Because of this, today I decided to bring you a list of 10 steps that will teach you how to create a perfect travel itinerary and after that I guarantee you that it won’t be difficult to put together your own travel itineraries and know exactly how to program yourself for what give it all time!
1 – Choose the main focus of your trip:
And when I say that, am I not referring to the famous “vacation or work trip”? When I talk about primary focus, it’s about thinking about why you’re traveling. Are you going to celebrate a birthday, a honeymoon, traveling with children, with the elderly? It is important to have this very well defined because this means that your entire group can organize itself and set up a schedule focused on this.
For example: A group of friends does not have the same rhythm as a group with an elderly person, so there is no way to put the same amount of activities for an elderly person!
2 – Choose your month
It’s no use wanting to go to a beach if you’ve planned to travel in winter, right? Therefore, choose the correct month to travel and check how the climate tends to be in that place, especially if you are in another country, where even the season can be the opposite of ours. Another important thing is to also know what your tolerance is. I, for example, have migraines when it’s very hot, so I avoid traveling to places that are too hot. If you feel very cold or if a certain period of the year the destination tends to have hurricanes in the region, see if it is really in that month that you want to visit or if you can choose another destination or period.
3 – Organize your documents
If you’re going to a destination abroad, have you tried to find out if that destination needs you to present a tourist visa? Or a passport? It is important to know which countries require a visa and which do not.
Before you start buying your tickets, renting accommodation and planning tours, keep up to date with all the documentation you need to travel.
And a very important point that many sites even pass on the wrong information is that you cannot carry copies of your documents in some countries. In the United States, for example, carrying a copy of your documentation can be considered a crime, so don’t even think about leaving your passport at the hotel and carrying only a copy, ok? Always have your documentation at hand!
4 – Set your budget
An excellent way to do this is to make a spreadsheet of how much you intend to spend on the trip, whether on food, accommodation, tours, etc. Have each of these topics super well defined so you don’t sink into debt (that’s not what we want as a result of a trip, right?).
5 – Set the time of your trip
Another important point is to define how long you will be traveling. Because, what’s the use of planning to visit a thousand places if you’re only going to have 3 days at the destination? It is essential to have this data to know exactly what gives (and what does not) time to do on your trip. No unrealistic expectations! Better to plan twice than not plan at all and screw up.
6 – Buy the tickets BEFORE the accommodation
It’s much easier to find cheap hotels on a certain date than trying to fit offers on airline tickets (which are sporadic and in certain periods).
Search for airfare deals on different websites until you find the best deal in the period you can afford.
7 – Choose your hosting
There is a hierarchy when choosing accommodation that is very particular and each one must define their own, which are: distance, price and comfort. I particularly look for very comfortable places at a good price, even if they are a little further away from the places, especially if I have a car. But there are many people who prefer to stay as close as possible to places and pay more for it!
So before even choosing a place, define what is most important for you to make the right decision and have an even better experience.
8 – Sights
Now that you’ve defined how much travel time you have, your accommodation, tickets, budget and the month you’re going to travel, you’re ready to define your tours. Research the most famous tours in your destination and don’t forget to look for alternative tours and really cool places that few people know about.
9 – Free time
While putting together a script, we often forget that we get tired! So don’t forget to leave a day off, or at least an afternoon of rest. If the destination is more peaceful, like a place in the mountains or something, you will usually have plenty of time to relax. But a destination full of tourist spots like the places in the Northeast need some time to rest. Otherwise you’ll come home from vacation needing a vacation!
10 – Print!
Once the script is assembled, print it! It’s a great tip to have the schedule tacked to the wall and mark days that have passed, details that have changed, etc. Even if they don’t print all the pages, at least the schedule, where you put the days of the week and what they will do on each of those days.
In addition, if you are traveling to international destinations, it is also a good idea to print confirmations for accommodation, car rental, travel insurance, etc. to deliver to immigration if requested.