Momondo is where I start every flight search. It’s super easy to use, it compares flights from hundreds of different carriers across thousands of different routes and it also has a cool calendar view that’ll tell you which days are the cheapest to fly on, which is sweet for saving a bit of extra cash. If you’re looking for cheap flights, use Momondo first.
SkyScanner is pretty much an exact replica of Momondo to be honest and it tends to give similar-ish results. It can sometimes throw out cheaper flights than Momondo, however, (and visa versa of course) so it’s 100% worth looking at both. It also has a deals section on the website that’s pretty useful if you’re flexible on where you’re travelling to.
Google Flights is Google’s attempt at a flight search engine, and with it being built by Google, it’s pretty decent. It’s very similar to the other two, but my favourite part about it is the map view which will show you all of the different places that you can fly to from your nearest departure airport. It’ll also very quickly show you if the price advertised is the typical price.
Booking Accommodation
You’ve probably already heard of or used Booking.com, but if you haven’t, I’d fully recommend giving it a shot when you’re next looking for accommodation. It’s where I tend to start my search off because it has the widest choice of accommodation from the widest range of price categories. It also has a pretty cool loyalty programme too which will unlock discounts, free room upgrades, free breakfast (who doesn’t want free breakfast?) and a lot more.
Airbnb is sweet for finding accommodation in just about any part of the world. There’s everything from luxury apartments to outdoor cabins to spare rooms (great if you’re looking to travel on a budget and meet new people) to just downright weird (like stopping in a windmill or a hobbit’s hut). Just be mindful of guest rules and cancellation policies before you book because you’re not stopping in a hotel, you’re stopping in somebody’s home.
There aren’t really many platforms like Hostelworld (partly because they keep acquiring them all) that specialise in budget / hostel accommodation, so if you’re travelling on a budget and you need somewhere cheap to spend the night, then give Hostelworld a shot (it is pretty good too). It has just under 40,000 different properties across 178 countries in the world, and so you’ll be pretty unlucky to not find a place to stay in your destination of choice.
Just like Google Flights, Google Hotels is a pretty solid way of finding accommodation; and with it being Google, it has arguably the widest choice to choose from. It’s especially good if you know which hotel you want to stay in because it’ll show you the different prices across all booking sites like Booking.com, Expedia etc. and it’ll also tell you if you’re getting a good price or not. I’ve also found that its map view is better than others too (personal preference)
Booking Activities & Tours
Before I found GetYourGuide, I used to exclusively book all of my activities through Tripadvisor, but that was until I found that a tour of the colosseum cost almost half the price of what I’d pay for it on Tripadvisor; it’s fair to say I haven’t looked back since.
If you can’t find a tour on GetYourGuide, or you just fancy double checking the price, then Tripadvisor should be your nest stop. I also use Tripadvisor when I’m looking for a local restaurant or just somewhere to chill out (their user forums are pretty useful too).
G Adventures is perfect if you’re looking for a more adventurous tour, like Mt Everest Base camp or climbing Mt Kilimanjaro. Tough, more vigorous tours, you know the kind… most tours are in small groups of people which is great if you fancy meeting some new people
Booking Rental Cars
Looking for a hire car on SkyScanner is exactly like looking for a flight on SkyScanner – i.e straightforward. It compares the largest number of car rental companies and it’s super easy to filter down to what you want, like type of car (compact, sports etc.) manual or automatic, mileage etc. SkyScanner is always my go to.
As with flight searches, I like to use a couple of comparison sites before I book car rentals. When it comes to Kayak it’s very similar to SkyScanner, but it can sometimes find you cheaper rentals than what SkyScanner can, so like I said it’s worth a check.
Rhinocarehire.com is a decent comparison site for rental cars if you’re under the age of 25, because as you’ll know if you are in fact under the age of 25, renting a car is extortionate. They don’t do massive savings, but they claim to give up to 10% off car rentals to make it more affordable, so it’s always worth a shot.
Buying Travel Insurance
World Nomads is probably the most popular travel insurance company out there and I’ll be honest, it’s the one I use. They cover over 300 countries, there’s no small print so you know exactly what you’re getting and they’re priced competitively too. Give World Nomads a shot if you’re looking for a travel insurance provider.
Globelink is just like World Nomads (and any other insurance provider for that matter), except it’s exclusive for just UK and EU residents. The policies are very well priced and it’s super easy to add bolt ons to your insurance like cruise cover, winter sports cover etc. Definitely worth checking out if you’re from the UK / EU.
The truth is, there are loads of comparison sites out there that’ll allow you to find cheap travel insurance. The only problem you have is knowing what you’re looking for… but my advice is if you’re going to search on a comparison site, just read the small print and check the reviews and 90% of the time you’ll be fine.