Creating your own travel itinerary is an important yet time-consuming activity to do before any trip. I understand because I travel solo and if not, I’m the designated planner in my family! You can start off with these top 8 things you should take note of when you do your travel itinerary!
Traveling is a great teacher about life. It enables you to better understand the world. It teaches you to be more emphatic and open. No doubt, it’s one of the most engaging ways to continue learning.
Plus, traveling makes you happy too (I think we all know that already.) In fact, according to a 2010 study published on Applied Research in Quality of Life, most travelers start to enjoy their upcoming trip weeks, even months before it actually begins.
DIY travel itinerary pros and cons
There are many different kinds of travelers. If you’re one who prefers personalized experience and strives to save money while traveling at the same time, I bet you’ll end up with a DIY travel itinerary.
But making your own travel itinerary isn’t for everyone. Here are the pros and cons for those who are still contemplating if they should go this route.
Pros
- You’re in control of the places you visit, and most especially, of your time
- You save a lot of money from service fees charged by tour agencies
- You get to do whatever the hell you want since you’ll plan things according to your schedule and interests
- You learn about the city/country, its culture and people, even before physically being there
Cons
- There’s a lot of research—from entrance fees and operating hours to transportation costs and best routes
- It can be stressful, especially when you can’t spare a few hours making it
Let’s begin your travel itinerary
Still with me? Now that you know what you’re going to get yourself into, are you ready to make your first travel itinerary? Okay, here goes.
A quick note: The joy in making your own travel itinerary is the flexibility in terms of the amount and level of information you put into it. Ideally, the more the information you include, the more you are guided during your trip. Personally, I consider a travel itinerary as only a rough guide because I tend to be more of the spur-of-the-moment kind of traveler and stray away from it by the time I’m on a trip.
Here, I’m covering what I consider the essentials, so you’ll be prepared with the minimum (and have a lot more room for bursts of spontaneity). Feel free to add more according to your situation.
Open your docs or excel
Where do you create your travel itinerary? We all have our favorite document processing app, but I recommend creating yours on Google Docs or Sheets. If you’re not going to print out your travel itinerary, at least you can conveniently access it from any device.
You can also easily collaborate with your travel buddies since a Google file can be viewed and edited by anyone who has the link to it. It may not have all the functionalities of Microsoft Word or Excel (which also has an online version albeit slow), but you don’t really need them anyway.
Create a master table of the most important stuff
You know those immigration slips you always fill up? Yeah, you must have quick access to the information you need for those, and more. The first page of your travel itinerary is a table of all the important stuff. What are these?
- Flight details (airport, terminal number, flight number, departure and arrival day and time)
- Accommodation details (name, address, instructions on how to get there if no one is picking you up at the airport, check in/out time, and contact number)
- Emergency contact details (your country’s embassy address and contact information, your parents’ or friends’ contact information, the destination city’s emergency hotline)
- Your passport details (number and validity)
Find out what the weather is like
Aside from knowing what to wear, checking the weather gives you an idea of whether it’s feasible to do certain activities that you want, or not. It prepares you for the worst if ever. It also helps you choose the right activities to do and clothes to bring.
For instance, going to Japan in May means summer is already around the corner so advertised tourist spots for cherry blossom season may no longer be suitable. Obviously, I made that mistake! 
The Philosopher’s Path in Kyoto seems very beautiful from late March to mid-April, adorned with rows of scenic cherry blossoms. But by May (my experience), it looks quite plain and boring!
Rank your places to go and things to do list
Ask yourself what your priority is when you travel. Do you like visiting historical places? Doing cultural activities? Experiencing the local food? Since it’s your travel itinerary, you’re free to do whatever you like. But it’s also helpful to choose your top 3 or 5 that you’ll focus on per day. How to do this?
- Check proximity. Some tourist spots are close to each other, so it’s possible to squeeze a bunch of them in a day. But some are far. Google maps will help you estimate travel time. Once you’ve prepared for your top activities, you may create a second list for instances when you have spare time.
- Check operating days and hours. Some places are closed on random days. Museums especially! Also, consider doing this if you’re going to a country during a big holiday. For instance, Easter in European countries. Diwali in South Asian countries. Chinese New Year in some East and Southeast Asian countries.
- Gather up facts. Make your visit worthwhile by reading up about the spots you’re planning to go. This not only teaches you new things and makes the experience more intimate, but also saves you some bucks from hiring a tour guide. Of course, you can also google while on the trip, but why not save time beforehand if you can?
This is the time when you’ll start learning about the culture of the city or country you’re visiting. If you’re a solo traveler, it’s useful to get an in-depth knowledge of the place since you’ll consider safety when you plan your travel.
Pick a convenient accommodation
Once you have your points of interest handy, now is the time to pick your accommodation. Why do the other first before this step? Convenience. It’s always better to stay right either in the city center or near the places you want to go, than in a far, remote place if your priority is too see and do as much as you can.
Where do you usually look? Personally, I use Airbnb, Agoda, and Booking.com. What do you usually check when you scout for accommodation? The most important things, at least for me, are the distance to/from the airport, nearest train station, and places where I plan to go.
Depending on the kind of traveler you are, it pays to check the amenities like if the room has an air conditioner or fan only. If it has a locker to place your stuff (especially useful in hostels). If you’re traveling with a big group, room size is also an important thing to consider.
We all have different levels of comfort. If you’re unsure about something, there are always reviews online that you can read. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to get in touch with the Airbnb, hotel, hostel, B&B or even the travelers who reviewed these places. Trust me, they’re more than happy to help!
Figure out your means of transport
With travel tours, you most likely will use private vehicles. But when you’re on your own, you have the option of taking public transportation. Most of the time, public trains and buses are cheaper. The catch though? You’ll not arrive directly to where you want to go. In other words, you either have to transfer and use multiple vehicles or you have to walk.
What I usually do here is research the activities I want to do and find out the best routes to go there individually. It sounds tedious, but this process gives you a glimpse of how transportation and commuting are like in the city or country you are visiting.
In your travel itinerary, there usually is a “how to go” section per point of interest. How to go to your hotel, to this place, to this restaurant, etc. Honestly, this is one of the difficult things to be accurate about, so this is when you’ll end up being flexible once you’re on travel.
Take note of fees
Of course, how can we miss expenses? If you have a specific budget, planning your travel itinerary is a great exercise since you get a glimpse of the possible costs you’ll incur. Here’s where your money will go and what you should take note of while doing your travel itinerary:
- Travel tax (if you’re from the Philippines)
- Accommodation costs
- Sim card or data plan
- Cab or Uber fares
- Car rental fees
- Train or bus network cards
- Entrance fees
- Food allowance
- Tour guides
- Souvenirs
Read reviews or ask online for help
Finally, if you get stuck while making your travel itinerary, you always have an online community ready to help you. My favorites are Lonely Planet and TripAdvisor. There’s a lot of reviews on both sites, and you just sign up for an account and ask away.
From my experience, your Airbnb, hotel, hostel or B&B are more than willing to help so you can ask them as well. Plus, personal blogs and private companies may usually be the top results when you search on Google, but you can also get in touch with the destination country’s tourism office and ask for advice.
Some additional things to include: Basic conversational phrases and typical tourist scams!
A final note
Yes, creating your own travel itinerary can be time assuming. But if you enjoy getting to know the city or country you are visiting even before you set your foot there, it is truly an exciting activity. You’re not only making sure that you’ll have your accommodation and budget ready, but you’re also managing expectations which will help make your trip as fun and relaxing as it can be.
What do you think of this list? Happy travel itinerary planning!
