Travel Planning Is Exhausting
So I procrastinate until push comes to shove
For the last couple of weeks we’ve been in the same accommodation in Oslo and it’s been blissful. The property isn’t perfect, but it has a lot going for it and we feel the most at home since we started traveling (at least I do). I haven’t been motivated to plan the next part of our journey because being able to soak up the tranquility of just existing has been so lovely and needed that I haven’t wanted to ruin it. But, alas, it was time to roll my sleeves up and get down to business. And it truly felt like a job, which is why I had been resisting it so.
Here’s what it was like to be in my head:
We need a new AirBNB and we’d like to spend some more time in Norway. We keep hearing Bergen is nice, so I’ll see what I can find there. [Spends quite a bit of time searching AirBNB.] Holy cow it’s expensive but I think there’s exactly one property that could work. I’ll message and see.
While I wait to hear back, I’ll see what it costs to travel out there. [Runs searches on various websites.] Gosh, car rentals are pricey. I’ll look at the train to see how that compares; it’s supposed to be a really scenic ride. [Researches train fare on different days, at different times, which takes a bit of playing with.] Eeek, pricey, too. And then we’d still need a car if we stay at the property I messaged. Best just to drive from Oslo and have only the one cost.
Gosh, would we rent an electric car or gas car? Electric cars are so prevalent in Norway. Wait, can we even charge an electric car along the way? [Researches electric charging stations across Norway and reads multiple posts about making the Oslo-Bergen drive in an electric car.] Definitely doable but it will require charging along the way. [Researches more. Discovers electric cars get discounts on tolls and ferries and seem to be prevalent options at rental car agencies. Good to know.] Gas is expensive in Norway; electric could definitely be a good route. Hmm, but could we even charge the car at the house we’re looking at renting? [Messages the host to find out.]
What about car insurance? [Goes down various rabbit holes reading about primary vs secondary credit card coverage and evaluating based on the cards we have. Discovers that coverage for an electric vehicle is sometimes different than a gas vehicle—who knew? Need to look into the nuances. Shifts gears and logs onto auto insurance website to see if current coverage would extend at all. Can't tell and can’t reach anyone to ask, as it’s a Sunday. Also, the next day is Memorial Day in the US, so it’s going to be 48 hours before anyone is reachable.] Gosh, this is frustrating and such a time suck, but these details matter.
Hypothetically if all the stars aligned, we’d drive to Bergen. So how soon would we want to get there? The longer we rent a car, the more expensive it is. The AirBNB rental in Oslo is cheaper on a per night basis than the one in Bergen and we can extend our stay, but I need to let the Oslo host know our end date ASAP and then lock in the Bergen property. Gah, so many variables.
Wait, do we even want to make the drive all in one day or should we break it up? It’s 7+ hours and that’s without stops for scenery and leg stretching. [Researches places to stop along the way and spend the night. Dives back into accommodation research on various locations to see what prices are even like. Discovers that it’s apparently common in Norway for accommodations not to include towels or bed linens; these cost extra. Wow, okay.] Accommodation costs all in are not looking good for a one-night stay on the drive out or back. But there is one place right on a fjord that gets great reviews. It’s got limited availability, so we’d have to decide fast whether to snag it or not. It’s not price friendly but would allow us to see a really pretty part of Norway we might not otherwise see.
My head is swimming. I need to run all of this by Chris to get his thoughts. [It takes a bit to bring him up to speed on everything.] Yes or no Bergen? (Yes) Electric or gas car? (Gas) Stay overnight on the way there or back? (No, too many logistics that we won’t have the stamina for, unfortunately. We need to avoid short accommodations stays for our own sanity.)
The Bergen AirBNB host has responded that she can accommodate our dates and our ask for room-darkening shades; she confirms she does not have a way for us to charge an electric car. Great; decision made on the car. Ready to book the Bergen property, but first…
I message our current host to confirm that we’ll extend for a few more days. I need to make sure we won’t have a gap in accommodations. She confirms.
I finally book the Bergen AirBNB.
I’ll tackle the car rental and insurance in ~48 hours or so.
Whew! This process drained me. I spent 5-6 hours researching accommodations and transportation options. And this is why I had been avoiding the task. It’s like playing Tetris trying to get all the pieces to line up. Just when I think I have something figured out, I realize there’s another angle I haven’t thought through. Is it possible to think through everything? No, but I do want to make sure I’ve worked out the big pieces and fit them together as much as possible. I’m not going for perfect, just good enough. But even getting to that is SO much work when you’re trying not to rely on assumptions that could be erroneous.
Does this sound at all like what travel planning is like for you? Or am I just an overthinking spaz? Yeah, definitely some of the latter, but oh well. If you love travel planning, what are you doing differently that makes it more enjoyable? Please share! I think if it were just one or two trips we were planning at a time, it would be more fun. But it’s trip segment after trip segment and after a while it’s just overwhelming. This is why it’s helpful to travel more slowly. Less planning, more enjoying!
PS: The time I spent a few days later to investigate car insurance was another massive time suck. Short story: Our car insurance back home does not provide any international coverage. However, my Amex Platinum does; it covers everything except liability. Also, the extra days I had to wait to do that research meant that the overall cost to rent the car went up. Sigh. The more you know.
Yes to the exhaustion, I also spent several hours going down a rabbit hole as we are adding in a trip on the side with Japan and just try to make sure the logistics of the travel works from train to train to bus to plane. While there's a lot of people around who wing it, I haven't heard that any of those are families because there's just too many logistics to keep everybody safe. And travel blogs usually don't focus on that side, so I love that you are and being open about it, makes me feel less crazy. Hope you are having a great time in Norway. Still, if you haven't already made the drive, keep in mind that if you barely go over the speed limit, you get hit with some pretty hefty fines from all the setup cameras, so it's very important not to speed at all Even though the posted limits are very low for the type of road, as a friend of mine found out!