With so many travel sites and apps available it is hard to narrow down the best travel sites out there. Instead I have decided to share with you all of the travel sites I currently use to book my trips. Hopefully this will help you to find the best travel sites for you whether you are looking for a flight deal or a cheap accommodations. There are sites that are one stop shops where you will find everything while others are better for just flights or hotels. Want to know where to go to find your next travel deal. Keep reading to learn more.
The Best Travel Sites for 2019
The fact that I love to travel is no surprise however how I can manage to afford it is a mystery to some. Today I am sharing my secret. My go to list for the best travel sites on the web.
Below is a list of the travel sites that I visit often and that I use to help me plan my trips. From finding cheap flights and hotel deals to getting inspiration on where to go and want to do. This list has you covered.
The Best Travel Sites for Flights
Google Flights
You probably already know about my obsession with travel roulette and google flights. So it is the natural place to start this list. Google Flights is my go to first stop when I am trying to figure out where I want to go. Most of the times I am either trying to figure out the cheapest place to go on a given day or the cheapest time of year to get a flight to a place on my bucket list. Want to learn more about how I find cheap flights using google flights. Click here to learn more about google flights and travel roulette.
Kayak
So Kayak is not a big secret however it is another great tool when trying to find cheap flights. Similar to Google Flights, Kayak allows you to set the times you want to take off, land, how many stops you want and even gives you the ability to check flights a day earlier or later. Kayak now also allows you to search cheapest flights out of your home airport so you can play a little bit of travel roulette.
Skyscanner
Skyscanner is a tried and true. I have been using this app forever. This app is great for people that are flexible with their travel. If you want to go on vacation but don't know where to go enter your home airport, destination everywhere and time frame whole year and the app scans flights for you all over the world that you can view by country and by price. This app is great for planning holiday weekends. For example when I know there is a long weekend coming up I put in the dates and let Skyscanner tell me where to go. It is a great tool if you are flexible with travel. It also a great way to see what time of year is cheapest to visit your favorite place.
Want to learn more about how to book cheap flight. Check out my Ultimate Guide here.
The Best Travel Sites for Hotels
TripAdvisor
I will never book a hotel without checking it out on TripAdvisor. It is a great resource for reviews on hotels and it has helped me to decide if the deal I am about to buy is really in fact a deal. It doesn't matter how much money you save if you end up in a dump. TripAdvisor is also a great place to get information on your destinations. I always plan my own excursions when I am away and the forums have been a great resource for me. I highly recommend everyone visit TripAdvisor prior to booking anything to make sure you are making the right decision.
Trivago
I am a huge fan of aggregators, so when I have a destination in mind I plug in my dates into Trivago and it gives me a good idea of what the going rate is for hotels in the area. What I also love about Trivago is the fact that you can sort by guest ratings as well as hotel star ratings. Trivago will tell you where to find the best deal on that specific hotel. I have saved hundreds of dollars using Trivago which is great
Hotel Website
So believe it or not sometimes you can get the best deal by booking directly with the site. This is something I actually learned from using sites like Trivago and TripAdvisor. Even if the site itself is showing prices that are more expensive you can reach out directly to the hotel to see whether they will match or beat a price featured on another site. You might end up scoring a deal that is significantly better. Also in my experience booking directly with the hotel gives you a better chance of getting an upgrade if there is availability.
When searching for hotels the right neighborhood can make or break your trip. Before clicking buy make sure to do a little research. Look up posts such as our list of best places to stay in London which can help you decide.
Hotels.com
My favorite thing about Hotels.com is their reward program. For every 10 nights booked you get a night free. If you travel often those nights add up. I have earned a number of free nights with hotels.com which have come in handy and have saved me hundreds.
Hotel Tonight
Previously known for booking last minute accommodations, Hotel Tonight now allows you to book hotel nights well in advance. The deals are sometimes the cheapest around. When I went to Miami I booked my hotels on Hotel Tonight and saved a ton of money as a result. They offer extra discounts on the staff so it is definitely worth taking advantage of. Download the app here and just code TRAMSEY72 to get $25 off your first booking.
The Best Travel Sites for Deals
CruiseSheet
Did you know that you can cruise for under $30 a day. It is a true story. It has been over a year since I have been on a cruise but it is one of my favorite ways to travel. I love cruises. The ships nowadays are amazing and it is great way to see a lot of places in a short period of time. Cruisesheet is a very simple site however it is a great resources to find cheap cruises. Especially if you are open to last minute deals. I have recommended this site to a lot of friends and they love it.
Expedia
When I am looking for a package deal Expedia has never let me down. They have flash sales where you can find high end luxury hotels at 50% off. Also if you download the app you can get even better deals as they usually have mobile only specials.
Luxury Link
I used this site for my birthday vacation one year and was able to score a trip to Jamaica at a five star resort for under $1000 per person for 9 days. This is an auction style site which can be intimidating for some however the great thing about this site is that you can work with one of their concierges to plan your trip. It was a pretty easy process and I was able to save a ton of money. It is great way to stay at luxury resorts without the luxury price.
Most recently they updated the site to include prices for other sites like Expedia therefore you have the opportunity to compare prices without bouncing around sites.
Groupon
Groupon is a great way to find deals on meals, tours and even hotels. I have enjoyed amazing meals in Paris and Amsterdam at restaurants found on Groupon. Most recently I booked a wine tour for about 50% off the advertised price. Groupon can save you a ton of money on traveling. Every little bit adds up.
The Best Travel Sites for Inspiration
TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor deserves another mention because it is that good. If you have your eye on a specific location type it into the search window and not only will you get reviews on hotels, restaurant and activities but TripAdvisor features city guides with itineraries which will help you to plan you getaway.
I will be the first to say that you cannot believe everything on social media, however social media is a great tool when trying to figure out where to go and where to stay. I use Instagram two ways. First, I use it for inspiration. It is a great way to get ideas of places to visit. Second, when booking hotels or looking for restaurants or things to do I always go on Instagram to see what people are posting. This is a great way to get an insider's look into a hotel property, restaurant or even an experience.
Facebook Groups
There are a lot of great travel groups on Facebook with a wealth of information. When looking for recommendations on where to eat, stay or even play. It is almost like getting a recommendation from a friend you can trust.
Do you have any favorite travel site you like to visit? What has been your best travel deal to date?
-Taima
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Ari says
This was awesome to read. I felt like I knew a lot of these sites already but it calms me to know that other people are out there using them too!
Taima says
Thank you. I am happy to hear you see some familiar ones. That means they are tried and true. 🙂