Creating YOUR Perfect Itinerary
Creating the perfect itinerary, that suits all YOUR needs & wants, can be extremely rewarding, although sometimes a little frustrating. This is why working through the six steps to create ‘YOUR‘ perfect itinerary has proven time & again extremely effective for us. We always use this in conjunction with our 9 Tips for Your Perfect Plan & Budget, which gives you tips & tools to further plan out your trip & budget.
Don’t get me wrong roaming the streets of a new city (or an old friend) has many attractions. The charming little cafes and restaurants, open markets, or just never knowing what you will find around the corner. Rest assured this is one of our steps & something we always include where we can ‘Just Breathe’.
Whether it’s a ‘must do’ item on your destination ‘DO’ list or time is limited, we recommend doing some planning. Remember to add some time for the freedom to roam about, this is always in any plan we make. Although, in the current global travel climate, we don’t recommend leaving all your itinerary to chance. We can also help you kick over the bucket & fill your own Destination ‘DO’ List, an ideal place to start creating your perfect itinerary.
Our travel checklists, are the great place to start your independent travelling. Start building your own Destination ‘DO’ List, and create your perfect itinerary.
Checklists for:
- Your destination DO List
- before you travel
- see and do notes
- carry on packing list – warm and cold climate
- checked in packing list – warm and cold climate
Preview – 6 Steps to Create YOUR perfect Itinerary
In this preview, we briefly highlight each step & the area it addresses for you to create YOUR perfect itinerary. These steps have helped us create itineraries for our trips over the last 10 years.
- Location – where you are going is the first step to any great itinerary
- Research – learn some tips and tricks for researching all those hidden gems at you chosen location
- Map out YOUR itinerary – discover how to build a map around the things you have chosen are a ‘must DO’
- Book – your essesntials – some hints and tips for booking the essential things in your itinerary
- Just Breathe – adding some breathing space to your itinerary is always a good plan…or as we say ‘plan to NOT plan’
- Create & Store – learn how you can put it all together and keep it in one place.
Step 1. Location
The first of our six steps to create YOUR perfect itinerary, is all about your location (the where, when and how long). Knowing your general location is theoretically the simplest step, as many of you may have a long list of must do destinations.
It can also be linked to your ‘Destination ‘DO’ list’, where you can start with the ‘must do‘ places, event & activities you’ve chosen including any specific dates or seasons.
If you are unsure of areas and seasons of the world, have a read of ‘Plan your next Adventure‘ where this is mapped out for you.
Deciding how long to stay in one place, is your next hurdle. Firstly, when there are events or activities already chosen for an area, include all those times and dates initially. Make a note of timings for the events, is it a specific date, a full day or part day tour. This will give you a great indication of the base number of days required for your itinerary. Secondly, where time permits add some time and ‘Research‘ what else is around the area or just do some wandering.
Tip: If you have more than one destination, research, which is the easiest or cheapest to arrive & depart from.
Step 2. Research – those perfect things for YOUR Itinerary
The second step to create your personal itinerary is ‘Research’. This has to be my all time favourite step, a bit nerdy maybe? Though I do get to explore all the opportunities open to us when building our itinerary before we leave. However, to be honest, I have gone down a rabbit hole or two when researching in the past.
Things to Do
To begin, starting with generic searches such as ‘best things to do in [+country, +city]’ or ‘must do’, provides a good base. However, we recommend following this with more specific searches, to produce even better results. For example, including words like ‘local’, ‘secret’, ‘hidden places’, ‘gems’ or ‘unique’ can narrow down your searches. Getting very specific with your searches return the best results, include in your searches any specific interests, activities or places. As an example, ‘Great day walks in the Dolomiti (Dolomites)’, ‘Best boat/diving tours around the Adriatic Sea’, or ‘Most magnificent castles of Italy [+country]’.
When your search results are displayed, go to ‘tools’ & choose ‘past year’, which gives the most current results. You may need to scroll across the option, when using a mobile.
Alternative words that you can include in your searches may consist of one or more of the following:
- Local
- Regional
- Route
- Community
- Secret
- Private
- Secluded
- Special
- Places
- Hidden
- Obscure
- Mysterious
- Strangest
- Gems
- Treasures
- Unique
- Exclusive
- Rare
- Unusual
- Uncommon
- Distinctive
- Romantic
Tip: Looking at either the ‘Related Searches’ at the base of your search page or ‘People also ask’ around the centre can broaden your searches.
An alternative display within a search window may include a map, which indicates, where businesses or places are located. This is extremely useful when transportation or time to traverse the greater area is limited. By selecting the ‘view all’ button a full map of the area opens. This provides more business & place options that can be selected. Reviews are usually provided for each business or place that are on the map, just hover over the red indicator & select, to read. This is a great way to map out the route of the places you have chosen to create your perfect itinerary.
Accommodation
Before you start to research your accommodation, consider if you’d like to Become a TrustedHousesitters Member! Where you can get free accommodation in exchange for caring for pets, gardens & the house.
Though if that’s not for you or time is limited make sure when researching accommodation. Whether it’s through a membership you belong to, such as ALL Accor, Hilton Honors or another hotel group, house rental or booking page always ensure a map is included. Maps are always a fantastic help to create your perfect itinerary. Where you are limited by transportation ensure anything you book is either an easy walk or cheap ride from your arrival point.
If you don’t have a specific group that you book through investigate options from Vbro, Expedia or Tripadvisor. These sites include pricing, reviews, there is also a map option that show all accommodation, within your area of choice. Additionally they offer, pricing & reviews for various restaurants, tours & experience options within the area.
Furthermore, the sites recommended allow the use of filters to refine & tailor any search for your specific needs. Generic options for these sites allow you to filter for location, price, review score (guest rating) & hotel rank. Additionally, you can get more personal options as shown when using Expedia. You are able to nominate type of room, payment type, budget per night or total cost, review & hotel score. In addtion to being able to add, inclusions such as parking, pet friendly, includes breakfast, even down to proximity to your points of interest, rail station or airport.
Using filters allows you to only see the accommodation that aligns with YOUR budget requirements.
The map that is generated, can also assist you in choosing a central location. This makes it easy for you to decide on accommodation that fits into your ‘DO’ list & any transport requirements. As well as offering restaurant, cafe & other points of interest.
Transportation
Whether you are travelling by plane, train (bus) or automobile some research can alleviate any travel stress that may build to create your perfect itinerary. We recommend Expedia to research any flights, you are able to access a multitude of airlines & flight selections. You are able to refine your searches to include prices for one-way, return or a multi-trip. Your search can be further refined by indicating the cost, stopover number, duration of travel and the selection of airline. Enabling you to look at a multitude of options and refine the search to suit YOUR requirements.
When travelling by train or bus we recommend comparing both single journey prices & passes, then decide which best fits your budget. A range of of 7, 15 and 30 day passes can be obtained from Trainline, Eurail, RailEurope, Viarail or Amtrak.
We have also used & recommend DB, SBB, ITALIARAIL for passes & individual train journeys within the individual countries. When travelling in other countries a search in Google for ‘train from +point A to +point B’ or ‘train passes in +country’ is recommended. Additionally, we also look at regional tickets, these were exceptional value during our last trip around Germany (available at al stations on the day of travel).
Likewise when choosing to use automobiles whether it’s self drive or hire a little research goes a long way. We recommend a map to creating your perfect itinerary as a great start, we go through this in step 3. With modern technology you are able to stay connected through the car or from your device. For car hire if you don’t belong to a program, some research may be required to get the best competitive rate. Although, we recommend sticking with the big four global brands Europcar, Budget, Hertz & Avis. However a search of ‘car hire from +point A to +point B’ can also provide alternative & possibly cheaper options.
Our pre-travel checklist have everything you need & a great place to start your independent travelling. Have all the important timelines to create your perfect itinerary.
Checklists for:
- basics for International Travel
- before you travel essentials to have for peace of mind
- timelines of what to do months, weeks, even days before you leave
- last minute “do you have” & walk out the door list
Step 3. Map out – visualise YOUR perfect Itinerary
The third of the six steps to create your perfect itinerary includes mapping your itinerary, which can be done using Google my maps. This is accomplished by adding all the places you have decided on & can be used for small or large cities. You are also able to use maps if your itinerary includes, larger areas such as states/provinces or countries. For larger areas we recommend splitting these into zones, for example North East [NE], North West [NW], South East [SE], South West [SW].
Getting Started
- Open up Google my maps
- Select create a new map
- Search for your initial destination
- Create the title for your map and a brief description (optional)
- Search & mark out on the map all the things that are your ‘must do‘ places, events & activities
- Specific icons and colours can be used here
- Incorporate all your experiences uncovered during your research
- Include accommodation and any restaurants you may want to try
- Add any specific dates to the map and add to your list.
Additionally, Google maps has a selection of restaurants, museums, amusements, nature reserves, shopping etc, loaded, which is a great to assist you create your perfect itinerary. You are able to zoom in, view & select these other options to add to your map. There is also a feature that allows you to, change icons and colour code if you desire. We find this especially useful for the ‘not’ in the plan activities, we have found along the way. Many of the pins on Google maps have sites attached, that can provide additional information, opening hours, maps and current pricing etc. My maps similar to Google maps has an option available to create directions if unsure of your route.
Step 4. Book – those perfect places
DO you get excited as you create your perfect itinerary and the trip is getting all organised or is that just me? I get extremely excited once the research & mapping is done, because then we can start booking. Be sure to check the requirements for travelling to another country before proceeding, ‘Plan your next Adventure‘ has some tips for that. Most of the large ticket items (transport & accommodation) can be booked up to 11 months out. This helps you spread out your budget, paying for things when & where you can in advance.
Working with our planning & budget tips once you have your main items booked. You can look around for ‘skip the line‘ tours and activities. Booking these as early as possible, this will ensure you don’t miss out as you create your perfect itinerary. We’ve found Tiquets, Get your guide and Viator have a variety of tours with this option. This is also often the case for cooking classes as these are extremely popular, check with Cookly for availability.
With Get your guide and Viator you can be as broad or specific as you like. If there is an area or tour that is on your “must DO” list you can check with these companies & discover what offers they have.
There are some things that can’t be purchased until your departure or arrival date gets closer. We recommend if you are unable to book when you first look. Review the dates booking are available and mark on your calendar when the earliest opportunity to book is available. As an example some local transport companies don’t allow you to book until 3 months before you use the service.
Tip: If you are planning a trip that is more than 12months away, check the sites to see if there is a time when sales occur ‘end of summer/winter etc.
Step 5. Just Breathe – Make time for roaming
Now take a big breath & ‘JUST BREATHE’, remember to make time as you create your perfect itinerary to roam around your destination of choice. Include an hour, a day or three, depending on YOUR total itinerary, where nothing is booked in. Consider it a ‘plan to “not” plan’, a time where nothing is planned & the opportunities are endless.
- Sitting at a café immersing yourself in the atmosphere
- Wandering around the neighbourhood soaking up the culture
- Visiting a park or a beach to soaking up the sun
- Finding a spot that you just have to see that only locals know about
- Exploring a nearby area you discovered when you arrived
Create blocks of time within your itinerary for all the things you discovered in the ‘Things to Do’ section of Step 2., and remember to leave space for other things you learn about or see along the way.
Step 6. Create YOUR perfect Itinerary & Store
The final step when you create YOUR perfect itinerary. Looks at, bringing all six steps together in one place. Our Travel Organiser is great for this. A template that you can edit, store and print (optional) for all your travel documents. Have easy access to all your, contacts and bookings documents.
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I am always happy to reply to any comments, suggestions for next articles or a hello. You can contact me through our Social Media or at jeanine@letsgoawandering.com with any questions or comments.
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This is really helpful! I love the idea of planning to not plan too as sometimes relaxing and taking in the surroundings is an amazing thing to do in a new place!
It really does add to an itinerary and one of our most important steps…as you never know what’s around the corner
What a great blog post! So helpful as I want to plan a trip somewhere different yet with good value.
Thank you I am glad it was help to you…and always exciting going somewhere different…
Really enjoyed reading the post. Creating a perfect travel itinerary is really important to getting quality experience on wherever we go. Thank you so much for putting this helpful resource together!
Thank you and You are so welcome I totally agree…
What a great system you have! Thanks for documenting it for us in such clear detail! I love your suggestions of words to search to seek out the lesser known gems!
Thank you, we always look for those little gems and often don’t find them till you arrive, hence step 5.. to be able to get more from your trip.
Personally, I’d put step 5 before step 4, because you can box yourself in by booking everything you want in advance. I’d book only the major elements that risk the whole trip not happening, and any must-do’s that are the whole reason for the trip. But to do Step 5 well, I think you need to be prepared to possibly not do some things on your list, and trust that it’s going to be better. 🙂
I see your point, and whilst I agree, that was not what I meant…I will update this make and make this more clearer…we book many things we want to do, to save disappointment…I also agree sometimes not being able to do what you wish to do can lead to discovering other golden opportunities…it’s always a delicate balance
This is a great guide to keep you on track! I find I get easily distracted at times. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks I am glad you liked it and yes it can be distracting sometimes which is why we like to at least do some planning.
This is perfect for someone like me who struggles to pull the trigger on booking trips!! Love this guide!!!
Thank you I am so glad this helps you get started with your planning…
Wonderful post and so many wonderful ideas. We travel a lot and sometimes we found ourselves that we have not given ourselves enough time to a specific place. Love all your suggestions.
Thank you for sharing
Thank you so much and you are welcome…even now there can be one or two places I find something at the last minute… but that is reason to plan another trip :-))
Such great tips! I’m currently planning a summer trip to Europe and will definitely implement these ideas. Thank you for making it a bit less daunting.
Thank you… and how exciting, 2023 for me if I can contain myself ha ha….
The location and accommodations are very important. This all helps in case of weather emergencies, too many guests, and more. Always preparing for emergencies.
Thank you and definitely always have a plan B or escape plan…
This is really helpful. My family is about to plan for a trip in June, so this will come in really handy. Thank you so for sharing these tips!
Thank you I am so glad you find this helpful as that was my aim to share these tips…
I always do what you are suggesting and it works wonderfully because you can enjoy everything without wasting time. Thanks!
You are welcome and I am so glad it helps you and works for you, this is my wish for all that read our articles
These steps are extremely helpful and make planning a trip manageable! When planning a big trip, I sometimes get myself stressed out. I’ll definitely keep these steps in mind. Thank you for sharing!!
Thank you and you are most welcome… I use these for every plan just remember to BREATHE… and allow time to rest and recharge…
I love these tips, using this for my next trip.
Thank you I am so glad these are a help to you… and you love them
I’m not good at designing itineraries, almost all the time overwhelmed and not planed, this will definitely help me,
thank you 🙂
thank you I am so glad this helps you I love to plan
The mix of research and just breathe is a perfect combination. I also use the Goggle Maps “guide” a lot.
Although sometimes I tend to favour the sponteaneous route (unless I’m spending just a few days somewhere) you point out something very important: with the current situation you have to do more planning than usual. Restricted capacity and reservations required are more common now than ever!
Thank you and yes more planning will be needed for a while but only if you have specific goals with your travel.
I use some of these sites as well in my travel planning but some of them are new to me. Thank you for sharing!
You are most welcome glad it has helped in some way
I love the spirit of this, because there is no perfect itinerary. Just a perfect one for each individual traveller.
Exactly … and my ‘perfect itineraries’ always have shiny things as Greg calls them AKA I get distracted by what we find
I love how you broke this down in such manageable steps. Travel planning can be so overwhelming. Great guide!
Thank you that was the main objective when I wrote it, so glad you liked that
That’s a great list on how to plan your itinerary. Booking hôtels and flights on Expedia or Trip advisor is a wonderful idea as it gives you lot of price listings according to your budget.
Thank you and it does I don’t always book with them but always look to see what’s available
These are great tips for planning the perfect itinerary. I think so many people forget Step 5 while trying to see it all. I also think it’s one of the most important steps.
Thank you… I sometimes think Step 5. is the most important part of any itinerary…it keeps us calm and centred to not miss the experience of just being…
Wonderful tips which are key to planning a travel. Expedia and TripAdvisor are indeed great choices to book your itinerary giving you all the affordable hotel options and prices. And of course to make a list of things to do not to be missed is most important.
Definitely and allowing time for the hidden things that the locals are happy to share…
I’m a planner but I also love having a loose itenerary. I will plan my route from airport to hotel down to the minute but have only vague plans of where to go each day. I love having the flexibility to wander in the direction of something that looks interesting without missing a reservation.
I love to plan but yes I also love to discover so there is always a plan ‘not to plan’ every moment…
Flexibility in the planning is key. If you know a general destination but find a cheaper flight to one airport over another, being willing to make changes helps.
It is definitely I always check around a few airports the same as accommodations being flexible is part of the plan or at least be willing…
Wonderful tips! Thank you for the information.
(But remember — many truly local places — and the most inexpensive hotels, restaurants, etc. — will not be found listed on the internet!)
You are welcome and thank you…Yes this is true and often the case.. Which is why we always plan to ‘not plan’ and ‘just breathe’ so any local places we discover when at our destination…
This is a great breakdown for trip planning!
Thank you I tried to get across that it doesn’t have to be complicated
This is such a sophisticated approach! Thank you for sharing the idea.
Thank you it’s my pleasure to share ideas and thoughts…
As much as I love the thrill of the adventure, nothing beats great planning. Thank you for a great post with lots of wonderful suggestions.
Giangi, I am the same my thrills start once we get there…I do love to plan though
Thanks for the tips on trip planning… these are very useful advice.
I am glad that it was a help
This was so helpful! So often it gets overwhelming! Thank you!
Nora, I am so glad you found it helpful, my hope was to take the overwhelm out of planning
I haven’t travelled internationally since 2019 (that was serious planning rewarded with fantastic enjoyment!). Except for a quick escape to Scotland last year, I can say I’m a bit out of hand. It makes me appreciate more reading articles like yours that offer a clear plan of action for a successful trip. I just need to know I will travel!
Mihaela, I hear what you are saying ours was 2018…but I am planning for 2023 fingers crossed..
I wish you all the success in planning and having a great trip! Do you cruise? I used to work on cruise ships and saw people returning because f the offers they got while onboard—just a suggestion. I don’t mean to make your planning even harder:)
Thank you many trips I hope…no we have never been on a cruise, not sure I could get my husband on one ha ha…
This is very useful! I get overwhelmed when traveling and a good plan always help. Thanks for sharing!!
I just love to check out all that I could possibly do and see also…
Awesome tips! Traveling can be very stressful, these helps. Thank you
Thanks Nisee, this always helps take the stress out of our travelling
This is a very helpful article! Plenty of practical tips thanks!
Thanks Hanna, that’s what I was going for…
This is so good and useful guide on how to create a perfect itinerary! And the scheme you showed at the beginning is very nice made! I pinned your post on my Pinterest! Thanks for this useful info!
Hi Sandra, You are welcome, I am so glad you like it & find it useful…
Thanks for the tips, Jeanine! I honestly didn’t know Google offered a travel itinerary tool like this. Define you going to save this article and reference it when planning my next trip!
I love Google my maps even when just planning for a day or two around our State. It really makes it easier to navigate & saves us some time.
What amazing steps to help when planning your itinerary. I love how you break it down.
Thanks Evie… I am glad I wanted it to be user friendly and informative…
These are great tips. I personally like to write down all the locations and prices and times of day I am available to go their. Its great to write them down so that I don’t forget anything.
I agree, we plan now especially as we have had several disappointments especially in the last year of things booked out…our Planner may also be useful for you
This is very helpful! May family and I are planning to travel by January and just the thought of it is overwhelming! Thank you for sharing this with us x
SO glad it’s a help, you may like FREE Planner also, it has some great checklists in it…
Love making itinerary especially in solo trips really helps a lot! This guide is very useful
Me too I just love to have a peek at what we could do with our plans….
This is super helpful. I always get overwhelmed with everything I want to do and then have a hard time narrowing it all down. Then I miss some things I want to do!
Hi Sarah Thanks, I know exactly what you mean so many things so little time… remember to take time to ‘Just Breathe’ also..