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How To Make An Itinerary- Part 2

If you haven’t read Part 1 of the How To Make An Itinerary, check it out now!

Now that we have decided which cities we are going to, our mode of transportation, and where we are staying, it’s time to plan in details!

(Side note: Since I’ve published part 1, I realized that we are unable to travel via train from Seville to Tarifa (to board for Morocco). So after some more research, we have decided to make the two hour ride by renting a car. Also, instead of boarding to Morocco from Tarifa, we will board the ferry from Algeciras, a bigger town. Surprisingly, the car company in Spain is a part of Enterprise from the US. So we were able to book the car online using the Enterprise website (in English!). We can pick up the car in Seville at the train station and drop it off in Algeciras, right next to the docking station. )

One thing we had to do as a part of the planning was get an international license. It’s fairly easy to get one, but you must do your research on how safe it is to drive in another country. Check out the steps here to get your International Driving License.

*Tip: If you have to book on a site that is in another language, open up a web browser with google translate. Copy and paste what you want to have translated and Ta Da!

…And now for the details!

I looked up everything there is to do and see in Madrid & Seville, our first two cities. I wrote all the things we are interested in seeing and doing. Here is a list of other details I wrote down as well.

  • Name of places & it’s address
  • Open days/hours
  • Cost/Ticket price
  • How/where to get ticket
  • Any related phone numbers
  • Any other information/rules regarding dressing, baggage, etc.
    If the ticket lines are long or more expensive and we know for sure we will be around the area at a specific time, I’ll book the tickets online in advance.

Tip: Communicate with your Airbnb host about how to get around, what to do, what to see, etc. Ask for resources, such as a driver or a tour guide. Most Airbnb hosts have one or two people they usually recommend.

In Morocco, we decided not to venture off too far since my parents are with us. We needed a personal taxi since it’s not walk-able distance to the medina (middle of town) from our stay. So I messaged our host on Airbnb and asked her if she knew any drivers and sure enough, as always, she did. I contacted him and set up taxi rides the day we arrive and the day we leave. I also set up a one day trip with him to Chefchaeoun, the Blue City!

Tip: When setting up tours/pick ups, talk to the guide/driver and fix the price before agreeing on them.

Other things I’ve added to the itinerary:

  • Time difference between cities/countries. This applies to us here because there is a one hour difference between Spain and Morocco.
  • Currency and exchange. We will be dealing with three different currencies (US Dollars, Euros, and Moroccan Dirhams). To avoid confusion while paying for something, I want to make sure I know the rates and conversion rates on the top of my head.
  • Driving Routes: Since we will be driving in Spain, I copied and pasted the whole route in detail and have it saved in my email as well.

Other things I do prior to the trip:

  • Print out a copy of the itinerary for each person (hey, you never know!)
  • Download a copy to my phone for offline use
  • Email a copy of the itinerary to a sibling, close friend, or an emergency contact (someone whom I’ll probably keep in touch with daily)
  • Sign up with STEP (For more details, click HERE)
  • Download offline maps of places/cities/directions that we will need for the trip. (I do this just a few days before the trip)
  • Call phone company to get better range for data / update data plan for this month
  • Put travel notifications on credit cards

Do you have any must-do’s while detail planning? If so, comment below!

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Itinerary for Italy!

I’ve had several people ask how to pre-plan for a trip abroad and how to make a detailed itinerary. I make all my itineraries on google docs so that I can have access to it whenever and wherever. I used to be an Excel person, but I find that its easier to use Word document to be able to add images or side notes that anyone can look through and follow. Check out my How to make an itinerary part 1 on my in progress itinerary to Spain and Morocco. While that is still being fine tuned, here is the outline of our Italy one, without any personal information.

Italy 2019

Travel Info:
Dates: April 23rd- May 1st. (9 days total)
Travelers name: AB, CD, E & Josna (total: 6)
Departure from USA information: (Airlines & airport)
Arrival in Italy information: (Airlines & airport)
Any extra information on luggage, time zone changes, lay over, etc goes here.

Rome info:

Currency: 1 US Dollar = .88 Euros.
I’ve inserted pictures of what Euro bills and coins look like so that my fellow travelers can get an idea before we get there.
Language: Italian; learn basic phrases.
Please: Per favore, Thank you: Grazie, Yes: Si, No: No, Thief: Ladro, Help: Auito


Phone Company: Set up an international package with provider or make calls using apps or wifi calling.
Plugs & Electricity: I posted a picture of the outlets used in Europe as well as the standard voltage (which is 220-230V)

Emergency Information to know:

General emergency police number: 113
Medical emergencies: 118
Number for the American embassy in Italy; +39 06 46741
Location of embassy; Via Vittorio Veneto, 121-00187, Roma
Tourist Info number; 06-0608. Dial 2 for English.

Itinerary

April 24th (Wednesday): Land in Rome at 0915
4/24 weather info: Mostly Sunny, High 73, low 55, 10% chance of rain. 
Things do at the airport:
1. Exchange money at a currency exchange.
2. Get Roma 2 Day Pass (for XX Euros).
3. Get all tourist information/maps etc for Rome, Florence or Venice (free ones)
4. Find a taxi (show hotel information)
List before arriving to hotel:
1. Stop by supermarket and pick up some water, if needed.
11AM: Check into hotel if possible or drop off luggage.
12PM-2PM: Explore + Lunch
Explore:  Walk 7 mins to Cornelia Metro, 7 mins → M MEA 15 mins to Termini→ transfer to MEB Laurentina 3 mins, 2 stops= Colosseum.

Side Note: Yes, this is how detailed the itinerary is. It helps!

3PM – 8PM: Roman Forum/Palatine Hill/Colosseum
Walk >> Trevi Fountain>> Spanish Steps
8PM-11PM: Dinner
Take Metro from Spagna (near Spanish steps) >> Cornelia

(There is a Louis Vuitton Store right next to Spagna. )

Side note: This was in the itinerary, yall!

11pm: Get back to hotel safely
Hotel Name: XXXX
Address: xxxxxx, Rome.
Phone Number: xxx-xxx-xxxx
Website: xxx.com
Reservation code/any other information pertaining to this hotel stay.
Train station/bus stop next to the hotel: XXX

April 25th (Thurs): Rome; Liberation Day; national holiday.
4/25 WEATHER INFO: Partly Cloudy, High 74, low 56, 20% chance of rain.
0830:Breakfast
0930: Walk 7 mins to Cornelia (Metro Station) Get on line A, MEA, going towards city (Get off at Cipro; only 3 stops away). Walk to Vatican. 

Vatican City; Reservation code / Order Number: XXXXXXXXX
Tour for 6 people; at 11AM. Then proceed to St. Peter’s Basilica.
Est time 2pm: Lunch
3-8pm: 10 min walk to Castel Sant’ Angelo 19.50euro/per person.
Walk through St. Angelo Bridge → Piazza Navona (Pasquino statue & Fontana Del Moro)  → Pantheon → Trevi Fountain→ Spanish Steps / And Colosseum in between

Additional info: To get back to hotel after Spanish Steps: Take Metro Spagna MEA to Cornelia, walk to Hotel
To get back to hotel After Colosseum area, take Metro Colosseo to Termini to Cornelia and walk to hotel.

This following list of places to see in which order is from the book by Rick Stevens. His book also has many tips that were very useful for this trip!

  1. Campo de’ Fiori (Italian market) 
  2. Piazza Farnese  
  3. Via dei Baullari…
  4. Pasquino Statue
  5. Piazza Navona
  6. Pantheon
  7. Caffe Tazza d’oro
  8. Piazza Capranica
  9. Piazza di montecitorio
  10.  Piazza Colonna..
  11. Trevi Fountain 
  12. Palazzo di..
  13. Column of the immaculate conception
  14. Spanish step  aka Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti

April 26th (Fri): Rome→ Florence
4/26 WEATHER INFO in Rome: Mostly Sunny, High 74, low 56, 20% chance of rain.
0900: Eat breakfast /pack
1200: Check out at The Church Palace
Walk 7 mins to Cornelia Train Station → 15 mins to Termini Station (Roma Termini) 
2pm: Take train from ROME→ Florence.

TRAIN Reservation # & Information: XXXXX Approx: 1.5 hours

————————-Florence—————————

4/26 WEATHER INFO in Florence: Showers, High 75, low 55, 10% chance of rain.
4pm: Check in at Hotel; Address: XXXXX Phone number/ details
5PM: TOUR city + Eat

Other things to do in Florence:

  1. Uffizi ; 815-650pm. 
  2. Bargello (statues): 
  3. Medici chapels (michealangelos statues); 
  4. Santa Maria novella (masaccios 3d paintings) 

April 27th (Sat): Florence
4/27 WEATHER INFO in Florence: Isolated thunderstorms, High 76, low 54, 30% chance of rain.
11:00 BRUNCH
1:15PM Chianti Half-Day Wine Tour from Florence

LINK & More information:
DEPARTURE TIME; Tour departs at 1:15pm
DEPARTURE POINT; Central Florence
DIRECTIONS; Piazzale Montelungo (Montelungo Square), in front of the yellow Street Sign of Caf Tour – Gray Line
(Take snacks/drink for tour)

7-9pm: Dinner & Get back to hotel

April 28th (Sun): Florence → Venice4/28
WEATHER INFO in Florence: Showers, High 74, low 54, 40% chance of rain.
6 AM: Wake up!

8AM: Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze (Academy Of Florence Art Gallery) 
Address: Via Ricasoli, 58/60, 50122 Florence, Italy      Tel. +39 055 0987100
Full ticket: € 12.00;  Opens at 815 AM 
(Need to book online; time slots. Cannot have large bags on us. No luggage.)  
More information: 10 minute walk from Hotel to Art Gallery., 12 min walk from Gallery to Train Station, 12 min walk from Hotel to Train Station.

10 AM: Check out from Hotel
12PM: Lunch (close to train station)

Train from Florence→ Venice TRAIN # and more information:

———————-Venice———————-

4/28 WEATHER INFO in Venice: AM showers, High 66, low 54, 40% chance of rain.
3:30PM; Walk to hotel XX and check in. More hotel details here.

5PM: Evening out and Explore!
9PM; Dinner & Back to hotel

April 29th (Mon): Venice4/29
WEATHER INFO in Venice: AM showers, High 67, low 54, 40% chance of rain.

Activity for this day: Pick between these options.

  1. Rialto Bridge; (Ponti De Rialto)
  2. Bridge of sighs
  3. Doge’s Palace (83am-9pm);; 14 Euros
  4. Saint Mark’s Basilica
  5. St. Mark’s Square

Side Note: In Venice, we were a little more flexible and did not plan exactly. We walked around and did as much as we can.

April 30th (Tues): Venice → Rome
4/30 WEATHER INFO in Venice: Partly Cloudy, High 69, low 54, 20% chance of rain.
9 AM; Breakfast/ Activity 
10:30 AM – Check Out from Hotel XX

Train from Venice → Rome Train # and information:

Side note: All train tickets were printed out and emailed to each person in the group.

————————-Rome—————————

3:30PM: Get to hotel
Hotel check in at XX:XX Address/Phone number, etc..

Take metro from Roma Termini (RV” Pisa Centrale  – 10 min ride.). Runs every 15 mins. Get off at Roma Ostiense and transfer to next train; REG Fiumicino Aeroporto, 13 mins ; Get off at Muratella. From here; either call taxi (only 2 mins) OR take train Crocco 128; to Magliana/Muratella (FL1). Get off at Crocco/Mercanti (4 stops; only 1 min).       (walking will take 25+ mins!) 

Check at hotel for bus service to airport/ book it.
6PM: Head out for Last night in Rome!

May 1st (Wed): Rome
6AM: XX go to airport
9AM: XXXX Check out and go to airport.
Flight details back to Dallas: XXXXXX

Notice a few things: 1. We didn’t specify any time for souvenir shopping. We did that throughout the whole trip, even to the last night in Rome. 2. We didn’t waste time in between one check out and another check in; we used that time to travel from one city to another. 3. We checked the weather in each city before packing.

Does it always go according to the itinerary?

Nope! No matter how detailed you have your itinerary, things are bound to go wrong or at least differently. A week prior to our trip, our driver who had agreed to pick us up from the airport backed out. Two days before our trip, we got a notice that the first hotel we booked was closed due to some legal issues and we were being transferred to another hotel. The day before our trip, our flight out to Rome got cancelled! We were able to switch our flight to one that got us to Rome on time (thanks Delta!).

When all this happened, we didn’t let that stop or ruin our trip. We worked around it and made a few tweaks. The drive from the airport worked out because we were able to get taxis from the airport for the same price. The hotel we got switched over to gave us delicious complimentary breakfast. The flight we switched over to was very similar to the old one (and we got free luggage check ins… thanks again, Delta!)

Images in this blog post are provided by: @ebabu07, @sneha42390, @aashimaj & @mathew88.

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How to make an itinerary- Part 1!

After reading Paulo Coelho’s book, The Alchemist, I’ve always felt the desire to travel to Spain and Morocco. Recently, we found a great deal online and booked our trip to Madrid right away. Everyone usually asks me how we plan these trips without any tour packages. We don’t use big companies or buy packages that offer hotels, round trips and tours for one big price. We want to be able to control more of the trip and be free to do what we want rather than follow a big group. Another reason is because these companies usually take you to touristy places. We prefer to go to places more authentic and take the roads less traveled. In this post, I’m gonna go over the steps to plan a detailed itinerary by planning for our trip to Spain and Morocco.

RushMyPassport.com

TIP: Book from mid week to mid week. Tickets are cheaper during midweek and getting to and back from your destination will be a bit less hectic than flying on a weekend. I do this because it allows me to work up until I leave and work the day after I get back from vacation.

The first thing you need to do is look at the map and see where you want to spend your time. (Check out my geography blog post if you’re not great with maps!) If you have a short trip, you might want to stick to one major city. The other option is to venture out and explore a neighboring country or other major cities. We are flying into Madrid for this trip and we have 6-7 days to plan for in our itinerary.

Here are our options:
  1. Spent all our time in Madrid only
  2. Divide our time between Madrid and Barcelona
  3. Explore Madrid and go to Portugal
  4. Explore Madrid and go to Morocco
    You all know which one we choose. #4! Madrid and Morocco! The other three are also great options, but since Morocco was high on our list, we choose this option.

The next thing to do is to divide your itinerary based on how long you want to stay in one city. You do this based on how much activities or attractions there are to see. This part takes some serious research!
We wanted to spend as much time as possible in Morocco. Therefore, we decided to travel south towards Seville as soon as we land in Madrid. We have two days in Seville (on our way to and from Morocco), three days in Morocco and one day in Madrid. Next, you must check the distance between the cities for traveling via train, bus, car or flight (or even boat!). If it takes you three hours to get from one city to the next, you’ll need to take that into consideration when making your itinerary.

So, when should you make that long trip between two cities?
Little Passports Little Passports

It’s important to strategically plan your travel time between two cities to avoid loosing precious time exploring! I would recommend you travel between 11AM and 3PM, which is the common check out time and check in time. This way, you can travel to the next city and check in right away. If you’re the type of person who makes the most of your trip, you can also fit in an early morning activity that day!

Our flight lands in the morning and typically, we won’t get to check into a hotel until the afternoon. So, instead of spending time carrying around our luggage and attempting to site see, we are going to use that time to travel more south, towards Morocco.

With me so far?

Good! Once you’ve figured out which days you are spending in which city, the next step is to book your hotel stays or Airbnb homes! I pick this based on reviews and ratings on google and any other travel sites. For Airbnb, I try to pick super-hosts and interact with them at least once before booking their place. If you don’t speak the language of the country, it’s important to find a host that speaks English!
I just booked our stays in Spain and Morocco (2 months before the trip) and I was late! I should have booked 3-4 months prior to the trip, because a lot of the places were already booked out!

What’s next?

The next major step is to book the transportation between the two cities. You already know which cities you are visiting and have an idea of the distance between these places. So now it’s time to choose how you want to travel! No matter which method of transportation you choose, try to stick closest to the time frame mentioned above.

TIP: For most of Europe, using trains to get around will be the most ideal. In most parts of Asia, it is more efficient to fly from one place to another. You want to look at the time it takes and the cost and choose what is better for you.

Here are our options:

1. Train: Madrid>Seville>Tarifa Takes less time, More convenient, bathroom access, more space, can take unlimited luggage. But costs a lot more $$.
2. Bus: Madrid>Seville>Tarifa Takes double the time vs train, no bathroom access, less leg room yet much cheaper.
3. Flight: From Madrid > Morocco: 4x the price. Less time for travel, however will miss the view and scenery.
4. Car: From Madrid > Seville >Tarifa: Double the time compared to train (same route as bus). Need to rent a car, get insurance, get international driving license. Have the freedom of stopping whenever, more flexible. Much cheaper but less safe.
What did we choose? Because my parents are coming on this trip with us and because we are doing this train trip right after our 9 hour flight, we choose to take the train.

How to book?

Each country as a different train system. Fortunately, booking train in Europe is very simple in that there are several websites to book through.
In Italy, we choose to book with Italiarail. For this trip in Spain, we choose Renfe. For the first train ride, give yourself plenty of time to learn how the system works, where the stations are and how to board it. The rides from there on will be much easier and you don’t have to get there as early once you know how things work.

Now that we have our cities, hotel/airbnb stays and transportation planned out, that concludes the first step of planning the itinerary! Stay tuned as I plan out the fine details of our Spain-Morocco trip with How To Make An Itinerary Part 2! Until then, if you have any questions, post below!

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