Plan a Lifetime of Adventures (and Your Next Trip) with One Printable
The Travel Planner that Turns “Maybe Someday” Into “Booked and Packed.”
When I was younger, I spent about a year planning my year abroad. That year abroad never really ended, though at some point I guess I just became an expat. Travel remains part of my life, from returning to the places that still feel like “home” in my heart, to taking new adventures.
Planning hasn’t gotten any easier. Now I have a school calendar, two work schedules, and prices for a family-of-four to take into account.
I still want to see the world. After all, the positive side of living far from where I grew up is being closer to so many cool places that felt a world away growing up.
But just like my year abroad didn’t just happen without my planning it, no other trip will either. I use a system. Not just for the next trip, but for the whole picture. I created this Travel Planner to share that system with others.
What It Is:
This is a 2-in-1 printable. Part Lifetime Travel Planner, part Single Trip Planner.
Lifetime Travel Planner: Transform all your travel bucket list dreams into a vibrant, ongoing travel lifestyle, without the feeling that they’ll never actually happen.
Single Trip Planner: Plan your next trip with clarity and eliminate pre-travel stress without feeling like it’s another full-time job.
Part 1: Lifetime Travel Planner – Your Blueprint for a Lifetime of Adventures
Get your bucket list down on paper and start figuring our how you’ll make it happen.
First we’ll sort where you actually want to go now and where is more of a “someday maybe, hopefully” dream.
Do a little research for all the trips that you would take now if you could. Time and money are going to be the limiting factors.
Next we’re going to look at the big trips and make an ideal plan for the years to come. The Travel Planner has a sheet where you can put the ages for you and your travel partners (for me that’s my family).
This is important in both directions. There are places I don’t want to go when the kids are really small (mostly because I don’t want to carry all their stuff, haha). And places I want to get to before I’m too old to really enjoy it.
Once the big trips are laid out for years to come, the next step is to plan this year. When will the big trip/trips fit? Then go back to the research sheet to pick some small trips for long weekends.
This planner is inspired by my own travel journey. Back when I traveled full-time, I often exchanged notes with others who did the same. I noticed how differently people approached their travel plans. Some chased their top “must-see” destinations first, unsure when their resources would run out. Others prioritized places that were rapidly changing, wanting to see them before they were gone forever. And some just followed the wind!
The Lifetime Travel Planner could be used by a digital nomad, but I designed it thinking of my current lifestyle. Which is someone who travels a ton, but also has a normal life to take into account.
When I look at my travel bucket list now, my biggest consideration is my own age and the age of my children. As I said above, there are places I want to go while I’m still young and agile. And there are places I don’t want to go with small children (or at least would enjoy more once they’re a bit bigger).
With these considerations in mind, I know I want to go to Thailand in the next 5-10 years (but not before). On the other hand, Disney World became a short-term priority. I want to go while the magic is still real.
In every big city I’ve traveled to, I’ve seen the retirees who waited their whole lives to see that city only to not be able to climb that tower or squeeze in that cave. I know that no matter how much yoga I do, I will get old. So if I ever want to zip-line in Australia, I need to make sure I get there at a reasonable age.
Getting this all on paper is a lot clearer than having it in my head. And it’s fun!
Features of the Lifetime Travel Planner:
- Bucket List for all your travel dreams, indicate ASAP or “Someday”
- Timeline Planning Worksheets, look decades ahead and layout a lifetime of adventures
- Research time and money needed for each dream trip
- Annual Trip Planner, plan out one year, for the big trip/trips and all the little ones
Part 2: Single Trip Planner – Your Stress-Free Guide to the Perfect Trip
Plan a specific trip from start to finish
Includes booking details, transportation, packing lists, schedule, and budget pages.
Print a copy each time you plan a trip!
This half of the Travel Planner is more what you expect when you hear “travel planner”. It’s everything you need to organize a perfect single trip and track every detail.
We started with the aspects that every trip needs to consider: transportation getting there, accommodations, transportation once you’re there, schedule, activities, eating, packing, budget, and emergency info.
And with these commonalities in mind, we created the check lists, packing lists, budget sheet, activity research sheet, schedule, and booking details sheets that you would expect.
And every page has flexibility built in. After all, some trips are for a weekend, some for 3-weeks. Some people plan every hour, some like to follow the wind.
Features of the Single Trip Planner:
- Transportation Details
- Accommodation Information
- Schedules
- Activity Research Pages
- Packing Lists
- Budget Worksheets
Why I Built This:
In general, I like digital copies. But when organizing a trip, I inevitably end up doing a lot of it on paper. Rather than sketching these out each time, I wanted beautiful sheets I could have ready to print.
Who This Is For:
- People with a lot of travel dreams and limited windows to make them happen
- Families who want to be spontaneous—these sheets will make sure you have the essentials down with flexibility
- Anyone who needs help organizing the details so they can actually go
What You’ll Get:
- Instant download
- Undated pages you can print over and over
- A clean design that focuses on function
What Makes It Different:
A lot of planners are either super aesthetic or super structured. This is both useful and flexible. It’s function first. These pages will be so full of important info, you’ll end up folding them up in your wallet so you have them with you every minute of your trip.
Planning the Essentials
You’ll start with a to-do list, broken down by time phase. These will cover the essentials mentioned earlier (travel getting there, accommodation, etc). Right down to packing your toothbrush the morning you leave.
As you work your way through the to-do list, you’ll save important info on the “Travel Details” sheet, such as flight confirmation numbers. And any expenses can be noted on the “Budget” sheet.
All the sights you’re dreaming of seeing
When it’s time to research all the amazing things you’ll do when you’re there, we have you covered. These sheets are simple on purpose, you don’t have to plan every second of your vacation if that’s not your style.
But… you probably have lots of things you are dreaming of seeing. So, add them to the “Activities Ideas” sheet. Take note of the general location, opening hours, and if reservations are needed.
I always find that a rough schedule is obvious once I have my list of must-dos. The ones that are physically close together, I’ll do the same day. The big things, I spread out.
And finally, it’s time for packing.
I have a lot of opinions about packing. It is impossible to make a one-size-fits-all packing list.
But, I do always follow the same steps when making my packing list. I make categories (clothes, toiletries, etc), then I look at an old packing list to get me started, then fill in what else I need.
So this is what the Travel Planner has. There are 2 versions of this sheet: one with packing items to get you started, and a second that is blank with just the categories.
I think this is more useful than a miles-long list of everything you could possibly ever want for any destination. And actually, I really recommend packing as light as possible. So while I want to help you remember PJs, I don’t want to make you feel like you need stuff that you don’t.
Ready to finally make those travel dreams a reality?
