Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post, like hotel links, are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, we make a little bit of money if you click through and end up booking. That said, we would never recommend something we don’t stand behind 100%. 

We have spent years in the travel sector, navigating the industry so that we can bring you the simplest, most effective tools and strategies for planning your trips. These are the very tools we use to make travel planning easy. With our expert-guided resources, you can cut through the noise and focus on the excitement of your upcoming adventure. Easy planning leads to breezy travel! Learn more about us and feel free to reach out.

Travel Inspiration (Part 1: General Inspiration)

• Pinterest – A visual search database (how we like to think of it) with lots of “best of” or “what to do in” compilations.
• Instagram – Follow a few travel influencers or search for “travel” tags.
• Google Earth – Do some digital traveling and look around at places you could go and things you could see!

Travel Inspiration (Part 2: Tactical Inspiration by flight network or price)

All of the tools below are wonderful. We recommend picking one of these you like and sticking with it. There is no need to shop these around once you like one. Most have “anywhere” type search features, for if you don’t know where to go, and can do flight tracking for deals.

• Google Flights – An easy top choice for price tracking or exploration.
• SkyScanner – Quality metasearch site for any stage of your shopping or booking.
• Hopper – The site tries to predict price changes for you.
• Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights) – Sign up for price alerts to inspire where you go.

Air / Flights

• Booking.com or Expedia – While each is known more for packages (hotel and air together), you can book air-only.
• Southwest.com – Southwest flights can only be found on Southwest.com or Google Flights, so price check in either place.
• Skyscanner – We like their “Explore Everywhere” feature. Find a flight here and then book with the airline.

Aviation Guru / “Av Geek”

• Seatguru – See flight configuration to anticipate where you will have your best experience.
• Airfleets.net – Look at the exact aircraft by flight.

Accommodations

• Booking.com – Our favorite search interface for hotels and unique accommodations.
• Expedia or Hotels.com – Part of the same parent company and “One Key” loyalty program.
• VRBO or AirBnB – When looking for a vacation rental, search on both sites. Sometimes houses will be listed on both, but not all the time.

Flight Day

• FlightAware – Good as a day-of tool to see where your aircraft is and anticipate delays.
• Turbli – Check turbulence for your flight so you know what chops or bumps will occur.
• Airline app and site – Always download your airline’s app for flight day.

Tours / Things to Do

• Viator – Established tour aggregator, with easy booking and a large database of reviews.
• Get Your Guide – A rising competitor to Viator.
• Trip Advisor – Things to do, restaurants, hotels, etc. Reviews and top rankings to virtually anywhere you could go.
• With Locals – Memorable experiences and tours hosted by locals. A gem!

Rental Cars & Transportation

• Uber or Lyft – Utilize rideshare in cities where it is popular if you don’t need a car once you are at your destination.
• Expedia – Solid for car rentals, even though they’re known more for air and hotel bookings.
• AutoSlash – Track your rental car prices after you book.
• Discover Cars – Rental car search aggregator.

Baggage and Packing

• TravelPro – Our favorite luggage brand for aviation professionals. Register your product to take advantage of the warranty.
• Gregory – Quality company for hiking backpacks, duffels, and roller bags.

Let’s make every trip an effortless adventure, right from the planning stage, and throughout the trip. Please reach out to us if you have any questions about this expert, insider travel resources guide.

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