Travel Smarter. Experience More.
Expert Travel Planning, Custom Itineraries & Destination Guides from Alexander Ayling — creator of 800+ travel films across 60+ countries, co-founder of the Vagabrothers YouTube channel, and trusted by millions of travelers worldwide.
Plan Your Perfect TRip
Travel planning shouldn't require hundreds of hours of research.
Whether you're planning a New Zealand road trip, European vacation, family adventure, honeymoon, golf getaway, or food and wine journey,
I'll help you make better decisions and create a trip that fits your interests, budget, and travel style.
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Get personalized advice on routes, destinations, accommodations, logistics, timing, and hidden gems.
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Ready-to-use destination guides and itineraries built from years of firsthand travel experience.
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Need a fully personalized trip? I'll create a custom itinerary, interactive Google Map, and detailed travel plan tailored to your interests, budget, and travel style.
My Popular Travel Itineraries
Dream It - Book It - Do It!
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Dream It - Book It - Do It! 〰️
Why Costa Rica?
Costa Rica is one of those rare places that truly lives up to the hype.
I've explored the country across seven separate trips, traveling from the cloud forests of Monteverde to the beaches of the Pacific Coast, the wildlife-rich Osa Peninsula, the volcanoes of La Fortuna, and some of the country's most remote hidden gems while creating travel documentaries, partnering with tourism organizations, and helping hundreds of thousands of travelers discover Costa Rica through my films, travel guides, and itineraries.
Every visit has taught me something new about this incredibly unique country.
Costa Rica protects nearly 30% of its land through national parks and protected areas, making it one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth, this guide will bring you into the heart of that biodiversity.
I've learned which destinations are worth the drive, which attractions you can skip, where to find incredible wildlife, the best local restaurants, and how to experience the famous Pura Vida lifestyle beyond the typical tourist trail.
This is the exact two-week Costa Rica road trip I'd recommend to friends and family visiting the country for the first time—a route refined across seven trips and years of firsthand exploration.
Meet Your Guide
Created by Alexander Ayling
Travel Filmmaker • TV Host • History & Anthropology Graduate
I've spent more than a decade exploring over 50 countries, creating travel documentaries viewed more than 125 million times, and working with tourism boards and travel brands around the world.
Costa Rica has become one of my specialties.
Across seven separate expeditions, I've explored nearly every corner of the country—from the cloud forests of Monteverde and the volcanoes of Arenal to the surf beaches of the Pacific Coast and the extraordinary biodiversity of Corcovado National Park.
Those adventures have produced a collection of Costa Rica travel films viewed more than 3 million times, making it one of the most comprehensive destination libraries on my channel.
This itinerary distills years of firsthand exploration into a practical guide designed to help you experience Costa Rica beyond the typical tourist checklist.
Travel Deeper. Experience Destinations, Not Just Attractions.
Watch Before You Go
Planning a trip to Costa Rica?
Watch my complete Costa Rica Travel Guide and discover everything I've learned after seven trips exploring one of the world's most biodiverse countries. From volcanoes and cloud forests to surf towns, wildlife, waterfalls, beaches, and national parks, this video will help you understand what makes Costa Rica so special before planning your adventure.
Then download my 14 Day Costa Rica Travel Itinerary below for a complete day-by-day guide, interactive Google Map, accommodation recommendations, hidden gems, restaurant suggestions, and practical travel tips.
Who This Itinerary Is Perfect For
This itinerary is designed for travelers who want to experience the very best of Costa Rica without spending weeks researching every detail.
It's perfect if you want to:
✔ Experience Costa Rica's most spectacular landscapes in just two weeks
✔ See volcanoes, waterfalls, wildlife, beaches, cloud forests, and national parks in one unforgettable road trip
✔ Save hours of planning by following a proven route refined over seven separate visits
✔ Discover hidden gems alongside Costa Rica's iconic highlights
✔ Travel confidently with accommodation recommendations, driving routes, restaurant suggestions, and an interactive Google Map
What You'll Receive
✔ Detailed day-by-day itinerary
✔ Interactive Google Map
✔ Accommodation recommendations
✔ Restaurant recommendations
✔ Hidden beaches and waterfalls
✔ Wildlife viewing locations
✔ Scenic road trip driving routes
✔ Local travel tips
✔ Printable PDF guide
✔ Lifetime access
14-Day Itinerary Overview
Day 1–2 | San José → Jacó & Playa Hermosa
Begin your Costa Rica adventure by arriving in San José before driving to the Pacific Coast. Settle into Jacó or the laid-back surf town of Playa Hermosa, enjoy your first sunset on the beach, experience world-class surfing, and embrace the relaxed Pura Vida lifestyle.
Day 3–5 | Dominical & Uvita
Continue south along one of the most scenic coastal drives in Costa Rica to Dominical and Uvita. Discover hidden waterfalls, tropical rainforests, whale-tail beaches, wildlife, jungle hikes, and incredible ocean sunsets while exploring one of Costa Rica's most beautiful regions.
Day 6–11 | Osa Peninsula & Corcovado National Park
Journey into the wild heart of Costa Rica on the spectacular Osa Peninsula. Explore the legendary Corcovado National Park, spot monkeys, scarlet macaws, sloths, tapirs, and exotic wildlife, kayak through mangroves, snorkel pristine waters, and experience one of the most biodiverse places on Earth.
Day 12–14 | La Fortuna & Arenal Volcano
Finish your road trip beneath the towering Arenal Volcano in La Fortuna. Relax in natural hot springs, hike volcanic trails, chase waterfalls, walk hanging bridges through the rainforest canopy, and experience the perfect finale to your Costa Rica adventure.
Why Buy This Itinerary?
Planning a Costa Rica road trip can take dozens of hours of research.
After seven trips exploring the country, I've already done that work for you.
Instead of piecing together information from countless blog posts, YouTube videos, Google Maps, and conflicting recommendations, you'll receive the exact route I'd recommend to friends and family—complete with accommodation recommendations, restaurant suggestions, hidden gems, driving directions, and practical travel advice gathered from years of firsthand experience.
Spend less time researching and more time experiencing Costa Rica.
Travel Deeper. Experience Destinations, Not Just Attractions.
Welcome to the Ultimate New Zealand Road Trip
This isn't just another travel itinerary.
It's the culmination of years of living, exploring, filming, photographing, and road-tripping across New Zealand—combined with more than 100 hours of dedicated work meticulously researching, writing, photographing, mapping, designing, and refining every aspect of this guide.
Every destination has been carefully considered.
Every driving day optimized.
Every hotel recommendation thoughtfully selected.
Every activity personally researched.
Every restaurant chosen for a reason.
Every location is fully hyperlinked for effortless trip planning.
My goal wasn't simply to create another itinerary.
It was to create the New Zealand guide I wish had existed before my own first road trip across this extraordinary country.
A guide that removes the stress of planning while helping you experience the very best New Zealand has to offer.
Why New Zealand?
Some destinations impress you.
New Zealand changes you.
Towering alpine peaks, ancient rainforests, turquoise glacial lakes, geothermal landscapes, dramatic coastlines, Māori culture, world-class hiking, unforgettable wildlife, and some of the greatest road trips on Earth all exist within a country smaller than the United Kingdom.
It's a place that rewards curiosity.
The more time you spend here, the more extraordinary it becomes.
That's why my family chose to make New Zealand our home.
Meet Your Guide
Created by Alexander Ayling
Travel Filmmaker • TV Host • History & Cultural Anthropology Graduate
I've spent more than a decade exploring over 50 countries, creating travel documentaries viewed more than 125 million times, hosting television, and partnering with tourism boards and travel brands around the world.
But nowhere has shaped my life more than New Zealand.
I was born to a Kiwi father, studied at the University of Otago, and after years of traveling professionally, my wife and I chose to build our lives here.
Today we're raising our daughters in rural New Zealand while continuing to explore every corner of the country, documenting its landscapes, culture, history, and hidden gems.
This guide isn't based on one vacation.
It's built from years of firsthand experience living here—and then distilled into what I believe is the most complete and thoughtfully designed New Zealand itinerary I've ever seen.
Built Like No Other Itinerary
This guide represents more than 100 hours of focused work.
Inside you'll find:
✓ A meticulously planned 21-day route designed to maximize your time while minimizing unnecessary driving.
✓ Hundreds of carefully researched hyperlinks connecting you directly to accommodations, restaurants, activities, hikes, museums, attractions, and booking pages.
✓ Interactive Google Maps for seamless navigation.
✓ Local recommendations gathered through years of living and traveling throughout New Zealand.
✓ Professional travel photography captured across both islands.
✓ Practical planning advice that can save you dozens of hours of research.
✓ Carefully selected alternatives so you can customize the trip around your own interests.
Every page has been designed with one goal:
To make planning your New Zealand adventure effortless.
What Makes This Guide Different?
Most travel itineraries tell you where to go.
This guide explains why.
It helps you understand the landscapes you're driving through.
The stories behind the places you're visiting.
The experiences that are genuinely worth prioritizing.
And the hidden corners of New Zealand that many travelers drive straight past.
It's the difference between checking destinations off a list...
...and truly experiencing them.
Travel Deeper. Experience Destinations, Not Just Attractions.
That philosophy has guided my career for more than a decade.
It's why I studied history and anthropology.
It's why I've spent years creating travel documentaries around the world.
And it's why this itinerary exists.
Because I believe the best trips aren't measured by how many places you visit.
They're measured by how deeply you experience them.
I set out to build the premium New Zealand itinerary I always wished existed—a guide combining firsthand local knowledge, professional travel storytelling, practical planning tools, and hundreds of carefully curated recommendations into one seamless resource. This is it.
Stay Curious, Keep Growing, Never Stop Learning…
Discover the Land of Fire & Ice
7 Perfect Days in Iceland
The Ultimate One-Week Iceland Road Trip Itinerary
Explore waterfalls, glaciers, black sand beaches, volcanoes, geothermal hot springs, ice lagoons, and dramatic coastal landscapes with the exact route I'd recommend after filming and road-tripping around one of the world's most extraordinary countries.
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Why Iceland?
Some places are beautiful.
Iceland feels like another planet.
Towering waterfalls plunge off ancient cliffs, glaciers meet black sand beaches, volcanoes reshape the landscape, and geothermal hot springs steam beneath snow-covered mountains.
I spent a week road-tripping around Iceland, filming some of the country's most spectacular locations and discovering why it's become one of the world's most unforgettable destinations.
This itinerary follows that journey, helping you experience Iceland's most iconic landscapes while making the most of every day on the road.
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Meet Your Guide
Created by Alexander Ayling
Travel Filmmaker • TV Host • History & Anthropology Graduate
I've spent more than a decade exploring over 50 countries, creating travel documentaries viewed more than 125 million times and partnering with tourism boards and travel brands around the world.
I've traveled to Iceland three separate times for professional filmmaking and photography assignments. My first visit came during a round-the-world travel filmmaking expedition, followed by two return trips working with Icelandair to showcase the country's extraordinary landscapes and experiences.
Over the years, I've explored Iceland's waterfalls, glaciers, black sand beaches, volcanic landscapes, geothermal hot springs, and remote coastal roads while filming across the country. This itinerary brings together those firsthand experiences into a practical, carefully planned route designed to help you experience the very best of Iceland while making the most of every day on the road.
Travel Deeper. Experience Destinations, Not Just Attractions.
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Your Download Includes
✓ 7-Day Road Trip Itinerary
✓ Interactive Google Map
✓ Daily Driving Routes
✓ Waterfall Guide
✓ Glacier Lagoon Stops
✓ Black Sand Beach Recommendations
✓ Hot Spring Recommendations
✓ Accommodation Suggestions
✓ Photography Locations
✓ Practical Driving Tips
✓ Packing Advice
✓ Instant PDF Download
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What's Inside Your 7-Day Iceland Itinerary
Day 1 – Reykjavík & the Golden Circle
Begin your Iceland adventure exploring Reykjavík's colorful streets, cozy cafés, and iconic Hallgrímskirkja before setting off along the world-famous Golden Circle. Discover powerful waterfalls, erupting geysers, dramatic volcanic landscapes, and some of Iceland's most important historic sites.
Day 2 – Iceland's Spectacular South Coast
Journey along one of the most scenic drives on Earth, stopping at towering waterfalls, black sand beaches, rugged sea cliffs, and charming coastal villages before continuing toward the glaciers of Vatnajökull National Park.
Day 3 – Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon & the East Fjords
Watch massive icebergs drift across the breathtaking Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, stroll the famous Diamond Beach, and continue through Iceland's remote East Fjords, where dramatic mountains, winding coastal roads, and quiet fishing villages create one of the country's most unforgettable drives.
Days 4–7
Continue your journey through Iceland's volcanic highlands, geothermal landscapes, dramatic waterfalls, lava fields, and hidden gems before completing an unforgettable loop back to Reykjavík.
(Full day-by-day routes, driving directions, accommodation recommendations, restaurant suggestions, interactive Google Maps, and practical travel tips are included in the complete itinerary.)
Customer Reviews
SANDRINE JEAN
Rated: ★★★★★★★★★★ (10/10)
Product: Costa Rica Travel Guide Itinerary: 14 Days of Pura Vida Paradise
Comment:
"This is a very thorough, beautifully-done itinerary that's really going to help me plan my 1st trip to Costa Rica!"
New Rating Received
Reviewer: Jaeyoung Kim
Product: New Zealand - 21 Day Itinerary
Rated: ★★★★★★★★★★ (10/10)
Jaeyoung Kim has just rated their recent purchase of the New Zealand 21 Day Itinerary with a perfect 5.0-star rating.
New Review Just In
Reviewer: Andres Pruna
Rated: ★★★★★★★★★★ (10/10)
Product: Iceland | A Journey of Fire
Comment: "excellent guide"
New Rating Received
5.0-star Rating
Reviewer: Dominic Iannotti
Purchase: New Zealand - 21 Day Itinerary
Rating: Rated: ★★★★★★★★★★ (10/10)
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Alexander Ayling is an award-winning travel filmmaker and television host passionate about exploring our planet and connecting cultures through visceral and immersive visual storytelling.