BLUF: Use Google Docs to consolidate all of your travel information to one reference document. Scroll down to get a copy of our travel itinerary templates.
Maggie is the planner for our trips. She successfully kept me in the dark during our 15-months of world travel. When I would ask her where we’re going next, she would always internally roll her eyes knowing that there are so many plans and moving pieces, then grab her phone to reference her google doc.
Hey y’all! This is Maggie writing as I’m the planner of all of our trips. So first off, as you can see by the BLUF, I use Google Docs to keep all of our travel information in order.
Why do I use Google Docs? Well, it’s a nice resource that allows you to view/edit the document from your computer or your smartphone so you can view/edit it whenever you have time, even if you’re offline. The offline feature is great because you don’t need internet to reference the document. This is extra handy when traveling internationally and when you’re not connected to WiFi. To spell it out a bit further, you may have all of your travel documents somewhere in your email, but when you get to the airport and the person at the check-in counter asks to see your follow-on or return ticket to your next destination, you may not have internet connection access to pull up your email & its contents. So before you leave your WiFi/cell connection, just hop on Google docs from your mobile device and make sure all of your plans are there. Volia!
On my Google doc itinerary you’ll see the cities we’re traveling to, all of our mode of transportation (plane, metro/taxi/bus), our travel time, what amenities we have access to while traveling, baggage allowance while traveling, Visa requirements/clearances, any currency information (like you MUST grab US cash currency before going to Zambia! Embassy information, our lodging information to include check-in, check-out time, hosts name, phone number, sometimes GPS coordinates (Namibia), whether or not we paid online or if we need to pay at the property, restaurants based upon preferences (fancy vs cheap eats vs local vs proximity to lodging) and finally important phrase or key cultural notes (like covering your knees & shoulders when entering the vatican). If I’m sharing my itinerary with friends, I’ll include weather forecasts since it’s slightly disorienting when you live in North Carolina, but you’re traveling to Australia in December which is in a different hemisphere, so when it’s Freezing in NC, it’s HOT in the land of Oz!
I organize the itinerary by day (duh, Maggie, that’s typical) and then each day I’ll write out the planned activities or optional activities. Planned activities are things that have specific time or money associated with them, and optional activities are things that are not booked, or can be carried out on any day of our trip.
I’ll put culturally relevant information on the itinerary like if tipping is mandatory or not and what a typical tip would be, or whether or not water is safe to drink. Side note & completely not sponsored, but we used a Steri Pen to sanitize our water around most of the world. So overall, I intend for my itinerary to be a document that can provide a step-by-step plan for the day. This keeps you organized, on track, and I believe it allows you to take advantage of your time and make the most of your trip.
I’ve made a blank sample template & provided an example filled out itinerary. If you’d like to copy the document to use for yourself, you can find it on our Google Docs.
You can access google docs from your desktop here: https://www.google.com/docs/about/ and download the app on your smart phone at either of the following links:
iPhone/Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/google-docs-sync-edit-share/id842842640 Droid/Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.docs.editors.docs