How much planning is enough?

It's so tempting to try to plan out every minute of every day. I'm reading about all of the places I'm going and there are so many amazing things to do and see. It's hard to decide where to start. Well, at least I've gotten that far ...

When I first started researching, I was a little annoyed by the rules for tourists in Asia. They seemed so restrictive. Example: Most of the Asian countries I will be visiting won't let me in until I show them proof that I'll be leaving sometime in the near future. Nice, huh? So from a planning standpoint, I have to have my ticket to Thailand before they let me into China ... and then I have to have my ticket OUT of Thailand, etc. So I got a round-the-world ticket from a company called Airtreks. I won't plug it yet ... I haven't gotten ON all of the flights ... but it made my life a whole lot easier (and cheaper) than it could have been. I even got a two-night stopover in Malta, on my way to Morocco, for a little R&R.

Needless to say, this past week has been a busy one. I've booked hostels through Thailand. Those are easy to cancel if plans change, though. And I booked a super cool trip in Egypt that includes a ride on a camel through the dunes and a float down the Nile. At this point I'm actually glad I had to book all my flights because it makes planning less intimidating.

So, I'm trying not to plan every minute of every day ... but an outline sure helps.