Planning Your Next Adventure
Having worked at a startup that was acquired by Priceline Group, and at Expedia, I love travel and planning travel. Lately, I’ve been accumulating a bookmark folder with all the sites I use to plan my adventures. Here are some of my go-to’s and why:
Kayak Explore: Run by Kayak, owned by Priceline Group, but who cares. This tool is amazing and allows you to view flight prices from your location based on time of year, and new added, duration of your trip.
Utrip: Personalized travel itineraries generated through AI. We’re living in the future, and I get to use AI while wearing my eating pants.
Rome2Rio: Pick your starting point, then your destination, and Rome2Rio will find various ways to take the journey. Flight? Rental car? Bus? Train? Pack Mule?? It gives all kinds of options!
Pinterest: Comb through all the inspirational quotes pinned by all the “cool moms”, and create a specific board for your destination. Find out what other people have done, photo ideas, itinerary suggestions, and brag how yours will be cooler. A great place to get an idea of what to do!
Instagram: What other place can you find beautiful photography, through locations and tags, all from the palm of your hands.
Airbnb: I mean, if you don’t know what Airbnb is by now....but other than “feeling like a local”, it’s sometimes cheaper than a hotel, cozy like a bed and breakfast - without having to make awkward small talk with the owner, and I can walk around in my eating pants without anyone giving me the side-eye.
Skiplagged: This is great for finding cheap flights. The only catch, you can’t check any bags. The premise behind this site is booking a full flight, but getting off the plane at the layover, so if you check any bags, that’s on you bro.
TripIt App: With this mobile app, it will scan your email for any ticket confirmations, ignoring all the donut email receipts. It keeps your itineraries in one place, without having to search through emails for that magic confirmation number, so you can keep your schedule organized.
Booking Direct: As weird as it sounds not going through major travel sites with deals. Many times contacting the property can land you the same price as those found on Online Travel Agency sites, AND you don’t feel bad about contributing to a big corporation taking a percentage away from small local businesses.
Hope these help! Like any big adventure, this takes time and planning. If you have any sites you love to use for your adventures post them in the comments section!