Many people don’t know where to look for resources when it comes to traveling between cities, or traveling within a city to all the main attractions. I am compiling a list of travel resources that may help you to plan your trips and make it bit easier and more adventurous! These resources include things like a sightseeing information or international ferry websites. I hope to grow this list the more I travel and the more experience I gain.
Flights
I find deals on flights from a variety of places. My main go to place is Google flights! Google flights also has an option to send you emails for a flight you are tracking- I mean, how easier can it get? If that’s not enough, there are many more apps, websites and programs you can use!
One app I have used to book a flight was Hopper, to book our flight to Dominican Republic! It was super easy to navigate and use.
Kayak and Orbitz are also several websites I use to compare and track prices. I have used Orbitz to book hotels few times and they even had really good customer service when I mistakenly booked a resort for several grand! Thankfully they cleared everything and was able to refund the money; so I booked the next resort and hotels with them the following trip!
Other websites I like to keep up with often are EscapeHouston and CheapDFW. I am sure there are many more within your own city if you do a little digging.
Another major, but not very popular service I use for cheap flights is Next Vacay. It’s my only annual paid travel service that I use as of now. They send you emails with the amazing deals they find. The deals only last about 24 hours, so you will have to be flexible about where and when you want to travel. The best part is that they are not a third party; you go directly to google, search the flight and book it via the airlines.
Attractions & Sightseeing!
City Pass
City Pass is an American company that offers grouped deals to the major attractions of a city. City Pass is offered in about 14 big cities across the US and is definitely worth it if you plan on sight seeing majority of the attractions. When my friends came in to visit me in Houston, we took a City Pass and visited all the tourist sites and popular places within Houston. We also used City Pass in cities like Chicago and loved it.
Looking for something similar in other countries?
Many of the major cities have one form of this City Pass or another. The European version of this is known as City Passes. We used Roma Pass for our 2-3 days in Rome and it worked well. We were able to catch the bus anytime we wanted to, use the quick entry and even get a free access pass for the first attraction.
Check out this great European City Pass website that shows you all the different passes for many major touristic cities! This sight is great because it gives you many options and companies to choose from!
City Sightseeing
City Sightseeing is a world famous bus tour that takes you within a city to all the main attractions. I’ve used city sightseeing in Dubai solo and it was super safe! It was very convenient and easy to understand directions. They also included a huge map with the whole city, the bus routes and city attractions. If I don’t have a car while exploring the city, this would definitely be an ideal way to get around with less stress!
Prices vary by the size of the city and attractions there. In some cases, tickets for children are about half of an adult ticket. Few premium tickets also come with free entries to specific places and discount prices for restaurants and other attractions.
Many cities within the US have City Sightseeing such as Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, Nashville, Miami, San Antonio, Washington DC and more! Since most people here own/rent cars, it is not used widely among Americans. However, if you are from another country and prefer not to drive, this is a great option!
Other famous cities that would be worth using City Sightseeing are Florence, Seville, Barcelona, London, Singapore, Lima, Amsterdam, Dublin, Athens, Budapest, Paris and the list goes on. Check it out here!
”Besides City Sightseeing, there are also several city tour bus options in most bigger cities including Big Bus, USA guided tours and more!
Groupon
Although Groupon is an American based company, it has many many offers both inside and outside the US! It’s not fair to put Groupon on the attraction section, because Groupon contains much more than that, including international whole package trips, hotels and restaurant deals. Even though I haven’t used Groupon for international traveling yet, I have used it for hotels in big cities within America.
Other some of my favorite companies such as this includes TripAdvisor, Viator (owned by TripAdvisor) and Airbnb. I’ll be talking more about Airbnb as a source for accommodations because that is my main go-to for booking accommodations. However, TripAdvisor and Viator are both great tools to help you see all the things to do in a city, the price ranges, the reviews of the activities, etc. There is so much information on the site that you can gather even if you don’t book their service. I used Viator to book our wine tour in Italy and it was great!
**Tip: Even though I use these third party companies at times, I try to book directly majority of the time. Because these sites take a commission, the prices may be higher than booking directly. For this reason, I only when the cost is reasonable and convenience is needed. For example, I’ll use this when booking for a larger group or if we need pick up/drop off services.
Transportation!
How do you pick a method of transport? Although there are many things to think about, it narrows down to these three major things: time, expense & convenience. Check out this blog post to see how I think through our itinerary and pick a form of transportation, while traveling in the US. For more options, keep reading!
Air
There are so many methods of transportation depending on where you are and how much time you have during your trip. Every place has a preferred or more efficient form of transportation. In Southeast Asia, we flew two to three times from one part of a country to another. We did this in Thailand (Bangkok> Phuket> Chiang Mai) and in India (Kerala<>Delhi) for time efficiency. In Europe though, we decided to use the train system to get from one place to another to be cost efficient. In the US, we drive to neighboring states, but fly to further ones. Check out the list below for the specific transportation we have used to get from point A to point B.
Ground
Europe: Renfe
Renfe is a well known train service within Europe. We rode it several times in Italy and Spain this past year and had great experience with it. If you are looking for an easy way to travel from city to city, using this train system is usually the best option. With Renfe, you are able to book in advance for a single seat or a mesa seat, which comprises of 4 seats. Whether you book for 1 person or for four people, the total will be the same. You will be basically booking out that whole section for yourself or your group.
Make sure you print out a paper copy of your ticket before traveling. The ticket shows the coach number, which is where you enter from at the platform. It also shows the plaza which are seating assignments and has all the information you need on it. An estimated price of a one way ticket between two cities that are three to four hours away from each other starts from $30 and goes up. The prices depend on the season, on the train times and how soon you book your ticket.
Check out the Renfe website to book your tickets hassle free!
Tip: If the website or words are in another language, use Google translate to translate the information to English!
India: Indian Railroad
<<Coming Soon! >>
Enterprise
Yes, I am talking about the American company, Enterprise. It’s comfortable when you are out of country and you see an American company you know and trust. That’s what I felt when I saw that Spain had Enterprise, even in the smaller cities. It’s so much better when you have control of where you are going when you want to and when to stop. It’s great if you are going on an adventurous trip with friends since you will be able to go on the road less taken with your own ride. Although the service was not up to par at the Spain location, we were still able to get what we wanted and where we wanted, in time.
Enterprise is in over 85 countries and is the biggest car rental. Check out the Enterprise-car rental website to see if they have a office at your next travel destination. #notsponsored
Greyhound & Mega Bus
Want to travel cheap? I’ve gotten Megabus tickets for a dollar one way (yes, you heard that right! ONE US dollar) from New York to Boston! I booked a few months in advance and secured my seat. The best part about this is that even if I had changed plans and didn’t use the bus, I was only loosing a few bucks. Megabus is available in the US, Canada and United Kingdom! Greyhound is all over the US and in Canada!
Water
Ferries
A ferry is another great option when it comes to traveling between two places, that are divided between a body of water. We took a ferry between Spain and Morocco. When I was looking into the different ferry companies they offered, I found more than what I was looking for. We ended up booking a local ferry company that only makes trips between Spain and Morocco. However, I was pleased to find ferry companies in other continents as well! Direct Ferries is a website that gives you access to all the ferry schedule all over the world. They show ferry rides between many European, American and Asian countries!
Check out how we traveled from Spain to Morocco in detail here!
Tip: Travel in the late morning or early afternoon. This will give you enough time to get to the city of departure and get to your destination before the sun goes down (given your trip is less than 6 hours).
Accommodations!
Airbnb
Airbnb is a adventurous yet still safe option of accommodations. If you are new to traveling, I will recommend getting hotels or resorts to avoid the stress additional planning and safety. If you have traveled a bit more and wish to travel more locally, I would recommend to start using Airbnb. Airbnb offers so many benefits during your stay and allows you to get that local experience (if that’s what you are going for). Check out my post dedicated to Airbnb and why I love using it so much! (Not sponsored y’all!)
Click here for 30 dollars off on your first Airbnb experience when you sign up!
And More!
The Parking Spot
I’ve had nothing but good experience with The Parking Spot the several times I have used them. Parking services like this come in handy when you depart and arrive early in the morning or late at night. This is also a great option for anyone who lives far away from the airport as well! Taking a taxi or Uber may be expensive and having someone drop you off may be more difficult. My husband and I recently discovered the ease of using The Parking Spot and will continue to use it for all our future trips.
Safety & Health
Smart Traveler Enrollment Program
Now besides the transportation, stays and tours, another major aspect of travel is safety and health! As an American citizen, no matter which country you go to, there is always a US embassy there. Check out my STEP blog post to read all about staying safe and connected with the US embassy throughout your trip.
Click here for the US Department of State travel section, which gives you all the information you need about passports, Visas, travel documents and more.
Center of Disease Control and Prevention
Another thing I do before visiting a country is checking out their recommended vaccines, high risk diseases and any outbreaks. The CDC (Center of Disease Control and Prevention) is a great source for any kind of trip or people. They have sections for people traveling with children, traveling on a cruise, traveling while expecting and much more. Check out the travel portion of CDC here!
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