My travel buddy and I are very skilled at packing a lot into our trips. We both have jobs and unfortunately can’t spend weeks or months in our destinations. So to get the most from our time, we always come up with an itinerary usually weeks in advance.
These itineraries can be quite detailed, including walking directions, trains to take, hotels, etc. Here’s how to come up with a comprehensive plan for your next jaunt.
1. Do Your Research
For me, this is the best part! Buy your guide books, scour the Web, and visit the destination’s tourism website for the must-see, must-do excursions. I tend to prefer guidebooks with lots of pictures and top 10 lists (hey, call me simplistic!) My favorites are DK Eyewitness Travel, Fodor’s, and Lonely Planet, but I’ll often use others if they seem comprehensive and easy to navigate. As for websites, hands down, TripAdvisor is my No. 1 resources. The site has helpful reviews, pictures, most popular lists for things to do, restaurants, hotels and B&Bs. That said, do an exhaustive Google search on your destination, check out Wikipedia, and ask your friends until you have an idea about the place and what you might want to do while there.
2. Come Up With Your Top List
Your next step is to write down your top list. Don’t worry yet about being realistic with time constraints and travel limitations, or priorities. Just jot down everything you want to see or do.
3. Pull Out a Map
Mark everything you want to see and do on a map. You can do this easily using Google Maps and clicking on the Get Directions button. You can save your maps in My Places to refer back to and always have at the ready. Take note of how close things are or how far. Can you walk to some things from your hotel? Does a tour bus hit most of them? A train? Make notes on the best way to get to where you need to go.
4. Eliminate and Prioritize
Once you know where things are in proximity to where you’re staying, you can begin to gauge what you can realistically do with the time you have. Now it’s time to determine your priorities–these are your must-sees! Eliminate anything that doesn’t make that list either because it’s too far or you don’t care about it all that much. This is also a good time to share and swap ideas with your travel partner(s). They may have their own ideas about their must-sees, so you’ll want to be open to compromise.
5. Make a Day Schedule
Group excursions by day–and think of your days in two parts (day and night). If several places are close together and can be done in a walking tour, then do that one day. Note what restaurants or shops you may also want to hit up. Plan your evenings also. Be sure to look at your destinations closing hours. Use your evenings, if possible, to do indoor things, such as shows, restaurants, museums, clubs, and shops. Leave your days open for parks, beaches, tours, places that close early and outdoor sites.
6. Plan Your Travel
Finalize how you plan to get to and from each place, whether by foot, bus, train, or plane. Find schedules online so that you can plan your day around them. Take cabs as a last resort–to save money (unless you’re in Bali where cabs are dirt cheap OR you’re ballin’ like that!)
7. Write It All Down
I like TripIt for this part. It should look something like this:
TUES, Aug 25
Via Cappello 23, 37121 Verona, Italy
Our night to hang out in downtown Verona. Check out the Arena, walk around Piazza Bra, look in stores, etc. Line for opera starts around 7PM
9:00pm to 11:00pm
Performance details can be found here I will purchase tickets online.
WED, Aug 26
hope you can sleep in the train...
Here we will take the vaporetto all over the Grand Canal, wonder the alley ways, enjoy a gondola ride. Things to see: Rialto Fish Market Piazza San Marco Campanile Doge's Palace (book the Secret Itineraries tour - 041-5209070) 16 Euros (check for multiple museum package....) Basilica di San Marco Dorsoduro Teatro La Fenice Accademia Bridge to Accedemia Gallery Bridge of Sighs
Spend the night, taking in more of Verona. We may hang with some of Max's friends or just chill in the city with Max... perhaps have dinner in town.
Thu, Aug 27
We will need money for food. I don't know if we have to pay to enter the beach. Also, the skyrail cost money to get to the top of the mountains. And you'll probably need a couple of bucks for the bus or maybe the beach is in walking distance??) Things to see: Freccia nel Cielo @ the Olympic Ice Skating Stadium (ascend 8,102 ft to take in breath-taking views of the Dolomites. (20 Euros) Small towns along the lake The Beach!!
Lodging is free here.
Fri, Aug 28
Today we'll catch a tan on the beach! Then maybe meet up with Giovanni for dinner. We'll possibly go clubbing on the lake!
Sat, Aug 29
We'll start with Michelangelo's David in the Accademia (Make a reservation: 055-294883 Mon - Fri 8:30 am to 6:30 pm) walk west to see the leather market around San Lorenzo and then south to the massive Duomo and Baptistery in Piazza Duomo. We'll head further south to Piazza della Signoria. And then eat and loop back to the train. Let's not forget to have a gelato!
The commute from the train station to hotel: by bus or by car 15 minutes by foot 40 minutes. From the Station by bus: Bus lines 23a/b, which stop in front of the exit at the end of the rail, Direction SORGANE, STOP Piazza Ferrucci, which is about 200 meters from Residence Michelangiolo. Note: remember to purchase the ticket from the newspaper or tobacco stand before catching the bus. From the Station by taxi: (around 12/15 euro) NOTE: Pay attention that many GPS confuse Via Buonarroti and Viale Michelangiolo (Buonarroti) so its indications lead to wrong address inside ZTL. Set "Piazza Ferrucci" to avoid this mistake. The room MAY be ready at 1 pm. If not, they say that we may leave our luggage at the residence and return later (check in is at 2p).
The person I have been corresponding with from the hotel is Angela. She confirmed we'd have two twin beds. But she says the room may not be available by 1pm so if we like, we can arrive and they'd hold our luggage and we can leave and return later. Of course, we could do some stuff first and gradually make our way to the hotel before 6pm (end of check in time).
Sun, Aug 30
We're mainly here to see the Campanile (Leaning Tower) and we'll make a reservation ahead of time (050-560547 or 050-3872210; www.opapisa.it) 17 Euros. If we have time, we'll also check out The Campo di Miracoli, Baptistery, the camposanto and the Cathedral. HOUR OF OPERATION FROM APRIL TO SEPTEMBER: Leaning tower Ordinary: 08:30 - 20:00 (last climb) Extraordinary from Juny to Agost: 08:30 - 23:00 Cathedral Ordinary: 10.00 - 20.00 Monumental Cemetery Ordinary: 08.30 - 20.00 Baptistery Ordinary: 08:00 - 20:00Opera Museum Sinopie Museum
nicole marie richardson 
This is so helpful!
These tips are phenomenal Nicole! I really enjoyed your final point and the in-depth look at TripIt. I’ve recently started using TripIt to help manage my upcoming trips and it was very helpful to see what a completed trip itinerary looks like. Cheers!
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I love DK Eyewitness guides and highly recommend them for anyone who’s more of the visual type. (Lots of colorful pics and maps.) Their Top 10 mini books are great, too, if you only have a couple of days at a particular destination. Great post, Nicole!
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