Travel

Here are some sources and services I have used and find myself returning to every time I travel. I guess you could say these are my recommendations. Take it or leave it, just throwing it out there.

I price check flights as soon as I know I will be traveling abroad. I cannot recommend that enough. There are several sites/services I use, but mainly it’s the following: Google Flights, Next Vacay, and Hopper.

Air BnB: If you do not have people that you know in your destination city, check out this service before booking a hotel. I highly recommend reading as many reviews as you can to get a good feel of the host. If there are any spaces you absolutely adore, go ahead and contact the host and ask any questions! All the hosts I have dealt with have been super sweet and helpful. I even baked a wedding cake in one of the AirBnB’s that I rented.

Next Vacay: This is a paid service, I believe it is $24/year. And I have found great deals through this service. You enter what airports are closest to you, where you want to travel and they do the rest. You will start getting emails on a daily basis (usually one or two) of great deals on flights. You have to book fast when you get the right one, but it is completely worth it. They will always have a link to the deal in the email. It’s like having a personal travel agent telling me every day of the deals out there to all the places I want to visit and not having to look it up.

TSA Pre-Check vs. Global Entry: I have the Global Entry card and that comes with TSA pre-check. This is the best $100 I have spent in a long time. It is especially lovely when re-entering the country and I can bypass the insanely long line at customs.

Comrad Compression Socks: If you’re like me, my feet have started to swell when I fly internationally and it is not flattering at all. I ordered these socks originally for work and my Mum suggested that I wear them when visiting Europe. They come in all different colors and styles and they are constantly having sales, which rocks.

Better Together Daily Wallet: MochiThings: This wallet is a little over-sized for the every day traveler, but it is excellent for toting around the airport and getting to and from your first and lat day. I can keep all my boarding passes, passport, money, and cards in one convient place. MochiThings has many fabulous other items so I encourage to spend a bit perusing their store. The quality is excellent and the items last for a long time!

Google Flights: I use several outlets for looking for flights, but I tend to return to Google Flights more frequently. I love that when looking for dates the prices for each day are displayed on the calendar in the search field so you can see price differences right away. You can also choose to watch whole days for flight price fluctuations or specific flights for price changes. These alerts go directly to your email.