How we choose and rank places
SkyPlan builds each plan from the places and activities in our dataset. This page explains what decides what goes in and in which order, and what never does.
What makes a place more likely to be in your plan
- Our editorial judgement of how worthwhile a place is for a first visit. It is our opinion, not a measurement, so we never show it as a number.
- How well it suits your group: a couple, a family or friends.
- The interests you share with it, such as history, photography or walking, up to a limit, so a single interest does not crowd out everything else.
- Your budget only shifts paid tours and activities a little up or down; it never removes free places.
What decides the order
- Opening hours on your dates: a place is planned only while it is open.
- The busiest site is planned at opening or from 15:00, outside its midday crowd.
- Walks end before dark, and on hot days exposed walks avoid 12:00 to 16:00.
- Travel time between stops, from where you stay.
- Every evening ends at a sunset point.
- Your pace decides how full the days are and how hard the walks can be.
How we pick your balloon morning
We put your flight on an early morning of the trip so that a later one stays free as a backup if it is cancelled. If you pick a morning yourself, your pick wins. If the chance for your dates is low, we say so when the plan is made.
What never changes your plan
- Commissions and partnerships. Where a booking goes has no effect on what is planned or in which order.
- Paid placements. We have none; if we ever add one, it will be labelled “Sponsored” and will not change your plan.
- Paid extras: they are never pre-selected.
- Records whose sources disagree: they stay out of every plan.
It is your plan
You can swap any stop for something similar or remove it, and SkyPlan replans the rest of the day. A stop you remove does not come back.