How to Write Your Own Travel Itinerary Plan like a Pro

Have you ever thought about how best to write your own travel plan? This article tackles things that you might not have considered when writing your personal travel itinerary for your dream destination. The following is an example itinerary step by step, from start to finish.

Example of how to write a travel plan to Rome, Italy for 10 days for 2 people:

1. Brainstorm a list of attractions you’re interested in. Look for inspiration online. This very website is a great resource for that, with grand photos of what could be and facts on each attraction so you can gauge your interest.

   Attraction	City
   Trastevere	Rome
   Colosseum	Rome
   Pantheon	Rome
   Trevi Fountain	Rome
   St. Peter’s Basilica	Vatican City
   Vatican Museums	Vatican City

2. Decide how physically active you are. A lot of this will depend on the physical proximity of each attraction to the others. If a museum is right next to another museum you want to visit, you could easily see both in a day. But the following is a general rule of thumb:

Easy. Are you the type of person who likes to take things a little slower, for physical reasons or just to relax? Plan for one attraction per day.

Moderate. Are you moderately physically active or like a bit faster of a pace? Plan for two attractions per day.

Hard. Are you physically fit or just enjoy a rapid pace of sightseeing? You could challenge yourself with three attractions per day.

Planning for more than three attractions per day is, of course, possible to do, especially if the attractions are right next to each other. But you might want to really soak up and enjoy each sight, so I’d say the above is a general rule of thumb for planning purposes.

3. Write day-by-day with your new attraction list. Include the time to fly to your destination. Also include any time to recover from jet lag. I allow myself one day of catching up on sleep, but this will vary from person to person. I’ve read that you should allow one day of catching up on jet lag sleep for each time zone crossed. But for me, going from Seattle to Rome is 9 time zones. I don’t need 9 days of jet lag recovery days, so I’m just putting down one.

   Day	Attraction
   Day 1 - 9/1	Seattle -> Rome flight day
   Day 2 - 9/2	Seattle -> Rome flight arrives
   Day 3 - 9/3	Jet lag recovery day

4. Include where you’re staying each night. For me, since I’m just staying in Rome, I’ll write that I’m staying in a Rome hotel for each night.

   Day	Attraction
   Day 1 - 9/1	Seattle -> Rome flight day
   Day 2 - 9/2	Seattle -> Rome flight arrives Rome hotel
   Day 3 - 9/3	Jet lag recovery day Rome hotel

5. Include your attractions for each day, depending on your level of desired physical activity. I’m seeing one attraction per day for this example because I like to take my time on a trip.

   Day	Attraction
   Day 1 - 9/1	Seattle -> Rome flight day
   Day 2 - 9/2	Seattle -> Rome flight arrives Rome hotel
   Day 3 - 9/3	Jet lag recovery day Rome hotel
   Day 4 - 9/4	Trastevere, Rome Rome hotel
   Day 5 - 9/5	Colosseum, Rome Rome hotel
   Day 6 - 9/6	Pantheon, Rome Rome hotel
   Day 7 - 9/7	Trevi Fountain, Rome Rome hotel
   Day 8 - 9/8	St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City Rome hotel
   Day 9 - 9/9	Vatican Museums, Vatican City Rome hotel

6. Include a day to fly home at the end of your itinerary, leaving plenty of time to get through airport security.

   Day	Attraction
   Day 1 - 9/1	Seattle -> Rome flight day
   Day 2 - 9/2	Seattle -> Rome flight arrives Rome hotel
   Day 3 - 9/3	Jet lag recovery day Rome hotel
   Day 4 - 9/4	Trastevere, Rome Rome hotel
   Day 5 - 9/5	Colosseum, Rome Rome hotel
   Day 6 - 9/6	Pantheon, Rome Rome hotel
   Day 7 - 9/7	Trevi Fountain, Rome Rome hotel
   Day 8 - 9/8	St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City Rome hotel
   Day 9 - 9/9	Vatican Museums, Vatican City Rome hotel
   Day 10 - 9/10	Rome -> Seattle flight home

That’s it. You are now armed with the knowledge to create your own plan, based on on your own personal pace of sightseeing. Now go out there and see the world according to your flashy new travel itinerary!