One of my top tips for travel planning is to gather a list of destinations you plan to visit & then map out those locations/activities using the research (covered in my previous post: https://stampsinmypassport.com/2024/04/16/the-art-of-travel-planning/ ) you collected. Begin by mapping out the locations by proximity of the best sights, hidden gems & recommendations of things to see/do. Use that info to create a list broken down by travel days and make necessary adjustments to create an itinerary that is easier to manage and more doable. This might look like a bullet point list with multiple options listed that can be arranged or rearranged based on location(s) once addresses are plugged into google maps. Utilizing this method not only helps you narrow down your daily activities/locations, it will also help you make the most of your time by minimizing zig-zagging across town and wasting precious sightseeing time!
When I begin mapping out our trips I like to create a list of the best 2-3 areas to look for accommodations based on the demographics/locations we plan to visit. Knowing the preferred areas helps narrow down which locations, cities, towns we might want to stay in and helps me pick and choose activities/sights within close driving/easy 1 day distances that we can use local transportation to reach. After locations are narrowed I’ll shift my focus to cost & use that to prioritize our list of must see spots etc. With this list I like to hunt for discounts, search for passes that provide multiple entry tickets at a lower cost with the purchase of a pass (one time price), and other possible options that will lower our over-all total out of pocket cost. From that list I’ll narrow down what we plan to visit, the activities I need to confirm opening/closing times/cost/if pre-booked tickets are needed etc.. With that information I’ll determine any areas we need to make adjustments, remove items from the itinerary as needed based on what we have time for and create a list of secondary options curated from the activities & sights removed from the original list (we like to refer to this as our “back up list” aka plan B or C ;)).
Next, I make a list of places I’d like to spend more time researching, reading reviews, reading recommendations for restaurants, and hunting for local sights that are lesser known hidden gems. Lastly, I research modes of transportation and determine if it will be more cost effective to drive, fly, train or go by boat etc. to our first destination & the most cost effective ways to travel between destinations on our mock itinerary. If/when I learn about an amazing vacation deal or destination I will often do everything in reverse, book flight/map out driving route first then fill in all the little details. Once I find a great deal on flights/train/cruise etc I will lock it in and all accommodations are booked the rest of the planning can commence 🙂 **Keep an eye our for my next post with: My Top Tips- how I save on flights & accommodations! Click here on the subscribe tab to be added to my newsletter & be the first to know when a new post is loaded!
After you’ve locked in your main mode of travel & accomodations, I recommend reaching for those lists you compiled, opening a Google Doc and creating a document named after your trip and suggest storing all the pertinent trip details there. When I’m travel planning I might have as many as 10 google docs for an upcoming trip, depending on where I’m going, who I’m traveling with and wether or not I’ve been to the area/country before. Having everything in an easy to access location (I like docs because I can access on both my laptop & phone) and I love that I can adjust the lists/docs, print them and share them with anyone else who is going on the trip ) makes adjustments & referring to them a cinch. I also use google sheets to keep tabs on expenditures prior to the trip (for example: tickets I purchase such as flights, train/bus fares, timed entry tickets for activities/attractions, rental car fees, travel essentials I might purchase specifically for use on the trip, accommodation costs, etc) as well as a guestimated total/budget and in another column I’ll come back and record actual totals later on. This not only helps me keep costs down and on track but it helps me to figure out a projected total for future trips & when giving travel recommendations for others who want to copy my itinerary in the fututre.
Another tip for the planning phase is to head to your local library and search through their travel section for books (I highly recommend: Rick Steves travel guides, Lonely Planet guides, Frommers travel guides, DK Eyewitness & Bradt Guides), videos, magazine articles, and other resources they might have. I like to flip through several travel books if they’re available and find all the recommendations for the areas I hope to/will be visiting. Over the years I’ve found countless ideas, tips and pointers from several guide books. Some of my favorite guide/travel books are Frommers, Rick Steves & Lonely Planet.
Once I’ve read through the books and jotted down any notes, I like to insert the info into my google doc and rearrange things if needed, often adding more information to sights/places of interest, attractions, and our list of top must see/do activities. Then I will head back to google maps to revisit each location and best configure a timeline that allows for seeing multiple sights each day based on proximity. During this process I will verify opening times/days of each location & sight to confirm the best order to arrange them to best maximize our time & ensure we’re able to see as many locations/activities as possible each day. Then I order tickets for the sights that require pre-booked tickets. When everything is arranged and organized I use google maps to create a step by step (location by location) map and add it to my google doc. Lastly I will go through to confirm everything is in order and will print a copy to bring along on the trip & share a digital copy with everyone who will be joining us on the trip.
The very last thing I do is open another google doc and create an itimized bullet point list of everyday of our trip, broken down by either morning, afternoon, evening activities/sights/reservations/booked tours etc. and add everything that we will see or do to the list. This quick reference itinerary helps me to know what we are doing next/where we need to look (on the longer more detailed doc) for more info and this I usually print and share with the group I’m traveling with so they have a frame of reference for the activities of for each day of the trip. Of course these are just the methods I use that have really benefitted my family & friends when we travel. We also keep the mindset that this is an itinerary built around things we want to see/do and that it is a working itinerary, it can be added to, minimized or have things completely removed at any point of the journey. It’s not meant to be a strict list we have to adhere to but rather as a guide and point of reference to help keep us on track/or a timetable in order to see all the locations we hope to visit (but with the knowledge that we can completely alter or disregard anytime we choose). This works wonders if we’re on a short trip and trying to cram in multiple locations/stops in the short amount of time.
The best suggestion I can give you though is to do what feels right for you, for your group and your trip. If my methods & planning style don’t work for you or fit your style then please give yourself permission to scrap anything I mention and arrange, rework anything and everything until you find the perfect fit. My hope in writing these pointers is to help you relieve some stress when planning, to help you get the research time out of the way before the trip (*we’ve found this really helps us to avoid the dreaded “where are we going next”, “what are we going to do”, and “are there any places to eat close by” kinds of questions and helps us minimize wasting precious vacation time spent fiddling our thumbs or wheels spinning and scrambling during our trip)… We’ve definitely had trips like that in the past and everyone ended up cranky because they are either bored, hungry, tired or annoyed to have to spend vacation time doing research in order to find what to do/see next or hoping and praying there were food options available when everyone is starving and no one wants that.
Hope you find these tips useful and would love to hear your thoughts, so drop me a comment below or shoot me an email. Happy travel planning!
~Krista
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