Travel itineraries are the structure of your trip that allow you to go from one place to the next. While travel itineraries aren’t absolutely necessary, they will save you a major headache when travelling abroad. There are so many options when you arrive to your destination so it’s good to know what activities you want to do in different locations.
Travel itineraries can feel extremely overwhelming to create when you don’t know where to start. The first thing you need to do is figure out where you are going. If you are undecided for the location or you don’t know what to do when you arrive, I suggest considering what matters the most to you when travelling. Some things my partner and I value the most are going places with rich culture, delicious foods, and naturally beautiful landscapes. For example, our favourite type of cuisine is Greek food and we love ancient Greek history, which inspired our trip to Greece. We both also love hiking, dramatic landscape changes, and the ocean so we took a trip to Kona, Hawaii. When we plan our trips, we always make sure that we are interested in the culture, food, and landscapes. Once you have a location in mind, ask yourself if it has the things you feel are essential for your travels.
When planning what I want to while in different locations I like to get inspiration online from those who are more travelled than I am. This inspiration mainly comes from online sources, but I also like to ask family who have travelled to the location I am interested in. This allows me to be sure the location I selected is best suited for the types of activities I want to do. If you don’t know others who travel, there is information available through online sources. There is no shortage of people who want to share information about their travels. My go to for information is Reddit, which has a whole subreddit dedicated to travelling and even has suggestions for first time travellers. If you want to learn about different places it’s helpful to watch travel videos. I watch videos on Youtube, such as Island Hopper TV when I am unsure of where I want to go. This allows me to narrow down my search channels based on what I am looking for while travelling. Once I figure out where I want to go I will look for blogs on specific things, such as food travel blogs for that location, such as The Travel Bite.
Now, you have to consider what pace you want to travel at. I like to get to know places well, so I opt to stay longer than others often do. Staying longer gives me the opportunity to get the insider scoop from locals once I arrive. My partner and I often stay at Airbnbs owned by local hosts because they often are happy to chat about the area and give you travel advice. Having itineraries that are flexible allows you to slow your pace, so consider this when you are planning. Instead of giving yourself a strict daily itinerary, consider having a must see list that acts as a guide. This way you can itemize the most important things you. You may want to reorganize this list once you arrive to ensure you aren’t missing out on any activities locals say are must dos. This method can work for fast paced travelling but have a longer list of possible activities so you can fill your time. Many people said that we should only go to Athens, Greece for a day but I am happy we decided to stay for several days. This allowed us to visit locations our host was kind enough to recommend. On our second night in Athens, we explored the local neighbourhood and ended the day doing a sunset hike to Philopappos Hill with a view of the Acropolis of Athens. We ended up loving it even more than going to the colosseum!
Here is a summary of the information for those who want steps to planning an itinerary:
- Selecting the location
- Does this place provide you with the things you want to encounter while travelling (Ex. specific cuisines)? Make a breakdown of what you value the most while travelling.
- Research different areas
- What activities are you interested in doing while travelling? Create a list of activities you are interested in doing.
- Pacing your trip
- Prioritize the activities you want to do and plan the timing of your trip based on your top activities.