How to Create a Trip Itinerary that Will Work for You?
The xTiles Trip Itinerary Template is an easy-to-fill and easy-to-navigate tool with all the information and details regarding your trip. Additionally, unlike itineraries in Google Docs and Google Sheets, it’s easy-adjustable so even the last-minute changes won’t ruin the structure.
Now, let’s create your next trip itinerary that will become your compass once you pack your suitcases or backpack and leave your house.
Determine your travel dates
If you have a regular job from 9 to 5, you may need to sort everything out with your colleagues or boss before you can go on a trip. If you’re a freelancer, there will be fewer factors that will determine your departure dates.
It’s important to figure out the day of your departure/arrival and an hour. For example, your flight is late at night or very early in the morning. You may need to come to the airport in the evening and wait for the whole night. And then, suppose your plane arrives late at night or early in the morning, and the airport is far from the city. You will have to wait till morning for the first bus or take a taxi which might be expensive.
You may check for some tips and tricks and important factors to consider on buying plane tickets and choosing your desired destination in our blog post on how to plan an unforgettable trip.
Research your destination
It’s important to learn about your destination as much as you can. Thankfully, today it’s enough to go on Youtube or Google.
If you’re after the most popular tourist destination, be ready that 95% of other tourists will be there too. That’s why you may choose places that showcase the incredible vibe of the country/city you’re visiting, but they remain undiscovered by tourists. In this case, your research may take a bit longer. You will need to spend more time watching videos, reading guides, looking for locals who talk about their cities on social media, etc.
Choose your top attractions
Based on your research, create a list of places you want to visit the most. You should be ready that you may not have enough time to visit and enjoy all of them.
However, time goes differently when you’re on a trip. That’s why we recommend creating two lists. One for the places you must visit and one for the places you may visit if there’s enough time or you by any chance are somewhere nearby.
You may save all the good places and attractions while surfing the internet using the xTiles Web Clipper if there’s still some time before your departure. Sometimes, it’s easier to find something really worth your attention when idly scrolling through your social media than deliberately searching.
You can access your trip plan in the xTiles mobile app even without an internet connection, which makes it very useful for travelers allowing them to save money on roaming fees.
Organize your itinerary
Once you have your lists, organize them in a logical order. Look at your desired attractions and group them accordingly to their locations. If you aren’t a big fan of public transportation, you may choose only those you can reach by foot. Or you may divide a city into sections and devote one or two days, depending on how huge it is, to each of them.
When organizing your trip itinerary, leave room for unexpected discoveries and wishes. For example, you’re heading to the museum, but you see a great local restaurant along the way. You decide it will be a sin not to visit it while you’re here because you don’t plan to return to this part of the city. Assign a bit more time for each activity than you may need, especially when planning transportation since it’s the thing that depends on you the least.
The xTiles Trip Itinerary allows you to schedule your trip according to days and destinations. Just use the traditional system you use for your weekly or daily planner.
Consider transportation
Transportation, whether we speak about rental cars, public transportation, or walking directions, is an important part of any trip. Carefully put all the data from your tickets into your trip itinerary. Include small details such as where the bus stops to have everything in handy.
Take care of your leisure while on a bus or train. It may take hours to get from one place to another, and landscapes behind your window might become pretty monotonous after some forty minutes of staring. A book or a pre-downloaded film or tv series would be great. Or you can always learn more about the place you’re going to while commuting.
The xTiles Trip Itinerary template has separate sections for each transportation with the ability to add your tickets, so you will have them handy.
Plan your meals
That step is especially important if you have some dietary restrictions or you’re going to a country where local cuisine is far from what you like.
Look for restaurants and cafes near your hotel or hostel and your attractions so you won’t be hungry. That step is optional if you’re about to try all the street food you can put your hands on. However, you still need to find reputable street food restaurants to avoid food poisoning or digestive problems.
You may add the restaurants you want to visit to your attractions section when template planning or create a separate section to have everything divided and organized.
Book accommodations
Before booking your room, look at the city’s map and see how far it will be from your main planned activities. Keep in mind that not all cities have great public transportation systems. What is worse, each city has its own system, so it might take you a few days before you get accustomed to it and learn how to use it to your advantage.
Review and adjust
Review it and check whether all the information is correct. Ensure you add contact details to your itinerary in case you have trouble getting inside your rental apartment. It’s better to make unexpected changes at this stage, as you won’t have time later to solve puzzles.
If you prepare a trip itinerary for other people, be ready to check and double-check everything. You may easily guess what you want to say, while others will likely not know your way of thinking.
Bon voyage!
Now that everything is planned and pre-discovered, you can safely depart. Without constantly worrying about where to stay, where to eat, how to get to another destination, where you have saved your tickets, etc., you can freely enjoy everything your trip and the places you visit can offer you.
Have a great trip and come back to plan your next adventure!
