early bird

early bird

worthwhile wandering

no. 85: how I actually plan a trip (without losing my mind)

From choosing destinations to building itineraries, sharing the exact system I use to make travel managable, fun, and budget-friendly.

Maggie's avatar
Maggie
Sep 25, 2025
∙ Paid

One of the questions I get asked most often – both online and in real life- is: How did you plan that trip?!?

a few trips between 2017 and 2025 - Japan, Seattle, Paris, Bali, Joshua Tree, Tanzania, Bora Bora!

While I currently have over a dozen travel guides available on earlybird, I’ve never actually gone into detail about how I put it all together to plan a trip from scratch.

From picking a destination, to figuring out the budget, to figuring out w…

User's avatar

Continue reading this post for free, courtesy of Maggie.

Or purchase a paid subscription.
© 2026 Maggie · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture