How I Use Trello to Plan a Year of Travel
- Amanda Davis
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
When it comes to organizing multiple trips in a year, I need a system that can handle all the moving parts - destinations, flights, accommodations, activities, and budgets - in one place. For me, that system is Trello.
Trello is a free project management tool that uses boards, lists, and cards to keep everything organized visually. I’ve tried spreadsheets, travel notebooks, and a dozen different apps, but Trello is the one I keep coming back to. It’s easy to use, flexible, and perfect for annual travel planning.
In this post, I’ll walk you through exactly how I use Trello to plan a year of travel, from the big-picture overview to the smallest trip details.
Why Trello Works for Annual Travel Planning
When Josh and I plan a year of travel, we’re often working on several trips at once. One might be fully booked, another is in the research stage, and a third is just an idea. Trello lets me:
See the entire year’s travel plans at a glance
Keep all trip details in one place
Share boards with Josh and any other travel companions so we all have access
Move ideas around easily when dates or priorities change
It’s like having a digital travel binder that is accessible from my laptop or phone.
Setting Up My Travel Planning Board
I start with a single Trello board called “Travel Year [Year].” Within that board, I create lists for each stage of planning:
Trip Ideas – Destinations we might want to visit in the future
Researching – Trips I’m actively looking into
Booked – Trips with flights, hotels, or cruises confirmed
Upcoming – The next trip(s) on the calendar
Completed – Past trips, which I keep for reference
This setup matches the way I think about my year - from broad ideas to finalized plans.
How I Use Cards for Each Trip
Each trip then gets its own Trello board. Here’s what I include on each board:
Destination & Dates – The trip name is “Destination – Dates” for easy scanning
Expected Weather Details – To help with packing the right outfits
Checklists – For flights, accommodations, transportation, and activities
Attachments – PDFs of tickets, hotel confirmations, and maps
Links – To Google Flights searches, cruise booking pages, tour descriptions, and hotel or Airbnb websites
Notes – Quick reminders or itinerary ideas
If I’m planning a cruise, I’ll also have cards for shore excursions, onboard reservations, and packing essentials.
Color-Coding for Quick Organization
Trello’s label feature is my secret weapon for managing multiple trips in a year. I assign colors for quick visual sorting:
Blue – Cruises
Green – Domestic trips
Yellow – International trips
Purple – Family or group trips
At a glance, I can see what type of travel we have coming up and make sure we have a good mix for the year.
Adding Trello to My Annual Travel Plan
Trello fits perfectly into my larger travel planning strategies. When I’m mapping out the year (as I explain in my How I Plan a Year of Travel post), Trello becomes the working space where those plans live and evolve.
For example:
When I find a cheap flight in May, I’ll create a card and attach the fare details.
Once we book, I change the card label to “Booked” and add hotel confirmations and activity plans.
After the trip, I move the board to a “Completed” Workspace and add notes about what we loved and what we’d do differently.
Why Trello Beats a Spreadsheet for Me
I know a lot of travelers swear by spreadsheets for planning (and anyone who knows me knows I love a good spreadsheet), but I find Trello more flexible and visual. Instead of looking at rows of data, I can see each trip as a board, with checklists and images right there. And moving a trip to a different time of year is as simple as dragging a card to another spot on the board.
Tips for Using Trello for Travel Planning
Keep it simple at first. You don’t have to use every feature right away.
Use due dates. This is especially helpful for booking windows, final payments, and activity reservations.
Share with your travel companions. Trello makes it easy for everyone to contribute ideas and updates.
Archive instead of deleting. That way you can always go back to see past trips for inspiration.
Final Thoughts on Trello for Year-Round Travel Planning
Whether you’re organizing one big vacation or planning a year of travel with multiple trips, Trello is an excellent tool for keeping everything in one place. It’s flexible, visual, and works just as well for quick weekend getaways as it does for multi-week international adventures.
If you’ve struggled with keeping your travel plans organized, give Trello a try. Once you set up your first travel board, you might find - like I did - that it becomes an essential part of your travel planning process.
Recommendations
Are you planning your next trip and looking for services that make travel smoother? Here are a few of my go-to recommendations:
Stay Connected Abroad: I use Airalo eSIMs to avoid the hassle of swapping SIM cards in every country.
Protect Your Data: NordVPN keeps my internet connection safe when I’m on public Wi-Fi at airports, hotels, or cafés.
Travel Europe by Train: I book through Trainline for easy tickets across Europe, including London, Italy, Spain, and France.
Relax Before You Fly: Priority Pass gives you access to airport lounges around the world.
Find the Right Stay: For vacation rentals, I like using VRBO.
See the City with Ease: Hop-on, hop-off tours are a fun way to get oriented. Check out Big Bus Tours in Vienna, Rome, Berlin, Istanbul, and Dubai.
Book Tours and Transfers: I often use Get Your Guide and Viator to arrange activities, tickets, and transfers in advance.
Hotels, Cars, and Flights: Expedia is one of my go-to sites for comparing and booking travel.
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase or booking through them, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. These commissions help me keep creating and sharing travel content here on From Lawrence with Love. Thank you for supporting the blog!
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