Save Time & Money
My style of travel is geared toward long-term adventure and photography. Here are various resources and links to apps and websites I use to make my travels easier, cheaper, and longer. I might go on a backcountry excursion or a climb a mountain, so my needs might differ from yours. From years of travel, I've found the best combination of gear and digital apps that fit my needs, and I hope you will gain a few insights from it.I'm not a fan of travel guides, so other than Hitchwiki; I'll read a Lonely Planet or Rough Guides book now and then but I prefer to talk to locals and discover things that aren't written about in some guidebook. There's just something about discovering the unknown that drives me.
Below the resources that have helped me stretch my travels and saved me lots of money. I've also included photographers resources that will help budding travel and landscape photographers.
Navigation
-
- FLIGHTS
- ACCOMMODATIONS
- OVERLAND TRAVEL
- INSURANCE
- TOURS
- TECHNOLOGY
- BLOGGING
- PHOTOGRAPHY
- VISA & PASSPORT
- INSPIRATION
- OTHER
Finding Cheap Flights
--- I can afford travel and travel to many places not because I have a lot of money. I can because I try to be as smart about it by using the below resources to their full potential. You can too!
Orbitz is what I use to book flight routes found on Google ITA Matrix. Most of the best flight deals I've found are booked through Orbitz. It's simply one of the best. I've used this service more times than I can count and it has saved me a lot of money.
Skyscanner is my go-to flight search engine. Very similar to the Google ITA Matrix but allows you to purchase the ticket with its partners. I've found plenty of cheap flights from their website and app. It's has a very intuitive and easy to use interface as well.
Momondo is another website and app where I've found great deals on airfare. It's comparable to all the other search engines. I often use the service as a comparison tool before I make my decision.
I use the JetRadar app on my Android. It's intuitive enough. If I don't have access to a PC and I'm looking for flights I use this app. I've purchased a couple of airline tickets in South America using it. In my experience, this has given me some of the best deals. Check it out.Articles To Score The Best Flight Deals:
Google ITA Matrix is one of the most advanced flight search engines out there. It uses some of the most sophisticated search algorithms power by Google to find the best flights and deals. The only problem is, you can't book flights directly from it. You'll have to use one of the booking flights above. Apps to Find Cheap Flights - Got a smartphone? Don't miss my roundup reviews on the best app to find cheap airfare! Best Day To Buy Airline Tickets - It's true. There are best days to book your flights. Typically it's during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but you can also find deals during Travel Tuesday. Read more about it.Cheap Accommodation
--- Accommodation is the least of my travel expenses. I've mastered the art of sleeping in the car or someone else's couch. Often I'll end up becoming friends with other travelers at the places I visit, and they'll end up inviting me to stay at their home. I don't usually book in advance because I like to go with the flow. If I get a suggestion from a local or another traveler about some cool spot they've been too, I'm likely to go there on a whim. I'd often go to a town or city and use Hostelworld or Google Maps to find a hostel and see if they have any available beds. With this kind of ad-hoc travel you need the right tools - I use the services below to make my life easier.
Couchsurfing I find myself not couch surfing as much as I used to. It's still a great alternative to hostels, but I prefer to have the freedom to come and go as I please like 24 hostel offers (most of them are). When I'm with a host, I feel somewhat restricted because it feels weird when you come back late at night and the host is already sleeping. Still, CouchSurfing is a great way to meet people and save money.
Hotels Combined Hotels Combined is the Skyscanner for hotels. It's an aggregator that takes all the fuss out of comparing hotel prices from different providers. Use it find the best deals out of any hotels. You will find hotels at the best price without any booking fees. Along with Booking.com, it's one of the sites I use most.Booking.com
I use Booking.com to book a place to stay when I know ahead of time where I'd be staying. I'm able to find apartment rentals cheaper than Airbnb. I also use to book hotels for up to 30 days, giving me huge savings on accommodations.
Airbnb is a staple for most travelers. If you're traveling as a group, it's often cheaper than staying at youth hostels. The places you stay at can be quaint and cozy as well. Get $40 in credit if you use my LINK to sign up for the first time!
TripAdvisor has been around a long time and is a great resource for hotel reviews and other reviews related to travel. You can practically use it to plan your trips. It also allows you to book your hotels or apartments directly on the website and app.
VRBO is one of the biggest websites for vacation rentals, they have over two million unique places to stay in over 190 countries. It's a little like Airbnb but the difference is, VRBO list whole houses or apartments for rentals. Airbnd, on the other hand, can list rooms and sublets.Overland Travel
--- Whether by rental cars, trains, or buses. The following resources are your best bet to get you from point A to point B.
Renting a car from Auto Europe is one of the cheapest ways to travel around Europe. I highly recommend this if you have 30-180 days of traveling overland in Europe. If you split it with a partner or group, it's a lot cheaper than buying a Eurorail pass. It gives you easy access to the European countryside that you'd probably miss just hopping on trains that only stop at major metros.
12Go.Asia is one of the biggest online travel agencies in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Ground and water transportation tickets are sold in more than 3000 stations in 15 countries: Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, Myanmar, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Philippines, New Zealand, Macao, and China.
Arguably, traveling by train is one of the best ways to see the wonders of Europe. With Rail Europe, you can see 28 countries and a whopping 15,000 cities and towns in Europe. All this with the widest selection of train tickets and rail passes at your disposal.
GoEuro compares trains, buses and plane prices and timetables all in one place. With this program, we are looking to grow our user base in Europe and as well as the United States and Canada. We are aspiring to become the leading platform for booking European trips.Unconventional Form of Travel - Hitchwiki Is a go-to resource for hitchhikers. Hitchhiking is fun and a great way to meet new friends. It's also one of the cheapest ways to get around. When I was traveling around Europe with a car, I picked up a lot of hitchhikers. It's a cheap and fun way to get around places.
You can book hotels, cruises, and flights on Expedia but I've found that it's really good at finding rental cars. Browse their inventory of hundreds of cheap car rentals. Get the best rental car deals with their Price Guarantee.
Don't care much for cars or trains? BikesBooking.com is an online booking service for motorcycles, scooters, quads, and bicycles all over the world. The service compares prices of 950 rental companies from over 40 countries. 50,000 vehicles are available for booking in 2000+ locations around the world.Travel Insurance
---Payout: 0.000 HBDVotes: 95More interactions (upvote, reblog, reply) coming soon.
