A travel itinerary is an outline of the places you plan to visit on your trip. It helps with budgeting, organizing, and planning for what you want to do while traveling. It’s good to have one handy when booking flights or making hotel arrangements so that everything you need is in one place.
The first step in creating a travel itinerary is to figure out when to leave and for how long. A well-crafted travel itinerary should include the date and destination of the trip,
activities planned for each day, emergency contact information, and departure times from airports or train stations (if applicable).
This article will help guide you through the process of creating a travel itinerary for your next vacation or business trip!
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HOW TO CREATE A PERFECT TRAVEL ITINERARY
Let’s see the best ways to brainstorm ideas for an excellent itinerary.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Where do I want to go and why?
- What is the budget I should aim for?
- How much time will the trip take?
- Who am I traveling with? How do I best coordinate with the crew?
- Do I have any dietary restrictions or allergies?
- Am I looking for adventure or relaxation?
- What mode of transportation am I most comfortable with, and which one offers the best value based on distance traveled vs. cost?
- Do I know anyone who’s been there to give me tips?
With these answers in mind, you can narrow down your requirements and plan your next vacation accordingly!
Here are the simple steps to create a perfect travel itinerary.
BE ORIGINAL
If adventure is your top priority, you’ll have to make sure that the place has what you need with options such as water sports or canyoning. Or maybe it’s the relaxation and ambiance that interests you more; beaches and spas might be more suitable for this kind of vacation.
You can also use ready-made travel itineraries to help kick-start things.
This way, you won’t suffer from FOMO. Traveling is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to visit that destination with the people you’re with another time in the future. But you also don’t want to be paralyzed with information overload.
If you’re looking for hidden gems, looking for travel bloggers who share your travel taste/style may be the best way to find trustworthy ideas. You can also crowdsource ideas on Facebook groups from like-minded travelers.
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RESEARCH
When you’ve made up your mind about the destination, the first thing is to collect all the relevant information about your trip. For instance, search for flight numbers, hotels, restaurants, car rental services, etc.
Research helps when planning an itinerary because it lets you know if any special arrangements need to be made before arriving at your destination, like vaccination certificates, carry-on liquids rules, or residency permits. It also gives you a better idea of what activities are available in each city.
Before coming up with the actual plan, ensure you research all possible locations and compile information about them, including their prices.
It’s also essential to know where they are located in relation to each other so you can pick places that suit your interests and budget.
Reservations are essential for smooth and worry-free travel, so you need to have all the details.
Furthermore, include details like directions to the hotel, phone numbers, operational hours, and fee charges. Finally, search for the entertainment events and possible festivities at your destination.
If you visit a country for the first time, it is recommended to know the local places and customs. This will help you avoid scams that may cost you money or make you feel uncomfortable.
Especially in a post-pandemic world, entry, transit, and visa requirements could be evolving regularly. Be sure to check relevant government websites or use Sherpa to avoid getting turned away at the airport.
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CHOOSE A COMPATIBLE TRAVEL PACKAGE
If you are planning on staying in a package from any travel agency, make sure to check the details of the trip (hotels, flight tickets, excursions, etc.) before buying it to avoid any future hassles.
Once you buy your tour package, your half itinerary is already planned out, and there is little to no room for improvisation.
MAKE A 3-DAY PLAN
After booking the flight and hotels, make a day plan for at least three consecutive days. Break up your day into morning tasks, daytime activities, and evening commitments. It will help if you write this in a notebook or notepad on your phone.
Check the local tour guides and blogs about events happening in the city that make your visit even more memorable. Follow up on these activities since they could be fun and exclusive to only last for a few days or weeks!
Consider how much time you will allocate to each activity. Secondly, if your friends and family accompany you, get their input while listing what you want to do.
Note: If it’s possible, try to book your flight tickets in advance.
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TIME TO MAP
When you know the places and activities for your trip, create a map to visit these places sequentially. If there is more than one city in your plan, make sure you’re not passing by a town more than once.
Use the most updated maps for your plan. But, more importantly, consider the local maps for accurate planning.
DO THE BUDGETING
Budget your trip depending on your priorities. While creating a budget, tools like MS Excel and Google Sheets will provide automatic calculations and suggestions. Also, there are several budgeting apps and websites.
For instance, you may spend your journey in a four-star hotel, or you can go to a local hotel for lower prices.
However, if you’re using a budgeting app, make sure that it can work offline because you may not get internet everywhere on your trip.
INCLUDE EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION
Write down the local law enforcement numbers, hospitals you can contact, and any reliable taxi services for immediate help.
It’s essential to be aware of what to do in case something goes wrong. Now that you’ve made your travel itinerary, it’s time to get the most out of it.
HOW TO USE A TRAVEL ITINERARY TO IMPROVE YOUR TRAVEL EXPERIENCE
The itinerary is a guide to help you stay more organized during your trip.
Here are some things to focus on:
LEAVE ROOM FOR SOME SPONTANEITY
Even though the itinerary should guide you about your plans, you can afford to be a little lazy and deviate from your goals to some extent.
It’s a vacation trip, and you’re meant to enjoy it. By doing research and having a lot of ideas saved, you are allowing yourself options so you’re not scrambling at the last minute to find decent places to eat or visit.
But once you land, you’ll meet the locals and find spots & activities you couldn’t have found online. Add them to your itinerary though so you can share the local knowledge with your friends traveling to the same destination!
KEEP A HARD COPY
A hard copy allows you to tick and cross things you have done on your trip. This way, there is less clutter, and you know exactly what’s done and what’s left to do.
You can also use a page binder and organize the itinerary through separators and sections. It may seem hectic at the start, but it can be pretty helpful during the run time.
Even though a smartphone should suffice for everything, you don’t want to be stuck in a place because your phone died.
If you need to show an address to a cab driver, for instance, having an itinerary with all the information can be helpful as you may not have the best internet access.
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CONCLUSION
After you’ve determined when to leave and for how long, research your locations and create an itinerary that suits your budget and taste.
If the travel planning process feels complicated, take advantage of an easy-to-use travel itinerary app like Levantr to automate the planning process. Plus, you may find a ready-made itinerary for your trip on Levantr, like this 11-day itinerary for Greece.
Want to check out what’s in store for you at Levantr? It’s time to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. So sign up today and see what it can do for you!
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