People ask me all the time what my go-to trip planning resources are or what my must-haves are during travel. I figured I should just make a comprehensive list to refer anyone to if they’re interested.
**This post contains affiliate links. I may make a small commission from these links at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my full disclosure HERE.
Airfare
My first step in trip planning (after deciding where I’m going, of course) is airfare. I typically compare a number of websites and look at a low fare calendar. Some that I check are:
Google Flights
Amazing for a fare calendar. I especially like Google Flights for smaller, lesser known airlines within a foreign country for domestic flights. Plus, you can piece together different flights on different airlines by finding the cheapest options. Just be sure to verify you have long enough layovers, otherwise if you’re flying another airline, the first one has no obligation to you if you miss your next flight on a different airline.
Kiwi Flights
Similar to Google flights in that you can do multi-city combinations and hidden flight options.
Airline Credit Card
If you’re a traveler (or want to be) and you’re not utilizing an air mile credit card, what the F-word are you waiting for? Pay for EVERYTHING with it then pay it off immediately. Don’t ever let yourself have that high interest rate though. For most people, if you don’t fly with one particular airline, the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Preferred come out on top according to most reviews. I have used that one for the great sign up bonus but continue to stick with Alaska Airlines card because I live by such a small airport, almost every flight out of my city is on Alaska Airlines, and they have plenty of international partners. Plus, each cardholder gets a $99 companion flight each year, which makes a domestic trip more affordable. The annual fee pays for itself quickly. I also like Capital One Venture for the lounge access and credit towards Global Entry.
Where to Stay
Depending on where I’m going, I either opt for a boutique hotel or an apartment rental.
Booking.com
I always use Booking because of how simple it is to narrow your search, use the map search, or filter by price or review score. My go to for hotels, hands down, and not just because I’m affiliate. I’ve always loved Booking. You can also find apartment vacation rentals and car rentals.
AirBnB
When I want an apartment, house, or unique accommodation to rent, I almost always use Airbnb. I love Airbnb and their website layout. You can narrow your search to a very specific area on the map. I always book something with tons of photos and lots of great reviews and I check it on the map to make sure it is centrally located.
Trip Advisor
Even though I always book with Booking.com, I still usually cross reference reviews and pictures on TripAdvisor. I LOVE TripAdvisor for many things, but they redirect you to another booking platform, which is often Booking.com. Occasionally they may have show a better deal on another website from Booking.
Car Rental
I almost always compare multiple sites. The three I like are Rentalcars, Discovercars, and AutoEurope. You can click the banners below to compare.
Train Travel
You can book train travel on so many different sites, but for Europe, one of the more popular and comprehensive sites is Omnio.
Bus Travel
I love traveling by bus! It’s a great way to cross borders and get somewhere without having to rent a car. BusBud is a good site for booking bus tickets.
Well, hello there!
Subscribe to get my latest content by email.