Start with Vertex42's free Travel Itinerary Template for Excel, Word or Google Sheets: it lays out flights, car hire, hotel and meetings in the order a trip happens, with room for confirmation numbers and links to maps or your check-in page. For a designed layout, Template.net has travel, business and event itineraries you edit in your browser.
An itinerary isn't a plan of what you'd like to see. It's the one page you open at the airport desk, in the hire car queue and outside the hotel at midnight. The best free template is the one that puts those details in the order you'll need them.
A template that follows the trip in order
Vertex42 says its itinerary flows with the actual trip: leaving on a flight, renting a car when you arrive, checking in at your hotel, attending meetings and events, then flying home. Here's what it keeps in one place, and how its page suggests adapting it for a holiday:
| Stage of the trip | What the template records | For a holiday instead |
|---|---|---|
| Flight out | Flight times and confirmation numbers, plus a link to your check-in page | No change |
| Arrival | Car rental location | No change |
| Hotel | Hotel location | No change |
| Meetings and events | Meeting times and locations, Topic and Room | Rename the section Activities, use Cost and Hours |
| Flight home | Return flight details | No change |
It comes as an Excel file, a Word document and a Google Sheets version, with an OpenOffice option too, so it opens on most phones and laptops. Vertex42 says it works whether you're planning a trip for yourself, your boss or a colleague.
Getting it onto your phone before you leave
Vertex42's advice is to save the spreadsheet to your mobile device, using OneDrive or whatever you prefer, so the details are easy to reach on the go, and to print a paper copy just in case. Here's the order I'd do it in:
- Download the Excel, Word or Google Sheets version, whichever you'll open most easily on your phone.
- Fill in each section in trip order, starting with the outbound flight.
- Paste in confirmation numbers as they arrive by email, so nothing lives only in your inbox.
- Add hyperlinks to the map for each address and to your airline's check-in page.
- Save it to your phone through OneDrive or a similar app, and check it opens before you travel.
- Print one copy for your bag, in case your battery dies.
Turning a business itinerary into a holiday plan
Vertex42 designed the template for business trips but made it easy to change. For a holiday, it suggests renaming the MEETINGS section to ACTIVITIES and listing the things you might do. Instead of the Topic and Room labels, add Cost and Hours, so you can note what an activity costs and when the museum, shop or attraction is open.
That small swap makes it useful for a family trip or a city break, where the risk isn't missing a meeting but turning up to somewhere that's closed. It also keeps the bookings at the top, which is what you'll want first at the airport.
Template.net's itinerary styles
Template.net offers itinerary templates you fill in, customise and complete in your browser. It says they're used by travellers, event planners, corporate teams and anyone needing a structured schedule, and that an itinerary should have sections for date and time, locations or venues, activities or events, and notes or instructions.
The range is wide: travel, trip, event, party, wedding and business itineraries, with listings such as an International Travel Itinerary, a Road Trip Itinerary, a Cruise Itinerary, a Family Vacation Itinerary and a Visa Application Itinerary. As of October 2026 it lists downloads in Apple Pages, Word, PDF, Excel, Google Docs and Google Sheets, with print-ready layouts for Letter or A4, and an AI tool it says drafts an itinerary from a prompt in 3 to 10 seconds.
For a team event or a conference agenda, Template.net's event layouts are the better fit. For a trip where you're juggling flights and bookings, I'd still start with the Vertex42 sheet, because it's built around the journey itself.
Vertex42's three pre-trip checks
At the bottom of its page, Vertex42 adds a short list of travel reminders that are easy to forget in the rush. I'd add them as the last lines of your itinerary:
- Check the weather for the dates you're away, in whatever app you prefer.
- If you're travelling abroad, read the official travel advice and checklist for your trip.
- If you're flying, check the airline security rules before you pack, so nothing gets taken off you at the gate.
For what goes in the bag, a business trip packing list covers carry-on travel.
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Planning trips for a boss or a team
If you book travel for other people in a small business, the itinerary is the thing that saves you the 6am phone call. One page with every confirmation number means your boss or a colleague can sort a problem without ringing you.
Vertex42's template is labelled Private Use, not for distribution or resale, as of October 2026. Its Private Use agreement lets you customise it and share your edited copy privately with the people in your team or company who need it, which covers a colleague's trip plan. In Google Drive, link sharing must be off, and you can't host the template on a website for others to download.
My advice
I'd use Vertex42's itinerary if you're travelling for work or juggling several bookings, because it follows the trip in order and holds the confirmation numbers you'll be asked for. I'd pick Template.net if you're planning an event, a wedding or a group trip that needs to look designed when you share it. Skip both if you'd rather the plan built itself: itinerary makers and AI travel planners pull bookings and suggestions into one place, though you'll still want a copy saved on your phone.
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Frequently asked questions
Where can I get a free travel itinerary template?
Vertex42 has a free Travel Itinerary Template for Excel, Word and Google Sheets. Template.net has travel, business and event itinerary templates you edit in your browser.
What should a travel itinerary include?
Vertex42's template records flight times, confirmation numbers, car rental and hotel locations, and meeting times and locations. Template.net suggests date and time, venues, activities and notes.
Can I use a business itinerary template for a holiday?
Yes. Vertex42 suggests renaming the Meetings section to Activities and using Cost and Hours instead of Topic and Room.
How do I keep my itinerary on my phone?
Vertex42 suggests saving the spreadsheet to your mobile device with OneDrive or a similar app, and printing a paper copy just in case.
Can I share a Vertex42 itinerary with a colleague?
Yes, privately. Its Private Use licence allows sharing your edited copy with people in your team or company who need it, with Google Drive link sharing turned off.
