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Plan your trip

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We all know how stressful and overwhelming planning a trip can be: from booking your flights, accommodation, transportation, travel insurance, activities and so much more. It can be extremely time-consuming! As someone who has travelled a fair bit, I have come to know what companies I can trust and where I can find the best deals so I don’t have to look around too much until I am happy with my decision.

 

On this page, you will find everything you need to book your trip in a single place, so you don’t have to go looking around different websites, spend hours on research and get overwhelmed as a result. These are the companies I personally use and I will guide you through everything you might need so that you can have a smooth trip. You can also find a packing list at the end of this page for your convenience.

Flights

If you like to get great deals when it comes to flights, then I highly recommend Skyscanner. I always use their platform to book my trips as I can see all of the possibilities and choose flights that are suitable for me based on times and prices. Sometimes, you can even find better deals on their website than you would get if booking directly from the airlines!

In case you have no idea where to go, and just want to find cheap flights for certain dates, I highly recommend using the Inspire me page on easyJet‘s website (applicable if you’re living in Europe).

If you would like to have access to airport lounges so you can enjoy some quality time before your flights, then I highly recommend getting a membership with Priority Pass. Members get access to premium lounges, discounts on airport shopping, dining and even spa experiences.
If you would like to book a lounge individually instead, then I recommend Holiday Extras.
Once you know which airport you will be landing at, you will need to arrange airport transfers (unless your hotel provides this or you’re picking up a rental car from the the airport). There are plenty of companies who offer airport transfers, some of the most popular being KiwiTaxi, Holiday Extras and intui.travel.
You can use the widget below to search for airport transfers with KiwiTaxi.

If you’re unfortunate enough to experience flight delays, denied boarding or flight cancellations, you might be eligible for compensation. Companies like Compensair and AirHelp help travellers get compensated for such events.

You can use the widget below to calculate your compensation if this has happened to you.
Arriving too early at your destination and not fancying walking around with bags? I don’t blame you! Radical Storage offers storing points in different locations so you can enjoy your trip, luggage-free.

Accommodation

When it comes to accommodation, Booking.com is a no-brainer for me. Whether you are looking for hostels, bed & breakfasts, regular or luxurious hotels, private properties or even alternative stays, Booking.com has it all – in a single platform. This makes it easier to compare prices and options in a region, instead of going through different websites that offer different types of accommodations. On top of that, thanks to their loyalty program, you can unlock new levels that offer you exclusive deals such as discounted rates, free breakfast and even room upgrades!

That being said, there are other companies that are very popular amongst other travellers such as Agoda, Vrbo, Expedia and Hotellook.

Below you can find an accommodation map that has been set to London as default. Accommodation maps are great as they can show you quickly what price range is available in a specific area. Please change the location and dates so you can find a place to stay during your trip.
Booking.com
I always book my hostels through Booking.com, mostly because hostels are not necessarily always the cheapest accommodation you can find (although this is generally the case), and I like to look at all of my options before I decide to go with a hostel. That being said, I’ve travelled with friends that prefer to book their accommodation solely at hostels, and like to use Hostelworld.
Hostelworld is focused on budget and solo travelling, and offers accommodations all across the world as well as guided tours. They also make it easier to connect with other fellow travellers who will be staying at the same accommodation and area.
Airbnb,’s are another popular type of accommodation amongst travellers, but also one that has become more and more expensive over the years. In case you would rather get all of the available options in a location and not have to contact hosts and wait for their approval, I would highly recommend looking for “Airbnb” type of accommodations (guest houses, apartments, cabins, cottages, villas, bed & breakfasts…) on another website.
As I mentioned previously, I always use Booking.com, but you can also do this through other websites like Plumguide as well as the ones I mentioned above: Agoda, Vrbo, Expedia and Hotellook. 

Transportation

Whether you like to rent a car, cycle or use public transportation, finding the right means of transport for your trip is definitely a necessity – unless you’re relying on guided tours, in which case they will sort that out for you.

While cycling and using public transportation is a much more budget and environment-friendly option, renting a vehicle offers a lot more freedom and less hassle (unless something happens to the car). On top of that, when you rent a car, you’re not relying on timetables and you can save a lot of time on commuting.

As a rule of thumb, big cities can be troublesome if you have a car (mostly due to traffic, parking and certain fees) but when travelling across a country, especially in more remote areas, a car will give you access to places you wouldn’t have otherwise.

As I mentioned above, renting a car (or even a motorcycle) can sometimes be the best way to travel around a new destination. I used Rentalcars.com a lot in the past and never really had a problem with them, but their reputation has been pretty bad over the years so I have been switching to Discover Cars which has a pretty amazing reviews score. Other alternatives include Economybookings and even localrent.com for lower deposits and national car rental. If you’re looking to rent a motorcycle, moped or even a bicycle, then BikesBooking is a great solution for you. Finally, if you want to rent a camper, you can look into companies such as PaulCamper.
Below you can see two search boxes that you can use to find the best rental car deals (on the first one) as well as the alternative two-wheel rentals on the second one.
If you’re planning to travel by public transportation, it is a good idea to use a website that shows you multiple options instead of just one type of transportation (for example, bus and train instead of buses alone).  If you’re travelling in Europe, I highly recommend Trainline (which includes a great variety of different companies including the popular Flixbus) and if you’re in Asia, 12Go. Omio covers both Europe and the US and includes buses, trains, airplanes and even ferries. 

Cruising and Sailing trips are a very niche type of travel. For those who enjoy an all-inclusive, often high-end, relaxing holiday, cruises can be an amazing option. And for those who enjoy Nature and sailing in general, renting a boat or even a yacht will be the start of an amazing trip.

If you’re looking for cruises, I recommend checking Cruise Critic, a website filled with cruise reviews and special deals, to help you understand what option is best for you. As for sailing, SEARADAR offers you the possibility to rent yachts worldwide.

Guided Tours and Attractions

What you do, the people you meet and the things you learn during a trip are often the best part of your travels. Because of that, I enjoy spending my time abroad doing different activities and getting to know the culture instead of just staying at a hotel for days (no hate if you love doing that tough – everyone travels in a different way!)

Nowadays you can easily book your activity tickets upfront so you can get better deals and escape the long queues. My go-to website has always been GetYourGuide, as they are absolutely great when it comes to both guided tours and activities, so I can highly recommend them. Other websites offering similar services include Viator.

As someone who generally likes to have freedom over what I do during my trips, I used to be skeptical of guided tours, until I visited places where I had no other choice but to take one – and it completely changed my mind about them.
Guided tours can be a fun way to visit a place with other travellers, learn a lot of history and details that you would miss otherwise, and also take a lot of the planning pressure off of you. I can highly recommend GetYourGuide to book your tours as well as any activity.
GetYourGuide and Viator are probably the best websites to find activities worldwide. For cities, Tiqets offers a big range of attractions and if you’re into culinary experiences, EatWith specializes in that.
Below you can find a London activity widget. Click on it and search for activities in your destination.

If you’re travelling to attend an event or just enjoy things like theatre, concerts, music festivals, sport events and other type of entertainment, you can get your tickets with Ticketmaster.

Below you can find a London event tickets widget. Click on it and search for events in your destination.
Big cities generally have a lot more choices when it comes to activities, including things like open-deck bus tours, museums, culinary experiences and walking tours. You can get discounted tickets to many activities by purchasing city passes such as the ones from Go City.
Another great activity website is Tiqets which, unlike GetYourGuide, tends to be more focused on cities alone. So if you’re planning a city break, make sure to check their list of attractions!

Travel Insurance

Travel Insurance is something you never really think you’re going to need, until you do. I would never recommend travelling without one as simple medical assistance can be ridiculously expensive otherwise, let alone more complex procedures.

Anything can happen and you should always be covered. I pay every year for my travel insurance with Holiday Extras and have been very happy with them but you can also use other companies like VisitorsCoverage and Insubuy (these last two being especially popular in the US).

Paying Abroad

Travelling often includes money transfers or extra fees for card payments in another currency.

For regular travellers, I highly recommend getting cards like Monzo, Revolut or Wise, so you can save on international fees. Monzo is currently offering £5 if you join using my link and make a payment within 30 days.

Packing

Packing can be one of the most stressful parts of a trip and it’s easy to forget things that sometimes, turn out to be quite important later during your holiday.

Below you can find all of my travel essentials (pretty much everything I use for my trips) as well as a packing checklist to help you remember everything you need.

Clothing

▇ T-shirts / Shirts / Blouses / Tops

▇ Jeans / Pants / Leggings

▇ Shorts / Skirts / Dresses

▇ Sweaters

▇ Light jackets / Coat / Rain Coat

▇ Workout gear

▇ Nightwear (Pajamas / Robe)

▇ Swimwear (Bikini / Swimming suits / Swimwear cover / Shorts)

▇ Socks / Tights

▇ Underwear

▇ Accessories (Jewelry / Ties / Suspenders / Glasses / Hats / Belts / Gloves / Scarves)

▇ Footwear (Shoes / Trainers / Boots / Waterproof hiking shoes / Sandals / Flip flops / Slippers)

Electronics

▇ Watch

▇ Mobile Phone

▇ Tablet / Laptop

▇ Cameras (mirrorless, DSLR, action camera, 360, Polaroid…) 

▇ Camera lens (portrait, wide lens, zoom…)

▇ Camera accessories (cleaning kit, batteries, extra lens caps, memory cards, filters, dome for underwater photos…)

▇ Drone

▇ Drone accessories (extra propellers, lipo bag, batteries, filters…)

▇ Earphones / Headphones

▇ Universal Adaptor

▇ Charging cables and plugs

Toiletries

▇ Toiletry bag

▇ Toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss

▇ Hairbrush / Hair comb 

▇ Hairdryer / Hairstraightner / Curling iron

▇ Nail clipper and Tweezer

▇ Headbands / Hair ties / Hair clips

▇ Shaving utensils (razors, brush, epilator/electric shaver…)

▇ Travel-sized shower products (shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, hair mask…)

▇ Travel-sized hygiene, self-care and beauty products (travel bottles set, cotton buds, hand sanitizer, deodorant, perfume, sunscreen, lip balm, makeup and makeup remover, hair styling products, hair oil, shaving cream and aftershave, nail polish, nail polish remover and pads, moisturizer…)

▇ Contact lenses (Case / Solution)

▇ Feminine hygiene products (panty liners, pads, tampons, menstrual cup, intimate wipes…)

▇ Body wipes / Pocket Tissues

▇ Mirror

▇ Towels (beach towel, microfiber towel…) 

Documentation

▇ Wallet (Debit and Credit Cards / Cash)

▇ Passport / Visa / ID Card / Driver’s Licence

▇ Boarding Pass / Tickets and Reservation Confirmations

▇ Vaccination Documentation

▇ Medical Prescriptions

▇ Travel Insurance / Medical Card

▇ Drone Documentation

Miscellaneous

▇ Umbrella

▇ Keys / Luggage lock

▇ Earplugs / Travel pillow / Sleep mask

▇ Book / Kindle / Travel games

▇ Guidebook / Itinerary / Map / Agenda / Notepad 

▇ Workout equipment (resistance bands, suspension trainer…)

▇ Snorkel equipment

▇ Vitamins, Medication and Contraception

▇ First aid kit (regular and blister pads, wound spray, pain killers, bandages…)

▇ Snacks

▇ Hiking / Camping gear (hydration pack, tent, sleeping bag, mattress, cooking utensils, flashlight, binoculars, insect repellent…)