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Free Itinerary Template

GUIDE · 8 STEPS

How to plan a trip

The order that saves the most rework: decide what everything else depends on first, book what can sell out, and only then plan the days.

  1. Fix the dates and who's going

    Everything else hangs on these two. Write the first and last day and every traveler's name at the top of your itinerary template. If the dates can move, note the range and decide them before you book anything.

  2. Set a budget before you look at prices

    Pick a total, then split it into flights, lodging, food, local transport and activities. Divide by the number of days to see what a day can cost. The trip budget template has those categories and a planned against spent column.

  3. Book the hard-to-change things first

    Flights and the nights in places that fill up come first. Write each confirmation number next to its date as soon as you book, so the plan and the bookings never live apart.

  4. Count nights per place

    For trips with more than one stop, decide how many nights each place gets before you plan the days. Moving between places eats most of a day; the multi-city template gives transfers their own table.

  5. Plan each day in three parts

    Morning, afternoon, evening. Put the fixed things in first (tours with a start time, dinner reservations), then fill around them. Leave at least one part of each day empty: it absorbs delays, weather and the things you find once you're there.

  6. Reserve what sells out

    Popular tours, timed-entry tickets and restaurants can sell out weeks ahead. Book those, write the time and confirmation number in the day's row, and leave the rest flexible.

  7. Pack from a list

    Start from the same basics every time (documents, clothes, toiletries, tech) and add what this trip needs. The packing list template does both.

  8. Do the last check and share the plan

    A few days before you leave, read the itinerary top to bottom: passports valid, every night covered, every booking number filled in. Then share it with everyone going and someone staying home, as a shared Google Doc or a PDF.