Travel Planning (Still) Sucks

I love to travel and I love to plan travels. Especially the often overseen logistics that will ensure a seamless, joyful and on-budget experience. Right now I’m planning for my fall trip to Europe; a few days in London, Cambridge, Dorset, Zürich, Lausanne, Geneva, Paris, Copenhagen, Karlskrona and London. 9 days, 9 cities - easy.

The decision between taking a flight from Zürich to Paris or choosing the slower train for a more vivid experience is a delicate one. Flight ensures speed but trains emotions and an uninterrupted work experience. Then there is price: my train to Paris ended up being 1/3 of the price of the flight and I’ll arrive right smack in the city. Then there is access to real food…

But there is no formula. It’s all based on experience, gut-feel and hunches. There must be time to smell the roses as well as quickly getting from A to B. Early mornings are justified in some cases, in others not. Sleep-ins matters as well as early starts.

But booking engines and mapping services have a long way to go to become really valuable and efficient tools in planning travels. Sometime I’d want the most cost-effective options and sometimes the most adventurous. I want alternatives and options, transparent and authentic.

What about a services where  I could share my core itinerary and let my social graph collaboratively design the experience? Maybe even connect it with relevant data?