I like to have my trip at least 80% planned out before I travel, and I also have back-up activities in case I need to take a detour. I find myself (and a lot of my friends) turning to Excel for this kind of trip planning - it is easy to cut & paste travel research from the web. What do you use and why?
Reply to this Hello Will 😊
I keep most of my travel research ideas in my head. If there is something I need such as a phone number or address of a friend I generally scribble it into some part of my travel book.
I noticed that some travel sites have a specific trip planning tool where one can record the travel plans but I never use that tool.
Mel
Reply to this Iv used books mainly to help me research different stuff and i bought a travel journal to plan parts of my trip, but thats only because i have such a bad memory!!!,i find its easier to write it down than use a computer.
Jody.
Reply to this Usually I arrange my in- an outward flight before leaving home (and do a little research on how easy it is to arrange transportation once there) and the first couple of night in a hostel (and look on for instance www.hostelbookers.com to see what kind of prices I can expect in the country on a whole).
I have a bunch of travel websites I frequently use to find cheap tickets. Also use websites such as www.idealist.org to find volunteering opportunities. Things such as tourist attractions I rarely look up. Usually I learn the first couple of days in the hostel (but I must admit I'm really flexible with these things. If there's no time to see something, or a better offer/interesting person to meet, I might as well skip this part altogether.) Do look up good bookstores's though when possible (I'm a history student and I always try to read about the country's I visit).
Reply to this Depends on the trip. I'd approach a 1 week ski trip differently than an 11 month world backpacking gig. A shorter trip will be more planned out and the long one will unfold as the year progresses.
But in all cases, Excel will be used. It's the one thing about Microsoft that doesn't drive me crazy. I love that program.
In addition to that - a mix of guide books, web sites, conversations with friends (or strangers), etc. So much info out there these days.
Reply to this I have a hardcover notebook (an old lab notebook from university) with lists of trips I'd like to do--all the things I might like to see in a particular country, or a route through a continent... It's an idea book with maps glued in, and when I'm having a bad day, I pick a new region of the world to plan a trip through. If I hear about a place or event that sounds interesting, I write it down.
When it comes to planning an actual trip, I usually keep post-it notes in my guide book either marking something I've seen there that I need to keep track of, or with notes from other research I've done. Before I leave, I print of any emails with reservation info, and keep copies with the copies of other paperwork I carry with me for traveling. I end up with a pretty good idea of my "must sees," and I generally have a pretty good direction of my overall route through a country/region, but beyond that I try to be as flexible as I can with my itinerary.
I've started using OneNote (Microsoft) for keeping track of random things--haven't used it for trip planning yet, but I think it would work well too.
Reply to this These are great ideas. Sounds like a lot of you guys use travel books / journals to keep track of your ideas, friends' recommendations, and itinerary, while the rest of you turn to Excel or OneNote (first time I've seen it). Despite the tool you use, what would be something that you think can really help with your trip planning? In another words, what is the most tedious part of your trip planning process and how do you alleviate it?
I rely heavily on Excel, but sometimes when I'm choosing a hotel to stay at, I wish I can see where the attractions are compared to my list of hotels I'm picking from, and this is something that bothers me the most about using Excel.
Reply to this I just wanted to see if anyone has any tips about online trip planning or organizing sites. I just joined this site and can't wait to start adding details about our past trips, but we are planning a trip to the U.K this March and I'm having a hard time keeping all of the details in order.
In the past I have always used Excel to keep track of the important information we might need while travelling, but then I have to keep a printed copy with me at all times. I was hoping there might be an online tool that helps you to keep the details of your trip organized. Has anyone heard of or used such a site? Thanks!
Reply to this Hello Jennifer 😊
I think some travel sites have trip planners. I dont know which ones, because I never use that tool.
Mel
Reply to this 
