I was planning to travel to Hong Kong this April. It would be my first time visiting, and I had no idea where to go. I did a lot of research on Google and found many places and restaurants that seemed worth visiting. I collected the information in a markdown file, but it’s quite scattered rather than detailed. That made it hard to plan my itinerary. Since I’m not familiar with Hong Kong, I don’t know where these places are located. Given the hot weather and the fact that I’ll be relying on public transportation, I definitely don’t want to go to the west side of the city in the morning, then head east in the afternoon, and return west again for dinner.
At first, I thought Google Maps could help. I was able to mark locations and draw routes between them, which helped me visualize the overall plan. However, I couldn’t add notes or stickers to the map, and the interface wasn’t very efficient, it was pretty hard to use. On top of that, there was no way to import the itinerary into my calendar.
Then I thought Notion might be a better tool. I liked that I could take notes using Markdown syntax, which felt familiar and flexible. However, just like the markdown file, it only helped me record the information I found on Google. It still didn’t help me visualize the route or organize the trip in a practical, location-based way.
Later, I came across a concept called “database” in Notion through some YouTube videos—and that changed everything. It turned out to be exactly what I needed!
How Notion solves my problem
More precisely, the Notion database solved my biggest problem, I didn’t know where the places I wanted to visit were located. So, the first thing I did was create a database table called Areas, where I saved the names of different regions or districts in Hong Kong.
On top of that, I created an Itinerary table. One of the great things about Notion databases is that you can create relationships between different tables. So, I added a property in the Itinerary table called Area, and linked it to an Areas table. This way, I can easily categorize each activity by area, which makes the itinerary much more organized and easier to navigate.
Next, I add the places I want to go as entries in the Itinerary table. Label them with area by searching those places on Google Map.
Now you can actually see where all the places are located! Just fill in the dates based on your schedule and reorder the entries as needed. It makes planning so much more intuitive and flexible.
I also added a view on my homepage to make it looks better.
How well does it work while traveling?
I’d say it worked perfectly! The Notion page I used actually has more features than I mentioned earlier. On my homepage, I can view notes I’ve taken for each item in the Itinerary. I also saved transportation routes in Notion. I chose to take the subway (taxis are way too expensive!), which is why I got myself an Octopus card.
If you want, you can even download a Notion calendar app to check your itinerary directly from there. But I didn’t, because I wanted a more relaxed trip. So I’d rather not have to constantly check my schedule.
After I got back home, I created a Notion template. It includes some additional features I didn’t mention earlier—like expense tracking—which turned out to be really helpful for organizing and reviewing the trip.
Ending
I already have a few ideas on how to make travel planning even more efficient, and I’ll be sharing them next time.
If you're someone who enjoys adding a bit of logic to your leisure, I hope this approach helps make your next trip smoother, smarter, and a lot less stressful.
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