Plan a dream trip
Plan and design a dream trip itinerary with a map, budget, packing list, and travel journal; research destinations and present your plan.
About this activity
Plan and design a dream trip itinerary with a map, budget, packing list, and travel journal; research destinations and present your plan.
What you need
Step by step
- 1
Step 1
Pick three dream places you want to visit and write each name on your paper.
- 2
Step 2
Use books or a computer with help to find and write one fun thing to see at each place.
- 3
Step 3
Use books or a computer with help to find and write an estimated travel cost for each place.
- 4
Step 4
Circle the place you want most to visit as your top destination.
- 5
Step 5
Decide how many days your trip will last and write that number on your paper.
- 6
Step 6
Draw a simple map showing how you will get there and mark the top spots you want to visit.
- 7
Step 7
Write a day-by-day itinerary with one main activity for each day of your trip.
- 8
Step 8
List the main budget categories on your paper such as transport lodging food and activities.
- 9
Step 9
Give each budget category a price and add them together to find your total trip budget.
- 10
Step 10
Make a packing list grouped into clothing toiletries and fun items using sticky notes or paper.
- 11
Step 11
Fold several papers in half and staple them to make a travel journal booklet.
- 12
Step 12
On the first page of your journal write one short paragraph explaining why you chose this trip.
- 13
Step 13
Create a one-page poster or slideshow that shows your chosen place the map the itinerary the budget and the packing list.
- 14
Step 14
Share your finished trip plan and creations on DIY.org.
Fun facts
How do I plan and design a dream trip itinerary with a map, budget, packing list, travel journal, and presentation?
Start by choosing a destination together, then research highlights, travel times, and local rules. Sketch a map and build a day-by-day itinerary with places to see, meals, and downtime. Make a simple budget for transport, food, and activities, and list packing items. Keep a travel journal for notes and drawings. Finish by creating a short presentation with photos or a poster. Parents should help with online research and checking safety details.
What materials do I need to help my child plan a dream trip project?
Gather paper or a notebook for the itinerary and travel journal, colored pens or markers, stickers, and a large map or globe. Use a tablet or computer for research, printable map templates, scissors, glue, and envelopes for keepsakes. A calculator or simple spreadsheet helps with budgeting, plus access to kid-friendly travel sites. Optional: camera or phone for photos, craft supplies for a presentation board, and a ruler for map drawing.
What ages is a dream trip planning activity suitable for?
This activity can be adapted for different ages. Preschoolers (about 4–6) enjoy picking destinations from pictures and making simple packing lists with help. Elementary kids (7–11) can research attractions, sketch maps, and start a basic budget. Tweens and teens (12+) can do detailed research, create spreadsheets, compare prices, and prepare a presentation. Always supervise online research and budgeting; modify complexity and time expectations for younger children.
What are the benefits of planning a dream trip with my child?
Planning a dream trip builds real-world skills: geography, research, reading, math for budgeting, organization, writing for the journal, and public speaking when presenting. It boosts creativity, decision-making, and confidence while encouraging family conversation about cultures and safety. The activity also teaches money sense and time management and can be a low-cost way to explore the world virtually. Celebrate effort with a simple certificate or display to reinforce accomplishment.
Watch & Learn
Need help?
I don’t have sticky notes, a stapler, or a computer—what can I use instead?
Use small squares of scrap paper or index cards instead of sticky notes, secure your folded-paper travel journal with tape or a hole punch and yarn if you don’t have a stapler, and consult library books, a parent’s phone, or printed brochures instead of a computer when you look up fun things and travel costs.
What should I do if I can’t find travel costs online or my map looks messy?
If exact prices are hard to find use rounded average estimates from a travel site or ask an adult to help check flight/hotel costs, and simplify your drawn map by sketching a clear route with arrows and labeling only the top spots you circled as destinations.
How can I change the activity to suit a 5-year-old or a 12-year-old?
For younger kids pick one place, make the itinerary picture-based, and have an adult read books or search for costs, while older kids can research exact prices, plan more days, calculate totals themselves, and create a digital slideshow poster from their map, itinerary, budget, and packing list.
How can we make the travel journal and poster more creative or personal?
Personalize the journal and poster by gluing in printed photos or postcards and pretend tickets, using colored sticky notes for clothing/ toiletries/fun-item groups, adding local words or a per-person budget calculation, and then upload the finished slideshow and journal photos to DIY.org to share.