How to Build the Perfect Itinerary
I am a HUGE fan of itineraries on vacation! I know that they may not be for everyone but trust me, once you try using one you’ll see the difference almost immediately. I’ve gone on vacations without one and I deeply regret not doing more research and planning beforehand (read my post about my trip to Barcelona & Ibiza if you need some examples). I’ve been let down that museums I wanted to visit were closed on the day that I walked by and I’ve been disappointed and stranded without somewhere to eat dinner. It took me a couple of years to perfect my itinerary template to include all of the useful information that you’ll need when abroad and I can’t wait to share it with you all! Now, for those of you who are rolling your eyes, this is not an itinerary that details your every move for the entire trip. I’ve created this itinerary template to house all information for the places you want to visit while on vacation such as address, cost, hours of operation, etc. There are a few steps which I’ll outline below and explain how Google Maps will become your new best friend. Paris will be the example in this post so that you can get a visual for each step. If you read this article and find it helpful, then please sign up to be on my email list where you’ll receive a free travel itinerary template. And if planning a trip makes you feel overwhelmed, then check out my Trip Planning Service where I essentially plan out an itinerary just like this one for you, customized to your needs and preferences and can even recommend accommodations for you. I’ve found this to be the best way to build the perfect travel itinerary so let’s get to it!
Step 1: You’ll start by using the 2nd tab on the Traveling Tessie Itinerary Template (join my email list for my free template!). The 2nd tab is essentially for brainstorming all of the activities you would like to do on your vacation (Pinterest is a great resource to find cool places to see on your trip). Once you have your list, you’ll need to Google each place and fill in the below information in your template:
Cost
Hours Open & note any days the activity is closed
How much time you think you will spend there
Their website link (this comes in handy if you need to purchase tickets in advance)
Step 2: While you are looking up all of your prospective activities on Google, you’ll need to “Save” the location to your Google Maps (see image below). When you save a place on Google there are three options, “Want to Go”, “Favorites”, or “Starred Places”. You can use these options however you see fit but I, personally, use them in the below format:
“Starred” - the hotel I’m staying at
“Favorites” - restaurants I want to try
“Want to Go” - museums & activities
By saving the places you’ll be visiting on Google Maps, you’ll be able to get a visual on how to break up your days by area so that you’re not wasting a ton of time trekking back and forth across the city. Once you identify your areas, you’ll group all of the activities in that area together and label them back on the template on the 2nd tab from Step 1 in the “Area” column with letter A, B, C, etc. I like to highlight each area a different color on the Activities tab so I can see what exactly should be done on the same day.
Step 3: This is the last step and you’ll be filling in the 1st tab on the template, the main itinerary template page. First you’ll fill in your flight and hotel information in the top section. You’re first day below can either start with the day you land or your first full day there depending on your arrival time. You’ll refer to the 2nd tab of activities that you’ve grouped together by area and choose the order you want to visit each place based on the hours they’re open. You’ll repeat this for each day until you’ve filled in enough to last your entire trip, and don’t worry, if you want a relaxing day that’s totally fine! I usually make one of my last days an exploring day where I can revisit a shop that I passed days prior but didn’t have a chance to go inside or just walk around a different area or go to the beach. It’s your itinerary so you can get as detailed as you want! For each activity on your itinerary tab, I find the below information most helpful:
Time - this will be the time you want to be at the place or start the activity.
Activity name
Hours Open - I use this as a little reminder to stay on schedule or to see if there’s room to reschedule if something else comes up.
Cost - good to know for budgeting & to note if you bought admission in advance.
Address - handy in case you need to take a taxi or car service.
Transportation - I like to go back to Google Maps once I have my activities by day in order to see how long it will take to walk from place to place & I note that here, or if I’ll be taking public transportation and which line that will be.
Now, by using this itinerary template, you should be able to build the perfect travel itinerary for your next trip! I can’t express how much this has really changed the way I travel. The 1st tab with your full itinerary is essentially an easy 1-pager that you can print and bring with you in your carry-on. I used it SO much on my last trip to Paris and Lisbon and it was a great way to keep me on track while I planned everything out of what I had bought tickets for and what I still needed to pay for when we got there.
As always, I’m happy to hear from you guys & would love to answer any of your questions or help if I can! And if you don’t want to make your own itinerary, be sure to check out the custom itinerary service I offer where I will build one of these out specifically for your trip!
Happy travels!
-Tess
Tess Arnold
Hi! I’m Tess, founder of TravelingTessie.com, and not only do I love to travel, but I love immersing myself in new places and finding off the beaten path experiences wherever I go! I’ve lived in 4 different states & traveled to 13 countries and counting. I believe that tourism is meant to benefit both visitors and locals alike—and I want to bring that idea back into the travel industry by highlighting companies run by locals such as tours, hotels, restaurants, and more. On Traveling Tessie you can find hidden gems in top destinations around the world, travel tips, detailed city guides, and tons of inspiration for your next trip! If you love travel as much as I do, then please join me on this journey! I hope you enjoy my content as much as I enjoy providing it for you!
