Travel Itinerary: Perfect, Simple, Quick!

Travelling is awesome. Especially if you can come up with the perfect itinerary. It may seem daunting to travel through the mountains of Asia, the jungle of Latin-America, the deserts of Africa or even the old cities of Europe, but it doesn't have to be. It's really about having a great itinerary and moreover, having fun!

How to make a travel itinerary

There is no magic formula, but there are some handy tips and tricks.

A beginning and an ending

When booking the very first ticket, your trip is really already starting. This is the magic action that confirms your travels. Depending on whether you have set date for your return, you can now create a timeline with a beginning and an ending. This will be the timespan in which your adventure will take place. Now fill in your timeline with the destinations you are interested in.

Tip: Explore your destination on a map to get a feel for distances and possible other places to put on your itinerary.

What to do where

You have reached your destination, but you have no idea what to do now you're there. That's bad planning and can be prevented by having a great itinerary. The thing to do is, research each place you are staying for more than four hours. Specific searches on Google or Bing will usually lead you to some great little websites with tips. Also try forums for inspiration. Writing down a little list with things to do is great, but be careful not to overdo it. Make sure you have enough freedom in your itinerary.

How long?

So you know the beginning and the ending of your travel and you know what's fun at the various destinations you are passing by. Now let's make a chart of how much fun each place potentially houses. Just use your little lists you just made and compare them side-by-side. Rate each destination for quality and then decide how much time they get on your itinerary.


Tip: Stay flexible. Some places will take you by surprise positively as well as negatively. Don't be forced to stay somewhere that's no fun at all once you get there and be able to stay longer at a place you have really come to like.

In the mix

Okay, you have lists, you know what places deserve your special attention and how long everything will take. It's time to book tickets you need to book in advance and then mix all these things into a perfect and simple itinerary. One thing that could be helpful in this situation is a dedicated itinerary app.

Travel Itinerary Apps

Some great apps have been developed for creating travel itineraries. These apps allow users to import data and have the software compile the perfect travel itinerary. Here's a list of apps that might be useful for your travels:

• TripIt: Definitely the best travel planner app out there.
• Tripomatic: A popular and handy travel planner app for iOS and Android.
• Itinerary App: Simple effective travel planner app for iPhone.

 

Travel Agencies

Fox Travel, Sun Travel, Tui Travel, US Travel, Moon Travel, there are literally thousands of travel agencies you can use to book your trips. While I can't recommend a specific travel agency, there are some things you should keep in mind while deciding to go for a certain travel agency.
One of the most important things is that you should realize you always pay more money when you let a travel agency handle your itinerary. If you're on a tight budget, you should therefore be cautious when deciding to let a travel agency arrange your trip. Still, there are also many advantages of letting a travel agency do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to organising the perfect holiday or adventure. A great list to decide whether or not to go to a travel agency can be found here. I highly recommend you read it.

Suggested Itineraries

• Nagasaki in One Day
• Fukuoka in Two Days

Travel Agency: Do I need one?

So you’re having some time off and you decide to go away. Depending on whether you are in the mood to chill, relax and blow off some steam or feeling ready to hike, climb mountains and swim in beautiful lakes, you need to decide what part of your trip you want to organize yourself, and what part is better left to professionals.
Once you figure out how much of the organizing you are prepared to do yourself, if necessary, and how much you most certainly do not want to do, the real question begins: Is hiring a travel agency worth it, or not? And before we go in to that question, it is good to know that organizing a trip yourself is not that difficult anymore. Thanks to websites like Booking.com, Expedia and WikiTravel. The amount of resources for good information on destinations and tools to do the organizing is really staggering. I recommend this page for some more insight on useful resources.

Do I need to use a travel agency?

Okay, at this stage we are assuming that you are ready to do a small bit of organizing, if that is in your advantage and not too complicated. We're talking here about booking a flight, a stay in a hotel or apartment, or simple excursion. Basic things, really. With this in mind, these are the questions you’ll be needing to ask yourself when you're deciding to use a travel agency or not:

Going to a remote place with language barriers? Use a travel agency

Trips that involve complexity because of the unknown are usually best left to the experts and/or adventurers. Often times communication problems at the destination of choice can be solved with some creativity and resilience, but at the same time this can also be a great source of stress. Something you might want to avoid when going on a holiday. More importantly however, the more remote places are usually not well-prepared to receive tourists. As a result you might end up in a place where you have no idea where to go to, or where to find the beautiful spots that make it all worth while. Local travel agencies and guides are in these cases invaluable to the success of your trip.

Making a simple trip? Do it yourself

When you are just organizing a simple trip, like going to a well-known city, then don’t be afraid to do the arranging yourself. In most cases it’s quite easy to book the flights, hotels and supporting transportation. Activities in the city are almost always organizable on the spot and hardly need any preparations. If you do want to read up on your destination, websites like WikiTravel also offer lots of information per city.

Not swimming in the money? Do it yourself

One good argument for doing it all by yourself is that it’s often a lot cheaper than having a travel agency do the work for you. Especially straightforward arrangements are very easy to organize by yourself. Even longer and more complex trips do not necessarily need the involvement of a travel agency. The trade-off is that you’ll need to put in a lot of work and prepare yourself for the inevitable surprise of arrangements going sideways.

Do you want a full package of pre-organized activities? Use a travel agency

Travel agencies have large networks of expert people, they have experience organizing trips and have resources. If you want to get the most out of your trip in terms of activities, transport and sights, then consider a travel agency. If anyone can squish a lot of doing and seeing into a relatively short amount of time, it's travel agencies.

Want flexibility? Do it yourself

A lesson many travellers learn when travelling is that destinations can seem fantastic in the preparing phase, but can really disappoint upon arrival. This is inherent to travelling, but can be solved by having the flexibility to move along after taking a short rest. Sometimes this flexibility is not supported by having a pre-packaged trip, and in those cases the flexibility of doing it all yourself is very convenient.

Not in a hurry to be in a hassle? Use a travel agency

For some people a holiday means no stress at all. Organizing things by yourself is then completely out of the question. If you're like that, then the only thing you need to think of, is making sure that you choose the right travel agency. Make sure you have one that is reliable, experienced and an expert on your destination.

Two Days in Fukuoka

In earlier times Fukuoka used to be half the city it is now. Quite literally. Because in 1889 it actually gained quite a bit of ground by merging with the neighbouring city of Hakata, just across the river. At this point in time you wouldn't guess that these cities used to be seperated, but the naming of Fukuoka's central trainstation (Hakata Station) is still a nice, albeit confusing, rememberance. 

Fukuoka Itinerary

This itinerary will take you across the city of Fukuoka for two days. Fukuoka is a modern city with boulevards, underground shoppingmalls, a beach and some interesting temples. More than enough to keep anyone occupied for two days. Modes of transportation in the city are via subway, walking or most ideally: cycling.

Day One

Before heading to the shops in the afternoon, a great way to start the morning is to go look at some of Fukuoka's historic sights. Altough the city in general is quite modern, there are still a few places in the Hakata-area well worth visiting. We start out at the Kushida-jinja Shrine, the centerpiece of the yearly Gion-Yamakasa Festival. In the same area are also the Tōchō-ji Temple and the Shōfuku-ji Temple. The first containing a 10.8 meter Buddha and the latter being Japan's oldest Zen Temple. You can reach the Gion-area quite easily by taking the orange metroline and dropping off at Gion-station.

The second part of the day is reserved for shopping. In the Tenjin-area, the area around the station of the same name, there are a few large plazas with different kinds of shops, a host of streets with popular brandname-stores and an enormous underground area for shopping. You can basically get lost in this area for an entire afternoon if shopping is your thing. If you're looking for a little break from the consuming, then head for the ACROS building in Chuo Park. On the rooftop you will find a garden and a beautiful view over the city.

Day Two

This morning it's time for Canal City, a mall with a unique design. The mall has a central location in between Tenjin and Hakata. Take the opportunity of going to Canal City to finish up on your shopping. If you, however, feel like you had enough of shopping, then at least experience the largeness of the thing and play a few games at the Sega Arcade Hall. Once your mind is blown by all the beeps and blips, it is time to get the hell out and look for some fresh air.

Fukuoka has a few nice parks and also some beaches. These make for ideal spaces to zone out and relax. Grab your bike, if you have one at your disposal, or take a subway, and head for Ohorikoen. From here on you can visit Ohori park, walk/jog/cycle for a while and drink some coffee at Starbucks. Close to Ohori park is Maizuru park, where you can visit the remains of Fukuoka Castle and a bit further, Nishi Park. From Nishi Park it is not far to Yahoo Japan Dome, the stadium of the local baseballteam, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. Try to visit a game if that's your thing or else, wander around and head for the beach, which is just a small walk from the stadium. Lay your head down and wait for the sun to set. When you're done find some place to eat and take some time to reflect on two beautiful days in Fukuoka.

Tips & Recommendations

• Try to rent a bike. Fukuoka is an ideal city for cycling.
• Plan your trip to Fukuoka around early May to catch the Dontaku Festival
• Want to go to South-Korea? Take a ferry to Busan. You can be there within three hours!

One Day in Nagasaki

Nagasaki is a city with history. At one point in time it was the only port in Japan trading with the outside world, much later it became the scene of the disastrous second atomic bomb drop, which killed over 70,000 people. The city, however, has bounced back and now combines beautiful nature with impressive historic sights.

Nagasaki Itinerary

This itinerary will take you across some of the historic places of Nagasaki like the Atomic Bomb Memorial and Glover Garden, but will also let you enjoy some of the nature that surrounds the city. The schedule is perfect to catch the highlights of the city without wearing yourself out completely. Luckily, Nagasaki is not a huge city, but rather compact. The more faraway places are connected by a cute little tram called streetcar. 

Morning

No matter where you are in Nagasaki, the trams are usually not far away. So when you start this itinerary, make sure that you know where your nearest tram stop is. The first destination is Peace Park, a park established to commemorate the victims of the atomic bombing in 1945. It features an enormous statue, as well as multiple smaller sculptures donated by different countries and cities. The park is good for a short stroll and to prepare yourself to enter the Atomic Bomb Museum.

The Atomic Bomb Museum is a five-minute walk from the Peace Park. It is easily found by following the signs. The exhibits in the museum show among other things the damage done by the atomic bomb, the history of the city and the lead up to the bombing. The museum’s final exhibits feature an argument against the use of nuclear weapons.

Walking through the museum is an impressive experience, especially when you realize that the tragedy of the atomic bombing took place at this very spot.  

Afternoon

When you’re done at the site of the atomic bombing, it’s time to go a bit further back in time. Head for Shinchi Chinatown to grab some delicious Chinese snacks. In order to get to Shinchi Chinatown you can hop on to the tram and drop off at Nishihamonomachi.

When you're done eating snacks it's time to take a walk. Just keep on walking south and follow the signs pointing you to the Dutch Slope. In this little area you can enjoy some European architecture. When you're done here just move on to the Oura Cathedral, which is almost 150 years old. You can enter the cathedral for a fee. Very close to the cathedral are the Glover Garden. Once the homes of European entrepreneurs, these houses and gardens are now open to visitors. Aside from experiencing some beautiful views over the city, this is an ideal place to relax. 

Alternatively, if you are more into shopping, then I suggest instead of heading south from Shinchi Chinatown, to go north. You will find a nice shopping arcade. Remember that Nagasaki does not offer the same amount of shopping possibilities as Fukuoka, which is just 2,5 hours away by train. Another option for shopping in Nagasaki is a nice shopping mall located on the way to the Peace Park. You can get there by taking the same tram, but dropping of at the stop for CocoWalk.

Evening

In the early evening it's time to experience Nagasaki's most famous view. Head to Takaramachi Station by tram and follow the signs to the ropeway-station. From here on you can take the trip up to Inasayama and enjoy Nagasaki's '10 Million Dollar View'. It is well worth it.  

After getting off the mountain, it's time to find a good place to eat. Why not try some Champon? Nagasaki's famous noodle-dish.

Tips & Recommendations

• Try to walk as much as possible. Nagasaki is a fairly compact city and most places are actually within walking distance.