Ana Maria's Travel Blueprints

See the world on a budget and a time crunch

Ana Maria's Travel Blueprint main adventure image

Intensive itineraries: optimized routes to see every corner of every city.

👋 Welcome! I’m Ana María, and I’m here to prove you don’t need endless vacation days or a massive budget to explore. As an occasional traveler, I pour my obsession with detail into crafting straight-to-the-point itineraries that are ready-to-use.

🗺️ My guides give you the exact route, the essential maps, and all the time and money-saving hacks you need—no fluff, no tourist traps. Just highly optimized, budget-first travel for weekend getaways, city breaks, and adding new stops to a longer trip.

Cut the planning time, stay within budget, and enjoy the ride.

My Travel Resume

Check out my interactive map with all my destinations pinned!

What You’ll Find Here 👇

If you like practical, budget-first travel with everything planned out in advance, you’re in the right place.

- Concise Itineraries: 🗓️ No history lessons, no fluff. Just the exact steps, maps, and timings so you know exactly what’s realistic for your trip.

- Budget Hacks: 💡 Proven ways to cut costs without cutting the best experiences.

- Gluten-Free Travel Tips: 🌾🚫 As a fellow celiac, I know food can be the worst part of travel. I sprinkle in tips, grocery stores and restaurant recommendations so you can stress less about eating.

Follow along for new guides and travel secrets!

California Road Trip in 7 Days - Big Sur California Bixby Bridge

California is huge, but if you plan it well, you can see a bit of everything from south to north in just 7 days.

And I don’t just mean the big cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco. I mean the real highlight of the United States: the National Parks.

This is the exact route I did:

Los Angeles
Sequoia National Park
Yosemite National Park
San Francisco
Big Sur
Los Angeles (Universal Studios)
San Diego

You can tweak this however you like. Add stops, remove Universal, slow it down. This is simply the version I did and what I think gives you a solid overall feel for California in one week.

In this guide, I break everything down day by day, including driving times and where I stayed (budget-friendly options, don’t expect luxury resorts).

Zurich in one day (plus the best day trips)

Zurich is usually the first city that comes to mind when thinking about Switzerland. It’s home to the country’s main airport and has the largest population. However, it isn’t a tourist destination in the way Rome or Paris are, and honestly there isn't that much to see. Personally, I was slightly disappointed by what Zurich had to offer.

That said, don’t worry. In this guide, I include a realistic one-day itinerary for Zurich because, even though I wouldn’t spend more than a day here, the city does have a pleasant European charm. I’m also sharing the best day trips from Zurich, which is where Switzerland really starts to shine.

Lucerne is an iconic Swiss city with quite a few things to offer. However, a sunny forecast and a rainy one lead to two very different experiences. I know because I planned for one and got the other. That’s why this guide gives you two realistic ways to visit Lucerne:
- one for a warm, sunny day where walking and lake time make sense
- one for a rainy day where interiors, short walks, and public transport save the day

This Lucerne guide is part of my 15-day Interrail trip through Amsterdam, Switzerland, Slovenia & Vienna, which you can check out if you want the full context.

Sunset at Bryce Point in Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon is one of my favorite national parks, and seeing it in winter sealed the deal. I visited during the third week of February 2024 and surprisingly it was the perfect moment to go. There was snow everywhere, clear blue skies, long enough daylight hours, none of the summer crowds, and pleasant weather (cold, yes, but totally bearable).

That said, winter in Bryce poses some challenges, and there are a few things I really wish I had known beforehand. That is why this guide is both a trail breakdown and a winter survival manual, focused specifically on hiking the Bryce Canyon Amphitheater.

If you’re planning to hike Bryce in winter, this should help you choose the right trail and avoid making it harder than it needs to be.

view from the parliament building in Bern

Bern is the unofficial capital of Switzerland and, wrapped almost entirely by the Aare River, one of my favorite Swiss cities. I’ve only been to four so far, but that still feels like enough authority to have an opinion. The old town is compact, beautifully preserved, and very easy to explore in under six hours without feeling rushed.

Most trains from Basel or Zürich to Interlaken (aka the gateway to the Swiss Alps) pass straight through Bern, so it’s the perfect excuse to hop off, stretch your legs, and see a side of Switzerland that isn’t all mountain gondolas and postcard villages but equally as charming.

This Bern guide is part of my 15-day Interrail trip through Amsterdam, Switzerland, Slovenia & Vienna, so make sure to check it out if you’re interested!

Basel is one of those cities you can truly comfortably see in a single day. It’s not essential on a Switzerland itinerary, but the airport usually has some of the cheapest fares (at least from Madrid). Plus, it’s where France, Germany and Switzerland meet, and if you’re doing an Interrail trip, there’s a good chance you’ll be changing trains here anyway. Might as well make the stop count.

This Basel guide is part of my 15-day Interrail trip through Amsterdam, Switzerland, Slovenia & Vienna, so make sure to check it out if you’re interested!

map with complete interrail route going thtrough amsterdam, basel, bern, interlaken, lucerne, zurich, bled and vienna

Planning an Interrail trip can be overwhelming, so I’m here to show you it’s actually doable! This guide gives you the actual route I followed in July 2025, including train times, accommodation, real prices, and what I did in each place. You can copy it as-is or adapt it to your pace and preferences.

You can also check out my post for planning an Interrail across Europe! It's a step by step guide that's got everything you should take into account.

San Francisco is one of the most iconic cities in the US, but if you’re short on time, here’s exactly how to hit the highlights in just one day. Perfect if you’re on roadtrip mode and only have a few hours to spare.

This San Francisco guide is part of my 6-day California road trip! (Link coming soon.)

Want to explore Vienna on a long weekend or add it to your Interrail itinerary? This guide covers everything I did during my 2 days in the city, landing on Day 1 at 18:00 and leaving on Day 3 at 19:00. If you’ve got 2 full days, just move the Day 1 stops to Day 3!

This Vienna itinerary is part of my 15-day Interrail trip through Amsterdam, Switzerland, Slovenia & Vienna Under 1,200€. Make sure to check it out if you're interested in a Europe trip mixing nature and big cities!