Planning Paris: 3 Things We Do Every Time We Start Planning a Trip

We are heading to Paris in the Spring! During our most recent trip to the U.K. we told ourselves that on our next vacation we would stay in one place, preferably a beach. We told ourselves, "Definitely something a little more low key." All that has been thrown out the window and here we are now planning a trip to Paris. We are over the moon excited to travel to "The City of Lights." I thought it might be helpful to share the 3 Things We Do Every Time We Start Planning a Trip. Whether it's to Paris, France or Paris, Texas.

1. Get Organized with Google Docs

Once we've decided to go somewhere I immediately create a Google Doc and share it with Aaron. This has almost everything on it, from our flight confirmation numbers to the Airbnb addresses we're using. I also use this to start making a list of places I'd like to see, and breaking down a rough day by day outline. We don't plan out everything to the hour, just a couple main things for each day to leave time and space for wandering. Flexibility matters to me, but too much flexibility and we'll miss places we could have hit with a little more planning. The Google Doc is also great to reference back when we're trying to remember a year later exactly what we did.

2. Set Google Flight Alerts

Aaron dives in to tracking the flight prices on the flight itineraries that make the most sense for us. Google sends him notifications when the flights have dropped or the price has changed. Right now the Paris tickets are more than we'd like to spend, so we're closely monitoring until they dip. Sometimes the dip is short lived so we try to have an idea of what we'd be willing to spend so when they do drop, we don't hesitate to jump. Sunny will be 18 months so technically we can get away with her being a lap child, but if it's in our budget getting her a seat seems ideal.

3. Choose our 'Must Do's'

Each of us usually has one or two things that feel really important to us. Especially somewhere like Paris, we accept that there will be many things that we'd like to see that we won't be able to see. We make sure to prioritize those things that really matter to us on our itinerary. For me this trip it's The Lourve and a day trip to Giverny to see Monet's Gardens. For Aaron, as evidenced by the number of reviews/addresses he's listed on our Google Doc, it's bakeries. A win/win.

Beautiful photo By Cyril Mzn

Are you planning a trip? We'd love to hear more about your trip planning process! Let us know in the comments below.