How to Make Travel Itineraries

Step one in taking a new trip is deciding where to go.  I will most often use sites like Google Flights to decide which city I would like to visit next.  Once I know where I am going to go, I like to have an idea what I want to see, do, eat, and drink when I get to a new city.  I also need to know where to stay and how to get around.  Here are the methods I use to plan out what I like to do in a new city:

See, do, eat, and drink ideas:

• Travel Blogs and newsletters-
  • Reading travel blogs (like this one) is great way to get ideas for things to do in a new  city.  When traveling in Europe I like to use the European Coffee Trip blog to find great filter coffee cafes.  I also subsribe to a variety of different travel email newsletters that offer great travel ideas.
• Travel shows/Vlogs-
  • I loved watching shows with the late, great, Anthony Bourdain, and got many good ideas from his shows.  I also like to watch travel blogs such as Attaché to get a feel for an area and good ideas for things to do.  I will also peruse GPSmyCity for things I am interested in.
• Rating sites-
  • I will usually check out rating sites such as TripAdvisor to see the top things to do in an area, or the top cheap places to eat.
• Google Maps-
  • Whenever I come across a place  I think I will want to try (through any of the methods mentioned above) I save it in Google Maps.  Then, once I get to the city, I can easily see what good places are near me.

Where to stay:

• Hostelworld and Booking.com-
  • I will usually check Hostelworld and Booking.com first in my search for accommodation.  They provide good search tools, and I will usually filter by price and rating.  Hostelworld displays mainly hostels, but Booking.com will also display accommodation types such as hotels and apartments. I will also occasionaly check sites such as Airbnb.
• Ultimate Rewards and credit card points-
  • I will usually check the Chase Ultimate Rewards site to check the cost (in points) of accommodation.  They offer hotel accommodation and will sometimes offer hostel accommodation also.  However, I usually prefer to use my points for travel as opposed to accommodation, especially when I can find good deals on hostels.
• CouchSurfing-
  • While I use the methods mentioned above more often, I will also occasionally utilize CouchSurfing.

How to get around:

• Rome2Rio-
  • I will often use Rome2Rio when I am planning medium to long distance routes.  I will typically use Google Maps or Citymapper for shorter distances, but Rome2Rio can give good options for longer distances.  It will also combine different modes of transportation to help you find the best route.
• Citymapper-
  • Citymapper is a very useful tool to use to get around a new city.  However, it is only available in select cities.  I used to use Citymapper more in the past, but now I will typically use it as a backup/check of Rome2Rio and Google Maps.
• Google Maps-
  • Recently I have begun utilizing Google Maps more than Citymapper due to the ease with which I can save and mark places I would like to visit or have already visited.