Travel Planning Tips: How to Plan Travel Like a Pro

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links that, by clicking on a link and making a purchase, results in a small percentage of compensation to me at no extra cost to you. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. We stand by all of the products that we recommend.

One concern that’s been tugging at me lately is that it must seem that since most of my reviews of places (restaurants, bars, hotels, activities) are so positive, I just give everyone really high ratings, regardless of my actual experience. This is NOT the case. Travel planning is an extremely important part of a trip. The answer to why most of my experiences are good-to-great is really simple: I do my research. I spend a lot of time on travel planning for each trip that I take. I don’t want to waste my time and money on a bad vacation.

Travel Planning Tips
This is a stock photo, but I definitely want that notebook.

For anyone who knows me in real life, they know that I’m super Type A about a lot of things. That’s one of the best qualities that a lawyer can have. It’s not great for travelers if you don’t know how to turn off your Type A tendencies sometimes and just go with the flow. But my anal-retentive inclinations, combined with my need to know everything about everything (some might call it a know-it-all?), leads me to research the CRAP out of where I’m going before I actually plan a trip and go there.

I’m not saying you should overschedule your vacations so that you don’t leave any room to deviate from your travel plans or spontaneous experiences. I’m not saying that at all. But, with a little research you can make an “alright” vacation into an unforgettable experience – just put in the time beforehand (or even while you’re there) to figure out what you want to see, where you want to eat, and where you want to lay your head at night, and you can minimize any unfortunate surprises when you’re finally on (what’s supposed to be) your relaxing getaway.

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So, now that I’ve shared my not-so-secret secret key ingredient to travel planning, the next question is:

How and where do I do my research and start my travel planning?

So glad you asked. Here we go:

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Fairmont Le Château Frontenac Christmas

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links that, by clicking on a link and making a purchase, results in a small percentage of compensation to me at no extra cost to you. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. We stand by all of the products that we recommend.

Booking to spend our Christmas at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Québec City, Canada is one of the best decisions that we ever made. This winter wonderland of a luxury hotel just oozes holiday spirit in December. What a wonderful place it was to spend my favorite holiday of the year! Read on if you’re thinking of making it a Le Château Frontenac Christmas.

Lobby Christmas Trees at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac

Why the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, you may wonder? I have wanted to stay at this hotel since I first glimpsed it in person when I was 15 years old. We were on a family cruise with Holland America Lines, originating in New York and ending in Montreal, with a few days in Québec City. The place is a castle (a real château) – it enchanted me immediately. I had to stay here someday, and that day finally came in December 2016.

A brief note about inclusivity: I’m Catholic by upbringing, I identify as Christian, and I celebrate Christmas. It’s my favorite holiday. However, I believe that if you’re an atheist, Jew, Muslim, agnostic, Hindu, Buddhist, etc., you’ll still have a wonderful time visiting the Château in late December! No shade to other ideologies here – just speaking from my own perspective as a Christmas-lover!

I was not disappointed. If anything, I had underestimated how great this hotel really was. I felt like a Christmas princess all week in this snow-covered palace! And, what better place than to stay in the most iconic symbol of the city itself – Le Château Frontenac?

White Christmas at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac

Getting There (In A Snowstorm)

Welp, driving to Québec City from New York City on Christmas Eve was not one of my BRIGHTEST ideas. To say the least.

Snowy Quebec City rooftops
Snow-covered rooftops of Québec City

We rented an SUV in NYC (from Laguardia Airport, which we were closer to than JFK) to make the drive up. I knew my Acura TL wasn’t built for snowy roads and we were going to Canada, after all. So, we rented a Nissan Murano and began our trek through upstate New York to the border.

Things were great until we hit a snowstorm around mid-Catskills! It kept snowing all the way until we reached Québec City. It took only about one hour longer than it should have, which was great. However, driving that far and long on snowy roads during a snowstorm means extremely tense shoulders and white knuckles for me.

Just a quick sidenote: drivers between Montreal and Quebec City are insane. We kept getting passed by Toyota Yarises doing 90 mph in a snowstorm. So, be warned!

Christmas Le Château Frontenac
One of the many Christmas decorations at the hotel

We arrived in town and began the meandering drive uphill toward the hotel. I was so glad we had the SUV at that point because there are some steep hills in Vieux-Québec. If you’re in doubt, rent the SUV with 4-wheel drive.

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Citi Field – Catch a ballgame in NYC

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Enjoying a New York Mets baseball game at Citi Field is a great way to spend a spring, summer or fall afternoon in New York City.  Here’s some useful information on how to visit this New York landmark, see a game, and maybe keep the party going afterward!

HOME OF THE UNDERDOGS: CITI FIELD

Citi Field exterior view

Citi Field was completed in 2009 as the new home of the New York Mets after the team’s former home, the famous Shea Stadium (home to one of the most historic Beatles’ performances ever) was closed after a good run from 1964 and then demolished.

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Situated right next to the grounds from the World’s Fair (think Men in Black’s spaceships at the end of the first movie), the swanky, newer home for the Mets boasts a high-end food scene (even Shake Shack, hello!) and lower prices than its neighbor to the north.  While the Mets don’t enjoy the same reputation as the Yankees as a consistently winning team, everyone loves a good underdog and although they haven’t clinched a World Series since the 1980’s, the Mets put on a great show for kids of all ages, and have made several MLB Playoffs showings in the past few years.

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View from Hallgrímskirkja

Top 7 Things To Do in Reykjavik

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Iceland is one of the most popular tourist destinations as of late, and I’ve been there twice. I’ve been to Reykjavik in the winter (late November) and in the summer (right after the summer solstice). Granted, the magic and beauty of Iceland are mostly found outside of its enchanting capital city. However, I do recommend that any tourists visiting Iceland spend some time in Reykjavik during their visit. There’s a lot to see and do (and eat and drink!) in this town – so here are my top 7 things to do in Reykjavik, Iceland!

Top 7 Things to do in Reykjavik, Iceland
Reykjavik is so full of color!

7. Visit quirky local artisan shops & buy cool stuff

Reykjavik has a great design scene and there are a ton of cool local shops where local artists sell their wares. Supporting local artisans is one of the ways that you can “give back” and fight the specter of overtourism. Iceland has a huge problem with overtourism, so consider offsetting your visit by supporting the local arts with a purchase. Plus, you’ll get a pretty sweet souvenir to bring home with you. It’s a win-win!

At Kirsuberjatred (Vesturgata 4) you’ll find original pieces by 11 local women artisans for purchase. This includes fishskin leather goods, pottery, jewelry and more.

My favorite shop, however, was fóa (formerly located at Laugavegur 2). It had a great balance of trendy and artsy but thoughtful things that you can bring home. Unfortunately, fóa closed in November 2018 due to skyrocketing rents in the city. The space it occupied is still vacant.

Reykjavik’s streets

But – fret not! Rebekka from fóa actually gave me amazing referrals for you, dear readers, if you would like to buy real Icelandic products from local artisans. They are:

A store I really enjoy is Skúmaskot, they are sort of along the lines of fóa, selling beautiful pieces by Icelandic designers. A few artists still sell their wares at Kolaportið, the only real flea market in Iceland and they could definitely do with some support as well. There are also very many beautiful jewellers (orri finn and aurum for example) that are still running stores downtown.

I would also recommend ceramic shops! There are lots of them dotted around downtown esp. on Skólavörðustígur that are absolutely beautiful…[Jackie’s note: Maybe also get coffee and a pastry at Mokka Kaffi in the morning near here too – a cafe in Reykjavik that’s been open since 1958!]

…Rammagerðin and Epal, larger and more established stores…sell mass-produced trinkets but also have some high-end local art.

Rebekka – assistant store manager at fóa for the 5 years it was open

A more traditional option is buying an authentic knitted Icelandic sweater (known as a lopapeysa) from the Handknitting Association of Iceland (Skolavoerdustigur 19). These are NOT cheap, but the quality of the pieces is undeniable. If you don’t need a sweater but just want some warm gloves or a hat, they have those too (I have 2 pairs of gloves). Plus, you can be assured that it’ll be the warmest sweater, gloves, or hat that you own!

6. Visit Hallgrímskirkja and go to the top

Top 7 Things to do in Reykjavik, Iceland
Hallgrímskirkja in all its glory!

Towering over the statue of Leif Eriksson is the unmissable Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavik’s most iconic church. A Lutheran church, Hallgrímskirkja took 41 years to build (from 1945 to 1986). The church is named for the 17th Century famous Icelandic clergyman and poet Hallgrímur Petersson.

Top 7 Things to do in Reykjavik, Iceland
I lit a candle for all my homies who passed away.
German organ at Hallgrimskirkja
That’s a big organ.

The church is home to a pretty epic organ (made by a German organ builder) and it has an elevator that takes you to the top of the tower. Tickets to the elevator are 1000 ISK (about $8 USD) per person. At the top, you can enjoy a 360-degree view of the city and beyond. The view alone is worth a visit. Being a Protestant church, the church is otherwise pretty plain inside (very Scandinavian), but beautiful.

View from Hallgrímskirkja
One angle from the view at the top of the church.
View from Hallgrímskirkja
Another angle of the view from the top

Here are the church and tower hours:
Winter (October – April): 9 am – 5 pm, tower open 9 am – 4:30 pm.
Summer (May – September): 9 am – 9 pm, tower open 9 am – 8:30 pm.

Another (less epic) viewpoint.
View from Hallgrímskirkja
With this view, is it worth $8 USD? Yes. Yes, it is.
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Valamar Diamant Hotel (Poreč, Croatia)

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We stayed in the Valamar Diamant Hotel in Poreč, Croatia during our family heritage trip in the summer of 2018. This family-friendly and sports-forward property is a huge complex, with residence-type units and regular hotel rooms, a large buffet restaurant, several pools, a beach, and tons of sports facilities and activities for children.

Kiddie beach part of the hotel

This is not a luxury property. It looks like it was built during the communist era and hasn’t been updated since. We weren’t huge fans (especially due to one specific dining experience – read more below!), but I’m reviewing it so that you know what to expect if you decide to stay at the Valamar Diamant Hotel!

Valamar Diamant Hotel’s Location

Sunset view from the beach area

Our family chose the Valamar Diamant Hotel for its location and proximity to the town of Poreč (pronounced “poor-ETCH”), where there are a lot of things to do for those visiting Istria. Poreč is one of Istria’s larger towns and a great home base for exploring the region. The purpose of our trip was to visit our great-grandmother’s house in Nova Vas, about an hour’s drive away. So, it made sense for us to stay in Poreč, where things were a bit livelier.

The Valamar Diamant Hotel is one of the more highly-rated hotels and my cousin had stayed here on a previous trip, and has similar taste to me, so we also stayed here. It was a good choice for such a large group (16 of us, all adults) with various room types for all. There are regular 4-star hotel rooms and there are 3-star one- and two-bedroom apartments for rent, too.

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Hotel More (Dubrovnik, Croatia)

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I can’t take credit for choosing the Hotel More in Dubrovnik, as my uncle picked it for our trip to Croatia last summer. But oh my gosh, I’m so glad he did. The Hotel More in Dubrovnik, Croatia was everything we could have wanted and…well… more!

Hotel More Dubrovnik Croatia
Location, Location, Location.

Hotel More’s Location in Dubrovnik

Located in the slightly more suburban area of Lapad (just north of old town), Hotel More is about a 15-minute bus ride directly from the Old Town main gate, plus a 10-minute walk. It’s actually a lovely walk, where you stroll the coastline of Lapad and pass lots of little shops and restaurants on the way to the hotel.

Three adults shown walking from behind down mediterranean seafront
Walking from the hotel to the bus stop to take us into the Old Town.

You’ll likely arrive at the hotel by street, though, if you come by taxi and you actually arrive at the top of the hotel in the lobby. The hotel offers a pre-booked airport transfer service (for a charge), and we arranged for a minivan to pick us up from the airport and bring us directly to the hotel. The driver was on time, professional and very kind. Nika, the hotel concierge who helped me arrange the transfer and our dinner plans, recommended that we use the minivan since we were 4 adults with 4 big bags.

The hotel is built into a cliffside, so it doesn’t look like much of anything from the street. But once you enter the lobby, the floor-to-ceiling windows show the beautiful coastline behind you and you’re immediately transported into vacation mode.

Hotel More Dubrovnik Croatia
The view from the hallway outside our room.

Arriving at Hotel More in Dubrovnik

The bellmen were really helpful and sweet, and the front desk/reception folks were friendly and professional. We got our room keys and set off in search of our rooms.

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