01
Start with fixed facts, then preferences
Begin with questions that cannot change easily: travel dates or flexibility, departure city, number of travelers, ages, budget range and mobility or access needs. Place softer preferences afterward, such as pace, interests, lodging style and food priorities. This order lets the planner judge feasibility early and prevents beautiful ideas from colliding with hard limits. Worked example: a couple writes that they have nine days in October, depart from Chicago, want a mid-range budget and prefer walking over driving. Those four facts already narrow destinations and make the later preference questions more meaningful.
02
Ask for trade-offs, not wish lists
Wish lists produce crowded itineraries, so ask people to rank priorities. Offer prompts like: would you rather have one memorable splurge or steady comfort, fewer hotel changes or more places, planned days or open afternoons. Include a field for things to avoid, such as long transfers or early starts. Continuing the example, the couple ranks food first, walkable towns second and museums third, while avoiding red-eye flights. The planner now has a decision rule for every option, which makes recommendations easier to explain and reduces revision cycles after the first draft is sent.
03
Close the loop with a readable first draft
The form should end by explaining what happens next: confirmation of receipt, a timeline for a draft and how changes will be requested. Then convert the answers into a one-page brief that repeats constraints, ranked priorities and open questions before any booking advice appears. For the Chicago couple, the brief might state nine days, mid-range spending, daytime flights, food-led walking towns and one unresolved question about rail versus rental car. Returning the summary lets the traveler correct misunderstandings quickly and gives the planner a clean foundation for the actual itinerary.