Are you excited about your tour of France? You should be—there are so many things to do and see. In fact, without a concrete itinerary, you may find yourselves overwhelmed about what you’ll do during your stay, or regret (when it’s too late!) that you didn’t make time for the most interesting destinations.

So one of the first things you should do—long before booking a plane ticket or searching for a hotel, is to do research on France. What region do you want to go to? What cities would you like to spend the majority of your stay? What are the nearby villages and towns that are worth a day trip? Try to find out as much as you can about the places there, from guide books, websites or discussion boards. You should also get an idea of the culture and history, so hat when you’re there, you’ll have a deeper insight and appreciation of the places.

The next step is to plot your itinerary. This will prevent you from wasting a lot of time and money from seeing things haphazardly. Don’t overbook your itinerary. It’s not fun, you’ll be too stressed and exhausted to really appreciate your tour, and you may end your vacation feeling that you need another one!

If you have a hard time deciding which places to go to, look at your own personality and preferences. What do you enjoy doing? What are the activities that get you excited? You can ask your travel agent to recommend the things that would best suit that, or you can post questions on travel websites. You can also Google it, using keywords to hunt down any reviews or write ups on related attractions.

You should also be realistic. Look at your budget, the ages of the people you’re traveling with (young kids may need a lighter itinerary, or you have to go to a resort that has babysitting services), and your own energy levels.

Last of all, do research before you decide what clothes to pack. Consider the activities you signed up for, the climate, etc. Pick wrinkle free clothes and bring separates that are easy to coordinate.