TRAVEL RESOURCES

Ready to book your next adventure? We’ve compiled a list of all of our favorite travel resources to help you book your trip. Many of these resources are here to help you save money and others are simply the best way to build an amazing vacation. We have used all of these services ourselves and continue to use them to find incredible flight deals, book ocean front houses for a steal, find the perfect activity for us and so much more.

Disclaimer: Some of the links below are affiliate links. We will receive a small commission if you book through those sites. We want to be upfront with you about this and let you know that we would NEVER recommend any of these companies if we didn’t use them and trust them ourselves. If we ever find a better website for any of these resources we will swap it for these immediately, even if it means we don’t get a commission.

Flights

Skyscanner is my go to site for finding the best flights based on prices, dates, times and flight length. It’s incredibly intuitive playing around with all of the airports and dates to find the best deal. Once I get notified from Scott’s Cheap Flights or TravelZoo about flight deals I go right to Skyscanner to dig into the details and find out if those flight deals work for us.

Scott’s Cheap Flights is an incredible free newsletter service that emails you daily with amazing flight deals. We’ve used it to fly to Paris for $350, Australia for just $650 and so many other great destinations around the world. Most of these prices were even flying from our small Richmond airport. If you live near a major airport like LAX or JFK you’ll see even more amazing deals than we do.

I love checking TravelZoo every Wednesday for their top 20 list. It just takes a minute and quite often we’ll see a great deal that’s worth booking on the spot. We booked a trip to Greece for just $1400 per person that included flights and hotels for 2 weeks in Athens, Mykonos and Santorini. There are so many deals to be had, so make sure to check out TravelZoo’s top 20 Deals each week.

SeatGuru isn’t about getting the best deal, but making sure that flight deal you found is on a good plane. Just enter the flight information and SeatGuru will tell you the type of plane, whether there are charging ports at your seat, what type of entertainment to expect, your seat reclining angle and so much more. It only takes a minute, but using SeatGuru always gives us a peace of mind that we won’t regret booking our next flight.

Accommodation

What would we do without Airbnb? Honestly, there are so many places we’ve been that just wouldn’t be affordable for us without Airbnb. In cities like San Francisco you’ll pay around half of what you’d pay for a comparable hotel. In places like Mallorca we were able to stay in a top notch 4 bedroom house right on the water for just $200 night. We can’t recommend Airbnb highly enough for your next trip. At the very least you should always compare what’s available at your next destination between hotels and Airbnb. Hotels can definitely be a smoother and more simple process, but when the prices are double it isn’t always worth it.

There are a ton of great hotel/motel sites out there, but we almost always find ourselves booking our next hotel through Booking.com. The site is very user friendly and they often have more properties like small local motels than the bigger sites. Their review system and filters are straightforward and very informative. We’ve never had a single booking problem after all these years and definitely recommend comparing them with Airbnb for your next trip.

TravelZoo also has great deals on lodging. They run specials all the time for 3 night stays in major cities or complete hotel packages for a 2 week trip. Any time we book a trip I always do a quick search on TravelZoo just to see if they have any deals on offer for the city we’re about to visit.

Rental Car

Kayak is my go to site for car rentals. I do use other sites as well like RentalCars.com and Hotwire.com, but what’s so great about Kayak is that it includes them all in one convenient search. Their search even includes hard to find Hot Deals from Hotwire and Priceline. Kayak is also great for finding great deals on flights and hotels, but for us it’s all about their excellent rental car search.

Transportation

Omio is an easy to use site for booking your next train or bus trip. Just enter your desired locations and date and you’ll see a full list of trains, buses and even flight pricing. Their prices are usually about as low as it gets online and they couldn’t make it easier to find the right transit for you.

Sometimes at the end of a long day walking around a huge city like Paris you just want to get back to your hotel. Other times you want to get to a restaurant that’s all the way across town. In these moments, Uber can be a lifesaver. Sure some cities have great metros and public transportation, but Uber is quick and simple. You’ll get exactly where you need to go without having to study a subway map.

Booking Activities

Viator is a great site for finding day trips, excursions and unique activities for your next destination. There’s a great review system and most of the quality companies provide lots of details about the excursions, so you really know what you’re getting yourself into.

Airbnb Experiences are another great way to book activities and excursions. Some of them from large travel companies and some from locals offering rides on their private boats. At the very least it’s a great place to check and come up with some great activity ideas for your trip.

Travel Insurance

Whether you’re concerned about flight issues, medical emergencies or stolen luggage WorldNomads.com has your back. We’ve used them for many of our trips and highly recommend their trip insurance for anyone looking for that extra level of protection. The rates are very affordable and you’ll know that you’re totally covered. They have customized plans offering protection against medical emergencies, cancellations and a lot more.

Travel Gear

Packing Necessities

Luggage

Obviously, quality luggage is key for any traveler. We need something that can hold a lot but is easy to carry around which is why this set is perfect for us. I love the hard case which helps keep my items inside from being squished or damaged. Plus the wheels make this set super simple to push or pull.

Compression Cubes

When we travel, I want to pack a lot of clothes without getting wrinkles. I’ve practiced every single method on YouTube for packing a suitcase but was never fully satisfied until I found these amazing compression cubes! Since finding these, I have fit my winter coat and several heavy sweaters into my backpack. I could never have done that before.

Toiletry Bottles

The last thing we want to worry about when we travel is mundane items like toothpaste and facial cleanser. However, without those items, we probably shouldn’t go out in public. So we rely on this great leak proof and TSA-approved travel toiletry bottle set to contain all of our necessary lotions and potions wherever we go.

Personal Bag

Personally, we prefer to use a backpack for our personal bag. This backpack holds so much and allows us to keep both arms free. There’s a separate pocket for our laptop and still plenty of space for a sweater, our chargers, headphones, water bottle, snacks and more. Bonus, it’s water resistant in case you are caught in the rain.

Luggage Scale

If your luggage is even the slightest bit over the allowable weight, you could be facing some hefty extra fees. Save yourself a lot of money and stress with this digital luggage scale. It’s super easy to use and you can take it with you to weigh any new purchases you pick up along your journeys.

Flight Accessories

Passport Covers

This is certainly not a necessary item but more of an indulgence. We just like having passport covers for our passports. I love this adorable set which protects our passports and helps us easily identify them from others. I love the colors of this vegan his & hers set and the best part is that they’re cruelty-free – Yay!

Neck Pillow

I couldn’t survive a long flight without my favorite neck pillow. This baby has gone on every trip with us. It doesn’t look like much but it’s so versatile. Use it behind your neck, under your chin, on the side of your head or even as lumbar support. Bonus, you can remove the outer cover and toss it in the wash after every trip.

Sleep Mask

A sleep mask is so simple and yet so brilliant. If you’ve ever tried sleeping on a plane in the middle of the day, I’m sure you understand. This mask looks like something from outer space but it works great! I love how the cushions mold around my eyes so there’s no pressure on my eyes or nose and the light is totally blocked!

Ear Plugs

Just like a great sleep mask, ear plugs are another simple but beautiful invention. They’re great for flying and otherwise. For example, the beautiful but crazy little birds in Maui start chirping incessantly around 4:00 in the morning. Without these ear plugs, we wouldn’t have been able to sleep any later than those dang birds!

Personal Care

Water Bottle

A person’s water bottle is a very sacred and personal item. When we find one that holds a lot of liquid, keeps our drink cold (or warm) and is easy to carry, we use the crap it until it’s ragged! It’s important to stay hydrated and to prevent our oceans from filling with more single-use plastics. Here’s our current favorite water bottle.

Exercise Bands

There’s no reason to miss your workouts while you’re on vacation. These exercise bands are like a tiny little gym that fits right inside your suitcase. These bands are all you need to keep your beautiful body toned no matter where you are in the world, even a hotel room. With these, you can work your arms, your legs, your glutes and more!

Solid Shampoo Bar

We love taking solid shampoo bars on our travels. They’re effective, compact and are suitable for carry-on luggage. Plus, we don’t have to worry about liquid shampoo busting and ruining everything else in our bags. I love the vegan bars from LUSH because they use natural and responsible ingredients. And they smell great!

Reef-friendly Sunblock

In our lifetimes, we’ve been lucky enough to see some beautiful reefs, including the Great Barrier Reef. It’s our responsibility to help protect these reefs so that future generations can experience them as well. We rely on this reef-friendly sunscreen to protect our skin from harmful sun rays without causing damage to our beautiful planet.

Helpful Gadgets

Bluetooth Earbuds

I love my Bluetooth earbuds! I use them all the time. I can sync them with my phone to listen to music while I workout, during a flight or hanging on the beach, or sync them with my laptop to watch movies. They have a great battery life, are easy to use and come with a convenient storage case which is easy to toss into my backpack when we travel.

Noise-cancelling Headphones

Sick of listening to that screaming baby on your flight? Or is that group of loud-mouthed frat bros in aisle 6 driving you completely bonkers? If so, you need a pair of budget-friendly noise-cancelling headphones like these. It’s insane how much background noise they block out.

Headphones Splitter

We love to pass the time during a long flight by watching a movie together. Sometimes we’ll even save an entire season of a series so we can binge it on our flight. In order to do this, we both need to be able to plug our headphones into the same laptop. We do this with our nifty headphones splitter. It’s brilliant!

Universal Adapter & Charger

This magical little cube has come in handy so often during our travels. I’ve used this universal adapter to charge my phone, my laptop, my flat iron and my e-reader. It’s also saved us a money over the years because we don’t have to buy unique adapters for each country we visit.

Kindle Paperwhite

My e-reader is easily in the top 5 items I cannot travel without. It can store so many books so I can easily switch from a romance to a thriller or an autobiography depending on my mood. This is the most important tool that gets me through a long flight. I also love having something to read while I’m unwinding on the beach or in bed after a day exploring a city.

Waterproof Gear

Waterproof Shoes

A great pair of water shoes will save your life when you’re exploring beautiful but rocky coastlines in far away exotic beaches. Make sure you don’t have to cut your fun short because you cut your foot. These water shoes are comfortable and stylish. Plus they come in a multitude of fun colors!

Waterproof Pouch

There’s nothing worse than not being able to swim together because one of us has to stay on the beach to guard our valuables. That’s where this waterproof bag comes in handy. I can pop our phones, cash and other valuables into the bag, strap it around my waist and go practice our best Dirty Dancing lift without a care in the world!

Snorkel Gear

If you snorkel often while on vacation you’re better off buying your own gear. It’s cheaper in the long run than constantly renting equipment. The main reason we like to use our own snorkel mask is simply because it makes us feel better than being the 84th person to put the snorkel in our mouths.

Camera Equipment

Olympus E-M1

I spent a ton of time researching cameras and I’m always looking for the best bang for the buck. The E-M1 has all the features I need like IBIS, Hi-Res Mode and produces high quality images. It does all of this at a great price and size making it a perfect travel camera.

Olympus Wide Angle Lens

When you’re traveling it’s important to have 2 lenses. The first one is this 9-18mm  wide angle lens for landscapes and street photography. I use this lens more than any other, because it just gives me tons of options with my shots at an unbeatable price.

Olympus Telephoto Lens

The next lens in my bag is the 75-300mm. If you’re shooting animals and you want to get tight crisp shots then you’ll need some serious zoom in your kit. This lens is a great value and won’t weigh you down like Olympus’s larger 300mm f/4 prime.

Portable Tripod

Depending on the types of pictures you’re taking you may not need a tripod. But if you’re looking for incredible long exposure shots or astrophotography then you’ll need a tripod. The ZOMEI Z699C Portable Tripod with Ball Head is a great value for a well made lightweight tripod.

Waterproof Camera Bag

The Abonnyc DRLBP-CZ Waterproof Anti-shock Backpack is a high end product at a reasonable price. It will fit all of your camera equipment and keep it dry at the same time. All while being comfortable and fashionable.