How to Make a Travel Itinerary in Excel (with Cost Splitting and Map Links)

Step-by-step

You’ll build a simple trip planner with drop-down categories, automatic cost splitting and one-click Google Maps links.

1. Add the headers

In a blank workbook, type these across row 1 starting in A1: Date, Time, Activity, Duration, Price, Number of people, Cost per person, Location, Map and Notes. Widen the columns (double-click the borders to auto-fit), then make the header row bold, centred, size 18, with white text on dark blue.

2. Add a day header

In A2 type something like Sunday – Trip Day 1. Select across the full width of the table, click Merge & Center, and make it bold with a light blue fill. It works like a headline for each day.

3. Freeze the header row

Go to View > Freeze Panes > Freeze Top Row, so the headers stay visible as the list grows.

4. Format the columns

Set Date to a short date, Time to a time format, Price and Cost per person to currency, and Number of people to a number with no decimals.

5. Split the cost automatically

In the first Cost per person cell (G3):

=IF(OR(F3="",F3=0,E3=""),"",E3/F3)

The core is E3/F3, the price divided by the number of people. The IF part stops Excel showing a divide-by-zero error: if the number of people is blank or zero, or the price is blank, it leaves the cell empty. Fill it down.

6. Add one-click map links

In the Map column, a HYPERLINK formula turns whatever is typed in the Location cell into a Google Maps search link that displays as Open map, for example:

=HYPERLINK("https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query="&ENCODEURL(H3),"Open map")

ENCODEURL converts the location text (spaces included) into a format that works in a web address. Some older Excel versions don’t have ENCODEURL; replacing spaces with %20 using SUBSTITUTE(H3," ","%20") works for most locations. Type a location such as Hotel Hilton Bali, click Open map, and Google Maps opens.

7. Enter your plans

Add each activity on its own row: date, time, what it is, how long, price, how many people, location and notes. Turn on Wrap Text for the Notes column so long notes stay readable. Copy the formulas down by dragging the fill handle.

8. Add an activity-type drop-down

Insert a Type column next to Activity (Excel updates the formulas automatically). Select its cells, go to Data > Data Validation > List, and enter Lodging,Entertainment,Food,Drinks,Transportation. To colour-code the types, use Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Text that Contains, for example colouring every “Food” cell.

9. Add more days

Copy the day header, paste it above the next day’s plans and change it to Monday – Trip Day 2. Turn off gridlines and add your own borders to finish.