Getting ready for a trip, no matter whether cruise, road trip, or other, means finding out about where you are going (ie what there is to do there), and to understand the weather.

These may sound like obvious ideas, but it is amazing how many people can forget them.

What to do

Figuring out what there is to do someplace means doing detailed or not so detailed research. That may involve looking through books, talking to others, or even searching the internet.

Since cruises usually stop at a variety of ports, this kind of research may mean looking up a variety of areas. Each cruise has its own itinerary, and that lets you know what areas you need to research. Cruise lines will often have excursions for the various ports, that will give you an idea of things to do. But researching on your own may opening up additional ideas that the cruise line does mention.

Weather

Understanding the weather, can usually just mean checking weather for that particular area you intend to visit. Searching something like weather.com or accuweather.com will allow you to seek specific areas for the time your may need.

One reason this is important is that we forget how different another area’s weather can be. For instance, summer in Texas can mean 100+ days, with evenings warm in the upper 70’s. But if you were going to Seattle in summer the weather would be much different. You might have days in the mid 70’s to mid 80’s, with evenings that much cooler. So you might need a light jacket in Seattle during the summer, where you might just need something to keep the sun off you in Texas.

Check the weather. It can mean the difference between enjoying your vacation and having to go shopping in order to be comfortable. And once you know what the weather will be, you have a better idea of what you may need to pack.