Phase 3
Map Your Journey
Turn your dream route into a clear, simple plan.
Ready to turn those travel dreams into reality? Let’s start by tidying up your Wishlist. Given today’s shifting political climate, some destinations have unfortunately become unsafe. Take a moment to check my Safety Advisory page and remove any high-risk locations from your list.
Several destinations require mandatory inoculations for entry. Review our vaccination discussion to ensure your Wishlist destinations remain a comfortable fit for your travel plans.
Lastly, please note that some locations on your Wishlist may be considered higher risk. For safety reasons, it may be strongly advised to hire a guide when visiting these spots. Take a moment to review your itinerary and decide if these locations remain a good fit for you.
My website is about stepping out of your comfort zone and building patience, humility, and a more rounded worldview.
Learning about different histories, architectures, and people while trying new foods.
Escaping your daily routine, exploring new cultures, and experiencing diverse landscapes… and you will challenge yourself.
But even more important, I want you to have fun. I want you to have success.
With your Wishlist of destinations curated and your budget finalized, you now should have a pretty good idea on the length for your getaway.
You are now ready to map your journey, city by city. Once we determine your arrival flight destination, we will draw an organic, connected route to your final departure destination.
Start in city A and end in city B—your adventure, your path.
Let’s kick off your trip planning by defining your "City A" destination from your local airport.
For an example, from Vancouver (YVR) a quick search for "non-stop flights from Vancouver" reveals fantastic direct options to Europe, Asia, the US, and Mexico.
A further look at Europe and there are direct routes to 5 hubs: London (LHR), Frankfurt (FRA), Paris (CDG), Amsterdam (AMS) or Rome (FCO).
OK.. Time to check your local airport and pick your city A.
Now, you're ready to sketch out your route! Map a continuous path from your starting city through neighbouring countries, ending at your final destination and return airport.
Verify transit options—trains, buses, or flights—between consecutive cities using Rome2Rio to ensure a smooth route. Navigate with confidence by downloading train routes for each country on your journey.
Check the recommended length of stay in each of your stops, and consider each train or flight in between an additional travel day.
Keep a running tally of your days to stay within your holiday limit. Pro tip: build in a few extra days for spontaneous day trips from your hub cities.
You now have a roughly mapped, bespoke holiday!
You crafted your perfect journey, starting from point A, weaving through your top Wishlist sights, and culminating in city B.
You have estimated your daily stay at each destination for a well-structured trip..
You included in your tally an extra day for all transit. (These days are necessary for seamless travel, even though they will feel like a wasted vacation day).
Now you can use your extra buffer days to look back on your hub cities and add day trips to nearbye destinations.