Planning Your Dream Trip?: Essential Travel Planning Tools and Resources
Welcome to your ultimate travel resource guide! As you might have guessed our travel planning tools and resources have grown and changed over the past year and a half of traveling fulltime. Please bear with us as we are in the process of updating this page as time allows!
In this regularly updated resource, you’ll find carefully curated tools, tips, and insider knowledge covering every aspect of travel planning:
- Essential travel gadgets for a hassle-free trip
- Time-saving travel apps and tools
- Smart solutions for staying connected abroad
- Diverse accommodation options for every budget
- Transportation hacks for flights and ground travel
- Vital information on travel insurance and financial planning
- Exciting tours and unique experiences to enhance your journey
- Expert packing tips and luggage solutions
- Crucial knowledge for international travel
We’ve done the legwork so you can focus on the excitement of your upcoming adventure. Whether you’re budgeting, choosing destinations, or booking flights and accommodations, we’re sharing what we’ve found most useful in our own travels.
And as we continue our own journey, we’ll keep updating this page with new tips and resources we discover along the way. Bookmark this page and subscribe to our blog for the latest updates. Let’s make your travel planning as enjoyable as the journey itself!
While some of our recommendations are specific to certain regions (like train travel in Europe), most are applicable wherever your adventures may take you. For more detailed, country-specific information, be sure to check out our destination pages and resources blog posts. There, you’ll find in-depth guides and local tips to enhance your travel experience.
Ready to start planning your dream trip? Dive into our resources and let the adventure begin!
Must-Have Travel Gadgets
Discover essential travel gadgets for your next adventure. From portable fans to RFID blocking sleeves, find the tools that make travel easier and more comfortable.
- Portable Mini Travel Fan – Sandra is sooooo glad she bought one… some of the places we have stayed didn’t have any fans in the bedroom
- Backup Power for Phone
- Folding Hangers
- RFID Blocking Sleeves
- Neck Headphones (these are our favorites!)
- Bluetooth Transmitter – so that you can use your bluetooth headset on the airplane!
- Multiple USB Wall Charger with travel adaptor
Travel Tech Guides
- Top 17… no! wait! 16 Essential Travel Apps We Use as Fulltime Travelers
- Practical advice on safe and efficient travel tech management for fulltime travelers
- 12 Must-Have Travel Accessories for Retirees
- Electronics – Adapting to your travel needs
Time-saving travel apps and tools
Top 17… no! wait! 16 Essential Travel Apps We Use as Fulltime Travelers
Accommodation Resources
Find the perfect place to stay with our curated accommodation resources. From budget-friendly hostels to unique house-sitting opportunities, explore diverse lodging options.
- Booking.com – online booking site for accommodations around the world
- HostelWorld – a global hostel-focused online booking platform
- Trusted House Sitters – take care of someone’s pet and house in exchange for accommodations! Jeff and I do this and it is so much fun!
- VRBO – the world’s leading marketplace for vacation rentals
Accommodation Reviews
You might also be interested in these reviews we wrote about the places we have stayed:
- Our Review of a budget-friendly studio apartment in Buenos Aires
- Our Puerto Viejo Accommodation Review: Brisas del Caribe
- Our List of the Top 8 Affordable Places to Stay in London England (2024)
- Our Review of the Studio Coliving Hotel in Panama City, Panama
Transportation
Navigate your travel destinations with ease using our transportation guides. Find the best flight deals, learn about ground transportation options, and discover money-saving travel hacks.
Flights
WayAway – Cheap flights with cashback. WayAway is a flight aggregator that provides travelers with the best rates on airline tickets. Its innovative search finds the best option for specific travel dates by comparing airfares offered by all major US and global airlines and agencies. Bonus: Displays final prices, without any hidden fees.
GET IT ON GOOGLE PLAY | DOWNLOAD ON THE APP STORE
Skyscanner – We love using Skyscanner because they have the “Whole Month” and “Everywhere” options.
Onward Ticket – Most countries require that you have proof of onward or return travel in order to be admitted. If you have a sort of indeterminate end date to your travels – or your next journey is via ground transportation where maybe it’s not convenient to buy a tickets 40 or 90 days in advance – Onward Ticket that will sell you a legit short term reservation for a nominal fee.
Ground Transportation
Omio – Book train, bus, flight and ferry tickets – Travelers worldwide can easily explore Europe, the United States, and Canada, while comparing transportation options and finding the right price for their budget. Offers an Essential Workers Discount – DOWNLOAD THE APP
Flixbus – offers safe and comfortable long-distance travel in Europe. Since its founding in 2013, FlixBus has created the largest transport network in Europe, covering 26 countries and serving more than 60 million passengers.
iMoova – Save on your travel by relocating a vehicle with Imoova. For as little as $1/day, you can explore the open road and discover the world around you. This website connects you with companies that need help moving their vehicles from one location to the next.
Omio – tickets for trains, buses, flights, and ferries, as well as car rentals and airport transfers. Travelers worldwide can easily explore Europe, the United States, and Canada, while comparing transportation options and finding the right price for their budget.
RailEurope – helps travelers find their own path by guiding and offering tools and inspiration for traveling by train in Europe.
SEARADAR – professional concierge service specializing in sailing yacht rentals worldwide – ok, so we haven’t used this one, but a girl can dream!
Trainline – They work with over 210 rail and coach companies to help their customers travel to thousands of destinations across 45 countries.
Vital information on travel insurance and financial planning
Whether you’re trying to understand the difference between travel insurance and travel medical insurance and find the right coverage for your trip or managing your money wisely while traveling, we hope you find these resources helpful.
- We wrote a blog post about the sticker shock of travel insurance and the resources we used.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card – We’ve used nearly every travel credit card you can think of… none of them compare to Chase Sapphire Preferred.
- Top 5 Retirement Calculators
- Cash on Hand: The Smart Traveler’s Guide to Financial Preparedness
Tours & Experiences
Enhance your travels with unforgettable tours and experiences. Here are the platforms we use to book guided tours, cultural experiences, and unique local activities worldwide.
- GetYourGuide – this booking platform that helps travelers find incredible travel experiences wherever they’re headed – skip-the-line tickets to the world’s most iconic attractions, walking tours by top local experts, immersive food and beverage tours, cooking and craft classes.
- GuruWalk – an international community for pay-what-you-please walking tours that connects tourists with tour guides all around the world
- TripAdvisor – connects people to experiences worth sharing
- Viator -leading marketplace for travel experiences
Packing and Traveling Essentials
Master the art of packing with our comprehensive guide to travel essentials. Discover versatile clothing options, packing hacks, and must-have items for any trip.
Lightweight Quick Dry Cargo Hiking Pants
Laundry detergent sheets (for sink washing)
Luggage & Storage Solutions
Find the perfect luggage and storage solutions for your travel style. From compression packing cubes to luggage storage services, optimize your packing and travel experience.
Radical Storage – provides travelers with luggage storage solutions so they can enjoy their holiday to the fullest, giving them the opportunity to eliminate problems with early arrivals or late departures from the home/hotel
Is San Jose Walkable? – 11 Budget-Friendly Things to do in San Jose, Costa Rica on foot!
Every Travel needs a Public Toilet Survival Kit
(trust me on this!) – Buy Online or make your own with a…
- Small Pencil Pouch containing;
- Travel Size Sanitizing Wipes (do not flush!)
- Toilet Paper (enough for one or two uses)
- Small coins in local currency
Things you Should Know when planning to travel overseas
Prepare for international travel with our essential overseas planning guide. Learn about visa requirements, health precautions, and cultural etiquette to ensure a smooth journey abroad.
- 22” x 14” x 10” is max for carry on with many airlines. There are a few that go an inch or so beyond. There are a few regional carriers that may be as small as 16x12x8 and the Isles of Scilly Skybus says 12x6x6 (!) That’s basically a shoebox. Find details for your airline at Carry-On Luggage Size Chart for 145+ Airlines
- Most countries require that you have proof of onward or return travel in order to be admitted. Sometimes that proof will be required by your air carrier prior to departure. If you have a sort of indeterminate end date to your travels – or your next journey is via ground transportation where maybe it’s not convenient to buy a tickets 40 or 90 days in advance – there is a service called Onward Ticket that will sell you a legit short term reservation for a nominal fee. $14 gets a 48 hour hold which can be extended up to 14 days (I presume the extension costs extra but I didn’t go that deep into the process). I’ll try to remember to update this when we actually use it this fall.
- View our post on Dining Out While Traveling and more
- Carry-On Luggage Size Chart for 145+ Airlines
- Schengenicity 101: Navigating the Complexities of Extended Stays in Europe
- Prescription Refills – Planning an extended period overseas? What You Need To Know About Prescription Refills Abroad
We think you might also be interested in these articles we have written
- Our Review of a budget-friendly studio apartment in Buenos Aires
- Top 17… no! wait! 16 Essential Travel Apps We Use as Fulltime Travelers
- Finding the Perfect Personal Item Bag for Your Travels
- Our List of the Top 8 Affordable Places to Stay in London England (2024)
- Stretching Our Travel Budget: Finding Affordable Places To Stay
- Where to stay in Lisbon for budget travelers like us – 6 Best!
- 40 BEST Things To Do In Southampton For Every Traveler
- Tips & Resource List for Travel Insurance for full time travelers
- Our Visit to the National Theater of Costa Rica
- Is San Jose Walkable? – 11 Budget-Friendly Things to do in San Jose, Costa Rica on foot!
Other Stuff
Food. OMG, don’t you love to explore food when traveling? We have been accused multiple times of eating our way through a city because of our tendency to wander and snack. Plus, I’m far more likely to share a photo of the beautiful pastry I’m about to devour than the cool sculpture I just saw, LOL Sometimes, though…. Sometimes you are craving the familiar, the comforting, a taste of home so to speak. Well, if that describes you and a pastrami sandwich is your comfort, have I got a site for you to check out TJT’s Kosher Restaurants Directory 2023 Worldwide & NearBy It’s actually WAAAAY more than that but I found it because I was looking for a place that had a pastrami sandwich on the menu
Remember, while these tools and resources can significantly streamline your trip planning process, the joy of travel often lies in the unexpected discoveries and spontaneous experiences. Use these resources as a foundation, but don’t be afraid to deviate from your plans and embrace the adventure as it unfolds. Whether you’re a seasoned globetrotter or a first-time traveler, we hope these curated resources will inspire confidence and excitement as you plan your next journey.
Happy travels, and may your adventures be filled with unforgettable moments and new perspectives!