Planning trips is one of my favorite activities.

Over time, and a few not so good experiences, I realized that there are some reservations sites I prefer because I find them easier and more intuitive, offering more variety and good prices.

So, I decided to share here on the blog which are the sites that I use to book my flights, hotels and car rental.

Regarding hotels I use Booking. I think it’s a very complete site because I can select not only the type of hotels (5 stars to apartments or hostels) but also the price I’m willing to spend per night. It also gives me the option to select extras like wifi or swimming pool and even to view only the hotels that have good reviews (eg + 8 in the 1-10 classification).I always read the comments about the hotel, sometimes the photos are very beautiful but the comments are terrible. It is also good to take into account how many people have reviewed. To have 10 very good reviews is very different from having 100  very good reviews, and in the latter case approval is much more reliable …

Regarding the flights I use Skyscanner a lot. This site allows me to select flights from Madeira (or any other destination) to anywhere in the world, then all the options from different airlines, displaying the cheapest price for destination. It also allows me to receive alerts on price changes for a given flight. By  flight searching it appears a button on  the left “Receive alerts” where I can enter my email and ensure that I am warned of price changes.

This is how sometimes I find very cheap prices to unlikely destinations, as it happened to me once with a direct flight from Madeira to Edinburgh for 70 €. This site also gives me the option to book the car rental directly at the destination airport.

In terms of apartments I also use Airbnb. It’s a different kind of experience, more intimate and unique. I’ve had great expereriences so far.

Tripcipe – I really like this app. You can download the “tripcipe button” and make a map with all the points of your itinerary. You can even divide it by days.

Google Maps – I use it mostly to check the distances bettween places and to see which options I have in terms of transportation – Sometimes walking can be a lot faster than getting on the bus. I also use it to find hotspots near my location. Like in this vídeo.

You can find lots of inspiration in travel blogs and social networks like Instagram, Pinterest and Tripadvisor, which are my favorite, in that same order.

Now you just go and fly away… 🙂

Happy travels!

P.S- Looking on how to travel in style on a budget? Follow this blog.

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