Guide to Using Travel Itinerary Templates: Become a Pro!

Planning will always be a part of the traveling experience. As much as most people dread it, there’s no denying how getting all your ducks in a row before a considerable trip gives you that instant relief! 

Making sure everything’s all set before your new adventure gives you a massive sense of accomplishment and makes the trip run seamlessly.

But let’s be honest, how convenient would it be to have all the details of your trip in one place? Imagine you’re planning a trip with friends or planning to travel around Europe. Wouldn’t it be nice to know you can access all the details at once?

Now, this is where creating a travel itinerary comes in. Suppose you’re looking for ideas on creating a vacation itinerary template, what to write, and some samples. In that case, you’ve come to the right place. 

These ideas I’ll be unleashing to create a useful template for your travel itinerary will keep your trip organized and fun at the same time!

What Is a Travel Itinerary?

In a nutshell, a travel itinerary is a document containing the full schedule and details of your trip. It helps you outline your vacation with all the necessary information to run everything smoothly. 

Back in the day, people would hire travel agents to book accommodations and flight tickets, as well as create itineraries for them. But with technology making everything easier for us, planning your holiday has become a breeze for most travelers. 

There are tons of avenues and resources readily available online with a tap of your finger!

Travel itineraries are an excellent way to organize your trip’s details in one document so you don’t have to scramble for them at the last minute. Just like managing a vacation packing list, having a trip itinerary is a must when you have an upcoming vacation to avoid mishaps while you’re on the move.

How To Create a Travel Itinerary Template

If you’re reading this, you may have already chosen a destination or started planning your trip around the world. 

This means you also had one of the most important parts of your pre-departure knocked down. Now, let’s move on to the next part—organizing your trip details.

Make a Plan

How long will you be staying in a particular country or city? Will your trip be adventure-filled, or are you gearing more toward slow traveling? Do you have all the documentation ready for the journey?

Before starting with your itinerary, list every valuable piece of information surrounding your trips, like places you want to visit, the food you want to try, and the experiences you want to take part in. 

This way, you’ll be able to create a layout of your upcoming vacation with ease.

Book Everything in Advance and Collect All The Details

Flights, accommodations, packaged tours, you name it. If you can book it in advance, go ahead and do it! 

Securing every booking you can before the trip gives you a clearer view of your daily itinerary. It also gives you more leeway to move around other activities and set aside some extra budget for things you can’t book in advance.

Create Your Budget

Since you have all the activities ironed out and all the necessary bookings made, you can now estimate how much each day will cost you. From there, you can create a daily budget, which is essential, especially for those who are more into budget-friendly travel locations.

Organize Them All

Now that everything’s prepared, it’s time for you to put them all in one place where you can read and access them easily. A good rule of thumb is to keep soft and hard copies of your itineraries so you can always have them handy. 

What Should Be Included in an Itinerary Template?

When creating your vacation itinerary, there are several items that you must always list to keep your trip organized. Below are some of the most common information one will find on an itinerary template:

• Flight details: This would include your airline, booking reference number, flight number, date of departure and arrival, as well as your seat number
• Accommodation details: List the name and address of the hotel, reservation number, total nights of stay, number of guests, names of guests, and room number (if applicable)
• Daily breakdown of activities: From day one to the last day, all of your carefully planned activities should be listed, together with the hourly schedule and address of the place in case you need it
• Other important details: Some people prefer to take note of other details that they find essential to the trip, such as admission or transport fees, contact person in an establishment, landmarks, office hours, and more.

Whether you’d like to create an extremely detailed trip itinerary depends on your preference. 

Some people are more accustomed to having every minute of their trip planned out. Others are more comfortable with having only a rough guide of their day-to-day activities to give space for other spontaneous activities should the opportunity arise.

Where Should I Create a Template?

These days, there is a multitude of avenues to create an itinerary that suits your taste better. Whether you’re a creative person who likes sticking to a specific theme, or a black-and-white type who likes to keep it straightforward, there’s always something that would work for you.

Canva

Crowd’s favorite graphic designing website, Canva, isn’t lacking regarding the variety of travel itineraries it offers on its roster. 

From trendy templates filled with season’s colors to themed templates highlighting the beauty of your chosen destination, there’s always something for everyone on the website.

But, be aware that it can take some time to get used to Canva. Plus, some of their features are locked behind a pro membership!

Adobe

Another option for creative travelers who want to spice up their itinerary is the Adobe Express travel itinerary templates. 

Similar to Canva, Adobe has several free itinerary designs that you can choose from depending on your mood. Depending on your preference, you can change their font, background, and more. 

Be sure to peruse the itinerary examples on the platform.

Google Suite

If you’re wondering whether Google has a free travel itinerary template accessible to its users, then the answer is… yes! Trusty ol’ Google can be used to create trip itineraries on Docs and Sheets. 

You can either make one from scratch or use the one in their gallery. Currently, there’s one on the Sheets free templates page. You can also download templates from other third-party websites to use on Google.

Using Google Maps to plan your trip is also a brilliant way to create a guide for your next trip, especially if you’re planning an epic backpacking adventure. 

By plotting each stop of your tour, it’ll be easier to calculate the best routes to follow to get to your destination easier.

Pilot

By now, there are a lot of other websites, travel planner apps, and software to help you get every bit of your life arranged, including travel plans. 

From online kanban boards to journal-type apps, there are just too many options to choose from! But instead of dumping everything into one app focusing more on managing your personal life, why not select an app specifically designed for travel? 

My obvious favorite is Pilot. This up-and-comping trip planner takes care of all your travel deets so you can just focus on having a great time and making good memories. 

With fantastic features you can utilize when traveling, like the option to create packing lists, see travel restrictions in certain countries, and more, Pilot is the go-to for people who are more into straightforward planning and organizing group trips with friends!

Why Do You Need One?

We sure love the spontaneity that comes with every adventure we embark on. But there are still a few reasons having a solid itinerary comes in handy.

Keeps Every Detail of Your Trip Organized

It’s hard to keep up with all the bookings, accommodations, names, and unfamiliar places when you’re on the move. 

With an itinerary on hand, one click will save you from all the trouble of digging through thousands of emails in your inbox just to find the most important details when you need them the most.

Helps You Keep Track of Your Budget

It’s not a secret that traveling can sometimes be expensive. Having activities pre-planned and listed on an itinerary planner can give you an idea of how much allowance you should bring for your trip and how much is your running balance. 

If you’re planning a trip on a budget, knowing where you’re currently at financially on a trip means you’ll be able to have more fun without actually breaking the bank.

Sometimes Required Before You Can Travel

In some cases, itineraries are required to be presented in front of the immigration authorities before you’re granted access or permission to leave a country. 

They help demonstrate your capacity to go on vacation and the true intention of your travel.

Gives You Peace of Mind

Visiting a country for the first time can be exciting and overwhelming at the same time. To help make you more at ease in unfamiliar territory, having a well-planned trip can be very useful. 

If you have all the details you’ll need within the next few days kept in an organized system, there’s nothing for you to worry about anymore.

Create Your Dream Itinerary Today With Pilot!

Having travel itineraries is a game changer and can help you make the most of your trip. Ready to make your next travel itinerary? You can do this and more with Pilot!