Travel Planner

Planning a holiday/vacation? I live in Australia went on a month-long holiday to America a while ago. I needed a way to keep all my trip planning organised so I created this Travel Planning kit!

The pages can be printed at any size you like! See this post for printing tips and instructions (including a step by step video tutorial).

This travel planner can be used for both domestic and international holidays. It is designed to take the stress out of travelling and ensure you don’t forget to do or pack anything! If you are travelling to multiple destinations, you can note the city at the top of each planning sheet to help you stay organised.

I recommend placing the sheets in a binder when you are planning your trip and take out only the sheets that you need e.g. flight information, itinerary summary ect. when you go on your trip. You could have the sheets bound to create a travel notebook with multiple journal pages at the back.

There are 35 sheets included in the travel planner kit:
– Planner cover and binder spine (in 3 sizes to suit any binder)
– General Research (5 pages)
– Accommodation Research
– Shopping Research
– Culture Research
– Clothing Research
– Transport Planning
– Tour Company Comparison
– Accommodation Bookings
– Transport Bookings
– Trip Planner
– Travel Budget (blank)
– Travel Budget (pre-filled 2 pages)
– Travel To Do List
– Travel Insurance
– To Buy Before We Leave
– Outfit Planner
– Packing List (4 pages + 1 page sometime before we leave)
– Spending Record
– Note Paper
– Itinerary Summary
– Travel Checklists
– Flight Info
– Common Phrases
– Daily Travel Planner
– While We’re Away
– Good to Know
– Journal Page
– My Journal (kids version)
– Before We Leave Checklist (2 pages)

There are 2 copies of most sheets if you want to do duplex printing or 2 per page printing if you are using an A5 planner or simply want to save paper. All sheets are EDITABLE.

General Research (5 pages)

The first thing to do when planning a trip is conduct general research on your destination. I visited San Francisco, L.A., San Deigo, Las Vegas, New York, Toronto and Orlando and needed to be able to keep research I’d conducted on each city separate. Each page in this kit has space to note the city at the top which really helped keep everything organised.

The first page is space to list all the places/attractions/things you MUST see & do in order of priority/importance. For example, in New York I obviously wanted to visit the Statue of Liberty. On the sheet I type the attraction, how to get there (e.g. ferry and from what pickup point), the entry fee, opening hours and any other notes such as that a 15% tip is required to the tour bus driver ect. I found that I had about 8 must see and do’s in each city so this sheet continues onto a second page. If I needed more planning space I could always print another sheet.

The next page is for listing those attractions/places to visit if time permits.

If you’re on a tight budget there’s a sheet to note free local attractions. You can also note the opening hours and how to get there. This sheet also comes in handy if you intend to have ‘down/spare’ days on your trip.

On this sheet I listed 4 possible restaurants to dine at that are near the hotels in each city. There’s lots of extra notes space on each sheet. I noted things like food prices, type of food they serve ect.

Accomodation Research

When choosing a hotel I like to compare 4 hotels then choose the best one based on my research. I assess each hotel on the proximity to public transport, restaurants, shopping, attractions, price, accommodation facilities. I always look on tripadviser for reviews of the hotel and in particular, read any bad reviews. I also like to get up google maps and see the hotel and surrounding areas to get a better idea of a hotels location. Price, of course, is also an important factor and as price can vary depending on booking dates (e.g. I stayed in L.A. over New Years which affected prices) I like to make note of the booking dates. This comes in handy when comparing hotels.

Clothing Research

I went to America in the middle of their winter (Australia’s summer). It doesn’t get very cold in Australia, even in winter (in Brisbane where I live) and I had no idea what clothes I would need. I used this sheet to record things like the temperature at the time of my trip, what materials to look out for when buying winter jackets, what brands of thermal socks are highly recommended ect.

Shopping Research

This sheet is a MUST for me. One of the main factors I consider when choosing a hotel is it’s proximity to shops so I used this sheet while I was doing hotel research. I like to know which shopping centre is closet to it’s hotel, how to get there e.g. turn left when exiting the hotel and walk 3 blocks, it’s opening hours (I’d rather go shopping at night then lounge around in the hotel room as the days are packed with full day tours). If I happen to have extra time some days, then I like to know the location of nearby shopping centres, how to get there and if they offer different shops so I know whether they are worthwhile going to.

Culture Research

We don’t tip in Australia so I had no clue how much was ‘normal’ to tip cab drivers, waitresses ect. in America. I also wanted a place to note things like: if I was travelling to somewhere like Malaysia where they where Burka’s I would note that they find it offensive if women wear shorts.

Good to Know

Whenever I go on holidays I always find myself asking things like ‘where can I get money out?’ I always like to know where the nearest supermarket is to get snacks after a long flight instead of paying a fortune for the hotel mini bar. And I always pre-purchase or take my own food to theme parks as this saves a ton of money.

There’s also space to note time differences e.g. when it’s 4pm in Queensland it will be 11pm in L.A. When I’m in America, I want to know what time it will be in Australia so I’ll know when to phone relatives without waking them up!

Common Phrases

I won’t need this for this trip as English is the main language in the U.S. But if I were visiting China then I’m sure a sheet like this would come in handy.

Travel Insurance

I used this sheet to compare different types of travel insurance noting the inclusions, exclusions, cover amount per person, excess cost  and anything else worth noting.

Travel Budget

There are 2 travel budgets included in the kit. One with pre-filled items (including extra space to add your own items)…

And one where you can add all your own expenses.

Transport Planning

A sheet for recording when transport will be required e.g. from the airport to your hotel. I then went on TaxiFareFinder and compared the cost of a taxi (working off the heaviest fare rate and taking into account tips, toll costs ect.) and compared this to the time taken if public transport is used (as well as the cost) and also to the cost of the transfers offered by the travel company I used. I then selected the best value and most time efficient method and recorded it here.

Flight Info

I took lots of flights and wanted to have just 1 or 2 sheets with all the flights listed for quick reference. I also wanted a place to note the baggage limit for each airline and the excess baggage fee. I also like to note the date I booked the flight and when it was paid for.

Transport Bookings

Another ‘summary’ type sheet to record all the transport bookings details. I used this for details of transfers from airports to hotels, hotels to attractions etc. I made sure to note the contact details of the company in case they don’t show up, if there’s a delay ect.  Again, I wanted a section to record the cost (so I could transfer it to my budget sheet) and a section to record when it has been paid for.

Tour Company Comparison

I took a lot of tours so this sheet became one of my favourites. I undertook extensive research on similar tours provided by different tour companies and recorded it on this sheet. When comparing tours I consider:

– price (I also note any extras like taxes and international transaction fees)

– what’s included (e.g. for the Niagara Falls tour I noted what places it stops at along the way)

– what’s excluded (e.g. lunch)

– how long the tour will take (to help with my itinerary planning)

– the pickup and drop-off location (e.g. one of the hotels I stayed at in L.A. wasn’t listed as a pickup location for many L.A. tours so I noted the nearest hotel where pickup was available from)

There’s ample space for writing extra notes such as the tour companies rating on tripadvisor.

Accommodation Bookings

A handy sheet for listing all your accommodation booking details as well as things like the hotel check in time, name on booking (as a credit card in the same name as the person who booked the hotel is usually required upon check in), check out time, cost, when it was paid for, transfer details to and from the accommodation and whether you have a loyalty membership # with the hotel.

Transport Bookings

After booking transport I transferred the details from the transport research page to this sheet.

Trip Planner

I used this sheet to initially plan out the itinerary. I found that it helped to know what day a certain date fell on when planning tours. For example, I didn’t want to do an L.A. shopping tour on a Saturday or Sunday when shopping centres are likely to be busy.

To Buy Before We Leave

As I purchase items for my trip e.g. gloves, I record the item, price, where it was purchased (in case I need to return it) and the date it was purchased.

Outfit Planner

I used this sheet closer to the departure date after I’d bought everything I needed.

Packing List (5 pages)

4 page packing list that covers everything with ample room to add your own items. Items are cateogorised into the following headings: essentials, clothing, toiletries, miscellaneous, kids, other, summer & winter (on a separate page so you can print only if needed).

The lines beside each item can be used for up to 6 people or 6 different occasions. Where applicable, write the quantity required for that item e.g. ‘shorts x 4’ On the lines beside each item you can type ‘Y’ for yes when packed, using each line for a separate person. I prefer to print this sheet and then tick above the line.

Before we Leave (2 pages)

I start planning trips well before the departure date when it was too early for things like renewing my expired passport so I wanted a place where I could reminders of things I still need to do.

When it got closer to my trip I wanted to avoid forgetting anything so I had reminders of things to do 1 week prior, a few days before and the crucial day of departure. I left extra lines in case I forgot anything.

While We’re Away

Print this out and give a copy to your neighbour, house sitter and/or dog sitter.

Record details of things that need to be done while you’re away (such as putting the bin out and collecting the mail). You can note tasks that needed to be performed on certain days of the week. There’s space for extra notes such as for writing the contact details of the hotels you are staying at.

Itinerary Summary

Leave a copy of this sheet with the neighbours, house sitter and/or dog sitter. I recommend summarising the trip planner sheet onto this planning page. There are 2 copies in the PDF to facilitate 2 per page or duplex printing.

Spending Record

While on the trip I wanted a place to record what I had bought and how much it cost so I can stay on budget.

Travel Journal

On my trip I also wanted to keep a journal. I left this page pretty open-ended. There’s room to write, fix a photo ect.

My Journal

A kids version of the journal page to record their vacation memories.

Travel Checklists

If I don’t write something down then I’m likely to forget it. I wanted a ‘checklist’ of things I’ll need to do each night while on the trip, things to remember when packing for a flight as well as a checklist to refer to each day to make sure I have everything in my handbag/backpack.

Daily Travel Planner

I intend to use this sheet on days when I have a lot planned. This sheet can be used to plan what sites you’ll be visiting, the weather forecast, dining plans, things to remember and what you’ll be doing every hour.

Travel To Do List

I created this list because I am an OLM (obsessive list maker) and wanted to keep track of things I still need to do (like buy boots). I like setting due dates to keep me motivated so there’s space to record that as well. UPDATE: This print is available for free on Today’s Creative Blog.

Note Paper

If you choose to purchase the travel planner kit, you will also receive a 3 page ‘recommended use’ guide:

 

The kit is available in 6 different colours!

Click here if you think these planner pages might work for you.

Editable means:
– When you open the files there will be light blue boxes where you can type in your information (this will NOT remain light blue when printed).
– You can still print and hand-write on the sheets (the blue boxes won’t appear on your printed copy)
– The fillable font is helvetica in black
– The checkboxes are not editable. The forms are intended for filling out on the computer, then printing out and checking each item off as you go
– The actual layout of the printable including pattern, pattern colour, font style, existing text ect. are not editable and cannot be changed

The pages can be printed on A4 and /or letter size (8.5 x 11″) size paper. For tips on printing the pages as half size, A5, filofax or any other page size, please see THIS POST.

Direct links for each colour:

To purchase through the online store: grey, black, dark blue, light blue, green, purple, pink and also available in blue polka dot

To purchase on Etsy: grey, purple, pink, green, light blue, dark blue, black and blue polka dot

This planner set is part of the mega household binder bundle, organized life, super organized life and get it all bundles

All sheet are (c) AllAboutTheHouse and are for personal use only – thank you!