How do I travel so much? Here's the answer!
There are numerous resources you can use to plan you perfect vacation, nevertheless, I will show you the ones I use and how I use them to my benefit. I will talk about flights, hotels, rental car, public transportation, etc. Let's get started!
FLIGHTS
I haven't found a better resource than Google Flight. Its features are awesome and I love it! Don't have a destination on mind? Well, just enter your nearest airport and dates and it will tell you the prices by location. Don't have dates? No problem, just change it to flexible dates. You can choose a specific month or a week/weekend in the next 6 months.
If your dates are flexible, you can check out the price fluctuations in the graph. You can play with the amount of dates by pressing on the minus or plus button.
Also, you can check out the price fluctuations in the table. I personally don't use this feature; I prefer the price graph but it's still a nice feature to have available.
Table
Once I find the perfect flight, I go directly to the airline website to book my flight. Yes, always book everything DIRECTLY to the service you are buying. Only use third party websites/apps to research and just make your life easier by having all airline prices in one place. Also, keep in mind that some airlines such as Southwest aren't included in Google Flights search so always double check and do a separate search for those. I haven't had a bad experience booking through third party agencies but I have heard so many stories of overbooking, scams and cancellations that I wouldn't risk my vacation for anything.
HOTELS
- I use Booking, Airbnb, American Express and Marriott Bonvoy to search for my stays. Just like Google Flight, I only use Booking to research. If I find something I like, I go directly to the website or call the host. Normally, it will be cheaper to book directly and saves you the third party fee as well. Also, it could save you a headache; I don't want to be in an unknown country/city without a hotel or place to stay due to third party mistakes! Most importantly, cancellation policies are more flexible when you book directly.
- Airbnb is great but it's tricky. Just because the price per night is lower doesn't mean the total due will be lower. Service fees, cleaning fees and taxes may vary according to location and host. I normally filter for free cancellation properties but you can also filter properties with pool, type of place, AC, gym, etc.
- Now, if you aren't using a credit card for your daily transactions, you should start now. We use American Express and Chase. They have many advantages and benefits. All transactions give you points which you can then use for flights, hotels, etc. Don't waste more time and check it out!
- Marriott Bonvoy is the best! Not all Marriott hotels are called Marriott. You can become a member for free and accumulate points each night you stay at a Marriott hotel. You get rewards such as free nights, free suite upgrades, etc. Download the app and start chasing Marriotts!
RENTAL CAR
You can use third party websites to search for cars and then book it directly with the company offering the best deal. If you are military, teacher, student, responder, nurse, etc, create an account with shop.id.me and thank me later! There are tons of discounts there (not only for car rental but for many stores).
An app that is popular now in many cities is Turo! Great option for last minute trips, flexibility and extras (some hosts offer beach gear, kid's car seat, etc).
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Public transportation such as train, bus and tram are most of the time going to be a cheaper way of commuting through the city. Most big cities offer 1 day pass, 2 days pass, weekly pass, etc.
This is the #1 option for European cities, although, I don't recommend this option for families with kids and strollers, etc. It can be a hassle to enter and exit train stations and the trains/busses.
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