The planning desk

Holiday planning guides

How to build an itinerary, what to sort before you go, how to read a flight time, which passport rules matter and which apps help. Written plainly, checked against official sources, and short enough to read on the train.

Plan the holiday

Plan the holiday How to make a travel itinerary, step by stepHow to make a travel itinerary that works on the day: start with the fixed bookings, plan one day at a time, leave room to breathe, then share it.

Plan the holiday Things to do before going on holiday: the complete checklistEverything to sort before a holiday, in the order to do it: passports and insurance first, money and phones next, the house on the last day.

Plan the holiday Family holiday checklist: everything to sort before you go with kidsA family holiday checklist for going abroad with children: passports and consent letters, medicines, the flight, car seats and packing per child.

Plan the holiday How to plan a family holiday, step by stepHow to plan a family holiday that works for everyone: when to book, what to book first, how to pace the days with children, and keeping it together.

Plan the holiday How to organise all your holiday bookings in one placeFlights in one app, the hotel in an email, tickets in a PDF. How to gather every booking into one place, by date, offline and shared with family.

Plan the holiday How to share your travel itinerary with familyThe ways to share a holiday itinerary with family, from a PDF to a shared trip app, what each person needs to see, and why to avoid public links.

Flights and the day you fly

Flights and the day you fly Are flight times local? How to read departure and arrival timesYes: departure and arrival times are always the local time at each airport. How to read them, work out real flight length, and avoid time zone mix-ups.

Flights and the day you fly What +1 means on a flight, and what day an overnight flight lands+1 means your flight lands the next day, local time. How +1, +2 and −1 work, the midnight-flight trap, and planning hotels around an overnight flight.

Flights and the day you fly How early should you get to the airport? A simple way to work it outTwo hours for short-haul, three for long-haul, but what matters is when bag drop and the gate close. How to work back from them, with kids too.

Flights and the day you fly Do I need to print my boarding pass? Mobile boarding passes explainedMost airlines accept a boarding pass on your phone. When you still need paper, how to add a pass to your phone's wallet, and how to keep it offline.

Passports and documents

Passports and documents The six-month passport rule: which countries need it, and how to checkWhich countries need six months on your passport, which need three, and which just need it valid for your stay. 25 destinations, checked October 2026.

Passports and documents Should you keep a copy of your passport on your phone?A passport copy helps if yours is lost or stolen, but your camera roll is the wrong place for it. Where to keep one safely, and what it can't do.

Passports and documents Travel documents checklist: what to carry on an international tripEvery document to carry abroad, from passports and travel authorisations to insurance, driving permits and consent letters. A checklist to tick off.

Apps and tools

Apps and tools The best itinerary apps in 2026, compared honestlyTripIt, Wanderlog, Tripsy, Travary and more: what each itinerary app is actually good at, what's free, what costs extra, and which suits your kind of trip.

Apps and tools TripIt alternatives: the apps worth trying, and who they suitLooking for a TripIt alternative? Wanderlog, Tripsy, Travary and others compared: what each does differently, what's free, and who each suits.

Apps and tools How Travary works, from your first booking to day oneA tour of Travary: add a booking and the trip forms itself, Today opens on what you need now, plus the countdown, trip gaps and travel documents.

Travi, the Travary suitcase, waving hello

Your holiday, sorted into days

Add your bookings. Travary does the rest.

Flights, stays, tickets and tables go in once. Each morning opens on what you need right now, with tickets one tap away, even offline.

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