I get it. I am generally pretty type B but have gotten anal about planning summers, since we love to take trips but have a lot of moving pieces between older girls who go to sleepaway camp, annual trips with extended family, and a younger boy with mild CP. My husband usually needs to request time off a year in advance at his job, and my time off is more limited, so we try to maximize every holiday for longer trips. My DH is taking DD for a 13th bday trip in August 2025. We are going to Oregon and northern CA in 2026. Lol.

When my oldest was starting high school, and we were just coming out of covid travel restrictions, DH and I sat down and mapped out our top priority activities for the next few summers. A couple of family vacations, a couple of big summer camps like sailing camp or space camp.

Then it all went out the window when the kids picked local summer activities that interfered, like a fall school sport that starts required practices the first week of August.

We still had the list, but had to rethink how and when to do things. Some got moved to winter or spring break. Some got moved to a different summer, or shelved. Some got replaced with new priorities.

It was still helpful to come up with a list, even if we didn't end up following the "plan".

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Planning for the upcoming 12 months, sure, but 2026? Only verbally, as in, let's talk about organizing a family reunion in 2026 in Japan. Not, let me book all flights and accommodations.

Weird way to admit you have poor reading comprehension, but ok.

No, if you don't write it in the OP, people aren't going to read the updates. If you're going to "plan" in your head, ie "hope" and "wish", then the thread is worthless. Most of us do that sort of "planning". It's not planning at all. Just normal thinking ahead type stuff.

"I'm not talking about buying plane tickets or anything..."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Given the changes from week to week and month to month with my teens, there is no way I'd be planning summer camp or vacation now for 2026! Sure that camp sounds fun now, but there is no way to know that they will feel the same in a year.

I don't see a problem with writing out a plan in pencil for that far out, but unless you really need to book the vacation to lock in dates or pricing, I would not do it.

I'm impressed your teens even want to go to camp, mine refuse.

It's not even in pencil, just in my head. I've been doing it for 10 years without admitting it to anyone, and it's worked out well.

That's not planning. It's just thinking about the future. Which we all do to a certain extent. Some of us actually have researched dates and prices on trips that need to be booked well in advance, ready to pull the trigger.

There's always the odd parent (usually a hands-off father, often with ADHD) who doesn't do this. But the majority have some idea of what their family would like to do for the next couple of years.

You made it seem as if you were actually making reservations more than a year in advance...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Planning for the upcoming 12 months, sure, but 2026? Only verbally, as in, let's talk about organizing a family reunion in 2026 in Japan. Not, let me book all flights and accommodations.

Weird way to admit you have poor reading comprehension, but ok.

No, if you don't write it in the OP, people aren't going to read the updates. If you're going to "plan" in your head, ie "hope" and "wish", then the thread is worthless. Most of us do that sort of "planning". It's not planning at all. Just normal thinking ahead type stuff.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:National Parks and certain museums or activities here and abroad have to be reserved at least 6 months in advance.

But other than that, you shouldn't lock your family into any commitments: your kids are in their period of greatest change, their tastes and preferences will change, but also their availability, if they want to look for internships of jobs, or if they participate in specialized camp or tour experiences (language, music, athletics, etc).

Is it anxiety that is spurring you on? You need to be more flexible.

Not, it's not anxiety at all. Like a PP said, I've realized that different camps and activities have different age requirements, and I enjoy fitting things together like a puzzle to make sure we can take advantage of as much as we can.

(Also, their preferences haven't changed in the past five years.)

Got it, you like to maximize. I do too! But as a poster said, plans are useless but planning is essential. You can have all the Excel spreadsheets you want, but when (not if) things change... well, you'll have to roll with it. Isn't this what most people do?

Well, not my DH. And no spreadsheets here, just a list in my head. I love PP's quote, though.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:National Parks and certain museums or activities here and abroad have to be reserved at least 6 months in advance.

But other than that, you shouldn't lock your family into any commitments: your kids are in their period of greatest change, their tastes and preferences will change, but also their availability, if they want to look for internships of jobs, or if they participate in specialized camp or tour experiences (language, music, athletics, etc).

Is it anxiety that is spurring you on? You need to be more flexible.

Not, it's not anxiety at all. Like a PP said, I've realized that different camps and activities have different age requirements, and I enjoy fitting things together like a puzzle to make sure we can take advantage of as much as we can.

(Also, their preferences haven't changed in the past five years.)

Got it, you like to maximize. I do too! But as a poster said, plans are useless but planning is essential. You can have all the Excel spreadsheets you want, but when (not if) things change... well, you'll have to roll with it. Isn't this what most people do?

Anonymous wrote:Planning for the upcoming 12 months, sure, but 2026? Only verbally, as in, let's talk about organizing a family reunion in 2026 in Japan. Not, let me book all flights and accommodations.

Weird way to admit you have poor reading comprehension, but ok.

Plans are useless but planning is essential.

Planning builds knowledge to make good decisions.

Planning for the upcoming 12 months, sure, but 2026? Only verbally, as in, let's talk about organizing a family reunion in 2026 in Japan. Not, let me book all flights and accommodations.

Anonymous wrote:National Parks and certain museums or activities here and abroad have to be reserved at least 6 months in advance.

But other than that, you shouldn't lock your family into any commitments: your kids are in their period of greatest change, their tastes and preferences will change, but also their availability, if they want to look for internships of jobs, or if they participate in specialized camp or tour experiences (language, music, athletics, etc).

Is it anxiety that is spurring you on? You need to be more flexible.

Not, it's not anxiety at all. Like a PP said, I've realized that different camps and activities have different age requirements, and I enjoy fitting things together like a puzzle to make sure we can take advantage of as much as we can.

(Also, their preferences haven't changed in the past five years.)

National Parks and certain museums or activities here and abroad have to be reserved at least 6 months in advance.

But other than that, you shouldn't lock your family into any commitments: your kids are in their period of greatest change, their tastes and preferences will change, but also their availability, if they want to look for internships of jobs, or if they participate in specialized camp or tour experiences (language, music, athletics, etc).

Is it anxiety that is spurring you on? You need to be more flexible.

Not crazy. I have a 5 and 8 year olds. Loosely planning all the ES summers and spring breaks to fit in trips we want to take, swim specialized camps etc. things may change of course.
DH is also a planner so he is along for it.

Anonymous wrote:So, January it is!
Whatever. That's not the point.

It's exactly the point.

So, January it is!
Whatever. That's not the point.