What is the typical birth time line?

My sister lives out of state but wants to be present for the birth of my first baby. I know you can't plan for a regular vaginal birth, but I was wondering what the typical time line is like for giving birth. Do you begin to dilate days or weeks before the baby comes? I'm a planner and it's killing me not being able to plan this lol! How did your out of state family members plan their trip?