Reason2Roam’s Ultimate List of Travelling Resources “I love this resource and learned a ton.” Joe G. This “Ultimate List of Tips and Resources” is designed to help you find answers to your common travel planning questions. The information is divided into 5 categories with a page devoted to each: Flights Ground Accommodation Country Apps for your Transportation Specific Info phone 20+ years of independent travel in 65+ countries have taught us a lot! The world of travel is changing quickly. Back in the good old days you would ruck up to a travel agent to buy your airline tickets, then you might buy an old fashioned guide book and figure out where you were going to stay and how to get there. Or maybe you purchased an all-inclusive package to a Club Med and let the company take care of all the details. Oh, how times have changed! Now the world is literally at your finger tips and you can do most, if not all, of what the travel agent used to do yourself - but where to start? That is what this resource is for - to help you with a starting place! So, get on with it already and scroll down to learn how we plan our travel adventures. Some of the links on this resource are affiliate links. When you click on one of these links and purchase something Reason2Roam.com may make a small commission. Please consider using these links to help us recover some of the costs associated with running this blog. Infuse Adventure into your travel @ reason2roam.com Reason2Roam’s Ultimate List of Travelling Resources Tips to finding the best flight deal possible • To find airlines not listed in search sites: • Get alerts when a great price is o Google: ‘(airport name) airlines’ & available for wherever you are going: look for the official website of the o airfarewatchdog.com airport (e.g. Calgary airport o hopper.com (phone app) airlines) o Local expert like yycdeals.com o Visit the websites of the airlines o Jetto.com (phone app) listed to see about their deals • Know the historical flight cost of your • Check the airline website to see if the destination: faredetective.com price matches what you find elsewhere. If so, book your • Check for alternative or smaller airports flight with the airline directly so in the area, but budget for additional they own the ticket and can ground transportation costs o Use rome2rio.com to help you better manage any issues. determine routings & alternative • Use an incognito window or clear your airports cookies before you book a flight. This will make sure you aren’t paying a • Check alternate dates for your flight as marked up price because you have there can be significant savings. You shown interest in a destination. may also unlock cheaper fares because airlines only fly on certain days Flight Booking Sites We use Skyscanner and have heard great things about Momondo. We always book with the actual airline if their price matches what we find online for the reason explained above. Booking Agencies – book directly through these Aggregate Sites –search multiple sites to find sites: best price. Redirects to the booking site. Expedia.com Skyscanner.ca Hotwire.com Momondo.com CheapOair.com Google Matrix Infuse Adventure into your travel @ reason2roam.com Reason2Roam’s Ultimate List of Travelling Resources Tips for getting around on the ground • Check to see if your hotel has free • If you are going to rent a car, know what ground transportation. Why pay for your own insurance and your credit card something that is already included? companies include. No need to buy more insurance if you are already • Consider using local transit as a way to covered. spice up your trip. We use our Lonely Planet guidebooks to help us figure this • Under 25? Planning to be somewhere out for a looong time? Buy a used car and sell it before you go home. • Avoid driving at night • Use a car relocation service to help • Use rome2rio.com to plan a ground someone else bring their car to route between two destinations on your somewhere you want to get to (see links trip below) • Consider renting a bike or doing a whole • Use uber.com (use this code to get your trip on two wheels. Check out Adventure first ride free: heatherw1609ue) or Cycling Association for great routes lyft.com, as a great way to meet local folks and avoid haggling over price with a taxi driver. Ground Transportation Sites Site What to use it for Shows routes and ticket prices for specific days between two busbud.com destinations Long distance carpooling service, connecting drivers with empty blablacar.in seats to people travelling the same way. Great way to meet local people. Availability limited to certain countries only Hittheroad.ca Canada and the US car relocation service. Transfercarus.com Canada and the US car relocation service. Infuse Adventure into your travel @ reason2roam.com Reason2Roam’s Ultimate List of Travelling Resources Tips for booking and laying your head • Read reviews with a “grain of salt” • Have a long layover at an airport? because not everyone has the Check out sleepinginairports.net/ for the same standards as you. (Your 5 best place to catch a nap or where to go could be another person’s 1.) for a room and shower. • If you are staying in a non- • Sometimes it is cheaper to book directly traditional hotel be considerate of your with a hotel rather than using a third surroundings. No one wants to live next party site. to the party house full time • It is not always cheaper to buy a • Always leave honest reviews if you are bundled deal. Do some research before using a peer-to-peer site. booking flight and hotel together. • Many hostels have private rooms with • Sign up for hotel loyalty programs to get private bathrooms that are quite nice. access to perks and benefits (like free You can benefit from the social wifi if they don’t include it!) atmosphere and learn from other travelers about must do things. Dorm • In general, the more you pay the less room are also a great way to save some you get (e.g. breakfast, wifi etc.. budget cash. accordingly) Accommodation Booking Sites We have used all of these sites except for “vrbo” and “home away” but have heard good reports about them. Most of them have an app and offer deals if you book using the app. We recommend having all of these sites on your phone so you can find the best prices at your finger tips. Peer to Peer Traditional Hotels and Sharing Sites Hostels Airbnb.com Hotels.com Couchsurfing.com Booking.com VRBO.com Expedia.com homeaway.com Hostelworld.com Infuse Adventure into your travel @ reason2roam.com Reason2Roam’s Ultimate List of Travelling Resources Tips for getting the info you need about where you are headed In addition to these tips, we almost always purchase the Plan your Trip and the Understand & Survival guide chapters for the country we are headed to from Lonely Planet. Information How to learn about it Google: Visa requirements (insert country name) Entry/Exit • look for either an embassy, consulate, or official government website Requirements & for info specific to the type of passport you hold Visas • AVOID any website that offers an application service for a visa as they often overcharge for a service you can get at a border or through the country directly. Travel Warnings Travel Insurance is often invalid if you are somewhere your government says you shouldn’t be. • Google: (Your country name) travel advisory warnings (country you are visiting) (eg. Canada travel warnings Nepal) Using your cell Don’t get stuck with high roaming rates! Check your plan before you go so you know what is included, and not included. Better yet, buy a local sim card phone and save yourself a bunch of money. • toomanyadaptors.com has great info on sim cards Some of the things you do at home can be quite offensive where you are Social norms and going like giving a thumbs up or showing your feet. Avoid being that person! culture etiquette • Google: offensive gestures in (insert country name) to learn what not to do Look at your bank card to see what network you are a part of and then use these sites to find ATM’s near where you are staying. Accessing money through an ATM • Cirrus or Mastercard Symbol • Visa or Plus Symbol • Don’t have any of these symbols, call your bank to find out how to access money power-plugs-sockets.com will tell you what type of plug-in and travel adapter Power and Plug-ins you will need to keep your gadgets juiced Infuse Adventure into your travel @ reason2roam.com Reason2Roam’s Ultimate List of Travelling Resources Apps you should have on your phone To make this list, the app has to be something we use and helps us solve a problem. Many of the links above have apps or are apps. We did not list them here since we have already told you about them above! App(s) Why you need it Know what security measures the bank uses to prove you are you because Your bank of choice “ ” they will likely block access the first time you log in from a different country. The airline(s) you are For many airlines you need these to watch the inflight entertainment - don’t flying with be that person on a 12 hour flight with no movies to watch.