Why I Started Travel Breakdown
Hi, I’m Andrea.
For years, I thought I loved traveling. What I eventually realized was that I love planning trips almost as much as taking them. In some ways, I may even enjoy it more.
Long before I book a flight, I’m researching neighborhoods, comparing routes, reading trip reports, and trying to answer the same questions every traveler eventually runs into: Where should I stay? How many days do I really need? What’s actually worth my time? And my personal favorite: What would someone who’s already been there do differently?
One thing you’ll quickly learn about me is that I’m almost always planning something. Sometimes it’s a trip that’s only a few weeks away. Other times it’s a destination I may not visit for years. Even when I don’t have anything booked, there’s a good chance I’m comparing itineraries or looking up flights simply because a destination made me curious.
After years of doing this, I realized something: the hardest part of travel often isn’t the trip itself. It’s figuring out how to plan it.
There is no shortage of travel information online. I can find a list of the top 20 things to do almost anywhere in seconds. What’s much harder to find is the information that helps me figure out what actually applies to my trip.
Do I really need five days here? Is that day trip worth losing an entire day in the city? Does adding another destination make sense once I factor in transportation? Is that expensive hotel actually worth the points? And what would someone change after experiencing the itinerary instead of just planning it?
That’s why I created Travel Breakdown.
I wanted to build the resource I was always looking for: realistic itineraries, practical logistics, honest travel costs, points and miles strategies, and—probably most importantly—the things I’d do differently now that I’ve actually taken the trip.
I’m not here to convince you that every destination is life-changing or that the best vacation requires waking up at 5:00 a.m. every morning to squeeze in one more attraction. Sometimes I’ll tell you a destination exceeded every expectation. Other times I’ll tell you that we planned too much, stayed in the wrong area, needed another day, or probably didn’t need to do something at all.
Because my goal isn’t to help you see everything.
It’s to help you make the most of the time—and the budget—you actually have.
Travel is personal. The itinerary I loved may not be the itinerary you need. But if something I learned helps you avoid a mistake, answer a question you’ve been Googling for two hours, or feel more confident about the trip you’re trying to put together, then Travel Breakdown is doing exactly what I created it to do.
I’m glad you’re here.
— Andrea
A Few Quick Facts
📍 Based in Philadelphia
✈️ Favorite style of travel: A mix of cities, nature, and enough flexibility to follow my curiosity
👨👩👧👦 I travel with family, friends, and solo depending on the trip
☕ Current travel planning fuel: Matcha
🎒 Most recent trips: Exploring more of Peru, including Paracas, Huacachina, and Arequipa
📅 Currently planning: A few possibilities across Europe and Asia, because apparently I’m incapable of planning just one trip at a time
📝 Favorite travel question: “What would you do differently if you went back?”
New Here?
New Here?
If you’re new to Travel Breakdown, these are a few good places to start. They’ll give you a sense of how I plan trips, how I think about points and cash, and why I’m usually more interested in building a trip that works than creating the “perfect” itinerary.
How to Start Planning a Trip When the Destination Feels Overwhelming
Have a destination in mind but no idea what to research first? This is how I find the first constraint, narrow down the possibilities, and turn an overwhelming trip idea into something I can actually start planning.
The Travel Planning Process I Wish I’d Learned Years Ago
Once I have a starting point, this is the process I use to turn it into an actual itinerary, from mapping out the route and transportation to deciding what matters, leaving some empty space, and figuring out where cash and points fit.
The Middle Ground Between Cash Travel and Travel Hacking
I love points and miles, but I don’t think every trip needs to become an optimization exercise. This is how I combine points, cash, and travel benefits without letting the pursuit of the “perfect” redemption dictate the trip.
How a Business Class Redemption Turned Into a Two-Week Central Europe Trip
Sometimes the starting point really is the points redemption. Here’s how one business class award became the anchor for a two-week trip through Central Europe, and how I built the rest of the itinerary around it.