TraveLuxe

Sample Itineraries

Itinerary creation is often one of the most difficult parts of planning a vacation. It?s not so much putting the actual pieces of the trip together ? flights, hotels, transportation ? that slows up the process, but the initial determination of which stops to include within your destination.

I often have clients come to me with a very general request such as ?we want to go to Europe on our honeymoon? (or something similar for just about any continent). They may have a specific country they want to visit or even a city that they must include, but the rest of the details are a bit fuzzy. It?s not uncommon for travelers to request certain types of locations or to want to center around specific interests such as a beach destination, cultural and historical sites, or wine tasting.

Part of the confusion, I?m quite sure, is the vast number of options and information overload so readily available today. It?s easy to get bombarded with stories from friends, tweets from hotels and tourism boards, pictures on Facebook, and while it?s wonderful to have these contacts at hand, it can also be a lot to process.

From the view of someone who plans travel for a living, sometimes it?s easier to get an idea of where you want to go and what you want to do if you have some simplified concrete ideas in front of you, from someone who can offer an objective opinion. While I don?t sell pre-created itineraries, I can provide examples of itineraries that I?ve completed or planned in various parts of the world that may inspire those who have the travel bug but are stuck on the question of ?where?. In this article, I?ve decided to do just that. These are only a quick sampling of some suggested itineraries I could create. I plan to continue posting other ideas following this article. These suggestions are very broad, and are created with the idea of customizing them to fit the client. I?ve tried to include a wide range of destinations, to inspire as many people as possible.

 

 

1. Basic Italy 8-11 days:
Fly into Rome (overnight flight recommended if available)
Spend at least 3 days in Rome
Train to Florence (approximately a 90 minutes)
Spend 2 to 3 days in Florence. If you want wine/Tuscany tours, definitely 3 days
Train to Venice (approximately 3.5 to 4 hours)
Spend 2 to 3 days in Venice
Fly out of Venice

Suggested Add-ons:?

Amalfi coast or Positano (from Rome);
Overnight Bologna between Florence & Venice

2. Argentina

 


Fly into Buenos Aires and spend three nights here
Fly to Igua?u Falls; overnight at Igua?u*
Return to Buenos Aires for one or two nights
Fly to Mendoza (Argentina?s wine region); stay 2 to 3 nights here
Fly home from Mendoza

*Suggestion: Bring a small overnight bag for your trip to Igua?u and store the rest of your luggage at your Buenos Aires hotel. There will be a charge for this, but it?s worth it.

Optional Add-on:
Day or overnight in Montevideo, Uruguay. It?s approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes by ferry from Buenos Aires. There are other towns in Uruguay much closer by ferry. Montevideo is the capital.

 

 

3. Southern/Eastern Africa:
Fly into Johannesburg and overnight near the airport (to break up the flights)
Fly to Victoria Falls. Zimbabwe. From here, take a transfer down into Botswana*
Spend 3 nights at the Chobe Game Lodge in Botswana**
Transfer back to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Spend two nights at the Victoria Falls Hotel
Fly from Victoria Falls to Cape Town, South Africa
Spend 3 to 4 nights in Cape Town
Fly home from Cape Town via Johannesburg

Suggested activities
Half-day elephant back safari in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is also a wonderful destination for white water rafting and other adventure activities.
Half or full day wine tour from Cape Town
Robbin Island Tour in Cape Town

Add-ons:
Several day tour on the Garden Route from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth; Fly home from Port Elizabeth via Johannesburg

Notes:
*The transfer from Zimbabwe to Botswana will be a van (or van-like) transport to the Botswana border. Here, you will have to switch vehicles and guides. Zimbabwe guides have to pay a very large fee to enter Botswana, and therefore instead they just switch transfer companies and vehicles. The second vehicle may be more like an open-air jeep.

**The Chobe Game Lodge is a luxury lodge on the bank of the Chobe River. Packages at the Lodge include accommodations, all meals, plus two jeep safaris and one river safari each day.

More sample itineraries coming soon! Have a request? Let us know!