8 Steps to Planning Your Perfect Travel Itinerary

Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of research for upcoming vacations! Creating a travel itinerary can be very stressful and overwhelming. You need to book your flight, accommodations, transportation, activities, and more! There is a lot of organization and planning that go into creating an itinerary and getting the most out of your vacation. Luckily, I am incredibly organized, love to plan, and am here to help! My guide will break down the steps to creating your perfect itinerary and help you to become stress-free while planning your vacation!  You can use my 8 step guide for planning any trip!

1. Choose two places (preferably that offer very different experiences) you would like to go on vacation
I think it is best to compare and contrast at least two different travel experiences you could have. I highly recommend that you research and create travel itineraries for both places you choose. I love making travel itineraries, so making 4 or 5 itineraries to choose from is really fun for me! I’ve probably planned more trips than I’ve actually been on. However, some people don’t love to plan, but following these steps will make researching and creating your itinerary a lot simpler. Researching and creating multiple travel itineraries allows you to compare them and really figure out the type of vacation you would like to go on. For instance, I’ve planned out trips to an island and I’ve compared it to an itinerary for a city. You could always use the travel itineraries you’ve created for future vacations!

2. Check the weather for the two places you choose and time of year you are going away
I know this seems extreme, but the average weather for your travel destination will give you a good idea of what the weather will be like while you're there. The weather can be a huge factor in the activities available while you’re away. Google the place and month you’ll be going away, for instance “weather in San Diego California in January.” It’s incredibly helpful to see the weather high’s and low’s, this can also be a huge factor in where you go. I looked into going to Morocco in January until I found out it’s freezing, might snow, and most hotels don’t have heat.

3. Brainstorm and create a list of the type of vacation experience you would like and the types of activities you would like to do while on vacation
Think about the type of experience you would like to have on this vacation. Are you going on vacation to relax and rejuvenate or are you going to sight-see, maybe you want to do some adventure sports. Brainstorm and write down the type of experience you would like, you  can choose more than one! What activities interest you, do you want to explore nature, eat the local cuisine, go on a food tours, partake in adventure sports, lounge at the pool or beach, ski, snowboard? Keep in mind the weather for both places. Some activities you might need to book in advance, so don’t want until the last minute to start brainstorming ideas! Write down a few ideas of what you would like to see or what you are interested in! Usually if you are interested in going somewhere you already have at least one activity or attraction in mind that you would like to do/see. This will be very helpful in narrowing down your two options later in the planning process!

4. Research the activities available for the two areas and create lists for each
​This is one of my favorite parts! First, I will do research online. I look at Trip Advisor, Lonely Planet, Frommer's, USA Today, and most vacation destinations will have a website about local tourism so I will also visit that site. For instance, California has its own website. Also, I will Google itineraries of the place I am going and the amount of days I will be there, for instance "San Diego California 5 day itinerary". Bloggers post their itineraries online with their reviews, which can be really useful in deciding what to do and see. Based on my online research I’ll create a list of all the activities and attractions that I would like to do/see. You can also research restaurants you would like to visit, using Trip Advisor or reading reviews on one of the itinerary blog posts. Sometimes I’ll buy a guide book. I try to find a guide book that will give me suggestions from local people and not the typical sights to see. Also some guide books can give you really great advice on what you might need to pack, transportation in the place you visit, restaurants, local etiquette, etc. I’ll add more activities and attractions to my list based on my guide book. You can also buy a guide book at the end of the planning process for the one place you decide to go and edit your itinerary! 

5. Create a daily itinerary
Creating a daily itinerary can feel overwhelming, but it is really helpful while on vacation and during the planning process. Google Maps is an amazing resource for creating your daily itinerary. It’s a lot easier to decide what to do each day once you find out the distance between each activity you're interested in. It’s best to do activities that are close to one another on the same day. Remember to leave room in your itinerary for meals, snacks, exploring, and some down time. Usually I’ll budget extra time at each place, so I don’t feel rushed. 

6. Research the essentials: airplane tickets, hotels, and possibly car rental reservations
I research and buy my airplane tickets through Google Flights. Google Flights allows you compare and track airfares on hundreds of airlines to help you find the best flight deals. So check there first to search for flight deals! Then depending on where you are going, decide if you would like to rent an Airbnb, hotel, or hostel. I love Airbnb because it’s private, you can cook your own meals, and you can live like a local! I hardly ever stay in hotels. The Airbnb’s I’ve rented are cheaper and roomier than other accommodation options, but definitely read the reviews before booking anything! If you're interested in staying in a hotel, you can research online at Trip Advisor, Oyster.com, and Hotels.com. If you know you are going to book a hotel and rental car it might be cheaper and easier to book through a site like Expedia. Write down a list of the cost for airplane tickets, accommodations, and transportation for your two possible vacations.

7. Compare the two possible vacation destinations and choose one
Now it’s time to compare the itineraries, prices, and weather and decide which vacation is best for you! You can compare your list of the type of vacation experience you would like, the types of activities you wanted to do on your vacation, and your daily itinerary. Think about which trip you were most excited about when you were researching and creating your daily itinerary. You can also create a pros and cons list! 

8. Book your trip
Now it’s finally time to book your airplane tickets, accommodation, transportation, activities, attractions, etc.! Your itinerary is an outline that can be as specific as you like. Personally, I like to create a very detailed itinerary and leave time in my schedule to be spontaneous (it's ironic that I plan out my spontaneity).  Remember you can always edit your itinerary while you're away! Happy travels! 

How do you create your itinerary for vacation? Please leave a comment below!