Travel Resources

Every good trip has to start somewhere, am I right?  I mean, it doesn’t matter whether you are headed out for a weekend road trip or a trip half-way around the world, you have to start planning somewhere.  That’s where this post comes in-we are here to help!

Marty and I have done a lot of travelling in our time.  Whether it’s hitting the road for a trip to New Orleans, or jumping on a plane to Italy, we have definitely done our fair share of travel planning.  Because of that, we put together this list of all of our favorite resources to help save you some time and money!

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Best Travel Resources for Flights and Vacation Packages

When searching for flight options, we try to always follow our 5 Tips for Finding Cheap Airfare.  These include, searching with an airfare aggregate, having flexible dates, and even a flexible destination.  Remember though, always search flights and vacation packages using an incognito window!  After checking out the five tips in the above mentioned article, return here to do your booking with these recommended travel resources:

Skyscanner

One of our favorite sites to search for airfare is Skyscanner.  Skyscanner is not only easy to use, but it allows you to customize your search in so many ways also!  If you want to search for flexible dates as we noted above, just click on the calendar and see all of the dates for months at a time.  If you don’t have a set destination in mind, then you can just search “everywhere” to see prices all over the world from your departure point.  This is exactly how Marty and I scored a $79 roundtrip ticket to San Francisco!

TripAdvisor

Yes, you read that right, TripAdvisor.  I think we all know that TripAdvisor is great to read reviews on, but did you know that you can search and book on TripAdvisor as well?  They will compare prices for your on flights, hotels, and even cruises and then you can book directly from their site.  Go give it a try!

Google Flights

Another favorite search engine is Google Flights.  Similar to Skyscanner, Google Flights allows you to see prices for extended periods of time by clicking on the calendar.  They also have an “everywhere” feature where you can move the map around and see prices from all over the world.

Cheapflights

Cheapflights is another great flight search engine.  I find this one is easiest to use while on the computer instead of the cell phone.  Cheapflights has a popular routes section to help you as well as the option to find more than just flights.  You can search flights, hotels, rental cars, and even vacation packages.

Expedia

An “oldie but goodie” on our list is Expedia.  Expedia has been around for years and is often overlooked by people.  We still use Expedia as you can often get a package deal on here for a great price.  Marty and I used them on our trip to Las Vegas and saved lots of money.

CheapOair

Like Expedia, CheapOair can easily be a one-stop-shop for you.  They have an easy booking, great customer service, and even a price match guarantee.  Really, you can’t lose by using CheapOair.

Jet Radar

Jet Radar is another great search engine to compare airline prices from multiple carriers.

Book VIP

Book VIP is another vacation package booking site that finds you the best deals possible when heading to certain destinations.  We have found that if you are booking one of their “popular deals” that they can often save you hundreds of dollars per person.  Give them a try and see what you think.  Of course, always check the TripAdvisor ratings for the hotels you are considering.

Best Travel Resources for Accommodations

Airbnb

If you’ve been following us for a while, then you know that we love staying in Airbnbs.  We love Airbnb for several reasons.  Not only can we stay like a local, but having our own kitchen helps to save us money.  And of course, having a washer and dryer is nice also, especially since we usually travel with only a backpack. If you’ve never booked with Airbnb before then you can use our link and get $55 off of your first booking!

To get more information and a great travel credit, check out our Airbnb post.

Hotels.com

One of our favorite sites to book hotels through is Hotels.com.  We love that Hotels.com has a customer rewards program that earns us free nights.  You see for every 10 nights that you book, you earn a free night.  You can’t beat that!

Hotels Combined

Hotels Combined allows you to search all of the top travel sites at one time.  This ensures that you are getting the best deal for your travel dollar!

Sandals/Beaches

If you’re looking for a great adults-only, all-inclusive resort, then you should definitely consider Sandals.  They have beautiful properties all over the Caribbean that is structured just for adults.  Families will love the same concept but on Beaches properties.

Best Travel Resources for Tours and Activities

Get Your Guide

Get Your Guide is a brokerage that connects you with local guides and activities in cities around the world.  Marty and I used Get Your Guide during a recent trip to Italy in order to do an after-hours tour of the Vatican and had a great experience.  You can book everything from walking tours to wine excursions, to food tours.  Check out their prices and what they have to offer!

Trafalgar Tours

Trafalgar Tours organizes guided tours throughout the world.  Booking with Trafalgar allows someone else to do all of the work for you.

Big Bus Tours

One of the things that Marty loves doing when we first arrive in a new city is to do a hop-on, hop-off bus tour, and one of his favorites is Big Bus.

City Sightseeing

Another favorite hop-on, hop-off tour is City Sightseeing.  We love that City Sightseeing is in so many large cities. We have also found that they give a great tour that often includes extras light a night tour and often a walking tour.

CityPass

Another favorite of ours when visiting a new city is to see if they offer a CityPass.  CityPass is a great way to see all of the favorite tourist attractions while getting great savings.  We purchased the CityPass for Dallas and were tourists in our home city.  LOL!

Viator

Another great company to find experiences through is Viator.  Viator connects travelers with local tour operators to ensure that you can find the excursion or tour of your dreams.

Well, there you have it, some of our favorite travel resources.  Be sure and sign up below to receive our free travel bundle including a printable packing list!