Your One-Stop Resource For Travel Planning
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The best trips start with the best planning. And we've got everything you need for an awesome trip.
Fully explore the blog and website for info, join the community to share and learn from other travelers, or scroll down for the most queried quick-takes:
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Finding a travel advisor
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Taking a tour and/or cruise
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Different types of trips (ie family, service, active)
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What to do on a trip
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Favorite travel apps & websites
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Choosing a destination
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Planning the trip yourself
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Where to find the best business & first class airfares
If possible, get travel advisor recommendations from friends & family who have traveled where and how you would like to go. Or, try these:
Zicasso -- For high(er)-end trips
4 & 5 Star custom travel packages for journeys designed just for you.
Mindtrip -- Let AI do the heavy lifting
“Start Anywhere” builds trips from a single photo and lets friends co-plan in one feed.
Tours are a great option for folks who don't want to figure out the details necessary to see and do what they want. People can take an escorted tour as their trip, or people can take excursions/ day trip tours.
Viator -- For excursions/ day-tours.
Pay attention to the ratings and reviews before booking!
Tauck & Abercrombie & Kent -- Luxury escorted tour providers
G Adventures -- Small group, more adventure-focus, pretty budget-friendly.
Insight & Collette -- More affordable escorted tour providers
Adventures By Disney & Road Scholar -- Escorted tours for the family & for Seniors
National Geographic Expeditons -- Expeditionary tours and immersive trips
Backroads -- For active tours
There are cruises to meet virtually all your needs, and you can read about them here. But, for a list of lines we regularly recommend to folks, here you go.
Silversea -- Luxe cruise operator with all fees included.
Think: daily excursions as well as butlers, stocked mini-fridge, and unlimited caviar
Explora -- New cruise line (and ships), unstuffy, and on-board luxury
Royal Caribbean -- Large ships with solid offerings for everyone, at a more accessible price point.
Lindblad -- The cruising arm of National Geographic
Offering expeditionary travel to all sorts of exotic locales.
Disney -- For the young and young-at-heart Mickey lovers.
The name says it all and people LOVE these cruises!
Tauck & Viking -- Riverboat cruises (Viking also offers solid ocean cruises as well).
There are so many ways and interests to consider when deciding what type of trip to take. Click here for a full-write-up of them and how to make a decision. Or, here are just a few top-of-mind recommendations...
Disney -- offers both escorted land tours and cruises
Backroads or VBT (for Biking specifically) -- staying active on vacation
VolunteerWorld or Habitat for Humanity -- service trips
Natural Habitat or Wilderness Travel -- getting out in nature trips
Sometimes you know where you want to go, but then aren't sure about what you need to see or do when you're there. Afterall, it would be a shame to miss an important site which you may later regret because you simply didn't know about it (or didn't plan far enough in advance to make it work).
We have a lot to say about this (here) but in a nutshell we recommend:
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Asking trusted friends & family
who have been there for what they liked best and what they were unimpressed with
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Checking escorted tour company itineraries
to see what they include
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Checking Viator
to see what tours and excursions are most popular
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Asking AI for advice
giving the prompt as much information about what you like and don't like as possible
There are some great technological helpers for all aspects of travel planning. Here are some of our favorites (click here for more).
TripIt -- Keeps your information in an itinerary
Website and phone app
Viator -- Provides great excursions & day tours
Can book everything from cooking classes to airport transfers, to sightseeing tours, OR use it for ideas!
Mindtrip -- AI helps pull your trip together for you
Check the details, though!
Google maps & Google translate
Enables you to get around, find your way, and communicate when you're away from home.
The world is a big place, with much to explore. If you aren't sure where you want to go, we have some ideas to give you direction.
Here's something to get you started.
And here's information with considerations by general geographic area, along with some inspiration.
Or, you can always ask Chat GPT or another AI platform and be sure to give it as many parameters as you can. If you are unsure about how to use AI for travel, read this.
Planning the trip yourself
Planning a trip yourself is a sure-fire way to ensure you travel where you want, when you want, and how you want. But it does require some work. But don't worry, we break down all the steps (many of which you can outsource), here.
Finding the best Business/ First Class Airfares
If you're looking for premium seats when you travel, Fly Basis is the website we use. It has found better fares than booking through other business and first class websites as well as booking directly through the airlines on a couple of occasions, and that's why it's my go-to. In terms of service, if you have a unique request, they WILL get back to you, but it might be the next day -- so be patient. For economy flights, we've not found a consistent website that offers reliable low fares.