The passport advice matters six months out. The tipping guidance matters on day three. Sending it all at once means it arrives when it's useless and is gone when it isn't.
So it lives here, sorted by when you'll need it. Bookmark the page and come back when a question turns up.
What this is
-Sorted by when the question comes up
-General preparation, with your journey itself in your client portal
-The practical questions that arrive along the way
-A page to bookmark and return to
What this isn't
-A long email you archive unread
-Your itinerary and confirmations
-Destination inspiration
-Something to read cover to cover
the long email.
Nobody reads
01 — Why it exists
start here
The handful of apps worth having before you go, and how to get them working while you're still on home wifi.
What's in the itinerary I build you, how to read it, and how it changes as details get confirmed.
How we'll work together from here, what happens after you book, what I'll need from you, and when.
Tech and apps →
About your itinerary →
getting started →
About your itinerary
Getting Started
Tech and apps you'll use
Read these three early. They explain how this works, what you'll receive, and what to set up on your phone before anything else. If you booked this week, start with Getting started. The other two can wait until your dates are confirmed.
before you go
US-licensed physicians online for travel medications and vaccines before you leave. Consultations are complimentary through my link.
Why credit card coverage usually isn't enough. Travelex policies, quoted through my link.
How to pack and save space for returning with your souvenirs.
Passports, entry requirements, visas, and what to leave with someone at home.
Runway Health →
Get a Travelex quote →
Packing and preparation →
Travel documents →
Packing & preparation
Travel documents
Prescriptions & travel health · Partner
Travel insurance · Partner
The items with deadlines. Planning time to renew your passport and travel insurance.
Private car service booked in advance and tracked against your flight, so a delay doesn't leave you at the curb jet-lagged.
Which nonstop options exist, which connections are worth the savings, and how much of your first day each choice costs you.
What to expect at each end, connections, security, customs, and getting from the airport to where you're staying.
Book a transfer →
Nonstops from PHX →
Airports and transit →
Nonstops from Phoenix to Europe
Airports and transit
Airport transfers · Partner
What happens between your front door and your hotel, and how to keep all of it uneventful.
Travel day
Call or message any time you're traveling, +1 (480) 868-6152. If a plan needs rebuilding mid-journey, that's my job, not yours to solve alone.
Scholar-led tours, independent local guides, cooking classes and private drivers. The people I'd introduce you to in person.
Etiquette, money, staying connected, minor illness, and what to do when a plan shifts. The day-to-day of being abroad.
Contact Rachel →
Find a guide →
While you're traveling →
Guides and local experiences · Partner
While you're traveling
Reaching me
The questions that arrive mid-journey. Worth reading once before you leave so you know they're here when you need them.
On the ground
The best time to start is while you still remember what you'd do differently. A conversation is complimentary.
If you bought a policy when you booked, this is when it earns its cost. Start from the same Travelex link.
Reentry, what to do with receipts and claims, and the few things worth writing down while the journey is still fresh.
Request a consult →
Travelex →
When you return →
Starting an insurance claim · Partner
When you return
Planning the next one
Short, and most people skip it, which is how claims get missed and the good addresses get forgotten.
after the trip
Before, during and after the ship
The last morning, luggage, timing, and how to avoid the flight that ruins an otherwise good final day.
How the days work, dining and dress, tipping, excursions, and the ship etiquette nobody tells you in advance.
Documents, check-in, what to pack in your day bag, and arriving in the embarkation city early enough to see it awake.
Disembarkation →
Onboard life →
Before you board →
Onboard life
Before you board
Disembarkation
Embarkation, the days on board, and getting off well. These three cover it.
If you're cruising
Rachel Stankovic, Travel Designer
“Most travel problems aren't emergencies. They're things nobody told you in time.”
Use all of this
whether we work together or not.
Not traveling with me yet?
It's here because travelers need it, not as a gate. When you'd rather hand the whole thing over, the planning and the logistics both, that's what travel design is for.
Timed entries and reservations secured in advance
My notes for your specific journey, updated while you travel
Flight, property, rail, and guide confirmations
Your day-by-day itinerary, with times and addresses
+1 (480) 868-6152
hello@uptowntraveldesign.com
Reach me any time you're traveling.
This page is general and applies to any journey. Your itinerary, confirmations, documents, and timed entries are in your own client portal, private to you and updated while you travel.
Can't find your portal link? Call or email and I'll resend it.
in your portal.
Your trip itself lives
For current clients only.
In your client portal