’t understand why some people think planning a trip just means Googling a bit online. In this age of so much information, they figure there are tons of examples from others, so isn’t it just a matter of copying a ready-made itinerary? Wrong. Totally wrong. Sure, there are lots of sample itineraries online, but not every itinerary fits your needs. As the planner, you also have to sort through the info you find — it’s just like doing a university project, and it's definitely not easy.

02 | You have to sacrifice most of your personal time

Aside from researching, the planner also has to look up hotels, attractions, routes, read other people’s reviews, and more. All that reading actually takes up a lot of their own time. For working professionals who are planners, after work they have to turn down some fun activities and dedicate most of their personal time to trip planning. Don’t think you can just whip out an itinerary in a few minutes.

03 | Cut out the things you don’t like

Planning a trip with two or more people is way more complicated than going solo, because you have to take everyone’s preferences into account. The planner, trying to balance everyone’s likes, has to give up some of their own favorite spots to accommodate the group. And the process of filtering options? It’s time-consuming. You know how people can be — satisfying everyone is pretty much impossible.

04 | Pay in advance for things that may not be refundable

Money talk ruins relationships, but often, the person handling the plans has to pay for hotels, flights, and other costs upfront. But if you run into a bad apple, those payments might not be recoverable. It’s a total gamble.

05 | Memorize the itinerary like it’s saved in your brain

Tell me, when someone else plans your trip, have you really taken a good look at it? Most people haven’t. People are lazy by nature. Once someone else handles the planning, they just hand themselves over, thinking the planner will magically handle everything like a local. But do you know? They might be visiting those places for the first time too. It’s just that while organizing the details, they had to spend tons of time making sure you’re fully prepared.

06 | Can’t miss a thing — food, clothing, housing, transportation

A trip isn’t just about where to go, it includes everything from what you eat and wear to where you stay and how you get around. What to eat, where to stay — they have to research all that. They check maps to see if the hotel is in the city center, whether the area is safe, if it’s near a subway station, and what must-eat dishes there are. They also check if other people’s reviews match the hype. Honestly, a trip planner is like your nanny — they have to take care of everything for you during the journey. Isn’t that hard? Isn’t it?!

Good trip organizers are hard to come by. If you didn’t contribute anything to the planning, then just be obedient during the trip. Don’t complain about this or that, and don’t give the planner a hard time. Because every complaint challenges their patience. Push it too far and you won’t be able to fix it. Just try to be a good travel companion.

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