Travel Tools
If you are planning to go anywhere in the world, TripAdvisor should be your first stop. There are plenty of reviews on this website, all by travelers rather than journalists (not that travel writers are so bad …). You can book hotels through TripAdvisor, but the prices do tend to be a bit higher than other sites (such as Hotwire and Fastbooking). Use TripAdvisor for research, and then pull the trigger elsewhere.
Find anything in the world with TripAdvisor >>
You need a cast-iron stomach for Hotwire. Well, I’m exaggerating a bit, but it will take time for you to get comfortable with the way Hotwire works. Hotwire does have the cheapest hotel rates in the United States. But, when you book your room, you won’t know what hotel you’re choosing. The site does give you an approximate location, rate per night and star rating (to gauge quality). You only find out the hotel when the credit card transaction goes through. I have used Hotwire, and it did not disappoint.
Book a U.S. hotel room with Hotwire >>
Since Hotwire doesn’t work outside the United States, you need a cheap hotel tool for when you go to Europe. Check out Fastbooking.com. It offers access to hotels of varying qualities across Europe. I have used this in the past. The service works well, though my choice (in Montmarte) was lacking. But, if you want to adjust your reservation, you’ll need to cancel the whole thing and rebook. It can be a pain in the ass.
Book a European hotel room with Fastbooking >>
Want some unique ideas on where to go? Come straight to me! I write a weekly travel column for TraderDaily.com and DealmakerDaily.com. These trips tend to be for higher net worth travelers, but I try to include ideas that are more than just aspirational.
Find a cool trip at Trader or Dealmaker Daily >>
Flying can be expensive, especially internationally. Somehow, CheapoAir is able to piece together the different flights that airlines need to fill, ultimately bringing your price down substantially. I used it to fly a multi-city route through Scandinavia, and the rates were great. The only pain in the ass is that they don’t issue electronic tickets for overseas travel.
