DIY Travel Itinerary Tips - How to Prepare Your Own Travel Itinerary

A travel itinerary serves as your guide on the road. Winging it has its own place at times, but being organized is way better. Besides, it does not take much to craft your personal travel itinerary. For what it is worth, the effort is nothing!

Photo by Rana Sawalha

Benefits of Having a Travel Itinerary:

• Saves you time and energy

• The holiday is organized and hassle-free

• You maximize every minute of your vacation

• No missing all the must-see places and must-do activities

• A good accommodation awaits you

• Helps in determining the length of stay

• Aids in creating a travel budget

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How to Create Your Own Travel Itinerary

1. Gather all pertinent information like flights, hotels, and tour information.

2. Use websites and apps that let you draw your itinerary. Try TripIt.com, TripCase.com, or TripHobo.com. If you want to write it yourself, download free templates to make it easier or use a plain excel file. You can get them at Free Travel Itinerary Templates and Travel Itinerary Example.

3. Fill your itinerary with day-to-day activities.

4. Save it on an accessible platform. Have it on your phone, e-mail it to yourself, or plug it into an external server like Dropbox or Evernote.

5. Print it out and have a hard copy. Phones and laptops die, or sometimes it is difficult to access a Wi-Fi connection.

6. Store your printed travel itinerary along with your boarding pass, map, or anything you access together with flight details and accommodation info.

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters

IMPORTANT: Information to add to your travel itinerary

1. Accommodation

• Location of hotel

• Hotel contact number

• Confirmation number or e-mail

• Receipts

• Booking agent

2. Flights

• Full name of passengers

• Date and time of flights

• Flight number

• Frequent flier program number, if applicable

• Confirmation number or e-mail

• Receipts

• Booking agent

3. Trains

• Full name of passengers

• Date and time of train

• Train number

• Frequent traveler program number, if applicable

• Confirmation number or e-mail

• Receipts

• Booking agent

4. Buses

• Full name of passengers

• Date and time of the bus

• Bus number and routes

• Frequent traveler program number, if applicable

• Confirmation number or e-mail

• Receipts

• Booking agent

5. Tours

• Tour company name

• Tour dates and times

• Meeting and endpoints

• Confirmation number or e-mail

• Receipts

NOTE: If you are on a DIY Trip, add the places and activities you wish to see and do with the corresponding date and time and associated fees.

Some more general tips to help you:

1. Make a list of all the sights you wish to see, the food you want to try, and activities you want to do. Add the location and opening times.

2. Be realistic. While you want to milk your trip, it is essential to balance touring with rest. Have a mix of daily pleasant activities, too.

3. Research events happening in your destination. Take note of local holidays that may affect your trip.

4. Leave a copy of your travel itinerary to a trusted person back home.

5. Avoid flight connections that cut it too close. You do not need the stress!

6. Have a list of home country information like your embassy or consulate address and phone numbers.

7. Clarify the local country code when making long-distance calls.

8. Note hospitals and bring a brief medical history, in case of emergency.

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