{"id":353,"date":"2020-05-04T14:06:33","date_gmt":"2020-05-04T14:06:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/urbansketchingworld.com\/?p=353"},"modified":"2023-06-16T19:06:09","modified_gmt":"2023-06-16T19:06:09","slug":"how-to-plan-urban-sketching-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/urbansketchingworld.com\/how-to-plan-urban-sketching-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Plan the Ultimate Urban Sketching Trip"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Before the corona-crazy<\/em><\/strong> set in, I had a trip planned across eastern Europe, from Hungary up to Estonia, across to Finland, over to Russia and back down again, ending in Germany with a week-long sketching course with Ian Fennelly at the end of August.  However, I don\u2019t think that will be happening now.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are reading this in the future, I am referring to the Year of the Pandemic, 2020, where we are all in lockdown!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That being said, we can still discuss how to go about organising a sketching trip<\/strong> for yourself (or a group if you have some sketchy buddies)!  I work in the travel industry, organising trips for people to fairly uncommon destinations (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, South Sudan and so on and so forth) so putting an itinerary together is something I am familiar with. Creating an itinerary that works<\/em> is a fine art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do I mean when I say an itinerary that works<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, a good itinerary gives a trip structure. It should be an efficient plan of action so you can get the most from your trip. It needs to cover all areas of interest of a location that anyone could discover from a guidebook but in my opinion, it also needs to have those sneaky elements of surprise that no one but a local person would know about (more on this later).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An itinerary needs to be paced correctly with exciting \u201cups\u201d and enough downtime so you do not burn out.  It needs to be efficient with your time, energy and cost.  It needs to have a narrative: a good beginning, middle and end so you don\u2019t get bored or you don\u2019t do all of the interesting things right at the start or right at the end of the trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You need to keep someone\u2019s interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trip needs to be designed for the person or people\u2019s goals.  If you are planning a trip for photographers, it may be different to a perfect itinerary for amateur archaeologists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obviously, we are here to discuss how to plan the perfect trip for an urban sketcher<\/strong>.  I shall continue to refer to a trip for a solo sketcher<\/strong>, as that\u2019s primarily what I plan for myself but of course everything we discuss here is completely applicable to organising a trip for a group of sketchers.
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Where do you want to go?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Will you be staying close to home, going to a different part of the same country you\u2019re in, or travelling overseas? The advice will be slightly different depending on the answer to where you\u2019re going but the general gist is the same.
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Aims of the trip<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The key to organising a sketching trip is to be clear on what your aims are.  Do not approach the trip as a sightseeing trip<\/strong>, you need far longer at each location than a tourist because you need time to sketch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where tensions can arise if you are travelling with non-sketchers.  This is why I prefer to travel alone on sketching trips – that way I do not feel pressured with my time and I am not inconveniencing other people.  Of course, I have the luxury to travel alone.  Many of you will have partners, families, or groups of friends you will be travelling with and perhaps that\u2019s your one trip of the year so you just have to make things work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is primarily focused on planning a trip with the sole focus of sketching.  However, if you are travelling with others<\/strong> on a general holiday there are some strategies you can use to maximise your sketching time:<\/p>\n\n\n\n