How to Plan a Multi-City Vacation Using Google Sheets (Free Template Included)
Matt - September 10, 2025
Planning a vacation with more than one stop can be overwhelming. Flights, trains, hotels, activities, and budgets all start to blur together - especially if you’re juggling multiple apps or sticky notes. If you’ve ever tried to plan a multi-city trip by hand, you know the chaos: missed connections, confusing routes, and the dreaded “did we double-book that night?”
The good news: there’s a simple way to organize everything. In this guide, we’ll walk you step-by-step through planning a multi-city vacation in detail, share a free Google Sheets template you can start using today, and introduce a tool that takes this workflow to the next level.
Why Multi-City Trips Are Hard to Plan
Single-destination vacations are straightforward: book a roundtrip flight, reserve your hotel, and fill in activities. Multi-city trips? That’s another story.
Here are the common challenges:
- Route inefficiency - accidentally backtracking between cities, wasting time and money.
- Logistics overload - juggling multiple transport methods (flights, trains, buses, ferries).
- Scattered notes - keeping accommodations in one app, activities in another, and transport in emails.
- Group confusion - when traveling with others, it’s hard to keep everyone aligned.
That’s why many travelers look for a multi-destination trip planner or vacation planning template - to bring order to the chaos.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Plan a Multi-City Vacation
Follow these steps to make planning smooth and efficient.
1. Choose Your Destinations & Sequence Them Logically
List out the cities you want to visit. Then, check a map. Group cities that are geographically close and avoid unnecessary backtracking.
👉 Example: For a 7-day Japan trip, you might choose Tokyo → Kyoto → Osaka → Hiroshima rather than bouncing back and forth between Tokyo and Kyoto.
2. Budget Your Time Per City
Be realistic. A good rule of thumb:
- Major hubs (Paris, Tokyo, New York): 3-4 days minimum.
- Medium-sized cities: 2-3 days.
- Small towns or day trips: 1 day.
📍 Example: In Japan, you could spend 3 days in Tokyo, 2 days in Kyoto, 1 day in Osaka, and 1 day in Hiroshima for a balanced week.
3. Plan Your Transport Between Stops
Decide how you’ll move between destinations: plane, train, bus, or rental car. Note down departure times, arrival times, and booking links.
📍 Example: Use the Shinkansen bullet train to travel from Tokyo to Kyoto (about 2h20m), Kyoto to Osaka (15m), and Osaka to Hiroshima (1h30m). Record these details in your sheet so they’re easy to reference.
4. Organize Accommodations
Track check-in/out dates alongside transport details so you don’t double-book or leave gaps.
📍 Example: If your train from Tokyo arrives in Kyoto at noon, book a hotel with afternoon check-in, then log the confirmation number and address in your sheet.
5. Add Daily Activities
For each city, jot down “must-do” sights, restaurants, and experiences. Organize them by day.
📍 Example: In Kyoto, plan to visit Fushimi Inari Shrine in the morning, Kiyomizu-dera Temple midday, and Gion district in the evening. Add notes in the daily activities tab of your sheet.
6. Map It All Out Visually
This is where a spreadsheet is especially useful: by putting dates, transport, lodging, and activities in one place, you can quickly scan for overlaps, gaps, or conflicts before committing to bookings. While this step doesn’t plot things on a map yet - that’s what a tool like Travel Mapper can do - it provides the structured overview you need to see whether your plan is realistic and balanced.
📍 Example: Mapping Tokyo activities like the Skytree and Shibuya Crossing on the same day may look efficient on paper, but since they’re far apart in the city, you may want to split them across days to reduce travel time.
7. Refine and Optimize Your Schedule
Once everything is mapped out, take time to refine your plan. Look for long travel days followed by packed activity schedules, and adjust for balance. Check if you can cluster attractions by neighborhood to save transit time. Consider shifting destinations or activities to improve flow and reduce backtracking.
📍 Example: After mapping, you might notice Hiroshima is a long train ride from Osaka - so keep the following day’s schedule light, focusing only on key attractions like Peace Memorial Park. This way the trip feels less rushed and more enjoyable.
Free Multi-City Trip Planning Template
To save you time, we’ve created a free Google Sheets template that includes:
- A trip overview tab for destinations, dates & times, costs, links, notes, and categories
- Built-in checklist for packing and to-do's
- Cost-splitting calculator
This template, prefilled with an example Japan trip that you can delete, gives you structure and flexibility. You can fill it in as you go and share with your travel group.
But if you want to instantly plot your trip on a map and enjoy extra smart planning features, that’s where Travel Mapper comes in.
Why Travel Mapper Beats a DIY Spreadsheet
A spreadsheet works, but it can’t match features like Google Maps autofill, drag-and-drop editing, or quick email summaries while traveling. Here’s how Travel Mapper (built directly into Google Sheets) upgrades the experience:
With Travel Mapper, your trip becomes smarter and more flexible: add stops instantly, adjust plans visually, and keep an email copy handy on the road.
📌 Plan Your Trip Smarter with Travel Mapper
👉 Try Travel Mapper Free
Example Multi-City Trip You Can Plan
To show how this works, here is a real-world scenario:
- 14-Day Japan Adventure: Tokyo → Kyoto → Osaka
Below is the map view in Travel Mapper, giving you clarity before you book.
FAQs About Multi-City Vacation Planning
What’s the best way to plan a multi-city trip?
Start with a master itinerary in a spreadsheet, then use a tool like Travel Mapper to map and optimize your route.
Is there a free multi-city travel planner?
Yes! You can use our free Google Sheets template (linked above).
How do I avoid backtracking between cities?
Plot destinations on a map before booking. Travel Mapper makes this visual and highlights efficient sequencing.
Final Thoughts
Planning a multi-city vacation doesn’t have to be stressful. With the right system, you can keep everything organized, avoid backtracking, and enjoy your trip with confidence.
✅ Start with our free Google Sheets template to build your itinerary.
✅ Upgrade to Travel Mapper to instantly map, refine, and share your trip.
