How to write a travel itinerary in English (B1 pre-intermediate): times, arrangements and a backup plan

A good itinerary lets someone follow your day without questions: each stage has a time, a place and the transport. Use the present continuous for what is agreed or booked (“I’m meeting the client at ten.”), be going to for your own plans and the present simple for timetables (“The train leaves at 15:32.”). Leave extra time before the deadline and add one backup. This is for adults at B1 (pre-intermediate, A2–B1) who travel or arrange meetings in English.

Who this is for

Adults at pre-intermediate level who travel for work or pleasure and need to share plans in English.
Anyone who arranges meetings with English-speaking colleagues and wants to turn down a time politely and suggest another.
Learners who still use “will” for every future plan and want a clearer choice.
Too early: if “I work” and “I’m working” still feel the same, start with the A2 article on writing about your work and routine.
Too easy: if you already choose between going to and the present continuous without thinking, move on to forecasts that connect evidence with action.

Open the sample pages

Word cards

arrivals

the airport area where passengers enter after their flight

I’ll meet you in arrivals after you collect your case.

bag drop

the desk where checked bags are accepted after online check-in

We printed our boarding passes at home and went straight to bag drop.

baggage reclaim

the area where arriving passengers collect checked luggage

Your suitcase should appear on belt six in baggage reclaim.

check-in

the process or desk where a passenger confirms a flight and receives a boarding pass

Check-in closes forty minutes before departure.

customs

the official control where goods entering a country may be checked

We had nothing to declare at customs.

departures

the airport area for passengers leaving on flights

The café is upstairs in departures.

gate

the numbered place where passengers wait to board a particular flight

Flight 286 is now boarding at gate 14.

lift

a platform or small room that carries people between floors

Take the lift to the second-floor departure lounge.

Conversation

maya Would you like to visit the print studio with me on Wednesday afternoon?

owen I’d love to, but I’m meeting a supplier at three and talking to the venue manager at five.

maya What about Thursday? I’m arriving in Bristol at two fifteen.

owen Thursday could work. I’m seeing the dentist at three, but I’m free after four.

maya The studio closes at six. Shall we arrive at the studio at four thirty?

owen Yes, Thursday at four thirty is fine. Are we asking for a tour or just looking at paper samples?

maya I spoke to Jo yesterday. She’s giving us a short tour, and then we’re choosing the paper.

owen Perfect. I’ll put it in my calendar and wait for you outside the main entrance.

Language pattern

When are Maya and Owen visiting the print studio?

Thursday at 4:30, after Owen’s dentist appointment and before the studio closes.

The agreed time becomes a present-continuous future arrangement; preposition chunks make each detail complete.

I’m seeing…
Are you meeting…?
What about Thursday?
arrive_at

More practice

Be going to and the letter g

Two adult travellers planning a safe airport stopover.

am/is/are going to + base verb

use this form for an intention or plan decided before speaking

We’re going to spend the stopover in the city centre.

am not / isn’t / aren’t going to

put not after be to say a plan is not intended

I’m not going to check a bag for a two-day trip.

Am/Is/Are … going to?

move be before the subject to ask about a plan

Are you going to take the airport train?

prediction from present evidence

use going to when something visible or known now points to a future result

That security queue is enormous; we’re going to be late.

go /g/ · gate /g/ · guest /g/

g is usually /g/ before a, o, u, or a consonant

Our guest is going to wait at the gate.

general /dʒ/ · region /dʒ/ · large /dʒ/

g is often /dʒ/ before e, i, or y

The general information screen shows the region and gate change.

begin /g/ · gift /g/

some words keep /g/ before e or i, so check and learn exceptions

Our gift is in my bag, and boarding begins at six.

going to in natural speech

in conversation, going to is often unstressed, but am/is/are and the main verb must stay clear

We’re going to leave at six.

Fixed future arrangements and linking

Two colleagues arranging a print-studio visit.

present continuous + future time

use am/is/are + -ing for a future arrangement with a time or place already agreed

I’m meeting Rosa at the station at 6:30 tomorrow.

arrangement, not just an idea

an arrangement normally has another person, booking, ticket, time, or place

We’re having dinner with the clients on Thursday.

negative arrangement

use am not/isn’t/aren’t + -ing for something fixed not to happen

Leo isn’t joining us on Friday.

question about an arrangement

move am/is/are before the subject

Are you flying home on Sunday?

Would you like to…?

invite someone politely to an activity

Would you like to come to the gallery on Saturday?

I’d love to. / Friday’s fine.

accept an invitation or proposed time warmly

Friday’s fine. I’m not working that evening.

Sorry, I’m… / What about…?

give a real conflicting arrangement, then suggest an alternative

Sorry, I’m meeting my aunt then. What about Sunday?

link consonant to following vowel

in fluent speech, a final consonant often joins the vowel at the start of the next word

arrive_at_eight; speak_about_it; wait_in_arrivals

The nine-hour city plan

THE NINE-HOUR CITY PLAN

When Ana Ruiz learned that her flight from Madrid to Seoul included a nine-hour stopover in Warsaw, she decided to leave the airport. She was travelling with one cabin bag, and her connecting flight departed at 20:40. Before the journey, she checked the airport train timetable and booked a 13:30 walking tour.

Her plan was precise. After passport control, she was going to put her bag in a locker near arrivals. The 12:42 train reached the centre at 13:07, leaving twenty minutes to meet the guide beside the old city wall. The tour finished at 15:30. Ana then had a table booked at a small restaurant where the lunch menu was served until four. She planned to take the 16:32 train back and be at security before 17:00—more than three hours before departure.

The first flight landed twenty-five minutes late, but the passport-control queue moved quickly. At 12:35, Ana checked the live train information. The next train was still on time, so she followed her original plan. During the tour, however, the guide warned the group about a rail strike beginning at 16:00. Ana did not wait for lunch. She asked for a sandwich, took the 15:42 train, and reached the departure lounge at 16:25.

Ana saw less of Warsaw than she expected, but she did not risk her connection. Her advance research gave her enough information to enjoy the city and change the plan when the transport situation changed.

Write a usable travel itinerary

HALF-DAY CLIENT VISIT: ROTTERDAM

09:10 — Arrive at Rotterdam Centraal on the intercity train. Maya is meeting me under the station clock.

09:20 — Take tram 7 to Westplein. We’re visiting the client’s studio at 10:00; reception has our names.

11:30 — Walk to Fenix Food Factory for an early lunch. I’m going to ask for a quiet table because we need to discuss the revised budget.

12:40 — Take a water taxi from Rijnhaven to Leuvehaven, then walk to the design museum. Our timed tickets are for 13:15.

14:45 — Leave the museum and take the metro to the station. The return train departs at 15:32.

Backup: in strong wind the water taxis sometimes stop. Then we’re going to take the metro directly and skip coffee. This still leaves thirty minutes before the train.

What makes an itinerary usable?

It gives ordered times, exact places, transport, confirmed arrangements, some extra time, and one backup.

The model is organized by time so another traveller can follow it without asking for missing details.

08:30 — arrive at…
We’re taking…
We’re meeting…
Backup: we’re going to…

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What a usable itinerary looks like

Each entry starts with a time and an action, then adds the place, the transport and any arrangement. A gap before the deadline and one backup keep a half-day work trip safe:

Arrival: “09:10 Arrive at the central station. A colleague is meeting me at the main entrance.”
Fixed appointment: “09:30 Take a taxi to the client’s office. We’re presenting at 10:00.”
Your own plan: “12:15 Lunch near the office. I’m going to ask for a quiet table.”
Deadline: “14:45 Leave for the station. The return train departs at 15:32.”
Backup: “If the meeting runs late, we’re going to skip lunch and take a taxi to the station.”

Present continuous, going to or present simple?

Ask: is this agreed with someone, decided only by me, or fixed by a timetable? An arrangement usually involves another person, a booking or a ticket. Keep will for decisions made while speaking: “I’ll put it in my calendar.”

Arrangement: “We’re having dinner with the clients on Thursday.”
Questions and negatives: “Are you flying home on Sunday?” “Tom isn’t joining us on Friday.”
Intention decided earlier: “I’m not going to check a bag for a two-day trip.”
Prediction from what you can see: “That security queue is enormous; we’re going to be late.”
Timetable: “The return train departs at 15:32.”

A short conversation: finding a time that works

Two colleagues are fitting a studio visit into a busy week. Listen for four moves: an invitation (“Would you like to…?”), a refusal with a real arrangement (“I’d love to, but I’m meeting…”), a new option (“What about Thursday?”) and a confirmation (“Thursday at four thirty is fine.”).

Maya Would you like to visit the print studio with me on Wednesday afternoon?

Owen I’d love to, but I’m meeting a supplier at three and talking to the venue manager at five.

Maya What about Thursday? I’m arriving in Bristol at two fifteen.

Owen Thursday could work. I’m seeing the dentist at three, but I’m free after four.

Maya The studio closes at six. Shall we arrive at the studio at four thirty?

Owen Yes, Thursday at four thirty is fine. Are we asking for a tour or just looking at paper samples?

Verb and preposition pairs

Learn travel verbs with their prepositions. Note that “arrive home” takes none.

arrive in (city, country): “We arrive in Lisbon on Thursday morning.”
arrive at (building, station): “Please arrive at the terminal by six.”
wait for: “I’ll wait for you outside passport control.”
pay for: “Who is going to pay for the taxi?”
think about (consider), think of (opinion): “We’re thinking about staying one more night.” “What do you think of the new itinerary?”

Learn this unit your way

Airport words in route order

If you forget a word, describe it: “the place where you collect your suitcase” is enough for anyone to answer “baggage reclaim”.

Leaving: check-in or bag drop, the security check, the departure lounge, the gate.
Arriving: passport control, baggage reclaim, customs, arrivals.
Changing planes: a stopover (or layover) and a connecting flight.

Common mistakes

Each has an easy fix:

“We arrive to Lisbon.” Say “arrive in Lisbon”, “arrive at the hotel”.
“I meet the client tomorrow.” For an agreed time: “I’m meeting the client tomorrow.”
“I wait you outside.” Say “I’ll wait for you outside.”
“Sorry, I can’t.” alone. Add the conflict and an option: “I’m seeing the dentist at three. What about four thirty?”
No extra time. If every train must be on time, the plan is fragile.

A 10-minute daily practice routine

Use your own week; real plans are easier to talk about.

2 minutes: play the conversation, pausing to repeat each line.
2 minutes: say three arrangements from this week’s calendar.
3 minutes: discuss aloud: would you leave the airport on a three-hour stopover? Give a plan, a prediction and a backup.
3 minutes: write a 120–150 word itinerary: four timed stages, one arrangement, extra time, a backup.

What comes next

Next, tell the story of a trip that went wrong, with a turning point and an ending. Then move from plans to predictions with a short forecast that links evidence to action.

Frequently asked questions

How do you write a travel itinerary in English?

List the stages in time order. Start each entry with a time and an action (“09:10 Arrive at the central station.”), then add the place, transport and any arrangement. End with extra time and a backup.

What is the difference between “I’m meeting” and “I’m going to meet”?

“I’m meeting the client at ten” means the time is agreed. “I’m going to meet the client” means you have decided, but it may not be arranged yet. Often both work.

Is it “arrive in” or “arrive at”?

Use “arrive in” for cities and countries (“arrive in Bristol”) and “arrive at” for buildings, stations and airports (“arrive at the studio”). “Arrive home” needs no preposition; never say “arrive to” a place.