Planning

The travel planning mistakes that cost people time, money and patience, from overpacked itineraries to forgotten documents, with a simple fix for each.

Going abroad for the first time? A plain checklist covering passport, entry rules, insurance, money, phone, health and the day you leave, with where to check each.

There is no single date. Here is how to decide when to book flights, stays, trains, tours and tables, by how scarce each one is and how flexible it is.

How long to stay in each city: a simple way to decide, rules of thumb for small towns and big capitals, and what travel days really cost you.

Build a travel itinerary in six steps, from a rough shape to a day-by-day plan with travel time, gaps and slack, and keep it where you can use it on the day.

Plan a trip around a music festival or a big event: get tickets and a bed early, travel sensibly, agree the group rules and pack for long days on your feet.

Plan a honeymoon without the stress: choose the kind of trip, time it after the wedding, book what matters, build in rest and keep the money simple.

Plan a trip with days or hours to spare: pick a destination quickly, book flights and stays with flexibility, check documents and pack a bag that works.

Plan a long trip of several months or a gap year: set the shape, handle money, work, documents and health, and keep the plan loose enough to survive the road.

Choosing which cities, in what order, and how to travel between them. A practical way to plan a multi-city trip that does not turn into a series of transfers.

Plan a road trip that works: choose the route, set realistic driving days, book the right stays, share the driving and costs, and leave room for detours.

Plan a ski trip that works for your whole group: choose the resort and week, sort lessons and gear, and split the costs, with a checklist for each stage.

Plan a surprise trip without giving it away: choose the idea, handle dates and documents quietly, enlist helpers, and reveal it in a way that suits the person.

Plan a family trip that works for children and adults alike: choose the place, shape the days, handle travel and sleep, and leave room for the unplanned.

A plain order of work for planning any trip: who is coming, when, where, how you get there, where you sleep and what you do, without losing track of it.

Two or three days in a city goes quickly. How to choose where, pick a base, plan around a few anchors and leave room to wander, without a rushed schedule.

Two weeks in Europe is enough for three or four places if you choose them well. How to pick a route, use trains, avoid the crowds and keep it affordable.

Group trips go wrong in the group chat. Here is how to plan one together, from the first idea to the day you leave, with one plan everyone can see.

Shoulder season is the stretch between peak and low season. Learn how to find it for any destination, what you gain, what to watch for, and how to plan it.

A travel itinerary template you can copy into any notes app: the trip overview, a day-by-day layout, a worked example for Lisbon and how to keep it up to date.

A trip planning timeline you can copy, from six months out to the day before you leave, with a worked example for a two-week trip around Italy.

Where to travel in April for tulips, blossom, spring sun and empty beaches, with the weather, crowds and Easter timing for nine countries and how to book.

Nine countries worth visiting in August, from the Croatian coast and the Serengeti to Edinburgh's festivals, the Swiss Alps and Budapest, with what to book first.

Ten places at their best in December: Christmas markets in Austria, Germany, Prague and Budapest, and summer sun in Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Costa Rica.

Where to travel in February for summer sun, dry-season safari, Carnival and snow, with the weather, crowds and timing for nine countries and how to book them.

Where to travel in January for sun, snow, safari and the northern lights, with the weather, crowds and timing for nine countries and how to book them.

Nine countries that are at their best in July, from midnight-sun Iceland and Norway to the Alps, the Rockies and the Kenyan savannah, with what to book ahead.

Where to travel in June for midnight sun, dry-season safari, mountain hikes and festivals, with the weather, crowds and timing for ten countries.

Where to travel in March for cherry blossom, spring in the desert, festivals and autumn colour, with the weather, crowds and timing for nine countries.

Where to travel in May for long evenings, spring blossom and the start of the dry season, with the weather, crowds and timing for nine countries.

Nine countries at their best in November, from the Gulf, Egypt and Jordan to India, Morocco, South Africa, Argentina, Australia and Taiwan, with what to book ahead.

Nine countries at their best in October, from autumn leaves in South Korea and New England to Morocco, Egypt, Jordan and India after the heat.

Nine countries at their best in September, when the sea is still warm and the crowds leave: Turkey, Greece, Croatia, Germany, Austria and more.