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contents 03 introduction 06 the short list finding the best 07 flights 11 accommodations 14 navigating around planning/finding 16 things to do 19 travel hacking making friends all 20 over pictures/travel 22 photography intro duct ion By Kristen Noelle, for You don't have to be rich to travel well. You find thrills not only in dreaming up new places to visit, but in actually taking the steps to make those epic trips happen. That elation you feel when a new flight ticket is copped, especially when you’ve scored big on the fare? The smile that spreads across your face when you’ve booked a beautiful hidden gem of a hotel with a rooftop view? The bursts of excitement you get when you read about all the wonderful things to do in the city you’re getting ready to visit? Priceless. There’s an allure to the process of creating travel plans -- the element of anticipation -- that helps make the travel experience itself even more sweet. The cherry on top is the confidence you feel as your savvy jetsetting skills level up a notch. There’s no secret sauce I’ve cooked up for traveling the world. I haven’t discovered a pot of gold or otherwise run into any fortune to make passport stamps possible. 4 PeachesBeachesAndUrbanistas.com I have good ol’ technology to thank for being able to see and experience many places on a relatively limited budget (including my most recent adventure: 8 months living overseas and making memories in 5 countries throughout Asia). I’ve been traveling on my own (aka without mommy there to plan and book everything) for 6 years now; over the years I’ve used a bunch of nifty tools, websites, and apps to bring my travel dreams to life. Below is a comprehensive list of my favorites. While you're young, you should travel - take the time to see the world and taste the fullness of life. My travel style varies from budget to comfortable depending on the trip. I’m not quite a penny- pinching backpacker, and also not yet a luxury traveler. It’s fair to say I fall somewhere in between. These resources are for both long and short term travelers with various budgets and locales in mind. If you want to travel more often with minimal barriers, and have kick-ass times gallivanting across the world (who doesn’t!?), there is something here for you! 5 PeachesBeachesAndUrbanistas.com the short list 1. GoogleFlights 11. HostelWorld.com 2. TheFlightDeal.com 12. Maps.Me 3. Hopper.com 13. Turo.com 4. Momondo.com 14. GoogleTranslate 5. Rome2Rio.com 15. My Currency 6. Orbitz.com / Converter Expedia.com 16. Trippy.com 7. AirBnB.com 17. Destination specific 8. TripAdvisor.com apps 9. Agoda.com 18.Travel blogs 10. TravelPony.com 19. Chase Sapphire Preferred 20. Travel communities 21.Flickr Finding the Best Flights 1 . Google Flights I always visit Google Flights first when I begin looking up flight tickets to any destination to compare prices by airline. You can typically find the best price points available. I also love using the “Explore Map” function to see how much it is to fly to different locations. I can compare fares going to any city in one region (i.e. North America) or simply anywhere in the world, and pick a destination based on where I get the best bang for my buck for specific travel dates. 4 PeachesBeachesAndUrbanistas.com 7 Finding the Best Flights 2 . The Flight Deal Just seeing deals like $225 roundtrip flights from California to New Zealand and $403 from New York City to Iceland AND London makes my wanderlust-filled heart jump for joy. Those long sought after fantasy trips? Totally attainable. TheFlightDeal lists good sales and unbelievable flight glitches from US cities daily. I suggest bookmarking your city’s page, making it your homepage, and/or subscribing to the fare alerts to keep an eye on deals each day. When you see a flight price that's too irresistible to resist, jump on it quickly! The best deals only last for a couple hours, or just a couple days if you’re lucky. 4 PeachesBeachesAndUrbanistas.com 8 Finding the Best Flights 3 . Hopper Huge Hopper fan here! Hopper is an iPhone and Android app that advises you when to travel and when to book your ticket, based on price predictions. Select your ‘To’ & ‘From’ airports, and view the calendar to see the most inexpensive dates to fly. Save the trip to your profile, and Hopper will notify you if you should buy a flight ticket now, or if you should wait because prices are expected to go down. In my experience, Hopper’s predictions are usually on point. If it tells you “buy now, fares are expected to increase,” you better believe ‘em. It’s great to use if your vacation time/travel dates are flexible. 4. Momondo Momondo is a solid travel site to head to for booking flights. It offers some of the best air fares you’ll find. (The web design geek is fanning over how nice its website and user experience design is. It’s modern and functions really well. Kudos Momondo!) 4 PeachesBeachesAndUrbanistas.com 9 Finding the Best Flights Momondo also has a cool Trip Finder feature that you can use to find trips based on budget, destination, and/or travel style. 5. Rome2Rio Rome2Rio reveals how to get anywhere in the world from where you are, along with approximate trip costs, distance, and travel time. Whether it’s by plane, train, bus, car, or ferry, Rome2Rio knows exactly which way to go. I only recently discovered this site, but it’s one of the most helpful. 4 PeachesBeachesAndUrbanistas.com 10 Finding the Best Flights 6 . Orbitz and Expedia Orbitz and Expedia have been two of my long time go-to sites for finding both flights and hotels. I grouped them together because I find their offerings to be pretty similar. I still use these sites often and build up my account points whenever I book with either site. Accomodations 7. AirBnB It’s no secret that I love using AirBnB, especially for group trips. I like finding convenient, cozy, and inexpensive apartments on AirBnB that end up providing more value than hotels. I usually opt for “entire apartment/home” when searching for a new spot so that I have private space, but you can also stay with a host to save money and interact with a local. I stayed with AirBnB hosts in Tokyo, Japan, and in Ubud, Bali, which both rewarded me memorable and authentic local experiences. 4 PeachesBeachesAndUrbanistas.com 11 Accomodations 8. TripAdvisor Never book a hotel without checking the reviews on TripAdvisor first! I also use TripAdvisor frequently to find good eats and discover cool gems or things to do. 9. Agoda Agoda is similar to all of my other favorite hotel booking sites, with some of the best hotel deals found all over the world. It's especially popular for Asian travel. Agoda lists several hotels not found on any other hotel booking site, so if you’re traveling through Asia, definitely check it out. 10. Travel Pony TravelPony is known for offering lower hotel prices than its big-business competitors and showing price comparisons for multiple other travel sites. Becoming a member who can view its hotel deals is as easy as creating an account or signing up with your Facebook profile. 4 PeachesBeachesAndUrbanistas.com 12 Accomodations 11. Hostel World HostelWorld is the absolute best resource for both backpackers and budget travelers who still have their needs when it comes to resting your head at night. I got spoiled by my first hostel experiences in Europe thanks to scouting HostelWorld. I found top-rated ones that were conveniently located, clean, and cute. Over 5 hostel stays later, I haven’t had a bad experience yet. Here in Asia, there are a ton of ~$10/night gems. My HostelWorld Tips: Look only through hostels with 85% or higher satisfaction rates & reviews. Try finding hostels where the bunk beds come with a privacy curtain. Book dorms that sleep 6-8 people max. Decide whether you want to stay in a party/social hostel or a more laid back spot. Each hostel has its own vibe, so read the reviews to determine which scene is for you. Make sure the hostel comes with storage space and a locker for your valuables! (You may have to bring your own lock.) Note whether the hostel allows full kitchen access. You can store food and cook as you wish at many hostels. If you’re interested in the social aspect of hostel life but still desire privacy, check out hostels with private bedrooms. 4 PeachesBeachesAndUrbanistas.com 13 Navigating Around 12. Maps.Me Stress no more about navigating around a foreign country with no wifi. This iPhone/Android app allows you to save maps of countries, cities, and towns to your phone offline. It’s been so useful for traveling through countries where I didn’t have phone service. Google Maps may not have worked, but my offline maps did. Maps.Me maps are loaded with details and directions that make it simple for finding your hotel, restaurant or an attraction/point of interest on the go. 13. Turo (RelayRides) When I didn’t have a car in LA, and when Enterprise Rent-A-Car tried to hit me with a bunch of surprise fees in Hawaii, RelayRides was there to save the day. This company has since been rebranded and renamed to Turo, and from what I can tell, they’re bringing more and more value to the car rental industry.