My favorite travel resources
AIRFARE
Skyscanner – I always use this tool when I search for plane tickets, but also renting a car. It works best if I look way in advance, and it is one of the best aggregators you’ll find out there. Something else I like about it is the “everywhere” option that I usually take advantage of when I have no idea where to head next and am flexible with my travel destination. On top of that, you can look by month and choose the cheapest rates when you are flexible about the time as well.
Intrepid – they offer small group travel for when you don’t want to go through all the hassle of making your itinerary and travel plans yourself. It is also great for when you don’t want to travel alone but have nobody to join you. You’ll find plenty of destinations all around the world, and the great part about them is that they are committed to responsible travel.
CAR RENTAL
Europecar.com – when you don’t choose to search through an aggregator as suggested above, this is a great option for renting a car in Europe.
Booking.com – did you know that you can search for car rentals on Booking.com as well? Well, one of my friends rented a car for her vacation in Greece one month before going and got such a low price I couldn’t believe my eyes. It is definitely worth trying because it will save you money.
TRAIN TICKETS
Rail Europe – the #1 distributor for European train tickets & rail passes, covering over 50 European train companies. On top of that, they offer sightseeing products making it, even easier to plan your trip around Europe by train.
Omio – your gateway to trains, buses, and flights. All in one place. I suggest using it especially for booking train tickets for Italy or Germany.
BUSES
Flixbus – I’ve used it several times during my trips through Germany, Austria, or even from Belgium to The Netherlands. They cover so many destinations and they really do offer super low prices. Just make sure to book ahead of time for a low price, and get used to the idea that you might have to wait for the bus to come.
GUIDES
GetYourGuide – from city tours to city passes, virtual tours, and day trips, you’ll find everything you want here. I loved their policy during the Coronavirus outbreak and the fact that they’ve made it super easy to get your money back. By booking in advance you’ll get the chance to get discounts on many of their tours and tickets.
Klook.com – original from Hong Kong this business is shortly expanding everywhere around the world. You’ll find it handy especially when you will travel through Asia, and I’ve used it for booking our Handbook experience in Seoul for a great discount. They look for really great and fun experiences in every city they offer experiences for and constantly update their packages.
HOTELS & ACCOMMODATION
Booking.com – the first place I usually check for accommodation and prices, and something I’ve used so many times in the past. I like to look for the ratings of each hotel and read through the comments before making a reservation.
Airbnb – I know there are many discussions around this platform, but I’ve personally used it several times and found really great accommodation options. We stayed in stunning apartments with views for great prices in Cinque Terre, on the Amalfi Coast, and even in Lisbon.
Agoda – especially useful when traveling through Asia. I’ve noticed in the past that they offer better prices than their competitors when I was doing research for Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
LuxuryEscapes.com – a friend told me about this site and we already booked 2 amazing trips through them. I love that they offer astonishing hotels and resorts, and you can buy plane tickets as well for great prices.
My favorite blogging tools
HOSTING
A2 Hosting – This was recommended to me on a really great bloggers group on Facebook and I’ve started using it and I couldn’t be happier with it. They helped me move my website from the previous hosting provider and their customer support has always been prompt in answering my questions and helping me with any issues I had. After switching to A2 Hosting my website’s speed improved, helping me out with my ranking as well.
Bluehost is a great hosting option I would also recommend trying out, and here are a few more reasons to convince you:
- they have a 1-click WordPress installation process – you won’t have to think about the technical stuff that goes on behind the scenes
- they are the Number 1 recommended hosting by WordPress.org
- prices are really cheap and offer the domain free of charge
- users say they offer great support – something you will need as you are at the beginning of the blogging adventure
- Bluehost offers free SSL security
WORDPRESS THEME
I chose the Charlotte theme from 17th Avenue, but they have plenty of other girly premium themes perfect for any niche, especially fashion, online shops, lifestyle, or travel. It was super easy to purchase and install. They have lots of tutorials and I just followed the steps and customized my page as I wanted. Their customer service was super fast to reply and helped me with my questions.
SEO AND KEYWORD SEARCH
Keysearch – one tool no blogger should go without! If you are committed to taking blogging seriously and want to write for search engines, you will need a great keyword search tool. And Keysearch is the most affordable tool out there. Nobody will say no to one-year Keysearch subscription, and you can even use the KSDISC code to get 20% off.
SemRush – a great all-in-one marketing tool, if you can afford it. They offer the possibility to analyze your ranking, so in-depth SEO analysis, competition analysis, do keyword research, and much more.
