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How to make a Travel Itinerary

The best thing to do before traveling is laying out a well-organized travel itinerary, so let’s take a look at what it is and how to make one.

Manuel M.

May 8, 2023

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You have your bags ready, and you’re heading out the door for your next adventure. But where are you going first? Is it better to take public transportation or rent a car? So many things you must keep in mind! That’s why the best thing to do before traveling is laying out a well-organized travel itinerary. We want you to have an experience of a lifetime with no headaches and no issues, so let’s take a look at what a travel itinerary is and how to make one.

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What is a travel itinerary?

So, what exactly is a travel itinerary? You might think it’s just a piece of paper with some information about your trip or a Post-It with a list of what you need for your excursion, but in reality, this document, whether physical or digital, has almost everything you need, with details, to stay on track and avoid wasting time during your journey or vacation.

A travel itinerary is a schedule of dates and times with all the details that pertain to what flights you have to take, where you’re going to stay, including the hotel booking information, what touristic hotspots you’re going to visit and the new places you’ll get to know. The overall purpose of this travel schedule is to make sure that everything runs smoothly, and you don’t end up stressed out and spending more than what you initially estimated.

Paper or App?

Keep in mind that some travelers are still old-fashioned and prefer to write down or printout a tangible travel itinerary. Others have adopted for using a tour or vacation itinerary template in a digital format, which can be done online on a website or even apps where you can enter all your travel details and the app will simply keep you updated and send you reminders about your flights or reservation details.

Digital Train Itinerary. Source: Unsplash

How to plan a travel itinerary

The best you can do when creating your itinerary is to keep a clear language and to the point. Make sure it’s well organized and easily readable. If you intend to print it out, leave some extra space for any last-minute changes and place it somewhere you can easily take it out. If you decide on using an app, keep it on your home screen and turn on the notifications for any news or adjustments.

Where to begin

To begin building your trip or vacation plan you first have to decide what dates will you be travelling and where. Afterward, look for a suitable hotel or hostel with your preferred amenities. The hotel check-in time is also a major factor because you don’t want to arrive too early in the morning and have to wait around until 2 or 3 pm to be able to leave your luggage in your room. Keep in mind the weather at your destination, if the dates you want to travel are high or low season, and make sure that the sights and marvels you wish to visit are open and available to the public at the time of your stay, these are in other words, seasonal attractions.

Travel Itinerary Apps

There are several apps available both on the Apple Store and on the Google Play Store. If you wish to have all your travel details on your iPhone or iPad for easy access and notifications, Wanderlog is the way to go. You can easily import your flight and booking details from your email, for example, and even attach documents like your boarding pass QR code, it’s that simple! Another popular app on iOS is TripIt. This app lays out a timeline of your travels so you don’t miss a flight nor any events you want to attend to, additionally, real-time flight alert and destination specific health and safety details are also provided which is a great plus!

Check The 10 Best Apps to travel the world to read more on more travel apps that have other functions, perks and advantages. Each app has its own particularities, so you’ll definitely find one that’s best for you.

Details to consider

When you begin doing your research for touristic attractions, be mindful of the opening and closing hours and check other travelers’ opinions of when’s the best time to arrive. Some very popular attractions can be packed with visitors from early morning, and you don’t want to waste an entire day in a line! If you’re travelling with children, assure yourself that the attractions are safe and appropriate for them. We’ve set a final step by step summary for you below:

  • Choose your travel dates and destination
  • Look for hotels and availability
  • Check the weather for that specific time of year at your destination
  • High season or low season?
  • Select and check attractions and marvels
  • Print or enter information in app
  • Enjoy!
Traveler. Source: Unsplash

Flight Details

Getting on an airplane is as easy as 1, 2, 3, right? Wrong. Of all the details that you should include in your personal travel guide, is the flight’s information. Let’s tell you why. When you travel internationally or even domestically, each airline has their own restrictions regarding luggage weight and volume as well as the items that you can and cannot carry with you. Additionally, keep a close eye on the fine print and make sure what you’re taking is included in your airfare. Anticipate any possible traffic or holdups the day of your flight and be at the airport by the time stated on the reservation ticket so you have sufficient time to check in your bags that are going in the airplane hold.

Connecting Flights

Also, sometimes when you travel long distances there may be layovers in other countries and at some of these stops you have to go from your disembarking terminal to a different airport, so if that’s your case, plan ahead and confirm that you can get an easy transport and have enough time to arrive for your connecting flight.

Internet Abroad

Now that you have everything for your escapade you should be all set. But what about your internet connection? Sure, you have WiFi at home, and you maybe even have a data plan you can rely on when you’re out of the house, but what about in another country or region? What if you need to look up directions to get to a museum or a theme park? Getting internet and staying connected abroad is an important part of your travel itinerary. We recommend getting the innovative Holafly eSIM which offers a stable and reliable network connection almost anywhere you go! They’re easy to get from the Holafly website and even the app, and the best part is that even if you forget to buy one before you leave home, you can still get one at your destination. Easy-peasy.

If you don’t know what an eSIM is, read more about it here.

­Travel Itinerary Template

We hope all this information has been a great help to you and your future crusades, but we’re not done just yet. Remember to cross off all the T’s and C’s and if you have no idea where to begin or you want an easy way to create your own travel itinerary, at Holafly, we’re designed a template that you can use for free! All you have to do is download the template, fill out the information and details, and you’ll be all set. A piece of cake!

Click here to download!