Do you enjoy the dreaming and planning of a trip as much as actually going?

A natural way to answer

I'd say the anticipation is a pleasure in its own right. Planning lets you savour a place twice over — once in imagination and once in reality. The dreaming version is always flawless, of course, so part of me is reluctant to let the real trip burst the bubble.

Key phrases to use

• poring over maps — studying maps closely and with great attention“I spent the evening poring over maps of the coast.”
• daydreaming — letting your mind wander to pleasant imagined things“I was daydreaming about white beaches all winter.”
• burst the bubble — destroy a pleasant illusion or fantasy“I didn't want reality to burst the bubble.”
• lost in a guidebook — completely absorbed in reading about a place“I spent the flight lost in a guidebook.”
• live up to the fantasy — match the perfect version you imagined“Few trips live up to the fantasy in your head.”
• castle-in-the-air — a pleasant but unrealistic dream or plan“Most of my travel plans are castle-in-the-air stuff.”