What to put in a travel itinerary
A travel itinerary is the one page you would hand to someone who had to run your trip without you. It answers where you are meant to be, when, how you get there and what you have already paid for.
- The basics. Destination, dates and who is travelling.
- Transport. Flight or train numbers, departure times and booking references. These are what you are asked for at a desk, so they belong on paper.
- Places to stay. Name, full address, check-in and check-out times and the confirmation number. The address matters most when you are showing it to a taxi driver.
- A plan for each day. Start with anything that has a fixed time, such as a tour, a dinner reservation or a museum slot. Add looser ideas around them.
- Costs. A number beside each item. The template adds them up, so you see what the trip will cost before you go.
- Notes. An emergency contact, your travel insurance helpline and anything you would need if your phone stopped working.
How to use this template
- Name the trip. That alone starts the page. Everything else is optional, and empty fields are left off.
- Add transport and stays. Copy the details from your confirmation emails while you have them open.
- Build the days. Add what you are doing on day one, then press "Start the next day". Each new entry carries the day's label, so you only type it once.
- Print, save or download. Print it, choose "Save as PDF" in the print dialog to email it, or download it for a spreadsheet.
Want to see a finished one first? Open the filled-in example. For a paper planner to write on, "Blank copy" gives you the same layout with empty rows.
The template gives you two kinds of file.
- PDF. Press "Print or save as PDF" and pick "Save as PDF" as the printer. This is the copy to carry, print or send to the people you are travelling with.
- Spreadsheet. "Download for Sheets or Excel" saves a CSV file. Excel opens it directly. In Google Sheets, choose File, then Import, then Upload. Use this if you want to keep editing the plan as a spreadsheet or work out a budget from the costs.
There is no Word or Google Docs version. If you need to keep editing, come back to this page on the same device: your itinerary will still be here.
Planning a day that survives the trip
- One or two fixed things a day. A day with five timed bookings falls apart at the first late bus.
- Group by area. Put places that are close together on the same day and you spend the time there, not on transport.
- Write in the travel time. "10:00 leave hotel, 10:40 arrive" is more useful on the day than "morning: castle".
- Leave the last afternoon loose. It is where everything you ran out of time for ends up.
- Give a copy to someone at home. The PDF takes a minute to send and tells them where you should be each night.
Using it for a business trip
The same layout works for work travel. Put meetings in the day-by-day plan with the address under "Where", and enter each expense under "Cost" so the total doubles as a first draft of your expense claim. Booking references for flights and hotels sit in the first two sections, where an assistant or travel desk can find them.
Questions
Is the travel itinerary template free?
Yes. There is no account, no trial and no watermark on the printed page.
Can I share the itinerary with the people I am travelling with?
Save it as a PDF and send that. The itinerary itself is stored only in your browser, so there is no link to share.
How many days can I add?
As many as you need. A long trip simply prints over more pages.
Does it work for a road trip or several cities?
Yes. Put the city in the day label, for example "Day 3, Porto", and add each drive or train under "Getting there and back".
Is what I type saved anywhere?
Only in your own browser, so you can come back and finish later on the same device. Nothing is sent to this site. Press "Clear everything" to remove it.
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