My 4 Favorite Travel Resources

When planning for my next trip, there are four websites I absolutely cannot live without. If you’re a traveler you should definitely save these sites to your favorites on your web browser.

1) Skyscanner.com

This is my go to site when I’m looking to book tickets, I don’t use any other site. The user interface is simple and easy to use. Skyscanner shows the absolute lowest prices, which includes budget airlines. It even tells you the cheapest month to fly.

2) Wikitravel.org

This should be the Holy Bible for travelers! Think of Wikipedia, but solely dedicated to traveling. I probably spend the bulk of my time on this site when planning a trip. Simply input the state/province/city/country/park, etc you’re going to and you’ll have access to tons of information. Looking to find something off the beaten track in Thailand? Wikitravel has you covered. Looking to find the best way to exchange money in Uzbekistan? Wikipedia. Wondering how to avoid the most popular scams in a certain city/country? Wikitravel. I could go on, but you get the point. This site is your digital travel Bible.

3) Booking.com

My favorite site to look for hotels. When I was younger, I used hostelworld.com to find the best hostels, but as I get older, I find myself less in hostels; however, booking.com does list hostels too.  To keep it simple, I filter by price range and rating. Then, I read reviews online to make a final decision. What makes booking.com so great is their ability to filter so many options. 24 hour checking, free breakfast, pool, free shuttle, walk in shower, landmark distance, etc. Through this system, you can truly find what you’re looking for. Booking also has a great rewards system, so if you consistently use them you can get discounts on your bookings. Their mobile app is also great and one I use often.

Use this referral link and get 10% off your next booking! 

4) Xe.com

Currency/exchange rate website. It’s not as cool as the other 3 sites I mentioned above, but knowing the exchange rate beforehand does help a lot. I always try to think in local currency when I travel and memorize the rate, so I can easily convert when I’m abroad. When I receive change back, I instantly know the amount. I can’t count how many times I’ve seen tourists overpay for things or just not know how much money they have in their pockets because they didn’t know the rate. Going to certain countries in Asia can be tricky if you’re from a western nation because of all the extra zeros! In Vietnam $1=23,315, what a headache!