Your Custom Itinerary

You tell me your dates and destination, and I do the research and create a 100% personalized itinerary — so you don’t have to open 100+ tabs and spend weeks scrolling through travel articles and figuring out how everything fits together

By personalized I mean that I build the whole itinerary just for you around your preferences and travel style

I consider your interests, budget, food and accommodation preferences, things you’re open to trying and your absolute “no’s”, your comfortable pace, preferred means of transportation, weather conditions while you’re there…

and all the other details that turn a generic itinerary into a trip that feels like you

what you receive:

Each itinerary is a detailed and realistic day-by-day plan which includes:

a hand-picked accommodation shortlist, with the itinerary planned around the stay you choose
cafes and restaurants that fit your preferences with recommendations on what to try
activities and experiences selected specifically for you, not generic “must-sees”
opening days/hours, reservation requirements and other details that can affect your plans
instructions on how to get between places, including the best transport options and approximate travel times
the best order to visit places, so you don’t waste time going back and forth
links to all the locations, so you can just tap and see the best walking / driving / subway route
a Google map with all the places listed (if Google Maps doesn’t work in the country, don’t worry — all the places in the itinerary will have links to a local map alternative which I’ll tell you about)
practical notes you should know before going (apps to download, how to pay on site, etc.)
useful advice to keep in mind while you’re there (what to pay attention to, possible local scams, etc.)
links to all the resources you might need
enough breathing room so the itinerary feels enjoyable rather than like a checklist

the itinerary is designed to make you feel like you have a local friend who tells you everything you need to know without you having to google each step

here is an example of what your day could look likeSee an example day

[ from a summer Shanghai trip I designed for a traveler who comes to China for the first time, hates crowds and wants to spend some time alone, loves walking a lot and getting up early, is skeptical about trying Chinese food and interested in trendy areas with interesting shopping malls and small stores — you can find their feedback here]

Day 2 — First Look at Shanghai: the Bund and the French Concession

~ 5:30 — go to Zhapu Road Bridge (30 minutes by taxi or around 50 minutes by subway). Don’t forget the snack you bought yesterday :)

If you want to get there right at sunrise, it starts at 5 am (you’ll need to leave at 4:30 by taxi since the subway will still be closed at this hour). But once again, nothing opens until around 9, so you’ll have to wander around until then

Then take a walk in the area and check out the beautiful 19-20th century European architecture:

walk through the Rock Bund area that gives off a bit of New York vibe
head to the Bund waterfront and grab a snack with a view of the skyline — it’s the best time to do it while there still aren’t many people around
have a proper breakfast at The Press (they have familiar western breakfasts), it opens at 8:30 am
walk to Fuzhou Road Cultural Street known as the city’s main book street. The shops open around 9-10 am

I’ve marked the general direction, but I’d suggest making the route longer by exploring more of the side streets, since the area itself isn’t that big if you just walk straight through it

Custom-itinerary example map 1

12:00 — walk to People’s Park to take a look at the Marriage Market (it takes place only on weekends at around 12–1 pm). It’s basically an offline Tinder in China where parents look for partners for their children and put their dating resumes. You can translate them and see what is considered a good match in China (it’s not always what you might expect)

14:00 — head to the French Concession (take the subway for one stop to Site of the First CPC National Congress South Huangpi Road, or walk for 30 minutes)

Before the walk, you can grab a snack at FamilyMart or have a proper lunch at gaga (a European-style food chain with familiar dishes), or get Italian pasta at DOPASTTA. They’re all right by the subway exit

Then explore this part of the French Concession:

start with Xintiandi — a pedestrian area with shikumen architecture (grey-brick houses blending European and Chinese styles), restaurants and shops
walk to Sinan Mansions, a small area with beautiful buildings
nearby, you can also visit Fuxing Park, the only well-preserved park in Shanghai designed in the classic French style
then head to Tianzifang, with its narrow lanes, historic architecture, trendy shops, and cafés. It’s quite popular nowadays, so if it’s too crowded, you can just get to the parallel streets

an example of an approximate route

Custom-itinerary example map 2

you can just walk around or rent a HelloRide bike (you’ll see city bikes of different colors, you need the blue ones)

To rent one through Alipay, go to the main Home tab, choose Transport from the top row, then tap the HelloRide icon. It might ask for verification, so you’ll need to send a photo of your passport. Once approved, choose the small bicycle icon and scan the QR code on the bike. You can also see the closest ones as blue dots on the map in the app.

To return the bike, leave it in a parking area (just look for a spot with other bikes), lock it through the app and then pay for the ride

18:00 — I suggest having dinner in the same area and giving Chinese food a chance in its less extreme form: go to Yuxingji Xiefen Shijia Xiehuangmian and order the crab noodles. it’s a very Shanghainese dish, a bit like seafood pasta in a creamy sauce. If you’re not ready yet, go to Wokka, a 10-minute walk from Tianzifang, it has familiar Western food

the price:

how the whole process works:

1 — Briefing

You tell me about your plans, and I send you a questionnaire where I ask about your budget, interests and your past travel experience. Then we have a short call where we discuss your preferences and expectations in more detail, so I have a better understanding of what type of travel you like.

2 — Confirming the Project & Prepayment

Once we discuss everything and confirm the project and timing, you make a 50% prepayment. After that I start working on the first draft that usually takes ~ 1 week to finish (I’ll let you know the specific timing in advance)

3 — Confirming the Direction

I send you the first draft which covers the overall route, number of days in each place and major activities for each day. You provide your feedback on what I should change, add or remove, and once you approve everything, we move forward

4 — Picking Accommodation

I send you 2-3 accommodation options with my detailed comments on each from the platform with the best price/a direct booking option, and you pick the one you like most. If you need any help booking it, I will send you the instructions. If you don’t like any options, just tell me and I’ll look for better ones. Once you choose the stay, you make the remaining 50% payment and I start working on the final version.

5 — Complete Itinerary & Final Adjustments

Within 7-10 days, I send you the final itinerary with exact locations, logistics, links, a map, instructions on how to book guides and excursions, and other details. If you have any notes or questions that aren’t covered in the itinerary, let me know and I’ll take care of them.

6 — Final Delivery

You receive your final PDF document that you can download and use during your trip. If you need to download any apps to navigate the area or if any restaurant/activity requires a reservation, I’ll let you know and give you the instructions on how to do it.