Being in the military I’ve had the pleasure of traveling all over the world. Some of these places I’ve been were strictly for work, while others I’ve been able to explore and enjoy the area. Over the years, the more I’ve traveled, the more I’ve learned the best travel planning resources to use for a great experience.
So, I’ve decided to round up my 9 best travel planning resources that I use before going on a trip.
I’ve done alot of research on the internet and have become very familiar with the best travel resources that have helped with creating my travel itineraries. I think I have become pretty good at planning my family trips. Yes, I’ve had some learning curves and bumps along the way, but my experiences have still turned of great. The experiences and memories we have captured will stay with me forever.
So, instead of you having to mindlessly go through thousands and thousands of web searches, I have collected my top travel resources all in one place just for you. If you go by this list, I’m sure you will have the tools you need to plan your next memorable travel journey too.
Let’s jump into it.
This post contains affiliate links to the products that I use and recommend. If you click on any of the links and make a purchase, then I may earn a small commission. For more info go to my full disclosure.
Google flights
It is a quick search tool that allows you to see the prices of what every airline is charging for a destination. What I really like about it is that you can click on the calendar and see how much the tickets are for each day of the month and you can see all of the months by month. You can choose what day you want to fly based on the cheapest rate if you are flexible with your dates and want to save money. Also if you are not quite ready to buy a plane ticket, google will track the flights for you for that specific destination. If you sign up, Google flights will send you alerts via email of when the price of the ticket has decreased or increased. It’s really convenient and a reminder of the flight you previously searched for.
Skyscanner
It is another travel website that is a useful tool. Here, you will be able to see and compare all of the airline’s flights in one place. Skyscanner offers one of the best prices for travel in comparison to others. Also, on the site, is a popular tool known as the “EVERYWHERE” search. This is certainly handy if you don’t quite know where you want to travel to next, but want to compare the best and cheapest prices. There are over 100 million people that have used the Skyscanner website and app for their travel needs. In 2018 the consumer champions named them the “Best flight comparison service”.
Expedia.com
Expedia.com is the world’s leading travel full-service agency and search tool. This is a great site to have in your back pocket to find good rates for booking a flight. Expedia has been ranked as the #1 travel search engine. Additionally, Expedia has an impressive rewards program ranging from tiers of blue-gold members. This includes a savings of 10% to 30% on hotel stays. When you book with Expedia, you will earn points on the money you spend on flights, hotels, car rentals, and etc. Who wouldn’t love Expedia? They were one of the first ones to do it!
Booking.com
Booking is another easy site to navigate. We use it all the time to find good deals on hotels for our family trips. All you have to do is type in the search bar the location of where you want to stay. I did this for my trip to Gran Canaria. Find out more about my trip here. On Booking.com, you can see all the hotels, apartments, resorts, that are available to reserve. I like that you can also see reviews from previous customers about that particular accommodation.
Additionally, there is an option to make an account and it’ll save all of your trip info. Furthermore, Booking has a loyalty program called Genius. As a Genius member, Booking offerer discounts and extra benefits. There are 2 Genius levels right now. To get to Level 1 all you have to do is book 2 stays within a 2-year period. Or, if you want to “level-up” to Level 2, you will need to book 5 stays within 2-years. I am at Level 2 right now-Yay! Level 2 comes with 10-15% discounts, free breakfast at some properties, and even free room upgrade options.
Hotels.com
Hotels.com is a huge hotel travel resources search engine that provides one-stop-shop accommodations for hotel bookings of your choice for worldwide destinations. Hotels.com has accommodations in over 200 countries and territories…yes 200, and over 325K hotels to choose from!!
Additionally, Hotels.com has a rewards program in which you can collect 10 stamps to receive 1 reward night to redeem. Plus, there is an option to upgrade to silver or gold status as well.
Finally, Hotels.com has other types of bookings like vacation rentals, resorts, apartments, city homes, etc. On top of that, there is a filter option to use to show how far that hotel is from the airport, or how close to the city center. Not only that, Hotels.com has hundreds and thousands of reviews from previous customers that can be viewed before booking anything. On Hotels.com everything there is to know about accommodations is all in one place.
Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor is an awesome website travel resources to use for travel planning. The main reason why I love it is because of the huge selection of activities they offer. Tripadvisor is also all about the customer’s interaction. Tripadvisor has over 860 million customer reviews of activities from around the globe. Also, a bonus is that previous customers can upload their own pictures on here to share their trips and experiences.
Furthermore, the website is very easy to navigate. For instance, activities offered are broken down into precise categories from day trips, walking tours, outdoor activities, sports, cruises, and many more.
Tripadvisor offers more than just activities and tours, there are options to also book flights, vacation packages, rent a car, and cruises. You can essentially plan your entire trip on here!
The cancellation policies differ from company to company. Some will let you cancel for a full refund up to 24 hours, others will not. So just ensure you read the cancellation policy carefully.
Tripadvisor is one of my top go-to sites for planning a trip. If you want to know more about the trips I’ve booked with them click here: Gran Canaria
Viator
Viator is a travel resource search tool that provides over 200K activities to choose from. It has a seamless mobile booking that allows customers to book on the go, especially if you get caught in long lines, and tickets may sell out. This site enables you to plan and book your vacation in advance as well. If you don’t know exactly what you want to do, then just scroll through the many destinations and then click on the heart to add it as a favorite. I usually do this so that I can build my itinerary to ensure that I get all the days/times just right before I book anything.
However, another great option is the reserve now and pay later. This is useful in case you aren’t ready to go all-in on the booking or don’t quite have the money yet. Additionally, Viator allows customers to leave a review of their experiences dealing with that attraction. Reading customer reviews is usually a make-it-or-break-it for me. It’s a good indication of how good or bad that activity really is.
Viator guarantees the lowest price you will find while booking any travel activities. Or they will refund you the difference if the price match is found within 3 days of booking the activity. Viator will give a full refund from most tourist attractions up to 24-hrs before the event.
GetYourGuide
GYG is another travel booking website travel resources I stumbled upon when I was planning my trip to Gran Canaria. I like GetYourGuide since they have any and every excursion you can think of on this website. There are thousands of options for activities that you can book from around the globe. All you have to do is type in the destination you want to go to in the search bar and the timeframe. It will show a plethora of activities and tours for that destination. The attractions are broken down into categories from sightseeing tours to boat tours, food tours, and etc.
You can build an itinerary on GetYourGuide too from beginning to end. When booking a trip, it gives all of the information you need to know about that tour. Including the tour length, meet-up point, itinerary of the stops, things that are included, what to bring, and what you should know before you go. You can also check out the reviews from previous customers that have purchased and completed the activity.
On most attractions, once booked you can cancel up to 24 hours before the date for a full refund. If you find the same activity somewhere else and the price is lower, GetYourGuide will refund the difference back to you.
Check out my post about some activities that I booked for my trip to Gran Canaria here.
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Pinterest Travel Resources
Last, but definitely not least, PINTEREST! I absolutely LOVE using Pinterest to plan my travel. Pinterest is a social media platform that has thousands of articles about destinations from around the world. You get wonderful ideas and reviews from everyday travelers like you and me. All you have to do is type in the keyword and BAM, travel destinations galore. Then, you can easily pin the article to your own Pinterest board to save the ideas for later. Pinterest has absolutely changed my life! Follow my board here that is full of ideas for travel planning.
Are there any travel resources that you use? Comment below.
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This is so awesome. Thank you for providing so much information to help others with travel! I definitely liked the information about get your guide just because when I go out of town, I don’t always have the best knowledge about what to do and where to do it. This is awesome!
Thank you for your feedback and stopping by my page.
What a helpful post for travel planning! I had no idea about Google Flights or Skyscanner. I’m going to have to give those a try next time I’m looking for a flight! I love Hotels.com for booking hotel rooms to earn a free night here and there. Gotta love those rewards! I also love using Pinterest for travel inspiration! These are great travel resources. Thanks for sharing!