Step 2: Discover & build upon the theme that has emerged...
Once the places you want to visit have been narrowed, hopefully a central theme or concept for the trip has emerged. Build on that! Look at the list of locations you have from Step One and begin to see if there is a common thread developing or maybe some sites are more interesting to you than others. From there, you will need to keep items on your list that you wish to see and you will need to eliminate those that may not be interesting to you or may not serve your schedule.
In 2013, we decided we really wanted to take our boys to see Andersonville National Historic Site and included it on a Southwest Georgia road trip. (You can read about our travels here.) When we began looking at places within a two or three-hour driving distance, several were at the top of our list: the Georgia Museum of Agriculture, the Jefferson Davis Capture Site, and the Civil War Naval Museum. We had to eliminate the Jarrell Plantation in Juliet, Georgia. It would not be open on the day we had available on our schedule.
You might be wondering what "theme" ties together these miscellaneous locations. Well, the obvious one is the fact that they are within a half-day's driving distance and that they are historic....but we are looking for more than that.
Ask the following questions:
Ask the following questions:
- Do these locations share a common time period in history?
- Do these locations share a common people group or way of living?
- Do these locations share an architectural or artistic style?
It is important to view eliminated sites and locations as "next time" items. You do not want to keep everything on the list. A little rest and relaxation are always called for while on vacation, and you also want to avoid rushing through one site for the sake of getting to another. This is a crucial step in planning an ABG style road trip....make time to savor the experience...
