Our 10+ year travel experience with trips to 40+ countries came to life thanks to a few great travel resources.
You should not leave your trip planning to chance either. A useful resource could save you hours and hundreds of dollars when booking a flight or a hotel stay.
Here is a list of our proven travel resources with a short realistic review of each service.
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1. Hotels
There are a few ways to book a place to stay. You could choose between hotel aggregators, hotel chains, credit card and travel bundle providers. Always compare at least a few services to get the best price.
Hotels.com: a global aggregator of places to stay. You could find hotels, bed & breakfasts, and vacation rentals on this website. The One Key loyalty program gives you a 2% cash back on nearly all bookings.
Booking.com: one of the world largest aggregators of places to stay with an excellent coverage abroad. A multi-tiered loyalty program gives you sizable upfront savings the more you travel.
Expedia.com: a well known travel website known for its travel bundles. You could combine a hotel stay with a flight, cruise, or a rental car for additional savings. This service is also part of One Key.
ChoiceHotels.com: a hospitality company with a few beloved hotel chains and over 7,000 locations. From Radisson Blu and Cambria Hotels to Comfort Suites and Park Inn, there is often a Choice hotel nearby.
Airbnb.com: a leading source of vacation rentals and homestays worldwide. While there is no loyalty program, you could take advantage of its partnership with Delta Airlines.
2. Car Rentals
Renting a car is the first step to an unforgettable road trip. Finding a reputable and cost effective provider is not an easy task at home, let alone abroad. But there are a handful of worthy resources.
AutoEurope.com: a car rental wholesale company with connections to over 24,000 rental locations. A good place to start your search for a rental car.
BookingCar.eu: a barebones website with some of the best deals on car rentals. Many offers require you to pay in advance a part of the reservation cost.
CostcoTravel.com: an aggregator of car rentals with often some of the cheapest prices. You need to be a Costco member to take advantage of this tool.
Expedia.com: a solid choice for car rentals, especially if you could bundle a car with other travel categories.
Orbitz.com: an Expedia Group service that often provides a different shortlist of car rentals with competitive prices.
3. Credit Cards
The right credit card could help your travel budget go further. The perks of a good travel credit card often include cash back/points, no foreign transaction fees, and extra travel coverages.
Chase Sapphire Preferred: a great travel credit card with a solid sign-up bonus and easy-to-transfer points. The card carries $95 annual fee but gives you a $50 hotel credit every year.
Capital One Venture & VentureOne: good travel credit cards with a flat points accrual rate. A Venture card costs $95 a year but covers $100 for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck every 4 years. VentureOne is free.
4. Flights
Most cross-country and cross-border trips involve taking a flight. You need comprehensive tools to find the best deals since the flight prices change throughout the day.
Google Flights: a go-to resource when searching for flights. A simple interface with key filters. Keep in mind that some airlines, like Southwest in the US, do not partner with this service.
Going: an email subscription service for flight deals, formerly known as Scott’s Cheap Flights (SCF). The number of deals sent depends on your nearest airport and subscription plan (free or paid).
5. Airport Parking
Parking at an airport is often a cheaper and more reliable way of starting your trip than getting a rideshare. Take a look at these providers to see if there is an airport parking lot in your city.
AirportParking.com: an aggregator of parking lots with an impressive coverage across the US and Canada. This service gives you a good selection of the off-airport parking lots.
TheFastPark.com: a parking service available at 15 airports in the USA. Sign up for the rewards program to have the reservation fee waived.
TheParkingSpot.com: an easy to spot parking service with lots in 22 US airports. Loyalty program members could modify or cancel a reservation free of charge.
6. Travel Insurance
A travel insurance is a great way to protect yourself when traveling. You could get international health insurance, car rental coverage, or an option to cancel your trip for any reason.
SquareMouth.com: a travel insurance comparison company with comprehensive coverages and competitive premiums.
TravelexInsurance.com: a leading travel insurance provider in the USA. You could choose from Travel Select and Travel Basic plans for most destinations.
TravelGuard.com: a travel insurance arm of American International Group (AIG). Deluxe, Preferred, and Essential plans are available for most locations.
7. Internet Coverage & Navigation
A reliable Internet connection could make or break your holiday. The same goes for advance trip planning and navigation. A travel to a national park in the US carries some additional considerations.
Google Fi: a cellular provider with a cost effective data coverage abroad. Worldwide data coverage is $10 per GB on the Flexible plan or free on the Unlimited Plus plan. Forget about the roaming fees.
Maps.me: an iPhone and Android app with free offline maps that include landmarks and trails. A must-have if you are traveling to a different country with spotty Internet coverage.
TrailForks.com: a comprehensive database of user generated trails and walking routes. A great resource for planning a trip in a new city, state park, or national park.
8. Gear & Clothing
Prana.com: durable trail- and outerwear for men and women with a good selection of rare sizes, like XS and Tall.
Rexingusa.com: reliable dash cams that you could pack to capture your road trip adventures.
9. Experiences
CityExperiences.com: a leading provider of river, lake, and sea day cruises. You could board their boat to the Statue of Liberty, Alcatraz, Niagara Falls, Chicago Architecture, and Boston Whale Watching.
UnlimitedBiking.com: a great bike rental service in 7 major cities on the East and West Coast.
Safe realist travels!