How to plan the trip of a lifetime, for two or more ppl

This week Husband and I have decided where we want to go and put together an itinerary for our Fabulous Baker Tour of Europodiean Isles... it was difficult working out where to go and at the beginning I was all at sea as to how, indeed, one should go about deciding where to go, when one has not been before and one doesn't know all there is to see, or how the group will best travel... should we go to less places for longer time or many place briefly so as to see much and therefore increase the chances of finding a cool place to be the jewel of the trip, that you can show photos and tell stories of to inspire wonderment and jealousy in all who hear and/or see!?!

I felt going to many place was the best idea, but Jay felt more lead toward the fewer-longer school of thought. Though I bought in to the many-briefly style I did not know which destination those many should be! As you can imagine this was somewhat troubling for me (and a difficult angle to debate in favour of, when you're lacking in destinations to assert!)

So, finally, 12 sleeps out from my leaving home (to go on tour with my choir for a month, before meeting Jay in Spain) we hit upon a plan that was to see us piece together a itinerary that included sights, destinations and experiences to cater to the whole group!

Today I will share with you that plan!

Here is the plan in an easy 4 step method:
a) Request for all said members of said group to personally and privately formulate a list of places/thing they would like to see/do.
b) Group members compile individual lists into one definitive list (you may choose to ask members to rank their selection and/or to highlight activities multiple group members have submitted. It is also handy to note down how long you think you will need for each activity, to help work out how long you will need to schedule in each place)
c) Organise the list into countries and city/town/area/region type groups and work out an efficient route to visit all destinations.
d) Take your plans to the Travel Agent... it may help to consider the mode of transport most suited to each of the different journeys you will be making, and research this on the internet before you visit the dirty old T.A.

That is what we did- now we're waiting for the travel agent to get back to us, with prices, availability and options.

O.E.... Y?

So what's the deal with travel?

I don't think it's bad or wrong or anything. In fact I'm about to embark in a overseas sojourn with my husband around Europe for two months! (after traveling with my choir for 1 month) But why do we do it? I mean, I know the Eiffel Tower exists, but if I'm anywhere in the vicinity I find directions, go there and look it. Why? It's not that I didn't believe all the other people who have already seen it. I've seen photos, I've heard stories- yet I will go there. It is a fair bet to say that Jay and I will go to visit the Eiffel Tower when we are in Paris. How odd. I don't imagine it will bring any new and exciting revelations into our lives. It won't change the way we see the world. But we will go there.

Oh how strange we human creatures are!

Is it just me or is it weird to leave all you know, those we love and the communities to which we belong to see other places and stuff. Are we peeking into someone else's reality to avoid our own? Or is that just a guise to meet different people and see if we might be happier elsewhere? or to find out if we're at all similar or very different? or to glean information, learn things from them that we don't know?

And the weirdest thing is I feel the most "kiwi" when I'm away from here. I feel somehow proud of our distant speck of dirt in the Antipodes, happy in the knowledge that far-off, richly blessed Aotearoa is the place I call home.