Planning

globe-new

“How can you get it so cheap?” is the question we get asked the most. Well, you have to be willing to invest time and energy. But if you think of it as a fun game of a sort, you can find deals. These days, most deals get delivered to your inbox. You just need some time to pay attention. And you have to do your homework to find the best way to get around and to eat well without paying too much. These are the sites and books I turn to when I do the research.

Travel Deals:

  • We find the weekly email from Travel Zoo the most helpful. (I used to subscribe to vacationstogo.com, luxurylink.com, and many others, but I was getting too many emails without much to gain.)
  • Groupon occasionally offers good deals.
  • We find deals on cruises in Crucon sale emails or cruisesonly.com

General Info:

  • Frommer’s: ‘Frugal Travels’ is their motto
  • Rick Steve’s: for Europe (I look at ‘At a Glance’ and ‘Plan’ sections)
  • Books: The Best Things in Life Are Free(Lonely Planet) for free(almost) things to do, South America Handbook(Footprint) for South America
  • Google works. You type in “7 days in _______” or “one day in ______,”   & you will get a list full of information. I check out 5-10 different links to see what other people and travel experts say. You can usually get a picture of what to do/see by comparing these opinions. I try to include locals’ perspective in this process if possible.

Flight Search:

  • Skyscanner: airfare comparison (make sure to choose the preferred currency)
  • ITA Software: airfare comparison
  • Hopper app tells you whether you should buy now or wait.
  • If you ever wonder which seat to choose on your next flight: Seat Guru

Trains:

  • The Man in Seat 61: the most comprehensive ‘how to’ info on trains
  • German Railway: in Europe, if your route involves Germany, try this site. If you buy early(2 months ahead), they offer steep discounts.
  • Ctrip Train: I find this to be the best site for Chinese train tickets because their fee is reasonable unlike other sites catering to foreigners.

Ferris: I have used Aferry site & it worked well.

Rental Car & Transfers

  • For price comparison, Skyscanner is great. (make sure to choose the preferred currency)
  • If you are a Costco member, Costco Travel frequently quotes the best price in the U.S. If you rent through them, the second driver is free.
  • for longer out of town/airport transfer needs, we use gettransfer.com
  • to figure out transportation options from town to town, Rome2Rio.com works well

Housing:

  • For lodging price comparison, Skyscanner does a good job. (make sure to choose the preferred currency)
  • For renting an apartment or house, Airbnb works well.
  • I used to use VRBO a lot for renting a house.
  • We have made some exchanges on HomeExchange.com, This site is interesting in that you do not deal with money. You get points for letting someone stay at your house, then you can use the points to stay some place else.
  • For local sites, you just Google, “vacation rental in _____” etc.

Restaurants:

Google “10 best restaurants in ______” and you will get tons of info. I usually glean the list that comes up & click the newspaper or magazine articles first to see fresh takes. Then I check out the TripAdvisor links, especially “moderately priced restaurants” list. In Europe, thefork.com shows deals. You can Google “restaurant deals in ____” and see whether there are local restaurant deal sites. Timeout.com is a good info source for dining and entertainment in over 30 countries.