Travel Resources and FAQs

Ideally, start planning 3-6 months before your departure. This gives you enough time to research destinations, book flights at better prices, secure visas if needed, and make accommodation reservations. For popular destinations during peak season, consider planning 6-12 months in advance.

Budget varies greatly by destination. Use our Smart Budget Calculator to get personalized estimates. As a rough guide: budget destinations (Southeast Asia, Central America) $500-800/week, mid-range (Eastern Europe, Mexico) $1,000-1,500/week, expensive (Western Europe, Japan, Australia) $2,000-3,000/week. These include accommodation, food, activities, and local transport.

Absolutely yes! Travel insurance covers medical emergencies, trip cancellations, lost luggage, and other unexpected situations. Medical care abroad can be extremely expensive, and travel insurance provides peace of mind. Make sure your policy covers your planned activities (adventure sports, etc.) and pre-existing conditions if applicable.

Check your destination country's embassy or consulate website for visa requirements based on your passport. Many countries offer visa-free entry for tourists (usually 30-90 days), while others require visas applied for in advance. Some offer visa-on-arrival. Always check at least 3 months before travel, as processing times vary.

Use ATMs at local banks upon arrival for the best exchange rates. Avoid airport currency exchanges (high fees) and exchange bureaus in tourist areas. Notify your bank before traveling to avoid card blocks. Consider getting a travel credit card with no foreign transaction fees. Always carry some local cash as backup.

Yes! Millions travel solo safely every year. Research your destination's safety ratings on our Safety Scores page, avoid walking alone late at night, stay in well-reviewed accommodations, keep family/friends informed of your itinerary, trust your instincts, and connect with other travelers at hostels or through travel apps. Solo travel can be incredibly rewarding and empowering.

Go to Start Planning and use the step-by-step wizard to enter your destination, travel dates, budget, travel style, and interests. PINYA's AI (powered by Claude) will generate a personalized day-by-day itinerary with activities, estimated costs, and local tips. You can email it to yourself or save it to your profile.

Yes! On the Start Planning page, there's a search bar above the globe. Type any country name and select it from the dropdown to instantly pin it on the globe. You can pin up to 10 destinations at once to build your travel wishlist.

When you create a new PINYA account, a 5-step preferences quiz will appear. It asks about your preferred budget level, travel pace, accommodation style, activity level, and interests. Your answers are saved to your profile and used to personalize AI-generated itineraries. You can update these anytime in your Profile under Travel Preferences.

Visit Destination Intel for cuisine, traditions, language tips, and cultural etiquette for 100+ countries worldwide. For safety information, visit Safety Scores for crime ratings, health risks, travel advisories, and practical safety tips. Both pages have search and regional filter tabs.

Go to the Itineraries tab in the navigation. Browse AI-curated template itineraries for destinations like Paris, Tokyo, Bali, and more. Filter by continent, budget level, or trip duration. Click any itinerary to see the full day-by-day plan, then save it to your profile or use it as a starting point for your own trip.

Yes! Sign in with Google and go to your Profile to manage everything. Save destinations to your wishlist, store AI-generated itineraries, set travel preferences, and track your trip history. Your preferences are used to make future AI itineraries more accurate to your style.

Smart Budget Calculator helps you estimate total trip costs before you leave — accommodation, food, activities, transport. Group Travel Calculator is for splitting real expenses during a trip with friends: log who paid what, split unevenly if needed, and get a clear settle-up summary at the end.

Free: Browse itineraries, destination intel, safety scores, budget calculators — no account needed.

Pro ($9.99/mo): 5 AI-generated itineraries/month, save up to 10 destinations, 5 trips, PDF export, shareable links, group collaboration.

Premium ($19.99/mo): 20 AI itineraries/month, unlimited destinations and trips, all features.

Platinum ($39.99/mo): Unlimited AI generations, unlimited everything, priority support, and early access to new features.

Yes! All core research features — destination intel (100+ countries), safety scores, budget calculators, browsing curated itineraries, and group expense splitting — are free with no account required. Sign in with Google to unlock AI itinerary generation, saving plans, and personalizing your experience. Paid plans unlock higher AI usage limits and additional storage.