Know your Trip Planning style? Here’s some Tips

 

How many Wineries should we visit? This always seems like a trick question on an exam, and the response you usually get back is the dreaded “It Depends” answer. It responds to the question, but it does not answer it. We got you though, we’ll give you a framework for how to plan your itinerary, and our recommendations.

First though, you need to understand what type of trip planner you are and how your group rolls. Here are the most common types of Wine Country trip plans:

 

Planning Styles

 

1. Death Marcher – At Zero Six Hundred you march. This is a rigid plan, that is a dawn to dusk exercise with constant motion with the goal of maximizing your time to hit as many bullet list items as possible. I’ll admit, as a type A personality, I have been on this program and as my wife often said “I’ll need a vacation from my vacation” because of the exhaustion of such an itinerary.
2. Bar Hopper / Speed Dating – Similar to a Death Marcher, but only around Winery stops. The Bar Hopper wants to hit as many Wineries as possible, a quick taste and on the road. The premium is on quantity over quality time at each stop. Potentially a competitive of “I’ve been there” checklist thinking prevails for this type of planner, but also you may find that you really aren’t into a winery and want to move on to try another.
3. Pool Lounger – I’m in Wine Country, that’s all I need. I don’t have a plan or itinerary in fact often doing nothing and planning nothing is the greatest indulgence. My wife told me this is called “Down Time”, I was previously unfamiliar with this concept. The goal of this type of itinerary is to recharge, and fully experience the local beauty and settings. I have come to appreciate this style more as I have gotten older.
4. Experiential Tourist – This is what I would call the natural tourist, they want to see and experience their environment, but don’t want to kill themselves doing it. They want to Wine taste, but quality of time is more important than quantity of stops. This is the median place between the Death Marcher and the Pool Lounger. Most travelers will fit into some variation this category.
5. Go Where I’m Told – This is the person that is going on a planned Tour with a guide, or is fortunate enough to have a traveling companion that has done all the planning. Although, they could unwilling be joining some of the other planning itinerary styles, you may even join the Death Marcher’s depending on your groups planning style. These itineraries can vary but they will tend towards a middle ground as Experiential Tourists.

Rarely in life is anyone fixed to these styles, and it changes over time. The more you visit and become acquainted with Wine Country, the more your style may change. If you’ve been to the Wine Country a dozen times, you won’t necessarily be trying to punch every item on the list for your next trip. Most people will be a mixture of these Planning styles, even within  a trip. You may go hard the first 2 days, and then have a more leisure trip for the rest of your itinerary.

 

Planning Style Guidelines

 

Here is what you can loosely expect for an itinerary based on your Planning Style. Obviously, these are just guidelines and your mileage will vary based on your group. 

 

Tips & Recommendations

 

Our recommendation is to base your planning on what you know works best for your style of vacation/trip. When I was in my 20’s, everything was a Death March. Now that I’m older, have traveled quite a bit, I’m definitely more an Experiential Tourist, and occasional Pool Lounger. However, whatever you choose we do recommend that you ease back on packing your itinerary no matter what style you are. Here are our top Tips:

 

• Ease back on your agenda. Drop 1-2 items a day, give yourself some flexibility. Most people over estimate how much they can get done, this will help you ensure you aren’t disappointed. In this case, less is more. The less items you have on the agenda, the more time you can spend enjoying the ones that are on it. Wine Country is meant to be enjoyed, not sped through. 
• Be open to adapt your plan. There is always something you discover on a trip, give yourself a chance to call an audible and make a change on the fly as needed. Some of these off schedule items have been the best part of vacations for all of us. I know for the rigid planners this is a tough call, but you’ll be surprised at how much you may enjoy being more spontaneous. 
• Plan for down time – give yourself a day to recovery in between every 2-3 days of visit. This is a day with little to no formal agenda. It will help you feel less stressed, and give you time to enjoy some of the things you might not have otherwise. That maybe a day a the pool, more casual longer visit wine tastings, or a easy spin to stretch the legs.
• Have a Road Work plan – This is a topic unto itself, we have a separate article that goes into depth about how you want to plan your mileage for your group. How to adjust for a mixed group of riders, and companions especially where one party wants a more cycling than tasting experience and vice versa. See article here

 

Conclusion

 

In the end, our best recommendation is to Enjoy the Wine Country, it’s beautiful – we feel the best approach is the whatever you choose. No sense in getting stressed over the decision, you’re here to have fun and relax. Experience some great Wineries, and allow yourself to enjoy the quality of your time, and more deeply experience the special place, culture, and geography that makes up Wine Country. If you love your visit, and really feel like you missed out on something, come back and plan another visit knowing your all the richer from your first experience. 

 

Cheers! Enjoy the Roll