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Trip Planner | Travel Itinerary Planner | Plan a Trip

Are you looking for an itinerary planner to plan your next trip? We know creating a customized travel itinerary manually is an overwhelming task. You have to put a lot of time into selecting destinations, booking hotels, flights, and comparing prices. On top of that calculating budgets & booking hotels and flights is another challenge that makes itinerary planning tough.

But what if all of this is done within a few minutes for you? Yes with TripHobo trip planner you can do this smartly. We have observed that many travelers end up spending more time in researching information than enjoying the actual trip. Not only first-time travelers but also experienced travelers struggle in creating perfect travel plans.

Even though it is a tedious task to create a customized itinerary, everyone agrees on the importance of itinerary for an enjoyable holiday. So Triphobo came up with this easy to use automatic itinerary planner.

How Trip Planner Works / Steps to Plan a Trip

Do you want to create your travel itinerary quickly & easily? Are you ready to use this tool now? TripHobo's trip planner plays a major role to ease the itinerary creation process and helps you overcome the pain in the trip planning .  Follow these 4 simple steps to plan a trip & let us know your experience.

1) Choose Your Destination & Dates when you want to travel

Visual algorithmic trip planner lets you choose destinations you want to travel to. You have the freedom to choose the real dates from the calendar. After selecting travel dates, planner runs algorithms to optimize a trip. It starts suggesting activities, sightseeing spots, tours and transport options with the details. For every attraction, it suggests open/close timings, time to spend, and nearby restaurants.

You can drag & drop activities and complete your itinerary within a matter of minutes. You can book yourself a nice vacation once you are sure of all the details, making you plan your trip very easily.

2) Refer to User Created Itineraries

If you have a lot of travel ideas but confused about where to start? Don't worry. Thousands of other people have visited the same destination before and created itineraries with us. Choose from a pool of more than 1 million user-generated itineraries around the globe. You can view other travelers’ itineraries for any location and duration to inspire yourself and then customize them to suit your own preferences.

3) Book Hotels and Flights

TripHobo always tries to offer the best from the travel industry to our valued planners. It has formed alliances with Expedia , Skyscanner, Zomato and Booking.com. Its ratings and reviews come courtesy of TripAdvisor whereas Google (as well as other partners) powers its location data.

TripHobo aims to cater to travelers at every stage of the travel planning process. It provides one platform to create personalized itineraries and hassle-free bookings .

4) Get Ready with a Perfect Itinerary

Once you’ve created your customized itinerary, you can print it. Save your plan for future reference or share it with your friends. When you’re ready, you can finalize and have a perfect travel itinerary ready.

Why Is TripHobo a Smart Trip planner?

There are few things included in the Triphobo planner algorithm & app which builds itinerary within minutes.

• A free virtual map-based trip planner with a smart algorithm
• International trip planner with about 1,50,000 popular destinations
• The largest repository of user-generated itineraries
• Hassle-free booking options for hotels, tours & flights
• Provides local transit options like metro, rail, bus, and car
• Calculates an estimated budget
• Provides options to save, print and share itinerary
• Strategic Partnerships with leading travel companies

TripHobo: Around the Web

• Trip of Your Own
• Traveling made easier with TripHobo
• Making The Southeast Asian Travel Connection
• Ex-HCL employee’s led ‘TripHobo’ is on a mission to become a global brand – a goto place for travel planning!
• Interview: Praveen Kumar, Founder & CEO of TripHobo
• TripHobo inks partnership with Zomato
• How a trip planning startup can succeed
• Karthik Ramachandram Co-Founder COO, TripHobo - Phocuswright Conference

Here's what travelers have to say about our travel planner

• Excellent 238

Great and genuinely wonderful website that makes a proper vacation plan simple, like it should. All reviews are 5 stars. The only suggestion I have to enhance this fantastic website is to include a mobile application. Even paying for a version without ads wouldn't bother me.

Every traveller should use this!

So much easier & more helpful than a travel agency, given lots of fantastic ideas, and was extremely helpful for planning the trip. Would strongly advise my family and friends to use this!

Great tool for trip planning. Impportantly it's free and automatically tailors travel plans to your preferences and is completely customisable. The integration with skyscanner and booking.com, and other OTA like priceline and expedia makes it very easy to plan the whole trip along with the bookings in one place.

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Creating a trip has never been easier! Tripety is a travel planning platform that makes your trips convenient and hassle-free. Simply enter your travel details and places to visit into our  itinerary planner  to get a clear overview of your journey. Organize each day, use checklists to ensure nothing is forgotten, and keep essential documents all in one place. Also, you can manage and track your spending during your travel. Check out the itinerary maker to see how simple it is!

Want to coordinate travel plans with family, friends, or colleagues? Invite your friends or trip companions to Tripety for an easy way to discuss the details of your journey. Generate ideas or arrangements, track your spending, and use our group travel itinerary planner to explore new places together.

Is the process of planning your favorite part of the trip? Are you a detailed-oriented person who wants to use the  best business travel planner  or organize your family vacation tour? Then Tripety, an online trip management platform, is perfect for you! Dream, organize, share, manage your business and personal trips within our easy-to-use,  intuitive travel itinerary manager as your planner . It will keep all the needed information in one place and track everything, as it’s a flight tracker, road trip planner both in one.

Tripety helps manage and keep track of your finances before and during your journey. Monitor spending with the help of our convenient budget tool. See and manage your expenses ‘as you go’ to stay on top of your budget.

Planning a trip or vacation shouldn’t be tiresome and complicated. Easy to use, an intuitive and neat Travel Planning Platform that we created is for travelers like YOU! Tripety helps you compile, organize, and share your travel arrangements. Keep an eye on your travel budget while on vacation or business trip. We are trying to make your world a bit more colorful and a lot more relaxed. Tripety, add travel to your life!

Planning a trip can become quite challenging, especially when you have to go over many big and small details. The last thing you want is to run into problems while you’re away. This is why you must always plan all the details of your trip beforehand.

Thankfully, now you can use Tripety, a travel planner and itinerary maker, to plan each and every detail of your trip. From budgeting to group collaboration, we ensure that you have a smooth planning process. We also have an online road trip planner that’s sure to give you the hassle-free trip of your dreams.

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How To Build Your Travel Itinerary (Free Planning Template)

Building out your travel itinerary is where your vision comes alive! This trip itinerary planning guide will take you from DREAMING about your trip to BOOKING the most important pieces. Use the travel itinerary PDF template to track it all in one place.

Before you plan your travel itinerary, ask yourself: “When I get back from my vacation, what will make me say that it was a fantastic trip?” Your answer should go at the top of all your trip planning documents.

If you start planning a vacation with the experience in mind, it’ll guide your itinerary planning decisions so you actually get that experience.

This travel itinerary planning guide and PDF template builds out that vision.

How To Build Your Travel Itinerary: 5 Steps

• Step 1: Research ACTIVITIES and build your itinerary must-dos  
• Step 2: MAP it out to create a simple trip itinerary  
• Step 3: Pick your ACCOMMODATIONS
• Step 4: BOOK the critical pieces  
• Step 5: FILL IN your itinerary with maybe-do ideas  

Note: Some travel bloggers recommend booking your flights before deciding on activities or accommodations. I disagree.

Some incredible experiences book up well in advance and are only available certain days, weeks or months. Unless there’s no flexibility to when you go, first finalize your must-dos. Then plan everything else around them.

Get your FREE travel itinerary planning PDF when you subscribe to our email list. This 6-page fillable PDF walks you through the entire trip planning process.

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Step 1: Research ACTIVITIES and Itinerary Must-Dos

Start filling in your travel itinerary PDF template by feeding your fantasies!

What do you KNOW you want to see and do? And what are those gems you don’t know about yet?

Let’s dig in.

RESEARCH your destination

Researching your destination is a bit of a chicken-and-egg thing. You need to know a bit about a destination before you’ll want to research it, and you need to research it to know if you actually want to go. 

So, find a research process you enjoy . Books about far-off places, maps and delicious coffee. Surround yourself with happy . 

Are you quick to go online in your research? Many people are. I get that it can be super efficient, especially if you use helpful tools like Pinterest to save and organize what you find. My Pinterest boards have some truly inspiring destinations!

BUT … may I suggest that this is also the best way to get overwhelmed? When you’re in the dreaming phase, it’s easy to get distracted and bogged down in too much detail.

How to research your destination without getting overwhelmed

This is my process for researching a travel destination. It maximizes the dreaming and minimizes the distractions that can make it overwhelming.

• Buy a paperback guidebook. Go old-school, and buy a physical guidebook for your destination. Lonely Planet guidebooks are my favorite, because they’re written by locals or frequenters to the area and feature lesser-known gems. 
• Pick up a highlighter. Yup, get a highlighter in your favorite happy color. Use it sparingly to mark only the activities and accommodations you’re seriously considering; overuse can make your guidebook overwhelming. Not good. Another option: an erasable pen in your favorite color!
• Find the right time and place. Trying to plan your dream vacation while someone’s yelling at you for your attention or you’re stressed about getting dinner in the oven won’t cut it. For me, reading on public transit actually worked as long as I got a seat. But stealing time alone at a coffee shop or in the evenings with some wine was really productive.

There are two other things I love about having a paperback guidebook. First, your favorites (i.e. highlights) are automatically sorted and easy to find in each chapter. And second, you also have a handy reference guide while on the trip (with addresses, phone numbers, etc).

Shop Lonely Planet guidebooks on Amazon now!

VERIFY your must-do activities

Now that you researched your destination (with a healthy dose of dreaming), it’s time to turn on that computer.

You want to verify that what you read about is still great. And to start prioritizing your must-dos versus your maybe-dos for your trip itinerary planning PDF template.

How to verify must-do travel activities:

• Read traveler reviews. Start going through your highlighted activities in the guidebook to see what travelers say about them. My favorite places to read reviews is Google and Trip Advisor. Remember to take reviews with a grain of salt and consider if traveler complaints would be an issue for you.
• Start a list. If activities still sound great to you and as you find other activities online, start adding them to a list. I just use my email so I can access and modify my list wherever I feel inspired. Like at home, work, or commuting.
• Share your list. If others are going with you or you want advice, share your top to-dos with them. (This is also why I build my initial list in my email.) Traveler reviews are great, but reviews from people you know have been there are even better. This is also a great time to talk priorities with your travel companions and how you might negotiate or separate to do different priorities.

Add DETAILS to your list of must-do activities

At this point, you’ve narrowed down the top things you and your travel companions want to see and do. Go back to your original list and strip out the things you’ve cut out. Then use the travel itinerary PDF template to add in the details listed below.

Add the following details about your must-do activities:

• Address and general area (i.e. which city or quadrant of the city), plus any tips you read about finding it
• Website and phone number
• When it’s open or running, including days and times
• Specifics you’re interested in, like tour name or seat section

You should now have a tidy little list with your top things to see and do, along with their details. Now you can start mapping them out.

Remember to SHARE this trip planning process with your TRAVEL COMPANIONS!

Step 2: MAP Out Must-Dos for a Simple Trip Itinerary

After you researched and ranked the things you want to see and do, map it out – on both an actual map and a calendar. The map will give you a visual on how near or far apart everything is. And the calendar will help you plan around activities only available on certain days or times.

Together, your map and calendar will help you figure out when to group certain activities, where you might want to stay, which airport to fly into, and how you might want to get around.

Create a visual MAP for your trip

If you haven’t discovered Google My Maps, this is a great time to try it out!

A very helpful step while building out your travel itinerary PDF template is to map out all of the activities you’re considering.

Google Maps quickly shows you how near or far apart certain activities are. And it comes in super handy for figuring out the best road trip routes and public transit commutes.

How to create a Google My Maps with your must-do activities:

Once you have a Google account, it’s easy to create and find your maps from your Google Drive.

• Search “Google My Maps” or from your Google Drive, click “New” and “More.” Click on “Create New Map.”
• Name your map and add a description.
• Use “layers” to organize your trip. For example, you might organize activities by location, activity type or must-do versus maybe-do. You can drag and drop across layers and hide layers, so you have lots of flexibility (but note that you get a maximum of 11 layers).
• Add activities within layers. Generally it’s best to use the search bar to find activities, because Google will automatically add the address and website link for you. You can also include directions between your hotel and activities (by car, transit and foot). NOTE: Directions cannot be in the same layer as locations.
• Click on “Share” to share it with others. You can share it publicly by search or link, or only with specific people. You can allow others to edit it or only view.

Create a simple CALENDAR itinerary

Even if you hate travel planning and want to do as little of it as possible, you really should do this step. Plot out your must-do activities on a simple calendar so you know which days and times you’re committed.

Many activities only happen on certain days and at certain times. Make note of any specifics for activities you really want to see and do. Then, work around them to fill in the remaining days in your travel itinerary PDF template. (Or, leave them blank to figure out when you get there.)

How to create a simple calendar itinerary with must-do activities:

Use whatever system you prefer to start plotting out when you want to do what. You might use an online calendar like Google. A spreadsheet. Or a pretty journal – just use erasable pens! The trip itinerary planning PDF has a spot to record this, too.

Here’s how to create a simple calendar trip itinerary:

• Mark in your travel start and end dates.
• Separate your days into morning, afternoon and evening.
• Transfer the things you really want to see and do into the days/times they’re available. 
• Look at your map to see if there’s a natural fit to group activities in the same area on the same day or back-to-back. Do your activities follow a natural route?
• Tidy it up. I like to bold my must-dos and italicize nice-to-dos. You could color-code by companion must-dos or by activity type. Whatever makes sense for you and however planner-crazy you like to get.

The main point here is to record which days you’re committed and why. Plus your brainstorming of when it might make sense to do other things. 

Top 3 TIPS for planning your travel itinerary:

1. take a day off at home before and after your trip..

I know we’re all eager to maximize our time off work by being away as much as possible. But since I started adding a free day at home before and after, I’ve enjoyed my trip experiences SO much more. This gives you a day to finalize last-minute things before your trip and before going back to work.

BUT the main reason is that it gives you a day to mentally switch gears. It’s like taking a nice deep breath, so you can enjoy your vacation from moment #1. And let it linger when you get back. Seriously. Try it and see what you think.

2. Protect your first and last days at your main destination.

This tip is similar to the first. If you’re planning a day trip away from your main destination, give yourself at least one full day at your main destination. This lets you settle in and get comfortable with getting around.

And, give yourself at least one full day back at your main destination after your day trip. Flexibility is GREAT on your last day.

3. Plan one or two things per day, plus options.

I’ve planned both go-go trips and go-with-the-flow trips. I recommend neither!

Take a good, long look at the experience you defined when starting to plan your vacation . Keep this in mind when building your travel itinerary.

Even if you like to pack in a ton of things to see and do, allow time for those fantastic spontaneous travel moments. To linger over a fantastic dinner with a view. Or to join new friends at a once-in-a-lifetime experience you just couldn’t plan for. And for unexpected delays.

If you like to just go with the flow, I also recommend penciling in something for every day. I HATED sitting around on my phone, researching what to do that day. What a waste of time!

A good rule of thumb is to plan one or two main activities per day. Plus a few backup ideas to choose from when weather’s bad, you feel jet-lagged, etc.

Tip:  Use the trip itinerary planning PDF to capture your activity ideas.

Step 3: Pick Your ACCOMMODATIONS

Now is the time to look into potential travel accommodations. You know when you want to do certain things and where they are. And, depending on the type of trip (i.e. road trip versus one city), you know if you’re looking at one or multiple places to stay.

I was surprised to read that SO many travelers hate picking a place to stay! Are you one of them? If yes, take a few seconds (yes, right now, please!) to write down the experience you defined when you started planning for a trip . What will make you say, “THAT was a fabulous trip”? Now look at it often while you search. Even if you’re on a budget, you CAN find your diamond in the rough!

Picking travel accommodations is actually one of my favorite parts to planning a trip. It’s like being on a treasure hunt. You’re looking for that special place you want to go back to after a great day of sight-seeing. A place that aligns with what you love about your destination.

Use the travel itinerary PDF template to compare accommodation options.

Where to SEARCH for great travel accommodations:

• Google search hotels at your destination. Enter travel dates, filter by guest rating (I use 3.5+), and sort by price. You can also filter by hotel class and amenities. Google gives you a map with your results ( very helpful, now that you know where most of your activities are). Plus, guest reviews from multiple platforms (like Trip Advisor and Booking.com) and prices from multiple platforms (like Booking.com and Expedia.com).
• Search “the best” and “the coolest” places to stay at your destination. Sometimes you can find a really fun place that’s a destination in its own right, but doesn’t come up on the main travel websites. Some gems just don’t list with Booking.com or Expedia.
• Check out hostelworld.com and glamping.com. These are often among the “coolest” and most fun spots that can take your trip up a few notches.

How to use REVIEWS for travel accommodations:

• Look for patterns. If a lot of reviews tell you the rooms are dated, they’re likely dated. If some love the food and others hate it, it’s likely a matter of preference. Customer service is the biggy that’s tougher to interpret. Does a complaint read like a personality conflict with one staff member, or like a bigger issue? How did the hotel respond? Was it an issue you’d worry about?
• Beware the complainer syndrome. Take one-off comments with a grain of salt. Some people are impossible to please, especially if they’re used to a different style of accommodation than what they’re reviewing. Or they’re generally unhappy with their vacation. Again, consider if it’s about something you’d worry about.
• Follow your no-go hunch. Certain comments flag enough for me that I won’t book a place. Like patterns of poor cleaning service or bedbugs. Or security issues handled badly. Let your spidey senses guide you.

SHARE your top picks for places to stay

Now, add your top potential places to stay to your map. Do a few rise to the surface? Are some in great central locations or along public transit, so it’d be easy to get around? Do some offer great value beyond price and location, so you’d actually enjoy staying there? Do they align with the experience you’re looking for?

Hopefully you naturally narrowed down your search to 3 favorites. Yes or no, it’s time to tap into your travel companions.

Add your favorite places to stay to your list of activities (so everything is together in one place). The travel itinerary PDF template has space to record and compare your top accommodations, too.

Details to include on your list of potential hotels:

• Cost, plus any extra fees like resort fee, parking, breakfast, etc
• Features you like, plus how close it is to public transit and activities
• Initial thoughts on what you like and what you’re hesitant about, including traveler reviews

Send your list, map and calendar to your travel companions to get their thoughts. Again, your trip itinerary planning PDF is an easy way to this.

Want more tips? Check out: 21 Tips to Pick BETTER Accommodations for your Trip  

You’re SO close to getting this wrapped up!! Hang in there!

Step 4: BOOK the Critical Pieces

Whew … you’ve done a TON of work. You know the experience you want, and you know what’ll get you there. Now it’s time to book the time off work and lay down some cash.

WHEN to book your trip

When you should start booking your trip will depend on where you’re going, when, and if you need a travel visa.

• If you need a travel visa , apply for it as soon as you know your dates.
• If you’re going to a popular place like Maui over the busy Christmas season, plan to book it about a year away so you get the hotel you want.
• All other destinations are usually fine booking two months out.

As soon as I know my dates, I’ll start monitoring flight deals. I really like Expedia.com for this because they pull from various companies.

WHAT to book soon

The key things I book sooner rather than later, and in this order, are:

• Insurance (if you’re getting it)
• Key activities you’d be really sad to miss out on
• Accommodation (your initial one, at least)

Record your booking confirmation details on the trip itinerary planning PDF.

Look into travel insurance

The specific travel insurance that makes sense for you will depend on many different factors about you and your trip. I generally don’t get trip cancellation or interruption insurance unless I’m spending a lot in advance. But I’ll always get emergency medical coverage and full car rental coverage.

Before deciding on what type of travel insurance to get, look into what you already have (and clarify anything you don’t understand):

• Credit cards often insure trip cancellation and interruption up to certain amounts as well as certain aspects of car rental insurance.
• Private health insurance benefits (i.e. through your employer) sometimes include some coverage for emergency medical services while traveling. Make sure you read any exclusions in detail.
• Personal car insurance will sometimes include coverage on car rentals.

Keep in mind that third-party travel insurance is usually best. This is because you get to decide how to spend the money. 

Remember: You can’t get travel insurance after something goes wrong. Buy it as soon as possible after your first major purchase (like flights or a cruise).

A helpful post on buying travel insurance is by fellow travel blogger NomadicMatt.com . 

Step 5: FILL IN Your Itinerary With Maybe-Do Ideas

Now that your main trip itinerary planning is done, take a loooong deep breath. When it’s fun again, go back to your activities list, map and calendar to consider how you might want to fill in the blanks .

Some people love leaving a lot up in the air until they’re at their destination. If that’s you, awesome! Just keep in mind that this might drive your travel companions crazy !

I’ve come to appreciate the art of slowing things down and living in the moment while on vacation. But, I hate feeling like I’m wasting my time on vacation pouring over internet reviews to decide on the best tour to take. I’d much rather have done my research ahead of time so it’s a quick reservation and then off to enjoy my day.

So, add your “maybe” activities to your list of things to see and do. Include their details so it’s easy to book whenever you decide. And pencil them into the calendar on your travel itinerary PDF template on a day and time you think they’d fit best.

This is a win-win approach for planner lovers and planner haters!

Get your FREE travel itinerary PDF template when you subscribe to our email list! This 6-page fillable PDF walks you through the entire trip planning process.

Summary and Resources

Planning your trip doesn’t have to suck! Find your happy place, plant yourself in it, and let the experience  you want guide you. That’s why I highly recommend plenty of time with your favorite coffee. 

This post has taken you from dreaming and researching about your trip to booking its critical pieces. The travel itinerary PDF template captures the details of your activities, hotels and bookings. Now you can linger over all the other activities you’re debating between. (And compare/contrast them to death?? Anyone else out there like me?)

Remember: The KEY to getting the trip you want is keeping the experience you want at the very center of all your trip planning and decisions. Start planning your vacation with the experience in mind, so it acts as your compass when building your travel itinerary.

Favorite resources for travel itinerary planning:

• Destination research: Lonely Planet guidebooks .
• Verify research: TripAdvisor.com for traveler reviews on things to see and do; Google and Booking.com for traveler reviews on hotels
• Accommodations: Also check out hostelworld.com and glamping.com for fun and surprising options
• Booking critical pieces: Expedia.com for flights; Booking.com for hotels; and TripAdvisor.com for activities
• A travel journal! If journaling and doodling make you happy, make it part of your trip planning process. My favorite spot with everything you need to start your own bullet travel journal is on DIYCraftClub.com .
• Road trip planning:  Check out How to Plan a Road Trip You’ll LOVE with this step by step guide.

Continue on to your Vacation Countdown Checklist: Things To Do Before you Leave

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Make your travel plans easier with Expedia's Trip Planner. From saving favorites and organizing, to deciding with your group and booking your ideal trip, everything is together all in one place. You can select your favorite stays and activities while you search, and then find them later in your account. Avoid the hassle of sending multiple links to a group chat by inviting your family and friends to collaborate on a group trip where they can share ideas and see everything at once. After you've settled on your itinerary, you can make the bookings you need and keep them organized all in one place. Its ease of use makes it one of the best trip planning tools around.

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Sign into your Expedia account to save and compare your favorites to a new trip, work together with your friends and family on your group vacation, and keep all of your bookings in one itinerary planner. It just takes a few clicks to get the ball rolling.

Create a trip and save your favorites to plan your itinerary

Go to the Trips tab on the homepage, click on "Create a trip", and type in a new trip name. Start trip planning by searching for stays or things to do at your destination. Tap the heart icon to save your favorites to the right trip.

Invite friends and family to create a group trip

Open your trip and invite your fellow travelers to collaborate in the Trip Planner. Once they accept the invitation sent to their email, they’ll be able to view, save more items, comment, and like their favorite options to help decide on the best ones to book.

Book and manage your trip itinerary in the same place

Make all the bookings you need by tapping the three dots on your saved options. You can also change and cancel bookings in the same place.

Scan the QR code and download our app

Scan the QR code

FAQ: Learn more about Trip Planner

What should I do to plan my trip?

Get started with our Trip Planner in one of two easy ways:

1. Sign into your account, search for places to stay or things to do, and tap the heart icon on the image of a listing that you want to save. You'll be asked to create a new trip by giving it a name and saving it to your trip planner.

2. Head to the Expedia homepage, click on Trips in the top right corner (on desktop) or in the bottom menu bar (in the app), and then select "Create a trip".

How do I create a trip plan?

Once you've signed into your account and created your trip, you can save accommodations and activities to your trip. Soon you will also be able to save your preferred flights in our Trip Planner.

Why is trip planning important?

Saving items in a travel planner online helps you stay organized by keeping all your favorite stays and activities saved in one place. Instead of switching between multiple browser tabs, just open our Trip Planner.

When you're ready to book, it's easy to compare options , see all your locations on a map, and book directly from your saved items.

When should you start planning a trip?

Any time is a good time to start planning travels, and our Trip Planner can be used for everything from last-minute weekend getaways to a summer vacation planned over the winter. Just click on Trips on our homepage to get started.

How to plan a successful trip?

Saving your stay and activities to a trip helps Expedia better understand your preferences, so we can recommend more places to go and things to do to fill out your travel plans and make your trip unforgettable. Take advantage of our vast inventory and useful filters to make sure you get the accommodations and activities for your ideal trip.

Where can I find the items that I saved to a trip?

Head to the Expedia homepage and click on Trips in the top right (on desktop) or in the bottom menu bar (in the app). Select the trip that you want to view and look for "Saved items" to see all the items you've selected for that trip that haven't been booked yet.

With our trip planner, your booked and saved items are all in one place, which makes it easier to book your trip piece by piece.

Where can I find my booked items?

On the Expedia homepage, click on Trips in the top right (on desktop) or in the bottom menu bar (in the app). Select the trip that you want to view and head to "Bookings" to see all the items booked for that trip.

When you plan a trip online with us, you can keep your booked and saved items all in one place, making it easier to manage and build your trip.

Can I move a booked or saved item to a different trip?

Yes, we've made it easy to move items, because we know that planning your trip can mean adding more places to see or splitting favorite destinations up into multiple trips.

First, select the trip that already has the items you want to move. For booked items, tap the three dots on the top right corner of the item and select "move to another trip". For saved items, follow the same process and select "save to another trip" instead.

How can my friends and family help me plan a trip online?

Friends and family invited to collaborate on a trip with you will be able to view, save, and book items in your trip planner itinerary. All they need to do to start collaborating is accept the trip invite sent to their email.

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How to Make a Travel Itinerary with Google Maps

Last Updated: March 14, 2022 Fact Checked

This article was reviewed by Stan Kats and by wikiHow staff writer, Nihal Shetty . Stan Kats is a Professional Technologist and the COO and Chief Technologist for The STG IT Consulting Group in West Hollywood, California. Stan provides comprehensive technology solutions to businesses through managed IT services, and for individuals through his consumer service business, Stan's Tech Garage. Stan holds a BA in International Relations from The University of Southern California. He began his career working in the Fortune 500 IT world. Stan founded his companies to offer an enterprise-level of expertise for small businesses and individuals. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 85,132 times.

If you’re planning a trip, you might be wondering how to figure out where to go and in what order. Luckily, Google has a free tool that you can use in order to get a better sense of your travel plans. We’ll walk you through how to make a travel itinerary with Google Maps through its My Maps feature. In a few easy steps, you can master an excellent organizational tool that’ll help you plan the best trip possible.

Setting Up Your Map

• Unfortunately, as of October 2021, Google no longer supports the “My Maps” app on phones. If you’re on mobile, you’ll have to use your phone’s web browser to access the site while on the go. [2] X Research source
• If you don’t already have a Google account, setting one up is a quick process. A Google account gives you a number of benefits, including a new gmail address. Check out this link to start the set-up process: https://accounts.google.com/signup/v2/webcreateaccount?flowName=GlifWebSignIn&flowEntry=SignUp

• For instance, your might name your map something like “California Summer Trip 2022,” and you could enter a description like, “Places to see and eat during two-week California road trip.”

• For example, for a California road trip, you might enter “Golden Gate Bridge” into the search box. My Maps will automatically direct you to its location.

• For instance, if you’ve searched for “Golden Gate Bridge,” there will be a white box that offers some information on the location, and even a rating from other users. Click on the “Add to map” button to send it to your saved locations.

• For example, you might fill in the description to the “Golden Gate Bridge” box with something like, “Spend at least 1 hour here—must-see location.”

• You might consider changing the colors of your pins to match how important each location is to your trip. For example, must-see locations could be red pins, your housing spots could be green pins, and optional places to visit could remain as blue pins.

Creating an Itinerary and Planning Routes

• For example, you might have a layer titled “Places to see,” one titled “Places to eat,” and one titled “Places to sleep.” You can then put sightseeing destinations, restaurants, and hotels you want to stay at in their respective layers.

• You can add more than one location to a single route. For example, if you wanted to plot a route from Big Sur to the Golden Gate Bridge, and then to Palo Alto, you can add all three locations to your route layer and create a multi-stop path. [11] X Research source
• By clicking on the three dots next to the layer with your travel route, then selecting “Step-by-step directions,” My Maps will create a set of directions for your travel. Handy!

• For example, by using My Maps, you might notice that seeing the Golden Gate Bridge, walking around San Francisco, and eating at a restaurant in Berkeley are close enough to all be doable in one day, while visiting Big Sur might be better saved for another afternoon. My Maps can help you plan out the most efficient trip possible, so you can enjoy your travels even more.

• When sharing your map, you can also choose the option that allows others to edit the map as well. With this option selected, your friends can pick places that they’re interested in as well, so you can have them all on the same document. [13] X Research source

• Although My Maps can’t be viewed offline, you can download an offline map of any areas you’re interested in on your phone. Using the Google Maps app, type in a location into the search bar, tap the name of the location, then navigate to the option “Download offline map.” [15] X Research source

Expert Q&A

You might also like.

• ↑ https://support.google.com/mymaps/answer/3024925?visit_id=637744367666134651-2428484219&p=lite_addplaces&rd=1
• ↑ https://9to5google.com/2021/07/20/google-my-maps-android-shutdown/
• ↑ https://support.google.com/mymaps/answer/3024454?hl=en&ref_topic=3024924
• ↑ https://support.google.com/mymaps/answer/3024925?visit_id=637744500327517491-717751493&p=lite_addplaces&rd=1
• ↑ https://support.google.com/mymaps/answer/3024925?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop
• ↑ https://support.google.com/mymaps/answer/3502610?hl=en&ref_topic=3024924
• ↑ https://support.google.com/mymaps/answer/3109452?hl=en
• ↑ https://support.google.com/maps/answer/6291838?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS

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How to Plan a Trip: Your Step-by-Step Travel Planning Guide

Home » Blog » Travel Tips » How to Plan a Trip: Your Step-by-Step Travel Planning Guide

Planning a trip overseas, whether long or short, can seem overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be! In this article, we’ll show you how to take the stress out of travel planning, by laying out a simple step-by-step guide on how to plan a trip that’ll ensure you don’t forget anything.

Have you ever been overwhelmed by the idea of planning a trip because it seems too, well…  overwhelming ?! 

There’s a lot to think about when planning travel: from getting a visa, to figuring out transportation, to booking accommodation and getting local currency, it can be downright stressful.

And it’s a bit contradictory, right? Stressing out over planning what is supposed to be a relaxing vacation. We’ve definitely been there. Many times , in fact. 

But we’ve learned our share of lessons along the way and now we’re here to help. 

In this article, we’ll show you how to plan a trip without the stress by laying out a simple step-by-step guide that’ll ensure you don’t forget anything.

Here’s exactly what you need to do to take a travel daydream and turn it into reality.

So whether you’re planning a 2-week getaway or a journey with no end date in sight, these steps will take you from the brainstorming phase to stepping foot in your destination. We think you might actually   have fun  planning your next trip.  That’s a dare .

Alright, take a deep breath, because we’re digging right in!

How to Plan a Trip

• Step 1: Figure out your travel budget
• Step 2: Decide on your travel style/partner(s)
• Step 3: Choose a destination
• Step 4: Book flights
• Step 5: Book accommodation
• Step 6: Research things to do
• Step 7: Get travel insurance
• Step 8: Minimize travel risks
• Step 9: Pack your bags
• Step 10: Last-minute prep

Step 1. Figure out your travel budget

Before you can even begin to plan a trip, you need to take a good look at your finances and figure out how much money you have to spend on your adventure. This will dictate a lot of the future steps including where you can travel to and for how long. 

This step might sound scary, but we’ve broken it down for you so you can create your very own customized travel budget. We’re even sharing  exactly how we afford to travel and stay on budget .

If you have the time before you go, follow these  simple steps to save money for your travels .

Step 2. Decide on your travel style / partner(s)

Is this a short vacation, a 3-week trip overseas or long term travel that you are planning for? 

…And who’s coming with you?

Take a moment to answer this question… Are you going to be traveling solo or with a partner? A group of friends, or with your family and children in tow?

The answer to this question can help shape your trip quite a bit. For instance, a solo trip to Tahiti may not be the best choice, as this popular honeymoon destination is going to be swarming with couples on romantic getaways. Likewise, party-centered Ibiza might not be the best place for a wholesome family vacay.

• Traveling Solo? Traveling solo is an incredibly freeing experience, and there are  many great cities around the world for solo travelers .
• Want a romantic getaway? Romance isn’t just limited to beaches and resorts. Check out our roundup of some of the  top romantic destinations for every type of traveling couple , some of which might be a little unexpected.
• Looking for a perfect family vacation spot? There are destinations all over the world that are  amazing spots to bring your kids !

If you are planning on traveling with a partner, don’t book your flights without  asking them these questions first…

Step 3. Choose a destination

This step may seem obvious for some, maybe you already know exactly where it is you want to travel and that’s why you’re planning this trip in the first place. For those of you that have a destination nailed down, there are still a few things we’d suggest you consider, you can skip right down to the research step.

For those of you that have the itch to travel, maybe even the vacation time set up, but still have no idea how to narrow down just one place, we suggest looking at a map. No really! Hear us out…

Literally look at a map, and start circling all the cities, towns or attractions you want to visit. Look on  Instagram  for inspiration. Don’t limit yourself. What do you want to do? What do you want to see and experience? When planning a route, we typically look at other trusted bloggers’ recommendations.

And no need for paper maps anymore, go digital! Here’s a great tutorial on  how to use Google My Maps . It’s game-changing. 

We figure out how many nights we can stay in each city and how we’re going to get from city to city. We have many itineraries on our  Itineraries page  where you can see examples of our travel routes and recommendations. We also suggest taking a look at  Lonely Planet travel guides . 

Once you think you’ve nailed down a place, or places…

Do your research

Don’t forget to do a little digging and make sure that the time of year you plan to travel is optimal. We have failed to do our research a few times and it ended up really affecting our trip.

Asking yourself the following questions can really save you the troubles or headaches down the road:

What will the weather be like?

• Will it be the wet season? Hurricane season? Super-duper-unbearably hot?

Example:  We traveled in India during the hottest months of the year and literally could not do much outside some of the days because it was 110 °F (43.3 °C). After that, we vowed never to make the mistake of traveling without really understanding the weather first.   

Is it peak tourism season? Low season?

• Will it be hard to get a hotel because it’s peak season? Will the lines and crowds at tourist attractions be ridiculous? 
• Likewise, if you are traveling during low season, should you expect a lot of the businesses to be shut down? Will closures hinder your chance to see and experience everything you were hoping to?

Example:  We visited Croatia in July – its busiest month of the year – and found ourselves super frustrated with the crowds and jacked up prices. We ended up shortening our time there because we were not enjoying it as much as we expected.

Hold up! Before you start a Googling storm, we’ve got some good news: there are some resources out there that make this process for researching so much faster!

• If you know WHERE you want to go,  Travelendar  (combination of travel + calendar) will tell you what time of year is best to visit.
• If you know WHEN you want to travel, check out this list that breaks down  which destinations are best to visit each month of the year .
• We’ve also done the research for you, nailing down the pros and cons of visiting during different times of the year for a number of popular destinations such as  Japan ,  Bali ,  New Zealand  and  Iceland .

But don’t worry if you don’t know where OR when you want to travel… check out this  calendar of events around the world  for inspiration!

How cool is that?!

These events span all destinations and interests: from European music festivals (like Sziget Festival in Budapest, pictured above!) to cultural celebrations to naturally occurring events like the migration patterns of wildlife in Africa. 

When you find an event that interests you, click on it to learn more.

Pace yourself

Thinking about your pace will determine how many of the places you circled above you’ll realistically be able to see.

Do you want to pack in as much as possible, or do you want to choose a couple places and really get to explore them? Do you want to travel slow and take in the culture to really understand how locals live?

Or do you want to tick places off your list and move from city to city, seeing as much as you can? Maybe a happy mixture of slow and fast? This all depends on the amount of time you have and your budget.

Find out visa requirements

Investigate if you need to obtain a visa for the country or countries you’re thinking of traveling to. You may not need one for the first country you arrive in, but will you need one for the other countries in your itinerary? Can you get a visa online, visa on arrival, or do you need to get it in your home country?

For instance, if you’re traveling to Vietnam, Americans need to apply for a visa ahead of time (and  here’s the best and cheapest way to get one ).

If you don’t know if you need a visa, check out your home country’s visa websites:

• USA citizens
• UK citizens
• Canadian citizens
• Australian citizens
• Singaporean citizens

Step 4. Book flights

You know where you want to go? Check. Have your visa? Check. 

Now here comes our favorite part: It’s time to book a flight!

First, you’ll need to answer these questions: What airport will you fly into? Are you going to make a round trip and fly out of the same airport? Or are you departing out of a new place? 

Tips for getting the best deals on flights:

• Know when to buy.  Depending on where you are flying to and from, there are different recommendations for how far in advance you should buy your flight.

• Play around with breaking the flight up.  For example, instead of searching for a flight from Minneapolis to Japan, we’ll search Seattle to Japan. Then we find a flight from Minneapolis to Seattle. This allows you to have a layover in a cool city, and can be a lot cheaper. 
• Another good gateway into Asia is flying through China. You can usually find one way tickets to China from major US cities for around $350! 
• Sign up for price alerts.  Many search engines allow you to sign up for alerts between destinations. You’ll get email notifications when the fare goes down, so you can jump on it!
• There are tons of credit cards that give you miles for purchases.  Find the  best travel credit card for you here . If you’re inclined to get an airline credit card, think about the major airlines at your home airport. You’ll most likely be booking flights with that airline so might as well rack up the points.

Don’t forget to sign up for the frequent flyer miles program  with flight you choose! Many airlines are part of a broad network and the miles are sometimes transferable.

Understanding WHY a flight is cheap is important. Make sure you think about the arrival time at your destination. The cheapest flight might get in at 2 in the morning and you’ll have to wait for hours for your guesthouse to open, or hotel check in time. 

On the flipside, if you depart super early in the morning, you may have a difficult time hailing down a taxi that early (and have to pay a premium for the ride). Sometimes the absolute cheapest fare will actually cost you more in the end.

If your trip doesn’t involve taking a flight,  check out these  tips for planning an epic USA road trip . 

When searching for a flight we like to use  Skyscanner  first because it allows you to search across the entire month to find the cheapest flight.

Want more tips for finding the best deal on airfare?  You’re in luck, because we have an entire article dedicated to  how to find cheap flights !

Are you a nervous flyer? Don’t let the anxiety of flying prevent you from traveling. Check out these  tips for fearful flyers  that will help put you at ease.

Step 5. Book accommodation

Depending on how long your vacation is you may choose to book all your accommodation ahead of time or none at all.

For instance, if you only have two weeks, it might be best to arrange your hotels or hostels online so you don’t waste precious time trying to figure out accommodation when you’d rather be exploring. Plus, you don’t want to run the risk of everything being booked up! 

If you’re traveling long term, however, you may just book a few days at a time. Or you may prefer to wing it and walk into hotels once you arrive in a town.

We put a lot of consideration into where to book our accommodation when planning a trip. 

First, we want to consider location. We may start to research things to do in a destination before this step so we have a better idea of where we will want to visit and what the most central location will be for us. 

If a city is known for its nightlife, we might consider staying in a quieter neighborhood. If accommodation costs skyrocket the closer to the city center you get, we may consider saving money to stay somewhere further out. 

Transportation

We also consider transportation in a new city. If the city is very walkable, we’ll want to stay right in the center. If Ubers or public transportation is easily accessible, we may consider saving money by staying further outside the center. We recommend doing plenty of research on transportation options and costs before nailing down your accommodation. 

Length of stay

If we are planning to stay in one location for a longer period of time (a couple weeks or more), we like to have a place that feels a bit more like “home” than a hotel. We love to cook, so a place with a kitchen allows us to enjoy our passion and save money on dining out at the same time! We usually use  Airbnb  or  Booking  to find apartment-style rentals in new cities. 

If we have a short layover in a city, or are staying just a few nights, we might splurge on a hotel, or even try to save money by booking a hostel.

Everything you need to know about Airbnb :  You’ll find loads of info on how to book Airbnbs, red flags to watch out for when booking, and our favorite Airbnbs.

Booking resources

Depending on where in the world we’re traveling, we switch up our booking sites. Here are our favorites:

• Asia:  Booking  or  Agoda  (we find Airbnb is only available in certain cities/countries and not in others in Asia)
• Europe:   Booking , Airbnb or  Hostelworld
• USA:   Airbnb  (we rarely stay in hotels in the US and Hostels aren’t nearly as prevalent in the US as elsewhere in the world)
• South & Central America:   Hostelworld ,  Airbnb or  Booking

Step 6. Research things to do

When talking about how to plan a trip, this is where the fun really starts … We LOVE doing research to find out what kinds of adventures we can have in a new destination. 

Here are a few of our favorite resources for researching travel destinations:

Pinterest :  Probably the first place we look when we get curious about a new place. We use Pinterest as a search engine (just like we would use Google!) and we have found in our experience that there is TONS more helpful content on travel there than if we were to try and sift through the first page of Google. We love that you can save articles in organized boards as well to return to later (you may have noticed the Pins we create at the bottom of all of our own articles). 

Bloggers:  We are constantly looking to other bloggers we trust for advice on new destinations. We have some we follow closely so we always know where to check if they have information on a place. We like to read a few different suggested itineraries for new cities to figure out what the can’t-miss attractions are and get ideas on how to plan our own itinerary. We leave comments on posts and reach out via social media if we are still left with questions after reading a blog post about a new place. 

Airbnb Experiences :  Sometimes just checking out what’s offered on Airbnb Experiences is a great way to get ideas of cool things to see and do in a new place. You might even find an experience or 2 you want to sign up for!

Trip Advisor:  We like to check reviews for things on trip advisor to see what other travelers have to say about certain experiences or attractions. There can be some seriously good advice on there! 

Step 7. Get travel insurance

Even though you might be safer abroad than in your home country, accidents happen everywhere and you should always be covered. We never leave home without travel insurance and neither should you.

One of the most popular travel insurance companies is  World Nomads . They cover anyone worldwide and are extremely easy to use. We were covered by them when we trekked to Everest Base Camp  and were very happy with our experience. Fill out the info below to get an instant quote:

For more information on how to pick a policy and what we look for in travel insurance,  check out our detailed travel insurance comparison article .

Be sure to read our  essential travel safety tips  for more detailed advice about how to stay safe and protect your belongings while traveling.

Step 8. Minimize travel risks

When breaking down the steps for how to plan a trip, this is an important one. There are plenty of steps you can take before you even set foot in a country to minimize your risk of something going wrong. 

Register on your country’s Smart Traveler program

For Americans, you should sign up for the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program  (STEP). Through STEP you’ll get emergency updates that would affect your travels, such as bad weather or civil unrest or protests.

It will also give you easy access to your embassy in the country you’re visiting. Lastly, if anything bad were to happen to you on your travels, you’d be easier to track down. Check your country’s travel department for similar programs. 

Get all necessary Immunizations ahead of time

Before setting foot in a new country, you’ll want to be sure to protect yourself from foreign disease. Use the  CDC website  to research vaccinations and medications you might need in the destination(s) you are planning to visit. We’d also advise visiting your doctor before a longer trip to make sure all of your health concerns are taken care of. 

Scan your documents and email yourself a copy

Scan a copy of your passport and any credit cards you’re bringing, and email it to yourself. Do the same for your travel insurance documents and receipts of the valuables you’re carrying. If anything happens to these while you’re traveling, you’ll have an electronic version.

Know common scams

While you’re in research mode, do a quick search of common scams in your destination. Being aware of popular scams is often all you need to avoid falling victim. 

We have run into plenty of known scams on our travels, especially in bigger cities like  Bangkok , and have even fallen victim to some ourselves. Unfortunately, scams are a risk you run in traveling, and sometimes unavoidable, but the more informed you are, the better prepared you will be to avoid getting caught in a tourist trap. 

Bring backup credit cards

If you are traveling in a group or as a couple, you have a bit of a support system (assuming you each bring at least one credit card). 

This tip is particularly geared towards solo travelers. 

You will always want to bring a backup credit card (and perhaps a backup debit or ATM card as well) in case of emergencies. We’ve been in situations abroad where our cards have been stolen (sometimes it’s not always obvious as it happens with a swipe and we still have the card in our possession) and if you don’t have a backup, you will have a very hard time accessing your money. 

For this reason, we like to keep our back ups in a separate location in our luggage (one in our hand luggage, one in our suitcase) and then leave one behind at our accommodation in case we were to be mugged. It may sound a bit extreme, but it’s always good to be prepared!

Secure your belongings

It should go without saying that you’ll want to keep your belongings, and especially your valuables in secure places while traveling (you know, use a purse with a zipper for less-easy access and don’t hang it on the back of your chair on a crowded street corner cafe). There are some items you can purchase ahead of time to help keep your belongings safe while traveling. 

• Basic travel locks
• Bluetooth tracking luggage locks
• Hidden pocket scarf
• A camera bag disguised as a purse

Step 9. Pack your bags

It’s starting to feel real now isn’t it?! Your trip is coming up fast and it’s time to get packing!

Packing for a trip can be quite the puzzle. You want to be prepared and make sure you don’t forget anything, but at the same time, don’t want to feel weighed down by too much stuff.

If you’re a self-proclaimed over-packer, or someone who always ends up using only half the things in their suitcase on every trip… I’m right there with ya! We recommend planning out your packing ahead of time so you are not rushing at the last minute to get everything you need stuffed into your oversized suitcase. 

One tip is to lay everything you think you will need for a trip out on a flat surface (your bedspread works great for this) and then take away half — yes half! — of it. That is how much stuff you should realistically be trying to pack. 

Another rule of thumb we like to try and stick to is packing in a carry-on for any trip shorter than one month .

This may seem incredibly daunting to some, but trust us when we say, you’ll be much happier trying to navigate the cobblestone streets of Europe or lifting your luggage onto a train if it’s smaller than a 50 pound bag!

Below are some essentials you’ll want to make sure you pack for any trip:

• Passport/Identification
• Wallet/credit cards (and backups!)
• Chargers for  all  of your electronics
• Kindle  or e-reader
• Travel pillow
• Insulated water bottle

Think about your electronics

This is a big one not to forget! If you are traveling abroad, you’ll want to look into the outlet situation you can expect in your destination and how it compares to that of your home country. 

A quick Google search will show you what type of outlets you’ll find in the country you’re visiting. Here’s a great  website for electrical outlets . Look at the voltage too, and check the compatibility with any electronics you’re planning to bring along. A great purchase is the  travel converter with adapters . 

Packing resources

Use these packing resources for tips and ideas to help you pack for your next trip:

• How to Pack for 3 months in a Backpack
• Ultimate Packing Guide for Long Term Travel
• Eco Friendly Travel Gear Packing List

Step 10. Last-minute prep

You’ve made it to the final step! Your trip is just around the corner and all that’s left is doing a little research and making some last-minute arrangements.

Data/Internet access

Research the best way to gain access to data or Internet while you’re in your destination. If you’re traveling within your home country, this shouldn’t be a problem.

However, if you are traveling abroad, you might want to consider purchasing a prepaid local SIM card when you arrive. This will be the cheapest way to gain access to data abroad. 

Use our  ultimate guide to getting an international SIM card , including helpful tips for using your phone abroad.

Download some helpful apps

• Google Translate:  Type in something you want to say, and it’ll translate the phrase into any language you select. You can even take a picture of a menu written in an entirely different language (like Korean, for example), and it will translate what is written. It is amazing!
• Google Maps:  Before going to a new location, we typically download the offline map for our destination in our Google Maps app. If you have your GPS turned on, the app will show your current location with a blue dot even when you don’t have data or WiFi turned on. This is super helpful if you’re on a long bus ride and want to know exactly where you are, or when you’re lost wandering around in a big city. 
• GlobalConvert:  This app makes it easy to convert anything from currency to distance to temperature. (Super handy for Americans unfamiliar with the metric system.) And the best part is, it works offline!
• Time Buddy:  If you’re traveling on the other side of the world, this app makes it super easy to figure out time difference between where you are and your home country.
• Trail Wallet:  Yeah, yeah, I know, we’ve talked about this one a lot. But it has seriously changed how we travel. This app converts seamlessly through currencies and shows you exactly where you are in regard to your budget. Download this app and you’ll be able to travel longer. Seriously. 

Have a plan for currency

On long-term trips, we typically withdraw money from a local ATM as soon as we enter a new country. We NEVER use currency exchanges as these tend to take a big percentage (like 30%). Plus ATMs are much more efficient.

Our Charles Schwab card ( more info here ) reimburses all ATM fees, so we only take out small amounts at a time.

Tip: Just remember to decline the currency conversion rate offered by the ATM. When you do this you are referring to the conversion rate set by your bank instead. And in our experience, the banks always give a more fair conversion rate and than the pre-set ATM conversion rates.

Notify your bank of your travel plans

This is a step that can sometimes be overlooked, but can put a serious damper on your travel plans when you enter a new country only to find your bank has automatically shut off your debit card because it thinks you are attempting a fraudulent withdrawal. 

Learn the language (at least a few phrases)

We’re not insinuating that you must be able to have a conversation in the local language before visiting a foreign country. But learning a few key words or phrases shows locals that you are trying, and people usually respect this.

You’d be surprised how far learning “hello” and “thank you” can get you. Some other helpful words to learn no matter where you are traveling are: “bathroom”, “delicious” and “beautiful”.

And don’t forget about numbers. Write down the numbers 1 through 10 in a small notebook and translate them. Knowing a few numbers makes it a lot easier to order at restaurants. 

If you have any allergies or medical conditions, it’s a good idea to write it out and translate it to the language of your destination country. For instance, “I am a vegetarian,” or “I am diabetic”. Print it out in the local language (and the phonetic spelling) and carry it in your wallet. It will definitely come in handy. 

Refine your manners

A little research can go a long way. Certain gestures you might use everyday, like a thumbs up or okay sign, are offensive in some cultures. Avoid awkward situations by researching some basic manners in the country you’re visiting. 

Where to first?

You’re ready to take the leap! However, the first few hours in a new country can be a little overwhelming (and the most likely time to get scammed). That’s why you should have a plan of how to get from the airport to your hotel (or wherever you’re headed first).

We typically write down the address (in the local language and in English) of our first hostel/hotel in a small book or in the notes app on our phone so we can show taxi/bus drivers, that way we don’t fumble over mispronouncing street names.

It’s also helpful to save the locations of your accommodation, local embassy, hospital and attractions you want to visit in your maps (that you’ve downloaded offline of course!) before leaving.

Book transportation ahead of time or get specific instructions on how to find public transport. Read our  travel tips , other blogs, or guide books on what is the best means of transportation in the specific country you’re visiting. If you have a plan and know what you’re doing, you’ll start off your vacation on the right foot.

Confirm reservations

It’s easiest to call or write to confirm reservations for things like accommodation and transportation before you find yourself in a foreign country with a canceled Airbnb reservation and nowhere to go. Confirm all your important reservations and keep copies of your confirmation receipts in your email.  

And there you have it, 10 simple steps for how to plan a trip to anywhere in the world. 

Following these steps will take some of the stress out of trip planning, but it is important to remember that even the best laid plans often go awry. This is particularly true with travel as there are just too many factors outside of your control.

And that’s okay.  In fact, that is half the fun of it! It’s what makes travel such an incredible  learning experience  and why we keep going back for more.

Need help planning the perfect trip?

Be sure to check out our  Travel Planning page  for resources on everything you need to know about how to plan a trip, from packing to budgeting and more! Or you can read some of our favorite articles about planning your next trip below. 

• How We Afford to Travel & You Can Too!
• How to Find Cheap Flights: 17 Expert Tips
• How We Pick the Best Travel Insurance
• Cheap Travel Hacks to Save You Money

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We want to hear from you!

If you still have more questions about how to plan a trip—both international or otherwise—leave your comment below and we’ll do our best to find you the answers you’re looking for!

Comments (15) on “ How to Plan a Trip: Your Step-by-Step Travel Planning Guide ”

What considerations should you make regarding the timing of your trip, as recommended in the article?

It’s great that you talked about how we’d plan a trip and choose the things we want to do. We’re excited about traveling for our next vacation, and we’d like to start booking hotels and tours, so we’ll follow your tips to help us out. Thanks for the insight on finding all kinds of adventures for our vacation trip.

Bautiful blog and very informative ! Thanks for sharing

Hey guys! Honey is here. Two days back I returned from my vacation and enjoyed myself a lot there. I didn’t face any booking issues regarding stay and tickets reservation. This time I have got 10,000 off on my bookings through the usage of BOB cards and I gained that offer info from Saveplus. You guys must fly! Go on.

Thanks for reminding me to check out my finances first before planning a trip. I have allotted a part of my monthly budget last year so I could travel overseas but it might not be too safe because of the pandemic. I think it would be better to visit something local and just book a Kentucky bourbon tour.

This is a wonderfully structured article! Loved reading it!

Thank you very much for your very pragmatic info. May I have some names of reliable bloggers for my research please? Nic

Your blog is very informative. You have written every thing in deep.

Thank you for great information !

I like that you shared your thoughts with us. I am living in my camper van and I like to read more thoughtful articles like this one. Thanks for the amazing and beautiful post….

Thanks so much for the kind words!

What a wonderful post on how to plan a trip! You have some good points and tips! I also wrote a post on how I planned for my East Coast Trip, check it out on my blog http://innapishtoy.com/2018/05/19/planning-packing-trip/

Thanks for sharing Inna.

Good one content katie. I am impressed. It is very useful for my winter holidays.

So happy to hear it was helpful!

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16 Easy Steps for Planning Your Next Trip

I remember when I started planning my first trip around the world. I had no idea what I was doing.

When I decided to quit my job and travel the world , I walked into a bookstore and bought Lonely Planet’s Southeast Asia on Shoestring . Buying that guidebook was my first step toward long-term travel. It made the trip seem more real, more tangible. It made it all seem possible.

While helpful, the book didn’t exactly prepare me for planning a trip around the world. Back then, there weren’t really travel blogs, sharing economy websites, and apps like there are today. I was excited and determined — but I was lost. I had to figure it out as I went, hoping I didn’t miss anything important.

Trip planning can be a daunting task. Where do you begin? What’s step one? What’s step two? What’s step three?

It’s easy to get overwhelmed, especially when you haven’t done something like this before — and especially considering just how much information there is out there these days. Blogs, social media, and guidebooks have never been more plentiful. There’s a firehose of information out there that can sometimes make the task of planning a trip even more challenging and overwhelming.

After a decade of traveling the world , I’ve planned countless trips and vacations for myself, friends, family, and even group tours. In the beginning, it was trial by fire and I learned a lot of lessons the hard way . However, that helped me develop an efficient checklist that ensures I don’t miss anything important during the trip planning process.

After all, I don’t want to get to my next destination and then realize I forgot something. And neither do you!

There is a lot of information on this website ( and even more information packed into my book ), but one question that comes up frequently is, “Matt, how do I put this all together? How do I plan a trip?”

In a continuing effort to help you get out the door and into the world, I’ve created this step-by-step guide on how to plan a trip. It works for any kind of trip — no matter how long you’re going for! Just follow this checklist and you’ll be off in no time!

Table of Contents

Step 1: Decide Where You Want To Go

Step 2: decide the length of your trip, step 3: research your costs, step 4: start saving money, step 5: get a travels rewards credit card, step 6: switch to no-fee atm cards, step 7: stay focused and inspired, step 8: check for last-minute deals, step 9: book your flight, step 10: book your accommodation, step 11: plan your activities, step 12: sell your stuff, step 13: automate your bills, step 14: pack, step 15: buy travel insurance, step 16: enjoy your trip.

If you want to jump ahead, simply click on any of the links above.  

It’s a lot easier to mentally get behind “I am going to Paris in the summer” than “I’m going to Europe” or “I’m going somewhere.” Not only will your trip become more concrete for you and easier to commit to, but it will make planning easier as well…because you know what to work towards. Get specific with your plans. Get detailed. The more focused and concrete your goal, the easier it will be to actually reach it.

Resources for picking your travel destination:

• 200+ In-Depth Destination Guides
• 10 Destinations Under $50 Per Day
• The 10 Best Places to Visit as a Budget Traveler
• The 20 Best Tropical Islands in the World

How much does it cost to travel? That depends!

Without knowing how long you’re going away for, I can’t answer that question. And it’s a question you need to answer so you can start planning!

In order to figure out how much you need to save you’ll need to know how long your trip will be.

Are you going away for a week? A month? A year?

The length of your trip is a huge factor in determining how much money you need. Spend some time mulling that over until you have your answer.

For example, after you say “I’m going to Paris this summer,” add “for X days.” That way you can start to narrow down just how much money you’re going to need to save. “I am going to Paris for 10 days” is a trip that you can plan for. It’s an attainable goal.  

So you know where you’re going and how long you’ll be there, but to really nail down how much money you need, your next task is to research the costs in your destination at the style of travel you want.

Do you want to backpack, or would you rather stay in luxury hotels?

How much are hostels, hotels, restaurants, and attractions?

Knowing will allow you to estimate how much money you’ll need for your trip. Here is how to research costs:

• Buy a guidebook.
• Check out my travel guide section .
• Google prices for specific things you want to do, such as scuba diving, bungy jumping, winery tours, etc. ( Get Your Guide is a good place to start for that)

You don’t need to do more than that. There’s so much information on the web that if you go down the rabbit hole of overplanning, you’ll get lost and confused by the firehose of information. Stick to those three things and you’ll be set!

In our example, if you are going to Paris for 10 days and need at least $75 USD a day (not including your flight), you know you need to save $750 USD (though round up to $800-900 USD since it’s good to have extra) for your trip.

If you were to travel around the world for a year, you’d need $50 USD a day .

Here are some other insightful posts that will help you better estimate your costs:

• 5 Ways to Make Your Money Last When You Travel
• How to Know the Travel Info You Find is Legit
• How I Research My Solo Travel Destinations

People bleed a lot of money every day through small purchases: a coffee here, a snack there. All of that adds up. In order to make changes to your spending habits, you first need to understand them. Making a list will do just that. It will also put your financial needs into a better perspective.

For example, if you need $2,000 USD for the trip you’re taking in eight months, that means you only have to save $8.33 USD per day. Couldn’t you find a way to save $8 USD per day? Heck, your daily coffee is most of that!

If you’re struggling to save money, here are 23 ways to cut your expenses and save money for travel . This will help you get started and on the road to saving money in no time!  

These days, most cards have welcome offers of up to 100,000 points when you meet their minimum spending requirement. That’s enough miles for a free flight almost anywhere in the world!

If you want a free flight, sign up for the cards that help with that. If you want free hotel rooms, get a hotel card. Either way, sign up for a travel credit card and start earning points today. As long as you can pay off your monthly balance, you’ll get free travel credit.

You don’t need to sign up for very many cards either; pick one or two and focus on those. Do this the moment you decide you want to travel. Don’t wait — waiting equals lost miles, which means less free travel.

Collecting points and miles is what all the experts do to cut their costs and travel longer. It’s what has kept my costs down and me on the road for so many years. While the best cards are only available in the US, there are still plenty of options for Canadians as well as folks from Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

For more information on travel credit cards and using points and miles, check out these posts:

• Points and Miles 101: A Beginner’s Guide
• How to Pick the Best Travel Credit Card
• The Best Travel Credit Cards
• How to Earn Points by Paying Your Rent
• The Ultimate Guide to Points and Miles
• How to Use Points and Miles in Canada

Once you’re abroad, you’re going to need money. While many countries accept credit cards, in the majority of countries cash is still king. That means you’ll need to use ATMs to withdraw the local currency.

And that also means you’re going to get dinged by ATM fees.

If you’re just away for a week or two, paying a few dollars in ATM fees isn’t the end of the world. But if you’re away for a longer period, those fees add up and chew into your travel budget — a budget you’ve worked hard to grow. Don’t give banks any of your hard-earned money.

How? By using a no-fee ATM card.

I use Charles Schwab , but there are lots of other banks (don’t forget to check your local banks) that don’t charge ATM fees. Additionally, you can join a bank in the Global ATM Alliance .

By using a no-fee ATM card you can avoid those pesky ATM fees, leaving you more money for what it was intended for: travel.

Here’s exactly how you can avoid ATM fees while traveling .  

While you get closer to your goal, make sure that you keep feeding your desire to travel. Travel planning can be exhausting and overwhelming — especially if you don’t have support from your friends and family (and especially if your trip is still months away). It can often get discouraging and feel out of reach at times.

Luckily, there are tons of ways to stay focused and keep your spirits high thanks to the amazing community we have on this website. Here are some inspiring travel stories to help keep you inspired to travel:

• Why It’s Never the Perfect Time to Travel
• 13 Travel Books That Will Give You Serious Wanderlust
• How to Change the “I’m Too Poor to Travel” Mindset and Say Yes to Travel
• 8 Ways to Stay Motivated to Travel

Additionally, be sure to join our online travel community The Nomadic Network . Not only will you find support (and tons of tips) online, but we also host regular in-person and virtual events all around the world. These are a great way to get inspired, meet other awesome travelers in your area, and get travel advice.  

Okay, you’re inspired, prepared, and on your way to saving money for your trip. But before you go buy that flight or book that hotel, check for deals you might have missed. You may dream of Paris but maybe there are great deals to Berlin right now. Or maybe you can get a seven-day cruise for 70% off, a package deal to Hawaii for the price of your flight to Paris, or 50% off sailing trips around Greece.

These days, there is always a deal to be found — especially if you’re flexible with your dates and/or destinations. Some deal websites worth checking out are:

• Going (Formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights)
• The Flight Deal
• Holiday Pirates

Fortunately, there are still many ways to avoid being the person on the flight who paid the most for their ticket. My two favorite sites for finding cheap airfare are:

• Skyscanner – Skyscanner is the best website for searching multiple destinations at the same time.
• Google Flights – Like Skyscanner, Google Flights is great for open searches to multiple destinations.

For the best deals, book your flight about two-three months in advance. Here are two articles on how to score a cheap flight:

• How to Find Cheap Flights
• Booking Flights: Everything You Need to Know

For trips longer than two weeks (or if you are going to be traveling long-term) just book your first few days. That will ensure you have a place to go on arrival. Once there, you can get insider advice from your hotel/hostel staff as well as other travelers. You can then use that info to plan your next steps.

While you can book more than your first few nights, you might end up wanting to change your plans once you land. I prefer having flexibility, which is why I always just book my first few nights and go from there.

Here are my go-to sites when it comes to finding the best deals on accommodation:

• Hostelworld – Hostelworld has the largest selection of hostels and is my go-to site for finding affordable hostels.
• Agoda – Agoda has the best results if you’re heading to Asia (though they sometimes have good US deals too).
• Booking.com – Booking.com is the best overall platform for finding budget hotels and guesthouses.

If you’re on a tight budget or you want to connect with more locals during your travels, consider joining platforms like Couchsurfing or BeWelcome . These communities allow travelers to stay with locals for free as a sort of cultural exchange.

Long-term travelers can also try housesitting or WWOOFing as well as they both offer free accommodation (in exchange for pet sitting or farm work respectively).  

Search online for discounts as well. While some countries offer cheaper prices in person, others give discounts to those who book early/online. Research which is which for your itinerary so you can save money.

For shorter trips, you can also book your activities in advance to ensure you get tickets. For longer trips, book as you go.

Additionally, before you leave home, have a rough idea of what activities are priorities for you. That way, if you run out of time or money, you can focus on your top activities so you don’t miss out. Also, make sure to double-check that there are no holidays or other obstacles that will prevent you from certain activities as well.  

If you are going on a long-term trip (six months or more), consider selling your stuff in order to earn extra money for your trip. Start doing this about 60 days before you leave. Some sites to use are:

• Gumtree – An online classified site with a focus in the UK and Australia.
• Amazon – The biggest online store in the world.
• Craigslist – Online global classifieds that have both local and global reach.
• eBay – Another global online classified site.
• Facebook Marketplace – Great for finding people near you (so you don’t need to ship your items).

If you aren’t going to be gone that long, skip this step. If you are going away long-term but want to keep your stuff, move it to a friend’s house or keep it in storage. A good storage company in the US is Public Storage . It’s one of the most affordable options out there.  

Get rid of your mail, go paperless, and set up online bill payment for your recurring bills to ensure you won’t miss any while overseas. If you are still going to get paper mail, use a service like Earth Class Mail , which will collect and scan your mail for you. (If you are going on a two-week trip, you don’t really need to worry about this, so you can skip this step, too.)

If you have the option (and don’t want to pay for a mail service), you can also have all your mail sent to a friend or family member.

Additionally, you’ll want to make sure you cancel any phone plans you have or switch your plan to one that is more travel-friendly. T-Mobile is great for travelers going on trips under 3 months. For any trips longer than that, you’ll want to cancel your plan and just buy SIM cards abroad as that will be much cheaper.  

I travel with a 45L REI bag and then a smaller day bag.

Unless you’re heading to multiple climates and need bulky winter gear, you don’t need a massive 70L bag stuffed to the top. Here’s my suggested packing list to help you take just the right amount of stuff and avoid overpacking ( here’s a list for female travelers as well ).

While what you pack will depend on where you are going, remember that you don’t need to pack everything you own. You can buy things you need on the road. You can do laundry overseas. At the end of the day, you have to carry everything you bring. So bring less!

There are a few extra items you might want to pack beyond your everyday clothes, though. Some things I like to bring with me are:

• First aid kit
• LifeStraw bottle with built-in filter
• Packing cubes (to stay organized)
• Travel lock (for hostel lockers)
• Travel adapter
• Quick-dry towel

Additionally, make sure you bring any prescriptions with you so you have enough for the duration of your trip. If that’s not feasible, bring a doctor’s note and prescription with you so you can fill it abroad.  

While a lot of people think, “I’m healthy, I don’t need travel insurance . I won’t get sick,” travel insurance is much more than just medical protection. It covers you when your camera breaks, your flight is canceled, a family member dies and you have to come home, or if something gets stolen.

Yes, it’s an added expense. But it’s always better to be safe than sorry. I never leave home without it because I’ve seen first-hand just what can happen on the road.

I never thought I would pop my eardrum while I was scuba diving in Thailand or break my camera in Italy .

I didn’t know I would get knifed in Colombia .

My friend never thought he would break his leg hiking.

Another friend didn’t expect her father would die and she would have to fly back home.

Unfortunately, bad things can happen when you’re traveling. True, these events are few and far between. But they can cost tens of thousands of dollars to handle on your own. If you’re not prepared to pay out of pocket, buy travel insurance.

To help you figure out the best plan for you and your trip, here’s my ultimate guide to picking a good insurance company . It will show you how to pick a good plan that covers you for when you get sick, your flights get canceled, if you get injured, something gets stolen, or your trip is delayed.

Here’s a breakdown of my recommended travel insurance companies so you can see what company offers the best plans for your needs and budget:

• SafetyWing – Super affordable plans for budget travelers.
• Insure My Trip – Best for senior travelers.
• Medjet – Provides additional evacuation coverage to ensure you get home should an emergency occur.
• Insured Nomads – In-depth emergency and non-emergency coverage for long-term travelers and digital nomads.

For more information on travel insurance, you can check out these posts:

• What Does Travel Insurance Actually Cover?
• Is Travel Insurance Worth It?
• Do You Need Medical Evacuation Insurance?

Additionally, make sure you know your rights as an airline passenger. For example, delayed flights to/from Europe often mean you’re entitled to compensation (beyond anything insurance-related).

Learn how to ensure you are compensated if your travels are delayed or your flight is canceled .  

If you’re feeling nervous, don’t worry — that’s perfectly normal. You’re about to embark on an amazing adventure — and that’s a huge change. Feeling anxious or nervous or unsure is something every traveler experiences. But you’ve made it this far. Trust your planning, follow your instincts, and you’ll have the trip of a lifetime. I guarantee it.

By using this post as a guideline for your trip planning, you can better organize and prepare for your trip. You’ll check all the boxes, not miss anything, and have plenty of money for your vacation. It can be as simple as booking a flight and packing or as complex as rearranging your entire life to go backpack the world forever.

But, no matter how long your trip may be, this list will help you stay organized and motivated as you plan your trip and step out into the world.

P.S.  – Yes, I did leave out visas and vaccinations, because needing those isn’t as universal as the other stuff on this list, but don’t forget to check if you need those, too!  

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner . It’s my favorite search engine because it searches websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld . If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

• SafetyWing (best for everyone)
• Insure My Trip (for those 70 and over)
• Medjet (for additional evacuation coverage)

Want to Travel for Free? Travel credit cards allow you to earn points that can be redeemed for free flights and accommodation — all without any extra spending. Check out my guide to picking the right card and my current favorites to get started and see the latest best deals.

Need Help Finding Activities for Your Trip? Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can find cool walking tours, fun excursions, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more.

Ready to Book Your Trip? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.

Got a comment on this article? Join the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter and share your thoughts!

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I recommend only products and companies I use and the income goes to keeping the site community supported and ad free.

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Search 7+ million restaurants & activities, and over 1 million hotels and vacation rentals.

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Invite friends to help plan trips or share your travel plans with others.

Need help building a custom travel itinerary?

I need help making an itinerary for a trip • how to make a trip itinerary • how do i make a vacation itinerary calendar • how do i keep all of my travel details in one place • build a travel itinerary online, travefy can help you create a custom travel itinerary with all your trip details in one place..

Online Itinerary Creator

Travefy’s online itinerary creator makes it easy and fast to build a custom trip itinerary with all your trip details. It’s an itinerary maker app without any apps to download! Travefy starts you with a vacation itinerary template and you customize by adding all of your trips details including your hotel reservations, flight booking details, restaurants, activities, and more.

It can be time consuming trying to assemble your trip details with a Microsoft Word itinerary template, an Excel travel itinerary template or a Google doc itinerary template. Travefy goes further in giving you a tailored interface to make it easy to add the exact travel details for your trip and be done fast in just a few minutes.

Make Your Own Custom Travel Itinerary Online With Travefy

Travefy’s travel itinerary planner online tool is the easiest way to build and share your travel plans. You can plan out every step of your trip with Travefy’s itinerary maker app—and no apps to download. Of course you can add your hotel stay or your flight information, but did you know you can also search and add to your itinerary restaurants, activities, vacation rentals and deals? You can even invite friends and travel mates to collaborate and build your mobile-friendly trip itinerary together.

Add A Hotel Reservations To Your Trip Plans

Search for hotels that fit your trip needs and preferences and add them to your itinerary. Already booked your hotel? No problem. You can add your hotel to your multi-day travel itinerary template super fast.

Add A Flight To Your Travel Itinerary

Add your flights, details and destination airports with a few taps and clicks. You can search for flights on Travefy and add them to your itinerary, or just simply copy/paste your flight details on to your flight itinerary template in seconds.

Add Restaurants To Your Mobile-Friendly Itinerary

Your trip is not complete without finding great restaurants to enjoy while traveling. With Travefy you just search for restaurants or specific tastes you’re looking for. Already know what restaurants you’re going to at your destination? Just add restaurants directly to your itinerary with the “Add a Place” button.

Add Activities, Places & Landmarks to Your Detailed Travel Itinerary

Looking for a great beach, music venue or sight seeing landmark? Travefy has 7+ million places around the world to add trip ideas to create your custom travel itinerary. You can search for specific types of places and entertainment for your trip, or just type the name of the place in the “Add a place” field to add a place or landmark to your custom travel itinerary.

Wedding Itinerary Maker

You can even create beautiful, awesome itineraries for your wedding day or destination wedding travel plans. Add specific times, places, hotels and travel information to your custom mobile-friendly wedding itinerary.

Travefy is perfect for small trips and group trips.

Creating a custom travel itinerary with Travefy’s itinerary template and vacation itinerary template is perfect for student associations, college trips, spring break trips . A custom trip itinerary built with Travefy is especially useful for sharing travel and event details with friends and family for destination weddings, bachelor parties and bachelorette parties .

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• How To Plan A Trip In 5 Simple Steps

23 Mar 2023

It is an adventure you’ve always dreamt of, but haven’t been able to plan and execute properly. Here are some useful pointers on how to plan a trip, that put an end to the cluttered chaos by streamlining your vacations to perfect harmony and pure bliss.

Vacations often start off as a wonderful idea and then eventually end up being a nightmare to manage. Often overlooked, a lot of thought and brainstorming goes into perfectly organizing touring plans. The lack of know-how on how to plan a trip often reflects during “unseen hurdles” on a vacation.

With a little bit of preparation and effort in maintaining a personalized trip planner, travelers can overcome 90% of their difficulties they may face during a trip. Here are some handy trip planning tips that will keep your prepared for the proverbial rainy-day.

1. Pick your destination

If you are wondering how to plan a trip with friends or family than you should probably start from either some stunning pics that gone viral on social media, the scenic setting of a movie, or an irresistible story of a friend’s last trip abroad. Touring plans, more often than not, are triggered by external factors.

Image Source

Must Read: 30 Travel Hacks You Must Know If Just-The-Girls Trip Is On Your Mind

Things to keep in mind before selecting a destination

• There’s nothing to say when a traveler’s mind wishes to visit the beaches, mountains, or a forest. However, picking the right destination according to the season is a key factor in understanding how to plan a trip successfully.
• Check out the best time to visit all destinations. Usually, the ideal season to visit beaches and mountains is completely different.
• Consider the cost factor while picking a destination. Some places are more enjoyable in a luxury budget than others. Going to a luxury destination during the shoulder season (a few weeks before or after the official ‘busy season’) can result in some good discounts on hotels and flights.
• Safety of travelers is a prime concern people specially when you are concerned of how to plan a family vacation. Pay attention to it before stating off the journey (especially when female travelers are included).
• Ease of accessibility or lack thereof is also a factor that can sway the decision of visiting a destination or not. Generally, the popular destinations have a lot of daily flights, trains, and good highway infrastructure to support the tourist influx.

2. Decide the duration of your trip

There is a fine line between getting bored and enjoying every moment at a destination. However, no destination has a predefined ideal duration. Wondering how to plan your road trip? It often depends on the touring plans and purpose of the visit of the travelers. Some travelers like to see new cities every day, whereas some travelers prefer taking it slow by witnessing and enjoying the subtle nuances of places they visit. This is a key aspect of your trip planning which can help your itinerary and budget both. Additionally, Travel Triangle also offers customize itinerary so if you are concerned of how to prepare an itinerary for a trip, no worries!

Suggested Read: Things You Ought To Know Before Traveling

Things to keep in mind before deciding the duration of a trip

• A key aspect of a good trip planner is to correctly estimate the number of days required to visit a destination. A road trip planner would elongate the duration of a trip whereas, a trip planned with flight tickets could be a little shorter.
• Trips, where the destination is within 8 hours, can also be done on a weekend provided that the night time is utilized for traveling.
• A trip with a lot of urban destinations will need more time in the sightseeing, and therefore a longer trip duration. Whereas a trip to a tropical beach town would not involve much sightseeing and hence, the duration can be shorter.
• It is advisable to keep a vacant day in touring plans that exceed 7 days. This gives a buffer to things like flight/train delays, traffic jams, weather hold-ups, or a change-of-heart to extend one’s stay at a particular destination.

3. Book flights, train, or bus tickets, and accommodation

After the ideation is complete, booking tickets for your flight, train or bus transfer well in advance is an important step in learning how to plan your trip to perfection. Since flight and train tickets are subject to availability and prices rise over time, getting the bookings done a few months in advance will help you avoid additional costs on your initial budget. Whether you are planning to explore the hidden places in Goa or savour the local flavour of Rajasthan , advance booking can help you with a hassle-free journey.

Suggested Read: 10 Packing & Luggage Hacks For The Smart Traveler

Things to keep in mind while booking transfers and accommodation

• Only book the cheaper non-refundable flight or train tickets if you are absolutely certain of your vacation plans. Otherwise, it is advisable to book refundable tickets if booking well-in-advance.
• Flight prices fluctuate a lot, keep a track on flight prices by using Google Flights Tracker.
• Expect a surge in prices of flights and accommodations if you are booking tickets for a vacation that falls during the peak season of that particular destination.
• Use credit cards that give frequent flyer miles and points on every rupee spent on booking flights and hotels to earn great rewards and cash-backs.

4. Plan the day-wise activities and course of action

It always sounds fascinating and adventurous when touring plans are made on a sudden impulse and gut feel. However, the downside of going on such trips is that there could be many days where the scheduling can go haywire because of everything being so last-minute.

Suggested Read: Travel Etiquettes Around The World

Things to keep in mind while planning day-wise activities

• Depending on the budget and time-at-disposal, getting a rough idea of what activities should be done on what day is a vital ingredient in understanding how to plan a trip perfectly.
• Transfers between destinations should be kept as much as possible during the evening/night. This will provide enough time for sightseeing and activities as most of them are only possible during the day-time.
• Most of the times, it is better to book activities like water sports, adventure sports, boat-rides, and safari rides at the destination itself to get a better price and some scope for bargaining.
• In the trip planner, keep only one or two activities in a day if the purpose of the trip is to relax and take it easy during the vacation.
• At some places, popular tourists activities like skiing, boating, scuba diving etc are closed during offseason. Check the availability of activities before going to the destination.

5. Pack diligently and make all the necessary adjustments

After the bookings are done, it is always advisable for your trip planning to pack your stuff keeping in mind the destination and the influence of external factors on it. The unpredictability of weather, socio-political scenario, or a festive season can adversely affect travel plans.  In order to avoid alteration of touring plans due to these scenarios, travelers should do a bit of research before starting their vacation.

Further Read: Travel Myths Busted: Don’t Let These Cliched Fables Ruin Your Travel Experiences

Things to keep in mind while packing for a vacation

• An extra shirt, sweater, pair of jeans, or jumper can always prove handy during trips where the weather is expected to be cold or rainy.
• Things like sunscreen, lotion, or mosquito repellent sound like unnecessary items but they are very vital in preventing any skin-related diseases
• As a part of cultural sensitivity and responsible tourism, travelers must research about the destination they are visiting. Reading about the do’s and don’ts is advisable in order to avoid causing any conflict or disrespect to the local people of the place to be visited.

Vacations are experiences that change people for the good. With a better understanding of how to plan a trip, travelers can enjoy their sojourns without any malice or unfortunate occurrence. Book a tour package to your dream destination with TravelTriangle and enjoy a responsible, thoughtful, and considerate way of traveling.

For our editorial codes of conduct and copyright disclaimer, please click  here . 

Frequently Asked Questions About Trip Planning In India

Which are some of the offbeat destinations to plan budget trips in India?

Amidst an array of awe-inspiring destinations in India, there are some offbeat destinations that can easily be planned for an ultimate budget trip. Some of these destinations are: 1. Digha - West Bengal 2. Savarkut - Maharashtra 3. Maval - Maharashtra 4. Hampi

Which destinations in India can be explored on a very low budget?

Some incredible places in India can be explored on a very low budget. Some of them are: 1. Pushkar 2. Ooty 3. Lonavala 4. Nainital 5. Rishikesh 6. Hampi

Which place is best to travel for 2-3 days in India?

The best place for a 2-3 day trip in India would depend on your location. If you are located in North Delhi, then Shimla and Jaipur would be a good choice. For people living in South India, Mysore and Coorg must be on the list. For West India, head to Alibaug or Mahabaleshwar. Northeast can head to Pelling or Darjeeling. And East Indians would love to visit Sunderbans or Puri.

What is the best place to visit in South India with a low budget for a 3 to 4-day tour?

Hampi, Coorg, and Ooty are some of the best places to visit in South India if you are a budget traveler.

Which is the cheapest city in India?

Kolkata, Chennai, and Bangalore are arguably the cheapest cities in India. It is affordable for a majority of Indian citizens to rent out a place in these metro cities. Also, the dining options here are pretty cheap compared to other metro cities.

How can I travel cheaply in India?

If you plan to travel cheaply in India, you can live for free at an ashram in Pondicherry, drink at shacks in Goa that serve vodka shots for INR 60 per glass, travel by state-owned buses in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, and prefer staying at homestays.

How much does a meal cost in India?

A meal in India costs INR 100 at street joints, INR 250-500 at medium-level restaurants, and over INR 1,000 at upscale restaurants. Make sure you taste the local street food while you’re in India. The flavor and the aroma of Indian cuisine is distinct and usually hits all your senses.

Which is the cheapest country to visit from India?

There are various countries that you can consider visiting from India on a low budget. Some of them have been listed below: 1. Malaysia 2. Sri Lanka 3. Bhutan 4. Nepal 5. Thailand 6. Laos 7. Singapore

What are some of the best tips to keep in mind while planning budget trips in India?

If you are thinking how to plan a vacation on a budget to India, make sure to go through the following tips. These tips would certainly come in handy while planning your budget trip and will allow you to have a seamless vacation. Check them out: 1. Research thoroughly - Make sure you research in depth about your destination. Research about the best budget hotels, pocket-friendly restaurants, and transportation options. 2. Travel during the off-season - If you intend to have a vacation that is easy on your pockets, it is vital to travel during the off-season, when the demand is less and prices are not inflated. 3. Travel in a group to share costs related to accommodation and transportation. 4. Travel to offbeat places in the country. Places that are already very popular amongst tourists would naturally cost you more. It is wise to travel to unexplored places and save some bucks! 5. Find accommodation in homestays. Homestays are relatively cheaper than hotels. You can also look for accommodation in budget-friendly hostels. 6. Travel via public transport instead of taxi/cab. Keeping these tips in mind would surely aid you while planning your ideal budget trip in India.

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How to Use Google My Maps to Plan a Trip (Ultimate Guide)

Note: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a commission at no additional cost to you. More details are  here .

I love a good map. I’ve got maps hanging on my walls. I go to the bookstore to read maps. Whenever I navigate my way home using only a map, I feel like I must have some innate bushcraft skills. And if you’ve read my posts about traveling in Maine , you’re probably sick of me talking about the DeLorme Atlas by now.

But while reading paper maps will always inspire a sense of get-up-and-go adventure for me, I’m not totally opposed to using tech for planning my trips and navigating on the ground.

And one of my favorite techy solutions? A secret little trip planner called Google My Maps, buried inside of everyone’s favorite map tool.

Google My Maps lets you create shareable custom maps with multiple layers, plus location pins with icons and notes. It’s a great way to brainstorm travel plans or create a trip itinerary from a desktop. And since the map can be viewed in the Google Maps app, you can use it to navigate on the go. 

To give you an example of what this post will show you how to do, here’s one of the custom Google Maps I’ve created for a trip.

Keep reading for an overview of how to use Google My Maps to plan a trip, plus a video tutorial of how to set it up—all updated in 2023. I’ll also share answers to commonly asked questions and some lesser known tips to help you get the most out of this tool. 

A quick note: Creating a custom map in Google My Maps is distinct from Google Lists of saved places. Check out our Google My Maps vs Lists comparison to see all the differences and our full guide to using Google Maps Lists .

8 Top Google My Maps Features

(AKA Why It’s Awesome)

Google My Maps allows you to see your trip itinerary. 

This is so helpful, especially if you’re a visual person or enjoy using maps. But even if you’re not, it’s still really useful to see where everything is in relation to each other as you plan your trip, vacation, or holiday because it helps you be realistic about your plans.

It connects with other Google apps. 

Setting aside my (ahem, very rational) fear that they may take over the world soon, I love all things Google. My Maps stores a copy of the map in whatever Google Drive account you’re using. (Am I the only one who has six of these?) So if you like to create Google Docs or folders to store trip planning information, documents, photos, or itineraries, it’s nice to have your map easily accessible in the same folder.

You get additional location information since it’s part of Google Maps. 

If a location is on Google, you can see their website, phone number, address, reviews, and website when you add it to your custom map. (Note that you can’t see this information when clicking on your saved pin from the Google Maps app, but you can from desktop.)

You can add your own extra notes and photos.

Customize your map even more by adding notes, photos, or videos. Use the notes during planning to add website, hours, or tips. If I hear about the location from a particular website, I usually add that link and what was noted in the article about the location (e.g., it’s a great sunset spot, which dish on the menu is recommended) so I can reference it later.

You can view your route by creating a layer with directions. 

When I traveled to Burlington, Vermont, I wanted to see the length of the bike trail on the map, so I used the directions feature to show the whole route. (Check out the Burlington travel guide for an example of the travel map I created that includes the bike path route.) And while I haven’t done this yet, you could also use Google My Maps to plan a road trip itinerary for a longer adventure. 

Caveat: As I’ll discuss later, you can’t use directions layers to get turn-by-turn directions (but I mention an alternative below). For this reason, I only use these layers to visualize my route.

It’s highly customizable. 

Don’t mind me while I swoon over the color coding and organization options over here. Use custom icons, layers, and colors so it’s easy to see what things are at a glance. For example, you can give different locations individual styles: a coffee cup icon for cafes, a bed icon for hotels, and a swimming icon for beaches. You can also use layers in many different ways, such as one layer for each day of your trip or one layer for each category (like dining, lodging, and things to do).

In-depth planning on your computer. Easy, on-the-go access from your phone. 

While you can’t edit the maps from the Google Maps app on iPhone or Android, you (and anyone you’ve shared them with) can view them. You can click on icons and see your notes, as well as navigate to those locations. 

Note that there used to be a dedicated My Maps app on Android, but this has been deprecated. 

It’s easy to share it with a friend or with the world. 

If you’re planning a trip with other people, it’s easy to share the map with others . And if it’s something you want to make available to everyone (like I do on my travel guide posts), just change the privacy setting and share the link or embed it on a website.

3 Ways to Use Google My Maps

Brainstorm and store ideas for future “maybe” trips. 

I often come across a really interesting hotel, restaurant, or fun thing to do in destinations I want to travel to in the future, and I want to make sure I don’t forget about them. I have so many bookmarks in so many places (Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram), but Google My Maps is the place I’ve started storing ideas for future trips.

Plan your trip itinerary. 

Want to use Google Maps for route planning? When you’re ready to plan an upcoming trip, plot it out visually by using Google My Maps to create your itinerary. If you like structured itineraries, you can easily create a detailed day-to-day plan. 

Or, you can use a looser itinerary structure like we usually do by adding all the places you might like to go. 

For example, on a day trip to NYC, we added tons of places to eat on the map (thank you, Tiktok). As we were walking around doing other activities and started to get hungry, we were able to easily see which saved restaurants were closest to us. 

Navigate on the go.

Whether you’re using your map loosely for ideas or for a structured itinerary, you can pull it up on your phone anytime and get directions to your next location. 

Not sure what you want to do today, or want to see what the closest restaurant from your list is for dinner? Pop into your custom map to jog your memory from the notes you made or to get directions to your next location.

Recommended: Need an organized backpack to take on the road? Check out my favorite luggage for camping, road trips, and flying: the Cotopaxi Nazca 24L and Allpa 35L !

How to Use Google My Maps to Plan a Trip

How to create a new custom map.

Go to Google My Maps from your desktop browser . Check the Google icon in the top right corner to make sure you’re using the Google account you want to. Click “Create A New Map” and a window will open with a blank map. To give your map a name and description , click the map name (“Untitled Map”).

You can also change the color and style of the base map if desired. At the bottom of the layer panel on the left, click the arrow next to “Base Map.” You’ll get a window with nine options, including terrain, light political (a very light version of the standard Google Maps), satellite, and some different colored versions. Note that changing the base map style on desktop won’t change anything when viewing on mobile in Google Maps.

How to Add and Edit Layers

When you create a new map, the first layer will already be created, so you’ll probably want to rename it. To give your first layer a title , click directly on the title name like you did with the map name, or click the 3 dots next to “Untitled Layer” and then click “Rename Layer.” Clicking these 3 dots next to a layer title is also how you can delete a layer if you add one accidentally or change your mind. In this example, I’m changing my first layer to “dining” and will add all restaurants to this layer.

You can use layers any way you want to, or simply stick to one layer if you don’t need multiple. To add new layers , simply click “Add Layer” in the gray section below the map title and description.

To move a pin between layers , click the pin on the layer and hold down the mouse, and then drag it to the desired layer.

How to Add Location Pins

There are various ways to add location pins to a layer. First, make sure the correct layer is chosen by clicking anywhere in the white area on the layer. You’ll see which layer is selected by looking for the blue bar on the left of the layer.

• In the map search bar, type either a place name or an address. Click “Add to Map” to add a pin for this location . This is how I add most pins.
• If you don’t need an exact location or don’t have an address , you can click the pin marker button below the map search bar (“Add Marker”). It will turn your mouse into a T and you can click anywhere on the map to add a blank pin. You’ll immediately be prompted to add the pin title and description.
• If you’re dealing with very remote locations (or you just like geeky map stuff), you can also use latitude and longitude coordinates in the search bar.

To delete a pin , simply click on it and click the trash icon.

A few tips and best practices for adding pins:

• If the place you’re searching for does not have a listing on Google, you’ll have to use an address. One thing to note is that sometimes Google Maps listings aren’t correct or don’t take you to the right place, so you may want to double check the location if you’re not using a street address to add the pin (especially if it’s a small business without a website).
• I have also found that hiking trail heads are frequently on Google Maps, but they’re not always correct in terms of navigating there by car. I usually add them to my map to get a basic idea of where they are while planning, but I use a paper map or atlas to find them while traveling.

How to Customize Location Pins

To change the title and add notes to your listing, click on the pin on the map, and then click the pencil icon (“Edit”).

To change the color and icon of the pin , click the paint bucket icon (from the pin itself or directly in the layer). Click “More Icons” to view all the icon options. You can color code by type of activity, by layer, or any way that makes sense to you.

To add photos or videos to a pin , click on the pin on the map, and then click the camera icon (“Add Image or Video”). This is another way to make your map interactive, especially after you’ve visited a location and want to share it with others.

How to Add A Directions Layer

I find that directions layers are helpful for showing the route of a walking tour, bike path, or road trip you want to take, but I don’t find them useful for directions while traveling since I can simply use the maps app to navigate. 

I use directions layers whenever I want to show an entire route on a map , rather than a specific location. Think of this as the 2024 version of mapping out a trip with AAA paper maps and a highlighter (if you’re old enough to remember).

Click the arrow icon underneath the search bar, which will create a new directions layer. On the legend, click “Driving” if you want to change this to walking or biking directions. Add a location name or address to Points A and B in the legend. If you find that the pins are not exactly where they should be, you can drag the points on the map.

Continue adding points by clicking “Add Destination” on the map. You can either type the information into the legend or hover your mouse to a spot on the map and double click it. (This is especially useful if you’re tracing a route on something like a bike path or hiking trail that won’t have an address.)

Rearrange the order by dragging the items around in the legend. Just like altering directions on Google Maps navigation, you can click on part of the route and drag it to a different road if you want to change part of the route after it is complete.

If you need to access the directions so you can see the distance of your route or the time it will take, click the three dots on the layer and click “Step-by-Step Directions.” Note that you can’t actually use this to get turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps.

How to Share A Google My Map

There are several options for sharing your Google Maps trip plan.

Open up your map, then click the share button in the gray bar above your layers. To allow others to view your map (which includes embedding on your website), click “change” under the section “Who has access.” For embedding, you will need to make this setting public.

Otherwise, if you want to allow others to edit your map, add their email address in the “invite people” section.

How to View Your Custom Map in Google Maps (iPhone or Android)

Open Google Maps and go to the Saved icon at the bottom. Scroll to the bottom of this screen and click “Maps.” Choose the My Map you want to view. The layers with your custom icons will now be visible on your Google Map. You can click on any pin to view your details (such as description or photos), as well as to navigate there. 

To close a map, click on a pin and then click “View Map Legend.” There, you can click the Close icon.

From the Map Legend, you can also toggle layers on and off, and then backing out to the main map (don’t click Close—just the back arrow or back button).

How to Navigate with a Custom My Map (iPhone or Android)

To navigate to one of your pins, open your map, find the pin for where you want to go, click it, and then click “directions.” When you do this, you won’t see your custom map anymore but will be looking at the regular navigation of Google Maps.

You can’t use a My Maps “directions layer” for navigation. If you’re looking for that functionality, I recommend just creating a route in Google Maps and sending it to your phone (or sharing with others). See here for more details. 

How to Import Locations from Google Sheets, CSV, or Excel

Importing locations to a My Maps layer can be helpful in a few scenarios:

• You have a significant amount of locations to add to your layer
• Your data is already in the form of a spreadsheet
• You want additional fields included besides the default Name and Description
• You want to create groupings of pins (for example, a list of 50 restaurants could have a column for “Cuisine,” which will give you the option to group and style the pins by cuisine)

The process is simple, and you can import a variety of file types, including CSV, Excel (XLSX), or directly from Google Sheets. There are also special file formats that import map data from other programs, but this section is focused on spreadsheet-type files that you create and format.

Create a spreadsheet with the desired column headers. At a minimum, you need place names and either addresses or latitude-longitude information . 

If you want to group your pins by some type of categorization, you should include that as a column. Other columns you could include: website, phone number, description, or notes. While Google Sheets allows you to include photos in a cell, Google My Maps will not import photos in this way (it will include the column as a field, but will be blank). 

Once your spreadsheet file is ready, click “Import” on a blank layer (if your map already has layers, you will need to add a new layer to see this option). If uploading a CSV or XLSX, do this from the Upload tab. If using a Google Sheet, click the Google Drive tab and choose your file. 

Choose which column has location data (address or latitude-longitude) and click “Continue.” Choose the location name column next and click “Finish.” 

To change the icons individually, click “Uniform Style” next to the paintbrush on your layer. Under “Group Places By,” choose “Individual Styles.”

To change styles by a category column (such as Cuisine), click the link next to the paintbrush and choose to group places by the desired column. You can then give each category its own color or icon.

You can manually add new pins to this layer, and they will include all the fields you imported from the spreadsheet columns. 

You can also add more items to your spreadsheet, and import this new data. Click the three dots on your layer. Under “Reimport and Merge,” click “Add More Items” and choose your file. It will add the new rows to your layer.

How to Import a Route from Google Maps Timeline History (KML) or GPS Data From a Fitness App (GPX)

Google My Maps can import routes and locations you’ve already traveled to via special file types that are very easy to download from certain apps. This could be useful if you want to share a walking, biking, or driving route that you’ve taken without having to recreate it on a directions layer. 

Note that this only works as well as the GPS satellites were able to track your location while you were traveling.

If there are a lot of clouds, dense forest, buildings, or anything else blocking the GPS signal, your tracked route will be much less precise. I’ve noticed that Google Maps sometimes has my route showing somewhere I couldn’t have walked or driven. 

If you have your location history turned on in Google Maps, you can download a KML file from a trip, which will include the route traveled and location pins for any stops. Sometimes it misses a location name or adds a pin in the wrong place, but overall it’s pretty good.

Go to your Google Maps Timeline and locate the day you want to export. Click on it, and you should now see your route highlighted along with any stops you made. Now click the gear icon on the bottom of your map, and click “Export this day to KML.” Go to your My Map and on a new layer, click “Import.” Choose the KML file you just downloaded. You can now edit each portion as needed—changing the color and thickness of the route line, changing the location icons, as well as adjusting the route where desired.

If you have other apps that track your location, such as fitness apps, you may be able to download a GPX file that shows the route you took. The instructions for doing this will vary from app to app, but I was able to easily find it in Samsung Health by looking at the detail of a particular workout/walk and clicking the three dots to download a GPX. The import process to Google My Maps is the same as above.

With both methods, you can make adjustments to points/stops along the way or even add more pins. With the Google Maps KML file, you can also adjust your route by moving the small white dots.

Google My Maps Tutorial

Here’s a walk through video to show you how to use Google Maps to plan a trip, along with several of my own Google My Maps itinerary examples. Coming soon: a 2024 update!

Google My Maps Examples

Here are a few more examples of My Maps I’ve created for sharing recommendations, trip ideas, and actual vacation planning.

Google My Maps FAQs and Tips

As great as Google My Maps is for planning a trip, there are some limitations to using it. Lots of questions have also come up about more specific uses and ways to use its features. Thanks to all the readers who have asked or shared tips in the comments as I’m always looking to make this a more robust guide. I’ve organized the questions and tips here since it makes it easier than scrolling through the comments.

How many layers can you add to a map?

Google My Maps limits you to 10 layers. If you are planning a longer road trip and want to create a layer for each day, this limitation may prove frustrating. 

Here are a couple of workaround ideas: You can create 2 maps, and have the entire master route as 1 layer on each (showing the very basic route for all 12 days—say from city to city) as a reference. Then build individual layers for each day. As a second option, you could add multiple days to 1 layer and change the titles to start with the day they correspond to (so it would be “1 – Name of Place” instead of just “Name of Place.”) However, this option may not be ideal since you can’t see the titles until you click when you’re on the phone.

How many location pins can you add to each layer?

You can add up to 2,000 pins per layer, and the entire map cannot exceed 10,000 lines, shapes, or places total. I haven’t tested the limits, and it’s possible adding this amount of items could slow things down. My guess is that most travelers wouldn’t need anything so large, but it is possible according to Google . 

Are custom Google My Maps available offline?

No, but keep reading for a workaround and alternative. 

One of the biggest complaints about Google My Maps is that you can’t download your custom map and pins to use offline, unlike the rest of Google Maps. 

However, I have been able to use it in areas with spotty reception. I pulled the map up when I did have reception, and I left it running in the background. It would stay loaded in the app and I was able to pull it up to look at it later when I was out of reception. I’m not sure I would rely on this as a surefire workaround, but it can work in a pinch.

Another alternative, especially if you’ll be traveling in another country where you’ll be completely offline, is to use Google Maps Lists, which can be edited from desktop or your phone but don’t offer the option for separate layers, unique icons, or adding photos. 

Is there an app for Google My Maps?

There is no separate Google My Maps app, but you can view your maps within Google Maps. Just make sure you’re signed into the same account, and all your maps will sync. 

(There used to be a dedicated My Maps app on Android, but this was deprecated in 2021.)

Can you create or edit maps from your phone?

No, the maps cannot be edited from the Google Maps app. Google My Maps can only be created or edited from the desktop version of the site. This is another huge advantage Google Lists has over Google My Maps because Lists allow you to add new places or entire lists from any device—iPhone, Android, tablet, laptop, or desktop.

Is there a bridge height filter?

No. For RVers and others who need to plan ahead for height limitations, there is no bridge height filter available in Google Maps. Since I haven’t had to use this feature myself, I am not confident in an alternative to recommend. However, from a bit of digging around, there are some apps and GPS units for truckers that may be a good place to start looking if you have an oversize vehicle.

What is the difference between Google Maps Lists and Google My Maps?

They both allow you to create custom maps with pins, but there are some key differences, such as offline access, layer capabilities, customizable pins, and creating/editing within the app. Check out the details on how Google My Maps compares to Lists (including a features comparison table).

How many stops can you add on a directions layer?

You can only add 10 stops per directions layer. This is also the maximum number of stops you can add for navigation in Google Maps. As some readers have pointed out, this can be limiting when you want to use this feature for a long road trip.

Can you use the directions layers on your phone for navigation purposes?

No, you cannot create a directions layer and then access those turn-by-turn directions for navigation in the Google Maps app. 

So…are directions layers totally useless? What’s the point of having a Driving Directions layer in My Maps?

Personally, I still like to use these layers, but only to show a route for my very visual brain, rather than to actually create custom directions. 

Can you send a custom created route (layer) to someone else so that the other person will take that specific driving route on google maps?

No, you can’t do this from My Maps, but there’s a workaround I can suggest.

Forget My Maps, and use Google Maps from desktop or mobile to plot a route. You can add up to 10 stops, and then you will be able to share your custom directions. 

From desktop, there’s an extra step in first sending the directions to your phone. If you’ve created the directions in the mobile app or once you have them pulled up there, you can share them with anyone by clicking the 3 dots next to your list of locations (sharing must be done before clicking “Start”—if you’re already in the navigation, you need to back out of it to share). When you share, it will list all the steps as well as send a link for the other person to open the directions in Google Maps directly. 

An important caveat to sharing custom routes: Google Maps will reroute the directions as it normally does according to current traffic at the time of driving, so this method cannot be relied upon if you’ve mapped a specific route for bridge clearances. As a workaround, you can add “stops” on the desired interstate (zoom in and add this literally on the road itself so navigation doesn’t try to take you off an exit), which will force Google Maps to take the driver that way. This is what I do when driving south from Connecticut to PA because Google Maps always wants me to take its beloved George Washington Bridge and I always don’t want to. I add a stop to force my route across the Tappan Zee Bridge. However, I’m not sure I would rely on this workaround as a sole method for RVs or truckers.

Can you see how much time the directions will take?

Yes, on desktop you can view the details if you want to know the distance or how long a route will take. To view distance and time for a directions layer, click the 3 dots on the laye, then click Step-by-Step Directions. 

Of course, this doesn’t really help when you want to get this information on your phone or use the directions for navigation. As mentioned elsewhere, the “directions” layer functions best as a way to visualize a route. If you need turn-by-turn directions, see the steps mentioned above to save and send directions in Google Maps. 

This post was originally published on July 27, 2017 and has been updated in May 2023.

Travel Photographer | FAA Certified Drone Pilot

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How to plan your dream vacation

Sometimes you crave a vacation — but actually taking one feels out of reach. Maybe you're struggling to find the time or save up the money. Or maybe you just can't seem to launch those plans out of the group chat. Overcome that planning inertia and take the big trip of your dreams. Here's where to start your search, organize your logistics and enjoy yourself.

MARIELLE SEGARRA, HOST:

You're listening to LIFE KIT...

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SEGARRA: ...From NPR.

Hey, everybody. It's Marielle. You remember the early part of the pandemic when the days of isolation stretched into months? At night, I would lay on the floor of my apartment with my eyes closed and listen to guided meditations, to try to take myself to a happier place. One time the prompt was something like, picture yourself doing something that brings you great joy. The first thing that popped into my head was an image of me wandering the cobblestone streets of some small European village, probably in France. The sun was shining, and every step I took was a feast for the eyes. Medieval houses, colorful flowers resting in vases on outdoor tables, patisseries with gorgeous pastries in the window, just waiting to be eaten.

I didn't realize until that moment just how much I missed traveling and how badly I wanted to look at something outside of my four walls or the blocks of my neighborhood. The next year, I took a three-week trip to the U.K. and France, and I ate those pastries and wandered until my feet hurt and filled a hole that had been growing inside of me.

Big trips can do that. Lale Arikoglu knows what I'm talking about. She's the articles director at Conde Nast Traveler.

LALE ARIKOGLU: On a really basic level, I think it's just being able to have a break from the crush of regular life, whether that's work or childcare or school, wherever it may be, you know, the opportunity to just take yourself out of your routine and be somewhere else and get to immerse yourself in that place to me is, like, the main draw of it.

SEGARRA: Now, when we talk about a big trip, that could mean different things depending on your travel style and your budget. You know, it might be a long road trip or an extended stay at a cottage in the woods or a multi-city tour on another continent. But it's typically something you save up for and plan months in advance. Lale has a big trip coming up. She's going to Peru.

ARIKOGLU: I've been waiting to do it for a long time. The reason to go there is for a friend's wedding. And now I'm building a trip around it, and it's going to be about ten days long with multi-stops, you know, having to choose multiple places to stay. And logistically, you know, it's actually taking some thought and some planning. One of the things that we're going to do when we're there is hike Machu Picchu. There's a group of us going. And Machu Picchu - it's a dream to see and experience.

SEGARRA: Now, it's easy to get bogged down in trip planning. And it might stop you from booking the thing entirely, but Lale says, do it. It's worth it.

On this episode of LIFE KIT, Lale shares her best tips on planning the big trip of your dreams. We'll talk about where to start your search, what logistical questions you should ask yourself and how to actually relax and enjoy yourself once you're there.

SEGARRA: Let's say I do want to take a big trip, right? I'm feeling that itch to travel, but...

ARIKOGLU: Right.

SEGARRA: ...I don't have a destination in mind yet or a duration. I'm really starting from scratch. Where does the planning start?

ARIKOGLU: When you start the planning, you've really got to think what you want to get out of the trip. You know, If you really just want to decompress and relax and rest, then you probably don't want to do some like multi-stop European city trip, right? You probably don't want to hike Machu Picchu. Perhaps it is that you're incredibly bored of your surroundings, and you need adventure and you need excitement. And therefore, you're going to be thinking of some really different destinations. It might be that you're traveling alone for the first time. You've decided to do a solo trip. You know, where is a place that might feel comfortable for you as a solo traveler, but still feels like it's taking you out of your comfort zone? So I think it's sitting with yourself and thinking, OK, what is, like, the goal here? That's takeaway one. Ask yourself what do you want to get from this? Set the mission of your trip.

It feels like another really important detail at the beginning is budget, right? Like, how much money do you realistically want to spend on this trip or can you afford to spend?

ARIKOGLU: And, you know, that's going to look different for everyone. If we're talking big trips, rarely are they spontaneous, right? You're planning for a long time. So that also allows you to save and finance for it. No, there's lots of great savings apps that can just, you know, that take a little bit of money out of your paycheck every few weeks, and you can kind of start, like, a travel fund that way. I think that's quite a nice way to do it. But I think, you know, you can do a big trip on a budget. It doesn't have to be, I think, a lavish, international trip. I mean, you know, we're going into spring and summer, there are so many incredible national parks to see, there are so many amazing, very diverse, different cities. There's, like, so much on your doorstep, so I think you can really argue, you don't have to cross continents to have a big trip. And so if that feels a more affordable way to get away for a couple of weeks, then, you know, look in your backyard.

SEGARRA: Right. I wonder, too, like, part of budget, besides money, is also time. Like, how much vacation time do you have? Do you have any tips for people who don't have that much vacation time?

ARIKOGLU: So I think if you look at the calendar and you look at where the holiday weekends fall, There are some tricks to being able to kind of, like, turn your limited number of vacation days into - kind of you can stretch it out if you bookend it with a holiday weekend or something like that. But on the flip side, it's also most expensive time to travel, right? There is an argument for choosing shoulder season, so that's not traveling to a destination when it's at its peak. And this is great for your own personal experience, but it's also in terms of helping that destination deal with overtourism, overcrowding. If we're talking about Europe, for example, the summers are getting hotter. So avoiding those really intense, hot, summer seasons can actually be really advantageous for your own travel plans.

SEGARRA: Yeah. That seems like maybe the next thing to consider as you're planning a big trip before you start looking at destinations is what time of year are you looking to travel?

ARIKOGLU: Definitely. And that's more of a luxury for some people because If you're having to navigate school holidays, then you're a little bit more limited. But again, it's sort of when you're thinking about carving out those goals and what you want to get out of the trip. Maybe it's the seasonality that's really important. Maybe it's all you want is hot weather and a beach. You know, if you're planning some summer travel, you could totally flip things on its head and go experience winter somewhere. I went to Patagonia when it was entering into their fall in Chile, and it was a really magnificent time to be there, and it was when New York City was going into spring. It felt like upside-down land to be choosing to do that, and it was so wonderful. It was great.

SEGARRA: Yeah. I think there's a lot of room for creativity there. And also, as you said, like, it opens up more possibilities if you consider going places during the shoulder season.

ARIKOGLU: And you get to be in a place and actually be in the place with the people who live there. One thing in August, if you go to Europe, everyone who lives there has, you know, gone off somewhere else on vacation to escape the heat and the tourists, and so, you know, you're in Rome with just all the other tourists and none of the Romans.

SEGARRA: All right, so takeaway two. Before you land on a destination, think about your constraints. What time of year do you plan to travel? For how long? What budget are you working with? If you're short on time, you can make use of holidays or pick a destination closer to home. If you're short on money, think creatively. You know, maybe you do a road trip through some parks or cities nearby.

SEGARRA: It seems like another thing to consider here is, how much do you like crowds? Because for me, it kind of ruins a trip or an experience if everywhere I go is super crowded. I get very overwhelmed by that and overstimulated.

ARIKOGLU: And it's also, you know, who are the crowds? Because there's been times when I've gone somewhere and I've gone and done the same bucket list site that everyone else is, and you're sort of standing there and you're thinking, What am I actually here for? Well, what is the purpose of this? What am I getting out of it? What am I giving to this destination other than just being another member of the crowd?

SEGARRA: Yeah. I think that's an important question, right? 'Cause, like, we have been talking about what are you looking to get out of it, for the most part. But there's another side to this - right? - and it's what am I giving? And also, what am I taking? Like, am I taking too much from this place?

ARIKOGLU: I think about that a lot. When you're planning, be really thoughtful about where you're spending your money. When you're choosing a hotel, is it a hotel that is locally owned? What restaurants are you booking? Where are you shopping? Where are you buying your souvenirs? You know, I think there's lots of ways to be really thoughtful about, you know, how you spend your money, and that can go into your budgeting, as well.

SEGARRA: I know there are certain places that at a certain time, at least, they said, please, tourists, like, please stop coming or stop coming during this time.

ARIKOGLU: Yeah. When a destination says that, I mean, it's something to be taken so seriously because they're usually destinations that have an infrastructure or an economy that really relies on tourism. So things have to have gotten pretty bad for a destination to say, take a beat, not right now, and listen to that, and, you know, the place will be better for it when you do go see it.

SEGARRA: I picture it as if you were, like, going to - going over, like, a friend's house uninvited, or, like, if they were like, please, today's not good. Like, our whole family's sick, like, we're all throwing up, and then you were still banging on the door, like, hey, what are you doing? Can I come stay over?

ARIKOGLU: I think that is a perfect analogy. Perfect. And no one wants to be that person.

SEGARRA: No.

ARIKOGLU: I'd hate to be that person.

SEGARRA: That'd be weird behavior.

ARIKOGLU: Yeah.

SEGARRA: Takeaway three, travel responsibly. Research the places you're interested in, and make sure they want tourists at the time you're looking to visit. When you're booking, consider putting your money toward the local economy rather than international chains. Also, learn about whatever destination you choose. Be open to the cultural practices and languages there. And be a respectful visitor.

Anything else that people would want to figure out before they start narrowing down or looking at destinations?

ARIKOGLU: I think it's also thinking about who you want to travel with. Someone can be your best friend, but they can be your worst roommate. I think travel's kind of the same, so kind of finding someone to travel with or a group of people to travel with who you're aligned with in the planning stage, rather than when you get there and then you suddenly discover you all want to do different things. So I think communicating right off the back what you all want out of the trip and what you're excited about and also being really honest with each other about finances.

If you're on a group trip, I mean, it's like splitting the bill, but a thousand times worse. And so I think if you can kind of, like, set some parameters at the start and be really honest about what you feel comfortable spending money on because inevitably, there is going to be some people on the trip who want to spend more money on some things than others.

SEGARRA: Yeah. And it seems like that conversation, there should be some form of that before you book anything.

ARIKOGLU: Yes, 100%. And, you know, I think even if you don't feel comfortable doing it, speaking up if something just feels too expensive.

SEGARRA: All right. So takeaway four, figure out who you're traveling with. You might prefer to travel alone, or if you're going with friends, partners, or family, just make sure you're on the same page about what you want from the trip - the pace, the activities and how much money you can spend.

SEGARRA: OK. So it sounds like we've given people a lot of things to consider before they choose a destination. Once they've done this soul searching, how can they start to find destinations that fit those desires and limitations?

ARIKOGLU: For me, part of the fun of travel planning is doing the research, whether it is a trusted travel publication or reading some books you love or going on to - you know, there's, like, a ton of just, like, online communities of people who love swapping travel tips and actually, I think, can be really helpful.

SEGARRA: Yeah. I think it can be helpful maybe to in the brainstorming stage to just, like, not go in too deep but just make a list of places that seem exciting to you and that might fit your parameters. Like, I have a Google Doc, and it's just, like, places that I would be really excited to go.

SEGARRA: When you are considering a destination, how helpful is social media - is - like, seeing where your friends are going or where influencers are going? Is it a good idea to follow those trends?

ARIKOGLU: I think it can be useful in picking things you want to do once you're there, particularly if it's, like, based around, like, big events or openings. You know, we have our best places to go list that runs every year. It could be, like, new train routes, new hiking routes, new museums that have opened, things that are happening in destinations centered around an anniversary. So, you know, kind of consulting those sorts of lists and rounds up as well can be very helpful. But I think, you know, going back to what we were talking about in terms of over tourism or overcrowding - you know, on social media, you will see people at the same spots time and time again. And they're usually spots where just around the corner, there's also something equally beautiful to see.

SEGARRA: Yeah. Like, I remember when Santorini was really popular. And it's like, whew - like, if you could actually see what was going on behind that photo, like, you would hate being there because it's so - it's just way too many people...

ARIKOGLU: Right. Right.

SEGARRA: ...All lining up to take a picture in - against that beautiful backdrop.

ARIKOGLU: Exactly. And, you know, it's Santorini. It's all beautiful. It's all amazing.

SEGARRA: OK. So takeaway five is to choose a destination. And cast a wide net when you're brainstorming 'cause you never know what's going to catch your eye. Also, Lale says, do your best to think outside of the current travel trends. Though you can use them for inspiration.

So once you've got a destination in mind, how can you start to sketch out the details of the trip? And I guess I should say, how much detail do you really need to figure out?

ARIKOGLU: So I was going to say, don't overschedule yourself, and don't overbook yourself. I think I've been guilty of doing that before, and then you realize that you have no downtime. It might seem like you're being really efficient, but you need a little bit of spontaneity on your trip. Don't overschedule. If there are a few key things you really want to do that you feel you will be crushed if you don't get to do it, then book it. Make sure that's arranged all in advance. So maybe it's finding one thing on each day of your trip. That's what you center your day around and you can frame your itinerary around that, but I wouldn't overschedule.

SEGARRA: Yeah. And then I think when you look at these things potentially sketched out on different days, then you say like, you know, that seems too busy. What's the most important to me here? Like, which of these activities do I want to book ahead?

ARIKOGLU: Right. You know, if you're suddenly realizing - you're like, I am cramming a lot in if I try to go to these three places, then choosing which one to let go.

SEGARRA: Yeah. 'Cause that's always a consideration, too. Like, if you're flying somewhere far, you might think, well, I'm already going to Poland, should I also do Germany?

SEGARRA: There's that impulse, you know? Or I'm going to Poland, so I want to see all of Poland. But that can make for a very frenetic kind of trip.

ARIKOGLU: And you wouldn't tell someone who was visiting America to be like, well, you've come all the way to America, so if you're going to New York, then you also need to go to New Orleans.

SEGARRA: Right, right. Exactly. That's Takeaway 6 - keep your schedule light and malleable. Lally recommends picking only one activity to do for each day of your trip and then building a flexible itinerary around those.

You know, it occurs to me that another element of a big trip when I'm going into them - I know that something's going to go awry during it.

ARIKOGLU: Always (laughter).

SEGARRA: Yeah.

SEGARRA: I remember being in Barcelona when I was in college. I went by myself for, like, a week. And I speak Spanish, but it wasn't fluent at the time. And I just got - I just missed being able to easily say what I wanted to say, and I went into, like, a Wendy's or something because I just wanted something kind of American. And I got some chicken nuggets. I couldn't think how to say nuggets in Spanish. Like, I was like, is that even a word, like, in Spanish, or did they just say nuggets? And I just broke and started speaking in English because I was trying to only speak Spanish. And I was like, I give up. Like, can I get some chicken nuggets, please?

ARIKOGLU: The true American in you comes out screaming at chicken nuggets in a foreign McDonald's.

SEGARRA: Yeah, yeah, give me my nuggies.

ARIKOGLU: (Laughter).

SEGARRA: Yeah, I just - like, sometimes you just need to go roll up into a ball and eat your chicken nuggies and be by yourself for a minute and then come back out, you know?

ARIKOGLU: Yeah. I mean, like, travel so much of the time is sort of, like, infantilizing because you're so powerless. But it's, like, the same in an airport. You're just sort of powerless at a certain extent when things go wrong. And I think my approach to it - to sort of very taxing and challenging air travel schedules, with connections and potential miss flights and lost luggage and all the things that come with that - is to sort of just give myself up to the airport gods, and just as soon as I'm, like, through TSA, just be like, what will be will be. I'll get there eventually and just, like, I'm powerless. And that's been, like, for me, quite liberating. And it also means that I'm not the person screaming at some poor gate agent when things go wrong.

SEGARRA: Yeah, it's a moment of - it's actually an opportunity for mindfulness. Like, I think that could even be helpful going into a big trip, to tell yourself, like, something is going to go wrong. Yeah, just keep that in mind.

ARIKOGLU: Oh, my God, so much of travel is about being tired and hungry.

SEGARRA: We're really selling this.

ARIKOGLU: I know.

SEGARRA: (Laughter).

ARIKOGLU: I'm like, my whole job is to travel. It's great.

SEGARRA: Isn't it terrible? Yeah.

SEGARRA: I try to remind myself, like - what is the point? - like, go back to those goals. What is the point of this? It's to have a good experience, to meet those needs, to give myself what I've been craving.

ARIKOGLU: Exactly. And I don't know. This sounds a little cheesy and a little trite, but anyone who gets to travel is really lucky. Ultimately, it's a real privilege that you get to do it. And it's such a freedom and it's such a special thing.Don't make it stressful.

SEGARRA: That's our final takeaway. Something on your trip is bound to go wrong. So once you're there, sit back and try to surrender. After all, traveling in the first place is a treat.

SEGARRA: OK, jet-setters, time for a recap. First, figure out what you want from this vacation. Decide your budget and time constraints. Commit to traveling ethically. Make sure you're aligned with the people you're traveling with. When you choose a destination, cast a wide net and have fun with the research. Don't overschedule yourself, and once you're there, relax and roll with the punches. For more LIFE KIT, check out our other episodes. We've got one on how to find cheap flights and another on how to pack your suitcase like a pro. You can find those at np.org/lifekit. And if you love LIFE KIT and you just cannot get enough, subscribe to our newsletter at np.org/lifekitnewsletter. Also, we love hearing from you, so if you have episode ideas or feedback you want to share, e-mail us at [email protected].

This episode of LIFE KIT was produced by Margaret Cirino. Our visuals editor is Beck Harlan and our digital editor is Malaka Gharib. Meghan Keane is our supervising editor and Beth Donovan is our executive producer. Our production team also includes Andee Tagle, Clare Marie Schneider and Sylvie Douglis. Engineering support comes from Robert Rodriguez. I'm Marielle Segarra. Thanks for listening.

Copyright © 2024 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

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Bucket list travel on a budget: Expert tips for airfare, loyalty programs, credit card perks and more

Many travelers have their sights set on summer getaways , but with everything from baggage fees to fuel costs impacting the price of a ticket, "Good Morning America" is asking travel experts to share tips for booking bucket list destinations on a budget and finding savings along the way.

Travel expert Nicky Kelvin, senior director of content for The Points Guy, offered his tips for affordable travel techniques.

Where to find the best flight deals

Kelvin encourages travelers to utilize Google Flights and other free price-tracking tools to compare fare prices and snag the best deal.

He also suggests using both the calendar and map features within Google Flights to see which airports, dates and destinations how the lowest fare.

From the Google Flights homepage on a computer, click "explore destinations" and select a departure city without adding a destination. Then zoom out on the map to see the best prices for destinations all over the world.

Get the most out of free travel loyalty programs

Travelers should be earning points for anything and everything that they are buying or booking from airline and hotels to car rentals, Kelvin said.

In addition to the points that can can help travelers earn free flights and hotel stays, Kelvin said to look for extra perks just for joining.

Hyatt rewards, for example, offers all guests free breakfast.

For Thrifty Car Rental and Dollar Car Rental, he said you can add your spouse or domestic partner as an additional driver for free.

Loyalty programs are great for airlines too. JetBlue, for example, allows enrolled customers -- even if they don't have enough points for a flight -- to use points for discounts. Plus, with any airline, as you accumulate points to earn status, you can get free seating upgrades.

Travel credit cards with cash back perks

Along with earning points, travel credit cards give you protection for your trip like insurance to help with lost or damaged baggage and trip cancellation protection

Chase debuts new airport lounge: Gourmet menus, sleek interiors, free facials redefine hospitality for airport travel

As for credit cards, The Points Guy team suggests the Capital One Venture Rewards credit card as an all-around pick -- you get 75,000 miles after meeting your minimum spend in the first three months. Which Kelvin said is a value of over $1,300.

If you're looking to earn the most miles, he said look to the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.

"You'll earn the most points on all your purchases with this one," he said.

Finally, if you want a credit card with no fee, Kelvin suggested the Bilt Mastercard, which he said is particularly great for renters because you can earn points on what's likely someone's biggest expense.

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Save money on international phone plans for summer trips

If someone's trip is taking them out of the country, using a cell phone internationally can cost $10 to 15 per day. For a family of four, that's more than $400 for a week.

If your phones support eSIM, Kelvin suggested purchasing a data plan for your destination through an app such as Airalo, Truphone or GigSky.

For example, one of Airalo's global SIM plans costs $9 for one week, which could save a family close to $350 dollars, depending on their existing international coverage.

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3 travel apps you need before your next flight to keep you out of long TSA lines

Travel can be stressful, especially when airports are involved. 

Flights get delayed, or, worse still, canceled.  

Ever-growing security lines sometimes snake through the airport, putting you in jeopardy of missing your flight.

Last-minute changes can happen and derail months of planning, potentially starting off your trip on a bad note.

Programs like TSA PreCheck and Global Entry can help travelers, but there are also ways that tech can help you prepare for your journey and stay aware of the curveballs that might come your way.

Learn more: Best travel insurance

Here are three apps to download before your next trip. 

Watch the video above to learn which three apps you need before your next trip. 

Airline app 

Download your airline’s app! 

It keeps all of your travel information in one, easy-to-access place. 

Turn on notifications to get immediate alerts when it's time to check in so you'll know if there are any delays or gate changes. 

Once you have a boarding pass, save even more time by adding it to the digital wallet on your smartphone.

The lines at airport security can be very unpredictable. Sometimes there is no wait, other times, the line extends into the check-in area. 

The Transportation Security Agency’s (TSA) app, MyTSA, tries to make the wait a little more predictable and helps you determine what to expect, especially if you’re traveling from one of the busiest airports in the US.  

The app provides a real-time look at your selected airport's wait time, any FAA delays, and which TSA PreCheck lanes are open. 

The app also uses historical data to help you plan ahead. So, even if your flight is three days away, the app can show you what you’re likely to encounter that day based on previous experiences. 

It’s also a useful resource if you’re unsure about what you can or can’t pack in your carry-on and checked luggage.

Mobile Passport Control

If you’re traveling abroad, the Mobile Passport Control app makes your return through U.S. customs much faster. 

The app is a digital version of the Customs and Border Patrol Declaration Form that anyone entering the U.S. is required to fill out.  

You can save up to 12 profiles in the app, and only one form is needed per family, per residence. 

The app doesn't work at every airport, so check  the CBP website to see where you can use it. 

Reviewed-approved iPhone accessories  

Purchases you make through our links may earn us and our publishing partners a commission.   

Reviewed helps you find the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of tech experts test everything from Apple AirPods and screen protectors to iPhone tripods and car mounts so you can shop for the best of the best. 

• The best rugged iPhone case: Spigen Slim Armor  
• A top wireless charger: Yootech Wireless Charger  
• Our favorite screen protector: Ailun Glass Screen Protector  
• The best portable battery pack: Mophie Powerstation Plus  
• Durable phone car holders: Beam Electronics Phone Holder  
• An iPhone tripod we love: Aureday Phone Tripod  
• The best lightning cable: Anker 6 ft Premium Double-Braided Nylon Lightning Cable  

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