Travel Resources

TRAVEL RESOURCES FROM AROUND THE WEB

As someone who spends much of my free time traveling, I am often asked how I prepare for my trips. Through trial and error, I have learned how to build itineraries, how to book accommodation and airfare and travel cheaply from place to place no matter where I am. Below is a collection of the best travel resources when it comes to airfare, accommodation and area guides.

AIRFARE

As a flight attendant, I am fortunate to be able to travel for free or at extremely reduced rates. This hasn’t always been the case, however. Before I began working for the airlines in 2014, I payed for all my own airfare using a combination of the sites below.

Kayak
Kayak was one of my go-to search engines. The site allows you to select one way, round-trip and multi-city flights and compares prices from a wide array of air carriers. Kayak does not include many budget airlines, however.

Sky Scanner
Much like Kayak, Skyscanner compares prices from many different airlines. The best thing about Skyscanner, is that it caters to flexible travelers by having “everywhere” as a destination option and allowing people to search for very flexible dates.

ACCOMODATION

Booking
If you can get past the stress-inducing notices that rooms are filling fast and accommodation options are disappearing into thin air, booking.com is a fantastic resource and its search engine allows you to filter for different accommodation types by price, rating, accommodation type and more.

Airbnb
AirBnb has taken the travel market by storm. The site allows travelers to book rooms or apartments from individuals around the world.

Couchsurfing
Couchsurfing partners travelers and hosts around the world. Through the website, people can sign up to host travelers for free on their couches or in their spare bedrooms. I’ve only used Couchsurfing a few times, but it has always been a fantastic experience.

Hostelworld
Hostelworld is my go-to website for booking inexpensive accommodation in hostels. The website contains over 33,000 properties in 170 countries and is an important booking tool for budget travelers.

ITINERARY HELP

Lonely Planet Thorn Tree Forum
If I have a question about a specific destination, I often submit questions to Lonely Planet’s thorn three forum. The forum is a wonderful place to get itinerary help and suggestions from others.

Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor allows travelers to learn a bit more about the places they plan on visiting by reading reviews from other travelers. Tripadvisor reviews cover everything from restaurants to hotels to tours. While generally quite helpful, my trip to the San Blas Islands is a perfect example of why I do not take Tripadvisor reviews too seriously.

Rome2Rio
If I need to figure out how to get from point A to point B, I look no further than Rome2Rio. The website shows travelers the best ways of travel between places using trains, buses, airplanes and private vehicles.

FLYING TIPS

Savvy Globetrotter’s Tips for Surviving Long Flights
A comprehensive list of tips and tricks to that are useful for surviving long flights. Among these, are tips on what to bring, what to eat and drink and how to dress.

REGION-SPECIFIC TRAVEL GUIDES

Europe Travel Guide
This Europe-focused guide offers a list of services, links and personal recommendations for planning a perfect Eurotrip.