What do I Mean by “Itinerary”?

Prior to any trip, I create a table or list of all of the restaurants we want to try and activities we want to do while we’re there. I include pertinent information like hours of operation, cost, dress code, type of cuisine, location, etc. A reference list, if you will. My husband called it an itinerary as a joke and it stuck, but it’s not a true hour-by-hour itinerary. You could call it your travel guide, reference list or whatever doesn’t cause you anxiety. I will be referring to this list as an itinerary for the duration of this article, but know that the rigidity of the itinerary you create is solely up to you and your travel-mates.

Why Should You Create an Itinerary?

At some point in your vacation I know there comes a time when you say “well we have a couple hours to kill, what should we do?'“ or “where should we eat for dinner?”. Then comes the inevitable online research looking for what’s open, how much it costs and how far away it is from your location. By the time you find something and get everyone to agree on it, way too much precious vacation time has passed you by. Creating an itinerary can help in a few ways:

1. Research is done before the trip: Time you would spend mid-trip researching places to go would now be spent having actual experiences. Instead, all of the research would be done at home, on your couch, before you ever left for your trip. So when the need arises, you can pull out your notes and see what’s nearby and if they’re open. With my husband and I being vegetarians, an itinerary helps us find vegetarian-friendly options to eat - we highly recommend doing this research ahead of time if you also have special dietary needs.

2. Faster decision making: When traveling with others there is always a potential for extended decision-making time while trying to get everyone to agree. If you can tell everyone that you’ve already done the research, this place meets everyone’s needs and it’s a block away, the group (or your partner) is more likely to come to a timely decision.

3. An itinerary helps you pack: Completing an itinerary of activities and restaurants can help you when packing since you’ll have an idea of what to pack for. If you’re planning a national park visit, you’d want hiking clothes. If there’s a restaurant on your list that requires a dress code, you want to make sure you have something appropriate packed. Click here to see how an itinerary helps you pack.

After the trip, don’t throw away the itinerary! If there are places still on there that you didn’t get to this trip then you already have an itinerary started for the next trip to that destination!

Getting Started

First, decide how you want to organize your research. You can write everything on paper or type it in the computer. Your phone is also a great place to keep this information since you will undoubtedly always have that on you while traveling. I personally choose to type the information into a table and then print it out to carry on the trip. You can create your itinerary any way your heart desires, but don’t forget to take it with you on the trip!

Now that you know how you will organize your information, you need to know what exactly will be included in said information. Here are some ideas to help you get started:

hours of operation

type of food served - are there vegetarian options

location (address, downtown, walkable from hotel, etc.)

dress code

hours of operation

Write or type out your list so you know what you are looking for specifically while doing research. Now you can start making a rough list of places you are interested in trying while on your vacation. I usually start with a search on social media and in a search engine for the best restaurants in a certain location. At this stage you don’t need to get too in-depth with all of your criteria, just start making a rough list of places that you can go back and get all of the details for later. I highly recommend you count how many restaurants will be needed for the trip and then add three additional options. Make sure to get a variety of cuisines on the list as well since you never know what is going to tickle your fancy while on the trip. For example, if you’re at a destination for 2 days, you would need six meals, but plan for nine.

Refine Your Selections

After you have your rough list of places you’d like to visit while on your trip you can then go through and refine the list. This is where you add all the details I mentioned above such as hours of operation and what’s available on the menu. How detailed you get with this stage is completely up to you. You can add as much or as little detail as you prefer. Don’t forget to check out reviews as well as the parking situation and any “special” notes that should be considered. Special notes could include whether there is a dress code or if reservations are needed.

While looking at all of the details for each location there may be some criteria that drops that location from your list completely. That’s okay! Knowing that before you go helps you save time while on your trip. Just make sure once you’re done filling in the details for all of your locations, you still have an appropriate number of locations for your trip. Once your list of restaurants is complete, make sure to save or print it as needed and don’t forget to pack it!

Do The Same for Activities

Now that you have all of your restaurants selected, you can start looking at things to do while on your trip. Follow the same steps you did for restaurants, tweaking the criteria to be more activity-centric. Some example criteria are:

pricing

hours of operation

location (close to hotel or restaurants on your list)

type of activity (indoor vs. outdoor)

length of activity (will it take a whole day or just a couple hours)

Knowing all of these details can help you plan your days in minimal time while traveling. Make your rough list and then refine it with all of the details, cutting and adding places as needed. Don’t forget to save or print your list and pack it in your luggage.

This is a Tool, not a Rigid Schedule

Carry your itinerary with you, but keep in mind that it’s just a tool and not something you have to follow explicitly. There have been plenty of times we pass a restaurant while traveling that we decide we want to try instead of something on our list. That’s okay! It’s your vacation, do what makes you happy!

I would strongly encourage you to keep all of your itineraries even after the trip. Mark off the places you visited, but keeping the itinerary gives you a place to start when traveling to that destination again in the future.

While I know this may all sound like a lot of work, keep in mind this is work that can all be done with your phone on your couch. If you start doing research far enough in advance, you can spread the work out over a longer period of time and make it less overwhelming, especially for bigger trips. Let me know if you try this on your next trip and let me know how it worked for you!

Check out the links below for help planning trips.