These days smartphones help travelers with tons of free travel apps for iPhone/iPod/iPad and Android phones that help you with the itineraries, bookings and a bunch of other features and utilities. But if you prefer to use the internet on your desktop computers then we have a list of links for various categories and here are some travel resources and companies we look up to:
Other websites offering similar services are: Hostelbookers, Hostels.com
Moreover, there are other sites that do the same thing – Global Freeloaders, Hospitality Club, Stay4Free, and the original, Servas. They each market to a different audience. Couchsurfing is more for the young backpacker set while Servas and Hospitality Club are for an older, more family oriented/couple crowd.
We have tried a lot of travel insurance companies – TravelSafe, Travelex, etc. – but the one that has given the best rates and excellent customer service is World Nomads. They sell for Access America, which is the actual company that pays out claims. Apart from offering competitive rates on your travel insurance, World Nomads has a great reputation for getting involved with claims and helping travelers with their needs. They are very active and supportive of the blogging community.
With 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, a one-time bonus of 10,000 miles once you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months
Your miles will not expire and the best of all – no foreign transaction fees, this makes our preferred credit card for travelers. Although there’s a $59 annual fee, which is waived for the first year, there’s no limit to the miles you can earn. Their transaction rates are a bit higher than others, but overall you may spend less on your purchases if you remove the foreign transaction fees.
These days booking websites lets you pick seats, but not all of them have layouts of all the aircrafts. Seat Guru lets you see the layout and configuration of all the airplanes in the world. It is definitely worth using, especially if you’re trying to look for seats with extra leg-room or best recline. The website provides detailed seat-map graphics with color-coding to help identify “superior and substandard seats”. Some airlines also have in-seat power port and Seat Guru will locate those.
As we mentioned earlier, on your next travel, you’re more likely to transit through an airport if your trip involves multiple stops. Apart from the connections, most travelers worry about the time it will take them to transfer from one terminal to the other. So before you leave, a little research in to the airport layout will reduce frustration during the time you switch from one plane to the next. Gate Guru does just that. Their iPhone app is easy to use and worth downloading for best restaurants, shopping areas and service options on the airport you selected.
With a whole bunch of travel-booking websites out there, Priceline.com gets a special mention from us for their “Name you price” feature. Just name the price for the hotel, flight or car rental service you are looking for and the website may just offer you that. Of course there are some downsides to it, like the price you named for a flight booking may result in a multi-stop trip on a not-so-popular airline, but there are times when we have booked a rental car for just $8 a day, all inclusive!