Moments Inked Planner: Trip Planning

Hello, today's post is for all the planner peeps who might be stopping by! I've been working on a big summer 2017 trip for a while now (two years, in fact!). Our destination: Alaska. I'm overwhelmed (in the best possible way) with all the decisions, choices, possible itineraries, and just various considerations in general. To help corral all the information into one place, I decided to create a travel planning booklet for my Moments Inked Planner. 

I started with a stack of Refill Binder Pages - Lined (I used 8), trimmed off the binder holes, and scored in the middle for a top-fold booklet. (Lexi Daly shared Mini Notebooks To Go earlier this year, so definitely check out her post for additional booklet/notebook ideas if you're interested in making some of these!)

For my booklet binding, I punched two holes and tied the pages together with some jute string.

To cut down bulk, I did not add a separate card stock cover, so my outside page is both the front and back cover. I customized the "cover" with with some travel-themed stamps and dies: 

Stamps: Traveler's Journal: Adventure, Type Strips III

Dies:  Traveler's Journal: Outer Cover, Scene It: Mountain View, Type Bits Strip

Ink: Canyon Clay, True Black

Paper: Aqua Mist, Ripe Avocado, Refill Binder Pages - Lined

Other: jute string

Since we don't yet know our exact travel dates or the length of our trip, I created a generic page template that shows three days at a time and that I can fill in as we get things figured out (all in pencil for now though, in case we need to rearrange!). 

The days of the week flags (repositionable, of course) are there so that I can keep in mind whether it's the weekend or not and choose or avoid our destinations and activities accordingly. 

Because of Alaska's size and the distance between destinations, driving times are a big consideration, so I added a quick AM and PM to indicate where we are when we wake up and where we'll overnight, along with the number of miles and the time it will take to get from one place to the next. I also added a checkbox to indicate whether we will need reservations or not. We are hoping to leave much of the trip planned but not booked, so we can have the freedom to go off-plan as desired. On the other hand, we don't want to be caught off-guard without a reservation when we need one.

The Notes space below is where I can write down options for activities each day.

Stamps: Moments Inked: Listed, Traveler's Journal: Typed Notes, Moments Inked: Planner Banners, Moments Inked: Active Symbols

Dies: Moments Inked: Planner Banners

Ink: Aqua Mist, Simply Chartreuse, True Black, Raspberry Fizz, Canyon Clay, Hawaiian Shores

We have some key top-level decisions to make about the trip, so I added a "start here" title to a blank page and listed those questions for easy reference. "Start here" is from Moments Inked: Posted II, and the stitched flag die-cut is from Tag Sale: Quilted.

The next page is where I've listed excursions that we're particularly interested in. I wrote the excursions on repositionable stickers that I die-cut using one of the dies from the Moments Inked: Divided die set. As I'm planning, I'll move these to the actual day pages. If I empty this page, I'll know we're doing everything we set out to do (although I think we're going to have to pare this down a bit!).

Below the excursions is a list of other activities we would also like to fit in if possible. (I think we're going to need the whole summer!)

In the back of the booklet there are lots of additional blank pages for notes and information.

Here's how I've started using the booklet to plan out a sample itinerary. I'm doing it all in pencil right now, since we're not even sure yet which direction we'll head first once we get there.

To secure the booklet into my planner (and still allow it to be removed), I made a little binder strip with a slot for the booklet. For durability, I used a piece of a plastic two-pocket folder from the office supply store. 

Instructions: 

Cut a 1" x 7" strip.

Die-cut the binder holes using the full-size Binder Page die

Center the booklet and mark the left and right edge on the binder strip.

Punch a small hole into the binder strip at each mark.

Use a craft knife and ruler to cut a slot between the two punched holes.

Then you just find the midpoint of the booklet and slide it through.

That's it for today! Hope you found something here that you can use in your own planner. I'm thinking these booklets would be perfect for home decor/home improvement projects. Record your room dimensions, window sizes, etc., and then when you get to the hardware store, just grab the booklet and go!

Before I sign off today, a request: if you are an RV traveler (especially if you've RV'd in Alaska) and you're willing to help out a newbie, please email me, message me, leave a comment, etc. We are thinking an RV rental would be a fun way to do Alaska, but I've never even been inside one before, so I have questions. Lots!

We love to see how you're using your planner. Share with us using the #momentsinked hashtag!

Thanks so much for joining me today! Have a great week!