Here are a couple of companies that I use on my regular travels and that I believe in enough to recommend to you as my go-to travel resources
Accommodation
Booking.com – click through this link to get $25 back with code ‘graddu96’
Airbnb – you’ll get $40 towards your first trip of $75 or more. Only for new Airbnb guests!
HotelTonight – use code MTINGTANG for $25 off your next booking (if you spend $135 USD+)
HostelWorld – looking for cheap or unique hostels around the world? HostelWorld has almost all of them listed with over 30,000 properties in over 180 countries. And with a huge network of fellow backpackers each property is usually well reviewed. They also send out emails with cool destinations, things to do, and of course, places to stay
Couchsurfing – not just for looking up free couches, you can sometimes find some decent places or at least really cool people to meet up, especially if you’re traveling solo
Flights
Skyscanner – search cheap flights and get ideas by destination or month of travel
SecretFlying.com – a site that I love to check regularly for great deals, flight pricing errors and flash sales
Skiplagged – if you’re willing to not check a bag and do a little “travel hacking” you can sometimes fly some really good deals here. Check their FAQs for more information
AirfareWatchDog – would you like alerts for a particular route, or from your favorite airport? Look no further, set an airfare alert for your dream destination and get notified by email when they find one!
SeatGuru – find seating charts, inflight amenities, and what’s the best seat on each flight before you check-in
Monondo – I love setting my destination to “Anywhere” to get cheap travel inspiration
Train/Rail
Seat61 – the ultimate resource for rail travel, with information about train travel in almost every continent
UrbanRail – good resource for trains, subway, trams, and other metro systems around the world
Trainline – Europe’s leading train and bus app
Bus
FlixBus – get around Europe for cheap. And now available in the US (west coast only)
MegaBus – cheap bus service in the UK, US, and Canada
Booking services
TingTang Travels – haha, of course I had to recommend my own travel services. No really, I can help with simply finding how to make your trip the cheapest possible to finding what you thought were impossible flight routing, to planning your Round-the-World trip.
Car Services
Uber – The only car service that I consistently found around the world. From UberMoto in Vietnam to UberEats in Costa Rica. It’s pretty much everywhere! Use code ‘
Lyft – not as available in most markets internationally. But usually cheaper than Uber if it is. Use code ‘ttTravels’ for $5 off your first ride or any credit your market is offering.
BlaBlaCar – Go farther than Uber but cheaper than trains. Not available everywhere but used extensively in Europe and Mexico. Find other people traveling the direction you want to go and split a ride with them. Think of it as a mix between Uber and hitchhiking, but without the creepy stigma attached to it.
Trip Planning
TripAdvisor – a great resource for destinations, hotels, activities, and more. Plus the forums are a wealth of information
Rome2rio – a great resource to find out the best way to get from point A to point B, including flights, trains, buses, ferries, and more
GoEuro – for Europe only: find the best way to get around, book trains, buses, and flights
Travel.State.Gov – a great resource for information about destinations around the world. Includes passport and visa requirements, travel warnings, vaccination information, embassy and consulate contact information, destination facts and more.
Center for Disease Control & Prevention – find out if you need any vaccinations to where you’re heading and other travel notices
Shopping
Amazon.com – the first place I check when I do all my shopping
Ebates.com (now Rakuten) – spend at least $25 (all while saving while shopping) and get $10 back!
Productivity
Dropbox – Keep everything synced between computers and devices. Get an extra 500MB just for signing up through this link
AwardWallet -Keep track of all your award miles. Free upgrade coupon for first time users with this link
Money
TransferWise – get a free or discount on your first transfer using this link
XE.com – real time currency exchange rates
Shopping
Backcountry.com – One of my favorite stores for travel gear, clothing, and more. Get $10 off your first order
Shopping Portals
United MileagePlus Shopping – https://shopping.mileageplus.com
American Airlines – https://www.aadvantageeshopping.com
Delta SkyMiles- https://www.skymilesshopping.com
Southwest Rapid Rewards- https://rapidrewardsshopping.southwest.com
The place to compare them all – EVReward – http://evreward.com
Travel Insurance
World Nomads – something you hope to never use, but something you never want to be without. I’ve used them for the last 3 years and unfortunately have actually had to submit claims with them. Luckily they are very responsive, handled the claims efficiently, paid me quickly, and even helped me book an emergency flight back home once, which they ended up covering completely. I make sure I’m covered on every trip, things can go wrong and the more you travel, things will go wrong. World Nomads is hands down the only insurance company that I use. Read my review here
Credit Cards
Chase Sapphire Preferred – Spend $4000 within 3 months of account opening and receive 50,000 bonus points! Also, Earn 5,000 bonus points after you add the first authorized user and make a purchase in the first 3 months from account opening. $95 Annual Fee. Read more about it here
Chase Freedom – You will get a $150 bonus after spending $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening if you’re approved. Read more in my review here
Chase Sapphire Reserve – Spend $4000 within 3 months of account opening and receive 50,000 bonus points! $450 Annual fee but $300 yearly travel credit back plus ELITE travel benefits! My current travel card. Review coming soon!
Chase Ink Business Preferred – If you’re a business owner and want the ultimate business card that links to your Ultimate Reward points, look no further. Earn 80,000 bonus points after you’ve spent $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Includes cell phone protection and 3x points on travel and more.
Mobile Apps
Maps
Google Maps – enough said. Little trick, type “ok maps” in the search area to easily download that map offline instead of going through different menus
Maps.Me – a great source for offline maps. Usually more detailed than Google Maps offline for some areas of the world but directions aren’t perfect and you won’t get live traffic updates. But it’s a good resource to have
Depending on the cities:
CityMapper – I like CityMapper in the cities that its available in because it allows you to save routes plus has other cool features including telling you the fare (if available)
Moovit – not my favorite app but for some areas it’s the only thing that’s available or reliable enough (Mexico)
Language
Google Translate – the easiest translation app I’ve used that is more comprehensive than most. They are constantly updating and improving it. Most popular languages support AR (augmented reality) translation as well as speech translation allowing you to do on the fly translations without having to type!
Duolingo – learn a whole new language before you get there! 100% free and a fun way to learn a new language
Other
TripIt – my overall favorite app to use. It organizes all my travel plans including flight information, hotel, and more easily by just forwarding the email confirmations to them. Allows you to share these travel plans with friends or family too
WhatsApp – the universal way to message with friends around the world. Message using data. Thus it also works if you only have wifi
Skype – video chatting with family back home who don’t have FaceTime
XE Currency Exchange – same as I mentioned above, just an app that I always use
I hope you enjoyed these travel resources and found them useful. I’ll be updating this page frequently as I use new resources or find better ones. Some resources have been intentionally left out temporarily as I write new content reviewing and detailing how to use those services. Do you have any you would like to suggest? Leave a comment below and Subscribe to my email list to find out when I add new resources!
– M TingTang
Many links on this page have affiliate associations and are how I can bring you great deals regularly. All of these resources are listed because I actually regularly use them and find them of great benefit. Please use these links when you need to use these services and you’ll be supporting this site as well as influencing other companies to offer better deals to us!