Trip Planning?
Here are my favorite websites
Here are the sites that I rely on to get the best rates and information for my own personal trips:
Please note that some of these sites are affiliate links which means I get a small amount of revenue from purchases at no additional cost to you. Any revenue recieved this way goes directly back into the cost of the website and I thank you for doing so!
Airfare
Google Flights is always the first place that I check because I can check for specific dates or leave it open. I can also pick dates, but no location. Once I find the deal that I'm looking for, I book directly with the website.
We've been conditioned to think of destination first and then dates. Scott's Cheap Flights tracks your home cities and then sends you deals to cities all over the world. Most of these deals are so good that you just have to book now and ask questions later. Note: you do have 24 hours to change or cancel without penalty any flight leaving or returning to the U.S. I've bought so many deals this year, Bill cut me off from buying more flights:)
Accommodations
I like booking.com because it shows you hotels, houses, and apartments for rent. I also like how with almost every property you can get a 24-hour cancellation policy. Their platform is easy to use and you can search by city or map which is helpful when you have a specific area to focus in on.
It also keeps all of your bookings organized, which I love.
Car Rentals
If you have a Costco membership, they are almost always the cheapest. Also, they provide an extra driver free. I don't make any commission off of that, but I always direct people to Costco first.
Rentalcars.com provides you with a wide array of options across the U.S. as well as other countries.
Activities
Viator is owned by TripAdvisor and generally has the widest options across the United States. You can find almost any activity here and you can easily browse ratings to see if it is highly recommended.