Applying for a Spanish Schengen visa requires a meticulously prepared itinerary, which serves as proof of your travel plans, accommodation, and financial means. While you can create this manually in Word or Excel, specialized software and tools can streamline the process, ensure accuracy, and generate professional-looking documents that meet embassy requirements. This guide provides detailed recommendations for software options and a step-by-step guide on how to use them effectively.

Understanding the Requirements for a Spanish Visa Itinerary

Before diving into software recommendations, it’s crucial to understand what the Spanish consulate expects from your itinerary. A standard itinerary for a short-stay Schengen visa (Type C) should include:

  • Daily Schedule: A day-by-day breakdown of your activities, including dates.
  • Accommodation Details: Full address, name of the hotel/hostel, and booking confirmation numbers.
  • Transportation: Flight numbers, train details, or car rental information for inter-city travel.
  • Purpose of Visit: Brief description of activities (e.g., tourism, business meetings).
  • Financial Proof: While not part of the itinerary itself, the itinerary should reflect a realistic budget.

The itinerary must be consistent with your flight bookings, hotel reservations, and overall travel narrative. Inconsistencies can lead to visa rejection.

Software Recommendations

We categorize tools into three types: All-in-One Visa Itinerary Builders, General Productivity Tools, and Specialized Travel Planning Apps. For each, we’ll discuss pros, cons, and best use cases.

1. All-in-One Visa Itinerary Builders (Specialized Tools)

These are niche tools designed specifically for visa applications. They often integrate with flight and hotel APIs to generate realistic bookings (though you must purchase actual tickets later).

Option A: VisaItinerary.com (Hypothetical Example – Representative of Real Tools like TravelVisaPro or iVisa)

Note: Tools like TravelVisaPro or iVisa offer itinerary building as part of their service. For this guide, we’ll use a hypothetical “VisaItinerary Builder” to illustrate the workflow, as specific tools may change.

Features:

  • Pre-built templates for Schengen visas.
  • Auto-population of flight and hotel data.
  • Export to PDF/Word.
  • Compliance checks for embassy standards.

Pros: Fast, error-free, professional output. Cons: Often subscription-based; may not support all airlines.

Best For: Users who want a quick, compliant itinerary without manual formatting.

Option B: TripIt (Pro Version)

While not exclusively for visas, TripIt Pro ($49/year) organizes all travel confirmations into a single master itinerary. You can forward emails (flight, hotel, rental car) to plans@tripit.com, and it builds a timeline automatically.

Features:

  • Real-time flight alerts.
  • Document storage (e.g., PDF of bookings).
  • Exportable PDF for visa purposes.

Pros: Excellent for complex trips; integrates with Gmail/Outlook. Cons: Requires manual tweaking to fit strict visa format (e.g., adding daily activities).

Best For: Frequent travelers who already use email confirmations.

2. General Productivity Tools

These are versatile tools like Microsoft Office or Google Workspace, which allow full customization.

Option C: Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets

Why Use Them? They allow you to create a structured table that is easy to update and share. You can use formulas to calculate totals (e.g., daily budget).

Features:

  • Customizable columns: Date, City, Hotel, Flight, Cost, Notes.
  • Conditional formatting to highlight errors (e.g., overlapping dates).
  • Easy export to PDF.

Pros: Free (Google Sheets), highly flexible, no learning curve. Cons: Time-consuming to set up; no auto-fill for bookings.

Best For: DIY users who want complete control over the layout.

Option D: Microsoft Word or Google Docs

Why Use Them? Ideal for narrative-style itineraries (more descriptive than tabular).

Features:

  • Templates available online (search “Schengen Visa Itinerary Template”).
  • Headers/footers for professional appearance.
  • Spell-check and collaboration.

Pros: Great for adding detailed descriptions of activities. Cons: Harder to manage data; prone to formatting issues.

Best For: Applicants with simple trips or those who prefer a letter-style format.

3. Specialized Travel Planning Apps

These apps help plan the trip and can be adapted for visa purposes.

Option E: Wanderlog (Web and Mobile App)

Wanderlog is a free travel planner that lets you build day-by-day itineraries with maps, reservations, and notes.

Features:

  • Import from Google Maps, Airbnb, or email.
  • Collaborative planning (useful for family visas).
  • Export to PDF/Google Docs.

Pros: Visual and interactive; includes maps for route planning. Cons: May require cleanup to remove personal notes for official use.

Best For: Visual planners and those applying for group visas.

Step-by-Step Guide: Using Google Sheets to Create a Spanish Visa Itinerary

Since Google Sheets is free, accessible, and powerful, we’ll use it as our primary example. This method ensures accuracy and professionalism.

Step 1: Set Up Your Spreadsheet Structure

Open Google Sheets (sheets.google.com) and create a new blank sheet. Name it “Spain Visa Itinerary - [Your Name]”. Set up the following columns in Row 1 (A1 to H1):

  • A: Date (e.g., 2024-01-15)
  • B: Day (e.g., Day 1)
  • C: City/Location (e.g., Madrid)
  • D: Accommodation (e.g., Hotel Plaza Mayor, Booking #12345)
  • E: Transportation (e.g., Flight IB1234 from JFK to MAD)
  • F: Activities/Notes (e.g., Arrival, check-in, visit Plaza Mayor)
  • G: Cost (EUR) (e.g., 150)
  • H: Confirmation Links (e.g., Hyperlink to booking PDF)

Example Row (Row 2):

Date Day City/Location Accommodation Transportation Activities/Notes Cost (EUR) Confirmation Links
2024-01-15 1 Madrid Hotel Plaza Mayor, #12345 Flight IB1234, JFK-MAD Arrival at 10:00 AM, check-in, city walk 200 [Link]

Step 2: Input Your Data

  1. Gather Documents: Collect all flight confirmations, hotel bookings, and train tickets.
  2. Fill Rows: Enter data chronologically. For a 7-day trip, you’ll have 7-10 rows.
  3. Use Formulas for Totals: In the last row (e.g., G10), add =SUM(G2:G9) to calculate total estimated cost. This helps with financial proof.

Pro Tip: If using Excel, you can use =TODAY() to auto-insert dates, but for visas, manually enter fixed dates.

Step 3: Enhance for Professionalism

  1. Formatting:

    • Bold the header row (Ctrl+B).
    • Use borders: Select the table, go to Format > Borders > All borders.
    • Center-align text for dates and costs.
    • Set column widths: Drag column edges for readability.

  2. Add a Header:

    • Insert a row above Row 1.
    • In A1, type: “Itinerary for Spanish Schengen Visa Application - [Your Full Name] - Passport: [Number]”.
    • Merge cells A1:H1 (Format > Merge cells > Merge horizontally) and center the text.

  3. Conditional Formatting (Optional but Recommended):

    • Select column A (Dates).
    • Go to Format > Conditional formatting.
    • Set rule: “Date is not between [start date] and [end date]” to highlight errors in red.

Step 4: Add Supporting Details

Below the table, add a section for “Additional Notes”:

  • Purpose of Trip: “Tourism: Visiting historical sites in Madrid and Barcelona.”
  • Total Budget: Reference the sum from your formula.
  • Emergency Contact: Your details in Spain (if any).

Step 5: Export and Review

  1. Export to PDF: File > Download > PDF Document. Ensure “Selection” is set to the entire sheet.
  2. Review: Check for typos, consistent date formats (YYYY-MM-DD is preferred), and alignment with your actual bookings.
  3. Print Test: Print a copy to ensure it looks professional on paper.

Example Code for Advanced Users (Google Apps Script): If you’re comfortable with coding, you can automate formatting with a script. Go to Extensions > Apps Script and paste this to auto-format your sheet:

function formatItinerary() {
  var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
  var range = sheet.getRange("A1:H10"); // Adjust range
  range.setFontWeight("bold");
  range.setBorder(true, true, true, true, true, true);
  sheet.getRange("A1:H1").merge();
  sheet.getRange("A1").setHorizontalAlignment("center");
  sheet.getRange("A1").setValue("Spanish Visa Itinerary - " + new Date().toLocaleDateString());
}

Run this script (click the play button) to instantly format your itinerary. This is optional but useful for batch processing multiple applications.

Tips for Success and Common Pitfalls

  • Consistency is Key: Ensure your itinerary matches your flight times and hotel dates exactly. For example, if your flight lands at 11 PM on Day 1, don’t schedule activities for that evening.
  • Use Real Bookings: Software can generate placeholders, but embassies verify bookings. Use sites like Booking.com (with free cancellation) to hold spots without paying upfront.
  • Language: While the itinerary is in English, include Spanish translations for hotel names if possible (e.g., “Hotel Plaza Mayor (Plaza Mayor Hotel)”).
  • Length: Keep it to 1-2 pages. If your trip is long, summarize daily activities.
  • Common Pitfall: Overloading with irrelevant details. Focus on logistics, not your entire vacation diary.

Conclusion

Creating a Spanish visa itinerary doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start with free tools like Google Sheets for maximum control, or upgrade to specialized apps like TripIt for automation. By following the step-by-step guide above, you’ll produce a professional, compliant document that strengthens your application. Remember, the goal is to demonstrate clear, feasible plans—tools just make it easier to achieve that. If your trip is complex, consider consulting a visa expert or using a paid service for peace of mind. Safe travels!