Travel Planning Resources

Curated online essentials for your next adventure. There are many things that you need to consider when planning your next trip. These websites will help you discover your next adventure.

Destination Research & Inspiration

Lonely Planet

The gold standard for destination overviews. Their "Best in Travel" lists are excellent for discovering emerging destinations before they become crowded.

Travel Off Path

This website provides up-to-date travel news, safety alerts and information on popular and budget-friendly destinations.

Google Maps

Create a map of your destination and pin the places you want to visit before you travel. This site offers lots of options for attractions.

YouTube & Travel Blogs

Use these as "visual search engines." Searching for "[City] Walkthrough" or "[City] Neighborhood Guide" gives you a realistic, unedited look at a location's daily atmosphere.

Safety

U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory

This site will show the level of risk associated to traveling to any country via an easy to read map. You can also locate any US Embassy.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

This is an excellent resource for general information regarding which vaccines you may need on your trip. This provides detailed, country-specific travel information as well as information covering many travel topics (altitude, motion sickness, etc.).

This is the headingSmart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)

Let the U.S. government know when and where you are traveling. They will notify you of any issues happening in that area. I’ve gotten notifications of increased travel risks, demonstrations and strikes.

NOTE: I recommend checking with your doctor before making any final decison about what vaccines are necessary based on your own health, medical conditions and location you are traveling to.

Weather & Seasonability

Climate-Data

Perfect for checking the "shoulder seasons." It provides average temperatures and rainfall for almost every town on Earth, helping you avoid monsoon seasons or extreme heatwaves.

Weather & Climate

One of the most comprehensive weather sites provides precise forecasts and climate data for popular destinations worldwide.

Holiday-Weather

Provides a simple "Best Time to Visit" summary for thousands of global destinations, including water temperatures for coastal spots.

Research Tip: When looking at “Best Time to Visit,” aim for the Shoulder Season (the weeks immediately before or after the peak tourist season). You’ll usually find 20–30% lower prices and significantly fewer crowds while still enjoying pleasant weather.

Flights

Google Flights

Best for speed, price tracking, and visualizing the cheapest dates via the "Price Graph." You can also use this to track fares.

Skyscanner

Ideal for "hacker fares" (combining different airlines) and spontaneous "search everywhere" queries.

Point.Me

The premier tool for finding "award space" to fly using credit card points or frequent flyer miles.

Onward Ticket

If you are traveling to a country that requires a return ticket, and you are not sure of when you want to return, you can book an actual, although temporary, ticket for $30 or less.

Kayak

Ideal for saving money on airfare by searching for cheap flights. It compares hundreds of airline sites to find the best deals.

TIP: While using these websites is the best way to locate flights, I would recommend that you book directly with the airline rather than through a third-party website. Doing so will make it easier to make changes to your tickets and rebook if there are issues with your flights.

Accommodations

Booking.com

Offers the widest variety of options, from 5-star resorts to boutique guesthouses. Unlike Airbnb, you can book a place to stay without having to pay upfront. This site will also give you the full cost of the stay before you book. Unlike ABnB, you don't have to pay until just before you arrive, and the refund policies are very flexible.

Hi Chee

This site compares prices across Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo to find the lowest price. This site allows you to find you the zero-middle-man solution to book directly on the property manager’s website. This can save you a lot of money, as landlords don't have to pay commissions to 3rd party siites.

Hostel World

The go-to for solo travelers looking for social atmospheres or budget-friendly private rooms. A great option is to book a hostel for a night to give you time to do some on-site searching for the best hotel, in an area that you want to be in.

Day Use

Have a long lay-over? You can book a hotel room for a short amount of time. Or, want to stay in a lovely resort, book a few hours and get access to the resorts offerings, spa, pool and restaurants.

TIP: One of my favorite ways to find accommodation is to join Facebook group from that area and either post what you are looking for or, scroll through to see what might be offered. Joining a Facebook “Nomad” or “Digital Nomad” is another way to find great places to stay.

Transportation & Logistics

Rome2Rio

I ALWAYS start with this app. It shows multiple ways to get between two points via train, bus, ferry, and flight.

TripIt

A travel organization website (and app) that automatically turns your booking confirmations into a clean, day-by-day itinerary. It keeps flights, hotels, car rentals, and activities in one place so you can access your plans anytime, even offline.

RentalCars.com

A massive broker specializing in car rentals with a "Best Price Guarantee" in over 160 countries. This is particularly helpful if renting a car outside of your home country.

The Man in Seat 61

This site explains how to travel comfortably & affordably by train or ferry, rediscovering the pleasure, romance & adventure of the journey.

CruisePlum

An all-inclusive site that helps find the best cruise deals using advanced filters, price tracking, and data-driven insights across multiple cruise lines.

Kayak

Great place to look for car rental deals. It aggregates prices from all major rental agencies with a helpful map view for off-airport locations.

Travel Planning Resources