Planning a trip, it's always a good idea to experience more during the vacations. There's something to be said for aimlessly wandering the streets of an energetic city, peeking into quaint cafes and chatting with locals without knowing what you'll find.

However, when we have limited time, I also don't want to leave seeing something perfect on the to-do list completely by accident. What if I missed an attractive hike? Or a stunning hilltop view ? I always create an itinerary.

To make sure I don't miss any amazing experiences from my to-do list when exploring a new place, I always create a loose itinerary that leaves room for unexpected opportunities, such as exploring alleys along backroads.

When I make my itinerary strict, it causes me anxiety, but it can also waste valuable time when you don't have a plan. I never want to spend hours in my hotel room trying to figure out what to do during the day when I could actually be out doing it!

Planning your trip

Not wanting to miss a single thing I developed an itinerary. I bought an expensive map and spent hours putting little numbered stickers on all the places I wanted to visit. These numbers were coordinated with an Excel spreadsheet that listed the attractions by name along with other relevant information. It was foolproof - or so I thought.

Do your trip planning in a file that you can access from where you are

The first day, while walking, the map fell off or I left it somewhere and it disappeared. Long hours of planning were gone in a matter of minutes. Since then, I never buy paper maps (despite the fact that almost every airport and hotel has a free map you can pick up when you arrive).

In addition to the paper map, I create and store all my travel plans using the Google Maps app. The app can store maps, routes, and links to important websites that can be accessed on any of my devices.

I can also print out a trip plan for each day. You can also use the Notes app on Apple products or Microsoft OneNote.

Start your trip planning by checking information about the country, region of the city

If you want to get the most out of your experience, you need to know what you want to do and what will make a successful vacation a nice, fun experience for you. Think about what you are curious about:

• Are you fascinated by a city's history, culture or food?
• Do you want your trip to be all about crazy adventures and the city's vibrant nightlife?

The answer to these questions means you need to do some research on the area you are visiting.

Before going anywhere I search the internet for e.g:

• unique things to do in Paris,
• traditional dishes in Tuscany,
• the best restaurants in Berlin.

Then I quickly scroll through dozens of results pages, creating a list in the app of all the things that interest me even a little bit. It's important to go through the first few pages of Google results to find more personal stories and blogs, instead of big general sites that may only give you a tourist perspective.

On top of that, make sure you check local prices for basic goods you'll want to buy, while on vacation. Getting all your planned expenses in order can be a bit difficult, especially if you travel frequently. Make sure you check the banks, and find the best bank for tourists, or the best account for travelers. Since you can use it all over the world, you get free or cheap ATM withdrawals and no fees! Taking care of your money while traveling is very important.

If a city or country promotion office's website doesn't show up in search results, I always check their site for recommendations. I may also check to see if there are any documentaries about the place that can be rented, and I may also look through some travel guides at the bookstore.

Another good idea is to search a tour website for what kind of experiences they offer at your travel destination.

Once I have an initial list of attractions, I do a more detailed search for each attraction, place and restaurant to determine what I will keep on the itinerary and what I will remove. Remember, you can't see and do it all, so put an asterisk next to items that are an absolute priority.

Create your itinerary by dividing your city into areas

Many large cities are divided into neighborhoods. Look at an online map and identify the sections of the city you are traveling to. Create a header in Google Maps for each neighborhood; you can divide the city into five areas: downtown and east, west, north, south. If your trip will pass through several small towns, the headings can simply be their names.

Put the items on your master list on the map and put them in the sections where they are located. This will make planning your day easier when you know what area you'll be heading to and all the things you can do there.

Tip: You can create a Google map with pins for all the places you want to visit on a given day.

Do your trip planning through your own calendar

Make a calendar for each day of a successful vacation. You can do this as a simple list or create a table. Look at your "to-do" list, there are bound to be some attractions and events that must be done on certain days due to limited opening hours or booking availability. Put them on the calendar first under the appropriate day and time.

If there are free hours on a specific day, add everything in the same district, starting with the most relevant attractions that have an asterisk. Don't put specific times on the entries just specify as many as you can after the scheduled event. This way you'll have plenty of options for what to see in the city part of the district. No specific times.

Do your travel planning by leaving room for opportunity and be realistic

Even when you are in a place where you are trying to tick something off your to-do list, create a flexible itinerary. An itinerary that leaves room for unexpected opportunities, because a to-do list is just as important as a trip and a successful vacation.

When you are exploring a city, there is always something amazing that will happen to you on occasion. If you have events planned one after another, you might miss something. Of course you will want to see and do everything during your trip, but also be realistic.

Don't expect to land in a city, six hours into your trip, and start implementing your itinerary right away. Leave room for meals, sleep, jetlag and rest. Expect the unexpected on your vacation; flights may be delayed, restaurants may lose reservations and tourist attractions may look different compared to pictures on the internet.

Sometimes the unexpected is the best souvenir of a successful vacation.

Make your trip planning with the extras in mind

Add flight numbers, hotel addresses, maps, document scans, etc. to your itinerary file for easy access. All itineraries include this information and the exchange rate (so I know how much one zloty is worth in the country of my choice). It's much easier to look in one file than scrolling through dozens of emails or checking different apps to find what you're looking for.