5 tRavel PlanNing tips

One of the things I love the most is to to plan a trip! It gives me so much joy! I must say I´m an excesive planner haha I will usually make a detailed itinerary on excel and write down everything... from the big things: flights, hotels, restaurants, etc. to the small details like how to get to and from the airport, distance between the things we are going to see and an approximate cost of every activity but I know not everybody is as crazy as me! So I wanted to share some of the websites and tips that I usually use when planning a trip. 

When I plan a trip sometimes I already know the destination but other times is more flexible and it is based on number of days off, weather or if we find a great deal! Planning trips is my hobbie LOL. Sometimes I´ll start rough plans of trips that I want to do and then once they become more "real" I get going with the small details. 

Here are my travel tips: 

1. Flights: My favorite websites to book flights are Kayak I really like to use the filters, and the "Explore" option because I can choose a destination based on my point of departure and budget. Also, Hipmunk because it´s a great way to see the different flights available per route. I always use one of these sites but I usually book the flights directly through the airline´s portal because it is easier to see baggage fees. 
2. Hotels: I love to stay at Boutique Hotels as much as I can because they have more charm and personality! I like Tablet Hotels that has an impressive list of curated boutique hotels that never disappoints! Plus if you become a member you get perks at most of the hotels. When I´m on a budget I like to use Hotwire Hot Rates that gives you great deals on hotels that you can only see the area where they are located, reviews and star rating, once you paid you get the name of the hotel. I like the surprise element! So far we´ve gotten great hotels through here. Airbnb is always a great option especially if you are more than two and if you want to have more flexibility and feel like a local. 
3. Things to Do: My biggest source of inspiration is Pinterest of course! I love searching for tips and things to do from other fellow bloggers. It´s always a good source of inspiration and much better than travel guides... although sometimes I buy the travel guides when we are going to spend lots of days in the same place and I want to have a pocket tour guide. I also like to browse online at Travel and Leisure website, it´s one of the most comprehensive travel magazines and their recommendations are always top notch.
4. Restaurants: My favorite part of the trip... good eats! Some of my travel itineraries are solely based on the restaurants we want to visit. Michelin guide is always a good starting point if you want to indulge although sometimes is hard to navigate its website so sometimes I just google Michelin Star Restaurants in the area we are going to be at. When traveling to the US I like to check out Thrillist because it always has cool and trendy down to earth spots throughout the US. When available I also use Yelp because I´ve found out that it has very good reviews of little neighborhood spots and of course there´s always TripAdvisor. 
5. Car rental: If we are staying in  big city we never rent a car we rather use public transportation and bikes as much as possible, less hassle and cheaper :) but some other times it makes more sense to rent a car I usually use Expedia so I can check multiple companies at the same time and also it shows the insurance costs. We both drive Manual cars and those are usually cheaper in Europe so go for it! Except in the UK! its complicated enough to be driving on the opposite side of the road to also have to change gears with the left hand! So stressful! LOL

Hope this was helpful and let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Travels!