«» Travel Notes 015: My Travel Spreadsheets
Sharing my Google Drive that contains the exact spreadsheets I used to plan my travels
HELLO. I’m Atom, and you’ve received my Travel Notes, which I send out once a week, every week:
→ On the weeks I travel, I share stories, reflections, and lessons.
→ On the weeks I stay home, I share tips, tools, and templates.
My goal here is to bring you with me to all 82 provinces of the Philippines. Solo travel can be thrilling, but I enjoy my travels more when I have someone to share it with.
I spend a lot of time planning for my trips.
I research everything I can do in a province, I shortlist every possible place to stay, then I play with different itineraries that fit my budget and schedule. All this information is compiled in a spreadsheet I share with my travel group. And because the people I travel with change, I create a new spreadsheet for every trip.
I put effort into making my spreadsheets look presentable and clean, too, so I thought I’d share them with you in case you want to visit any of the provinces I’ve been to.
Here are the tabs you can find in my spreadsheets:
‘TO_DO'
This is always where I start planning. I will search for everything I can possibly do in a province and compile it here.
I also use this tab to compile potential accommodations. For each accommodation, I list the contact number, room rates, wifi, and other inclusions.
‘ITINERARY_OPTIONS’
Once I know what I want to do and where I can stay, I move over to this tab and play around with different itineraries. I divide my itineraries by morning, afternoon, and night activities.
‘ITINERARY_FINAL’
Often my plans change, and I don’t follow the itinerary I set out for myself. On some spreadsheets, you may notice a tab labeled ‘ITINERARY_FINAL.’ This is the only tab I fill in after my trip. I like to look back and reflect on what I did, but I don’t always have the time. You will not find this in my more recent spreadsheets.
‘EXPENSES’
Before going on a trip, I like to project how much I will spend.
And sometimes, I list my actual expenses.
In this case, I projected to spend 35K in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi but only ended up spending 25K. I saved a lot of money by using my Cebu Pacific surpasses wherein instead of spending 9000, I only spent 2,400. I save a lot on food too.
To avoid confusion, if I don’t explicitly state ‘ACTUAL EXPENSES’ then what I have listed are my projected expenses.
‘CHECKLIST’
I normally create this for my hiking trips. My Mt. Guiting-Guiting checklist is the most complete. Feel free to copy!
Lastly, you may notice my checklist tab for Mt. Guiting-Guiting also doubled as my expense projection tab. I’m not strict with how I use my templates; every spreadsheet is unique. Some spreadsheets may have more tabs, while some spreadsheets may only have two. Regardless, may you find value in what you find.
Happy travels!!
Atom
Are you interested in exploring the 82 provinces of the Philippines too? Here are some ways I can help...
Easy-peasy: let’s get on a call. I’ll save every Sunday 3:30-4:00 PM (GMT+8) for anyone serious about making it happen. Send me an email, and I’ll send you a link.
Travel is expensive. Here is my list of hacks to spend less on PH travel and a spreadsheet template to help you budget your next trip.