MY FAVORITE TRAVEL RESOURCES
To help you plan your bucket list travels, I’ve compiled all my favorite travel resources here! A few of the links are affiliate, which means that at no extra cost to you I may earn a small commission should you decide to book. Every dollar goes directly back to support Wanderlight Moments & Usher syndrome awareness.
flights
Google Flights is my go-to for flights, always showing the lowest prices across many different airlines. The best feature is the world map, which lets you to put your departure city and dates, but leave your destination unknown. Google Flights will show you prices for flights to different cities around the world, making it fun to daydream or discover surprise flight deals.
Skyscanner is another awesome site for discovering amazing flight deals. Like Google Flights, Skyscanner allows you to put “Everywhere” as your destination to explore all your options. Or, if you already know your destination, Skyscanner will show you the cheapest prices. I also use Skyscanner when searching for flights on my phone because Google Flights doesn’t have an app,
accommodations
I love to use Booking.com for accommodations. Since it is a global platform, Booking.com has so many options for places to stay, including luxury and boutique hotels, as well as more affordable options like hostels and bed & breakfasts. Booking.com also provides the most flexibility as you often don’t have to pay upfront and it’s really easy to cancel bookings.
Airbnb is the best for when you want to get a more authentic, local experience. You can stay in a private room, significantly cutting travel costs, or rent out an entire place. Another unique feature of Airbnb is that some of the homes are extremely unique! You can stay in a castle in Scotland, a Cabin in Vermont, or a bungalow in Nashville – the opportunities are endless.
Hotels.com has the best loyalty program because for every 10 hotel nights you book, Hotels.com will give you one night free to use anywhere. If I’m looking at more luxurious or costly places to stay, I will usually book through Hotels.com. Also, Hotels.com will sometimes show “Secret Prices” and “Deal of the Day” options that are significantly better deals than anywhere else.
I use Priceline mostly for the Priceline Express Deals,. The way it works is that you don’t get to know the hotel you are staying at until after you’ve made a non-refundable booking. In exchange for locking in on a mystery hotel, you get up to 60% off the regular hotel price (which is insane!!). Priceline will tell you the neighborhood and the hotel’s amenities (like free parking, free wifi, pool, etc.)
TrAVEL TIPS
Tip #1: search for flights during a global pandemic. Kidding. In all seriousness, these crazy cheap flights ($100 for a weekend trip from Boston to Los Angeles?!) are only temporary. Plus they are tough to take advantage of right now, anyway. R[...]