I have two cousins who are currently in Paris. Because I lived there for about a year a number of years ago, I'm always ready to give people tourist advice if they're going there.
Whether they want it or not.
I mean... I try to wait until they ask, but once they ask I figure it's fair game. And - since Christopher has also travelled to Paris a number of times, but has had different experiences than I have had (most of our travels there have been separate), I tend to also recommend places that he has suggested. So, if pressed, we could probably pre-plan about two weeks' worth of sightseeing in and around Paris for people.
But, you see, that makes perfect sense to me. I think it's a genetic predisposition to wanting to plan travel. It comes from my mom's side of the family, mostly.
When I was a little kid and we would go to visit my grandparents in Los Angeles, we'd arrive to find a calendar of events that were all planned. Our time was split among various relatives, and we knew when we arrived that we wouldn't have to make many decisions.
The same is true for people going to visit my parents. When we were growing up and people would be coming for a family reunion over the Fourth of July, my mom would put together a full list of things that were either Scheduled or Optional - just to make sure no one got bored. And this continues to this day.
My sisters do the same kinds of things. When my parents go to visit them (they live close enough together that my parents can visit both families at the same time), the schedule is pretty much set before Mom and Dad get there.
And, yes, I do the same exact thing. Before anyone arrives at our door, I've got a list of proposed ideas in mind. For instance, when my folks come to visit, I pretty much know which day we're most likely to go out to dinner, which day we're most likely to cook in, and which day would be best for them to go visit with other relatives.
I swear that it's all because I'm genetically pre-disposed to plan vacations and "visits."
This is, in part, why the fact that a good friend of ours coming into town in 3 weeks from New York has already received 2 surveys of things to eat and things to do. (Although she does not realize it, this is on top of the schedule I've already worked out in my head - and cleared with Christopher.) I believe we have enough to fill about 9 days on a calendar, although she's only going to be here for 3.5 days.
There is, of course, the chance that she'll get here and we'll completely throw everything out the window except for one or two must-do events that she and I have already confirmed. But I love the fact that it's all put together and plotted out in advance, just in case.
After all, I wouldn't want to let down the generations of planners who came before me, would I?
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