Reply to Is long-range summer planning really that insane?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Two kids left at home, rising 6th and 10th graders. As long as I allow for flexibility when the time comes, how crazy is it to work out a general summer plan for the remaining summers with them? I'm not talking about buying plane tickets or anything, just something like, "So in 2026, DD will attend Camp Fun Times in June, DS will head to Camp STEM, and in July we'll fly to California to visit Death Valley" or whatever. I'm finding the years are getting limited, and there's so much they and we still want to do. DH thinks signing kids up for summer camps in April of the same year is "planning too far ahead," so my perspective is a little off and I could use unbiased comments.[/quote]

If you are more flexible with what you want to do and less worried about specific programs you can wait. There are other choices that require you be proactive and book far in advance. No you are not crazy, unless you go to Death Valley in the summer. I have a rough plan in my head for the next bunch of summers. DS has some specific things he would like to do that require advance planning. He is in Scouts and is looking at high adventure camps (local and national) and several of those camps require registering a few years in advance, Philmont and Northern Tier. You have to put down a deposit, like $200, to hold the spot for a crew but you need to do it far in advanced to get the better programs.

We also travel to a good number of National Parks and many of those rquire booking rooms at the lodge the day that they open, which can be a year to 6 months in advance. We backpack and need to plan out what routes we want to take and back up routes because permits can book up the day they open. DH gets online the minute that the slots open, put in out request, checks out and when he goes to see what might still be open they are booked. There are limited space in the lodges at places like Glacier and Yosemite and Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon, they fill up fast. Yellowstone is a bit better because they have a bunch of lodges in the park. Heck, Arches requires a permit that is setat a specific day and time to enter the park. Glacier requires a permit to enter specific sections of the park. Zion you cannot drive on the main drag during the busy season, you have to shuttle.

Death Valley is a fall or spring trip, don't go during the summer. There is a ton of great hiking and beauty in Death Valley and you will see little to none of it during the summer. Same for Joshua Tree. Sequoia is great in the summer, cooler and beautiful. Awe inspiring. Yosemite is a congested nightmare unless you get out of the valley.

If you want to visit a region in general and you are not worried about activities selling out then you probably don't need to plan as much. If you want to visit specific locations and have specific ideas about what you want to do then you need to plan further out.

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