My name is Joanna, I started creating detailed travel itineraries in my early 20’s and realized I never wanted to stop.
Do you love to research everything there is about an upcoming travel destination?
Do you try to fit in all you can see when you visit a new city or country?
This is where I come in!
I want to help the travel planner in you to travel prepared, by sharing my itineraries and guides.
Come and join me on my journey and continue reading to find out more about Plan Before Land!
Now offering personalized travel planning services!
Looking for help to plan your trip? Overwhelmed with the stress of daily life and have limited time?
Look no further! I am here to help you plan your custom itinerary, personalized activities lists and custom accommodation recommendations.
Joanna Neander
The Creator & Author of
Plan Before Land
Follow along with me as I travel the world and share my detailed itineraries.
My passion in life is to help you travel prepared by creating travel guides.
I am so happy to be sharing the world with all of you.
Love, Jojo
countries & counting
My Travel
I became obsessed with making travel itineraries in my early 20’s.
I attribute this to my planner personality and anxiety.
(Hello, I had a destination wedding in Portugal with no planner). 🇵🇹
I needed to read every blog post, list and article there was about a location to create my perfect holiday.
Friends and colleagues started to ask me to create travel itineraries for them when they’d go on vacation..
I thought to myself, why am I not doing this FULL TIME?
Fast forward, with the push of my husband and friends, I am here, Planning before landing! 🤣
The detailed itineraries on here are my BEST work. I aim to include ALL of the information I personally seek when creating my ideal vacation.
Let’s get you travel itinerary planning!
Happy to have you here!
Plan Before Land’s Travel Style
I would consider myself a mid-range traveller.
I love looking for deals wherever I can and setting alerts for the cheapest flights… however, I also LOVE to eat at expensive restaurants and enjoy a luxurious spa day.
I will sprinkle a mix of budget and luxury in these itineraries.
My motto: Spoil yourself when you can and save money wherever possible!
About my early years…
I am a born and raised Toronto girl, where I grew up a five minute drive from the airport.
I spent warm days lying on the grass in my backyard, watching planes fly by, wondering where the people on board were going or who they’d be reunited with, the love and excitement they must feel.
(This sounds like the beginning of a movie or book, wow).
I obviously take my daydreaming seriously, OK?
My eyes were open to travel at a young age, growing up with parents from different backgrounds, Slovenian & French Canadian.
Spending multiple summers and holidays all over Europe, Canada, USA, Caribbean…
When I was in high school I went away for a semester exchange in Italy.
I thought I would have that Hillary Duff fairytale love story, boy was I wrong. Don’t get me wrong, it was truly a life changing experience.
A wild and amazing time, as wild as it can get for Grade 11 Catholic school students…
That exchange is the keeper of one of my most cherished memories, my parents surprising me in Piazza Navona in Rome.
This was my mom’s last trip to Europe before she passed away.
My time in Italy opened my eyes to the world in a different lens. I adopted the mindset that no moment in this life is guaranteed and that we have to make every second on this beautiful Earth count.
Some Travel Love
Nottinghill Carnival, Eiffel Tower, Velika Planina, Jasper National Park & wedding photos across the CN Tower
About my young adult years…
I began to avidly travel after my third year of university. Every holiday was spent somewhere other than Toronto.
I completed my degree and began my nursing career, making sure any job I took gave me the ability to travel. It became my biggest passion.
The years around the start of my career, I met two lifelong English girlfriends in Prague, dated and broke up with a guy (just as quickly as we met) in New York City, went to Spain (and accidentally ate a $200 squid).
Visited family in Slovenia for weeks on end, took a sister trip to Paris, learnt about World War II in Berlin, and partied with my best friend in Cuba.
Travel became my happy place.
Upcoming Travels
This takes me to the present. I met my husband Arujan when I was 23 years old. We just got married in Douro Valley, outside of Porto in Portugal.
I am so thankful that he shares my love of travel. Arujan and I have started to adventure the world together and I am so excited for what is to come.
We have big plans for the next two years.
South East Asia November 2024!! 🎉✈️🌍
Thank you for being here. I promise to make it as entertaining as possible.
JOIN MY MAILING LIST
I will be updating regularly during our South East Asia Trip 🫶🏻