Basecamp for Seniors
Use Basecamp to Plan Your Vacation
Who this is for
This article is for people who already understand the concept of Basecamp’s to-do lists, but have little or no experience using them for a real project.
For comparison, as a novice cook I know how my oven and blender work, but I still need to follow a recipe if I want to make something edible.
Consider this article your recipe for using Basecamp to help plan your vacation.
Introduction
Planning a trip in the middle of a pandemic might seem crazy, but it can be uplifting to think about a future vacation. And it’s also a great opportunity to hone your Basecamp skills.
When you’ve finished creating the project in this article it might not be time to board a plane, but you’ll have the framework ready for planning your next trip (whenever that might be).
Create a new project
After logging in to your Basecamp account, create a new project:
Then name your project and click the “Create this project” button:
Next, so it’s easier to focus, we’ll hide all tools except to-dos:
If anyone will be helping you with the planning, this is a good time to invite them to the project. (Click the link under the project name.)
Get organized
Let’s begin the planning by creating some to-do lists to work with. Each list will have individual to-do items that relate to the topic of the list.
For a project like this, here are some lists you can create (with sample to-do items filled in):
This is just one way to organize your to-do items. Alternatively, you might prefer to have a single list dedicated to everything about your airline tickets (researching prices, booking tickets, confirming the departing flight, confirming the return flight). There isn’t a right or wrong way to organize things — the best way is whatever makes sense to you.
It’s also important not to feel pressure to get things perfect right from the start. It’s easy to make updates as you go along. If I mention to a friend that I’m planning a trip to Paris, they might tell me about a great restaurant to check out. Then I can add that to the “Things to do in Paris” list so I don’t forget.
Digging in
Creating the to-do lists above could be done months or years before you start to really focus on planning your trip (selecting dates, buying airline tickets, booking your hotel, etc.).
When you’re ready to dig in and get into that level of planning, start by reviewing each to-do item:
Set a due date
Assign to the appropriate person
Add any relevant notes to have on hand when the task is carried out (frequent flier number, seat preferences)
Then, as due dates approach, Basecamp will remind you which to-dos need your attention.
When you work on a task it’s easy to add more notes and attachments. For example:
When booking the hotel you can note the name & extension number of the person you spoke with and what was agreed to.
When you receive your receipt for the rental car via email, you can save it right in the to-do item for the rental car.
When you find an interesting restaurant, you can put a link to their menu right in the to-do.
Then, anytime you need to check on something related to a specific to-do item, it’s right where you’d expect it to be.
When, you’ve completed a to-do item, just mark it done. (You can still open it up to read or add to at any time. Marking it done will make it clear to you and Basecamp that you don’t have to go back to it.)
That’s really all there is to it.
Enjoy your trip!
How to contact Dave
If you’re interested in learning more about using Basecamp to help remove some of the stress from your life, call me at (608) 301-5602 to discuss. More info is on my Basecamp for Seniors page (all ages welcome).
Note: I am not affiliated with Basecamp.