Three days of car hire
Only the Takayama day needed a car.
Would have costTwo days of hire and parking
Japan itinerary check · Hi, I'm Alyse
You've planned your Japan trip. Will it actually work?
You've spent weeks on it: the spreadsheet, the train times, the tabs you've had open for months. Upload your plan and see it laid out, free. Then I'll go through it the way I check my own trips, and tell you exactly what I'd change.
Drop your plan here
Excel, Google Sheets, CSV, Word or PDF · or
- Free to upload
- Your file stays on your device
- $119 for the Itinerary Check
No plan in a file yet? Download my planner template.
Sound familiar?
- You're the planner in the family, and everyone's counting on you.
- You've read so many blogs the advice has started to contradict itself.
- It all looks right on paper, but you've never done this route before.
You've done the hard part. Let me check the rest, so you're not carrying it alone.
Checked the way I plan my own trips
Your plan goes through the same system I use for my own trips, built up over 14 trips since 2014. Here's a sample plan, and where it needed a closer look.
- Days 1 to 3Tokyo3 nights · teamLab, ShibuyaHotel Gracery Shinjuku
- Day 4Hakone1 night · Lake Ashi, onsen1 thing needs a closer look
- Days 5 to 8Kyoto4 nights · Arashiyama, Gion2 things need a closer look
- Days 9 to 11Osaka2 nights · Dotonbori, NaraCross Hotel Osaka
What I've found for other readers
Small slips cost more than you'd think. A missed connection: A morning. A museum that's closed that day: The only day you had for it. A bad night's sleep before a 6 am start: The whole next day.
A driving permit you can't get there
It comes from your motoring club at home, before you fly. Not once you've landed.
Would have costThe day trip they'd hired the car for
A long weekend nobody mentioned
Their last Monday was a public holiday, so Asakusa and the airport were at their busiest. I planned around it.
Would have costTheir last day, in queues
Two rides closed on Legoland day
Seasonal maintenance, on the one day they'd booked. Now they know before they queue.
Would have costA morning queuing for rides that weren't running
From real reviews, details changed. The Itinerary Check is $119, and one avoidable slip can easily cost more than that.
Upload my itinerary
Hi, I'm Alyse
I'll treat your trip like my own
I know planning Japan is hard, and you're probably doing most of it on your own. When the whole family is counting on you to get it right, that's a lot to carry.
I've been planning Japan trips for my own family and friends since 2014, and sharing what I learn with the millions of readers of my website. Fourteen trips later, I've built a system for getting the details right: the ones that make or break a day.
When you share your itinerary with me, I treat it like my own. I go through it day by day, drawing on my guides, my network of local partners and everything I've learned on the ground, so nothing catches you out once you're there. And where I can, I'll help you dodge the crowds without missing a thing.
Alyse
How the Japan itinerary review works
- 1Upload your planAny spreadsheet or document. It's read right here, on your device.
- 2Check your plannerDay by day, where you sleep each night. Fix anything that came through wrong.
- 3Six quick questionsWho's travelling, your pace, what's booked. Then $119 on Gumroad.
- 4Alyse's reviewYour trip report, my findings and your itinerary as a polished PDF, in about 3 business days.
Pages from a sample review. Your trip report shows every part of your plan I checked, with a tick where it's good. Then each big finding gets what I spotted, why it matters and what I'd do instead, and the fix goes straight into your day pages.
The Itinerary Check
$119once, in USD
- Your trip report, area by area
- My findings, every one with the why
- Your own itinerary as a polished PDF
- My booking links and photo spots
- Lesser-known places I love, for your free time
- About 3 business days
Japan itinerary review questions
How much does a Japan itinerary review cost?
The Itinerary Check is $119 for a trip of up to 21 days. That covers my personal review, your trip report and your itinerary as a polished PDF. You can upload your plan and see it laid out for free first, and only pay when you're happy to send it.
Is it really you who reviews my plan?
Yes, every word. I review every itinerary myself, personally, from start to finish.
What if my plan isn't finished yet?
This is a review of your own itinerary, so it works best once you know where you're sleeping each night and roughly what each day holds. I'll point out any gaps, but I won't build a new itinerary from scratch here. If you're just starting out, or you'd like us to plan it together, my custom itinerary co-creation is made for that.
Is there a limit on how long my trip can be?
The Itinerary Check covers trips of up to 21 days. If yours is longer, my 1:1 Itinerary Consult is the one for you: We go through your whole plan together over Zoom.
My trip is soon. Is it too late?
A review takes up to 3 business days. If you leave sooner than that, I'll do my best, but some fixes may come too late to book. The earlier you send it, the more I can help: Some things open for booking months ahead.
What exactly do I get?
Your trip report, with every part of your plan checked and a tick where it's good. My findings, each with why it matters and what I'd change. And your own itinerary as a polished PDF, day by day, with the changes built in and my booking links and photo spots. Where you have free time, I'll suggest lesser-known places I love nearby.
Do you book things for me?
No. This is a review of your itinerary, so you make your own bookings. I'll tell you what to book and when, and where I have a booking link, it's in your PDF to make it easy.
What if my plan is already great?
Then my review will confirm it, which is awesome! I'll still check it against everything, to make sure nothing slipped through. You'll get your trip report to show it, my picks for your free time, and your itinerary as a polished PDF.
What if I need more help, or just want to talk it through with you?
That's fine! I also offer Japan travel consulting over Zoom: A 1:1 Itinerary Consult to talk your plan through together, or custom itinerary co-creation if you'd like us to build it together, with more of the lesser-known places I love woven in. See my consulting services.
What happens to my file?
Your file never leaves your device: It's read right here in your browser. When you order, only the trip details you've checked and your answers are sent to me.
How do I pay?
Payment is handled securely by Gumroad, which lets you pay in your local currency, takes care of any local taxes for you and emails your receipt. You can upload your itinerary and see it laid out for free first, and only pay when you're happy to send it.
Ready when you are
Upload your itinerary and see it laid out for free. Send it to me when you're happy.
I'm ready, let's go!$119 for the Itinerary Check · About 3 business days