I love to plan trips. I mean, duh – why else would I start a travel blog? For all the itineraries that I could share, I personally think that the most valuable tool is a guide on how to create your own travel itinerary. You know, teach them how to fish and all that.
Although a week or two feels like a long time to be away from your desk, when you start planning a trip you realize how short of a time it is to see the world! With such little time and so many incredible destinations, creating a travel itinerary is beyond overwhelming.
Well, I’m going to break it down for you into ten easy steps. Follow along and you’ll have a perfect travel plan and be left with nothing to do but pack your bags and go.
Step One: Make a Travel Bucket List
Let’s start with the fun part!
If you don’t have one already, it’s time to start building a travel bucket list. Scour the internet, revisit old Pins you’ve saved, stalk that co-worker’s Instagram for her Greece pictures from 2018. You can’t create a travel itinerary until you know where you want to travel.
At this stage, nothing is off the table. If you’ve thought about going somewhere, add it to the list!
Step Two: Determine Your Timing
Timing is twofold: how long you can get away for, and when.
If you skipped step one and already know exactly where you want to go, then all the power to you. But if you’re like me and need a little help narrowing down your list, timing can guide you.
Think of it this way, if your job or school schedule limits when you can take time off and let’s say you can only manage two weeks off around December, you can probably cross the beaches of Portugal off your list. Whereas, if you know without hesitation that you want to go paddle boarding into the Benagil Cave then your timing will be more restricted to warmer months.
How long you can be away from your desk will also dictate your destination. If you can only take three consecutive vacation days, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef is probably off the table since it takes a full day or more to get there and back from the U.S.
Part of the reason I like to determine my timing early on, is that it allows me the freedom to see where the wind takes me. And by wind, I mean cheap flights on SkyScanner. Plug in your origin city, preferred travel dates, and “Anywhere” as your destination. Not only can you find great deals this way, but it also may spark an idea that you hadn’t thought of before. Add it to the list!
Timing Tips:
- Keep in mind that most destinations see an influx in tourism from June – August, which will bring increased prices and crowds.
- Whenever you choose to go, try to give yourself a few months to build your travel itinerary and find the best deals on flights.
Step Three: Establish a Budget
Get a general sense of what you’re willing and able to spend on flights and a max hotel budget per night. Start to think about what you’re willing to splurge on vs save on. Are you willing to take a cheaper layover flight if it means staying in a nicer hotel? Would you rather spend money on activities and food, and compromise on a budget-friendly hotel?
When breaking down the budget, think outside the wallet. Look into any credit card, hotel, or airline points that you may be able to take advantage of.
If you’re on a tight budget, it’s still possible to create an awesome travel itinerary. In fact, having a clear travel plan is even more important when trying to stick to a strict budget.
Step Four: Look at a Map
Looking at a world map may just inspire you to add more destinations to your travel bucket list.
Once you have your travel bucket list built out, check the map to determine which locations are close enough to pair together.
If you have Prague, Seville, Paris, Lisbon, London and Amsterdam on your list, think about which could go together and what order you could link them in. Based on the map, I’d pair London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Prague as one option, and Lisbon and Seville as a second option.
Now’s also a good time to think about what each destination entails, and what experiences you want to build into your trip’s itinerary. Do you want to sit on a beach the entire two weeks? Explore urban landscapes and museum hop all day? Or do you want to add in some natural beauty? In my opinion, the best trips have a good variety of activities. For example, you could start in the city of Lisbon, travel down south for some relaxation on the stunning cliffs and caves of the Algarve, then finish your trip back in an urban setting in Seville.
Step Five: Plan Your Travel
Once you’ve narrowed it down to a few possible destinations or groups of destinations, research how you can travel from point to point. Key word, research! Don’t book anything just yet.
If traveling between destinations is going to be an obstacle, or will eat up a chunk of your precious time (or budget!), now would be a good time to reassess your itinerary.
Step Six: Flights!
Now that you’ve narrowed down when and where you’re going, and generally in what order, it’s time to plan your start and end point. This can make a huge difference in cost, so keep an open mind!
At this stage, also look into various flight options — if traveling between London, Paris, and Switzerland, check to see if it’s cheapest to fly into London, or if it’s cheapest to fly into Switzerland and head towards London.
Flight Tips:
- When planning a few months out, it gives you time to watch flight prices. Sign up for alerts through Google Flights or SkyScanner to see if prices fluctuate at all.
- Look into nearby, but less obvious, airports. For example, you may find better deals flying into London Gatwick or Stansted instead of Heathrow. Even New Yorkers sometimes overlook Newark, when they often have the cheapest options and easiest public transportation into Manhattan.
- Try plugging in options for two one ways vs one round trip ticket
- Play around with dates if you have some flexibility — even shifting your plans by a day or a week can alter the price.
Step Seven: Can’t Miss Experiences by City
As you start to think about what to do in each destination, start to identify the can’t-miss experiences in each place. With a limited amount of time, it will be impossible to see it all; But with careful planning as you create your travel itinerary, you’ll be able to maximize your experiences in each city.
Now it’s time to put a little thought into the sites, day trips, and activities at each destination. As you start to think about all there is to do and see, identify the can’t-miss experiences in each place. With a limited amount of time, it will be impossible to see it all. Make an exhaustive list of where to eat, what to see and what to do. Group them by neighborhood to better understand which sites and activities can be paired together. Highlight those can’t-miss experiences to build your days around, and allow the rest to fall into place based on what your timing and budget allows. Now is also a good time to look into specific requirements like visas, park passes, and permits that might have a long lead time to obtain.
Step Eight: Determine Timing
I know what you’re thinking – we already did timing! This time, we’re talking in terms of how much time you’ll need at each location. Now that you have an idea of what you want to do everywhere, we can start backing into a timeline.
If you have two day-trips that you absolutely cannot leave Paris without taking, plus museums and activities in the city itself, you’ll have to factor in at least two full days in Paris, likely three. See what I mean?
Step Nine: Research Hotels
Let’s review, shall we? We now know the when, where, what to do, and how long you’ll spend. The final piece of the puzzle is where to stay.
When looking at accommodations, think back to the budget we laid out in step three, and the can’t miss experiences from step seven. Based on what you want to see and do, find a hotel that is centrally located. Are you renting a car? Look for hotels with included parking. If not, think about how you’ll get around. Is it easily accessible to walk to the places you want to see? Close to public transportation?
When planning multi-city trips, I always like to find a mix of budget friendly hotels or hostels, an AirBnB to immerse into the local culture, a mid-tiered hotel I can book using my Chase points, and one splurge night for a boutique or luxury hotel, usually at the end.
Step Ten: Book Your Trip!
Once you’ve made it through all ten steps, you can begin booking. As a rule of thumb, I always start with flights first, then hotels and travel between destinations.
Congratulations! You have created your travel itinerary. Now all that’s left is to pack your bags and go.
