Travel Resources

As someone who has spent the last 4 years traveling to 25+ countries, 15 of which I did solo, I’ve learned which travel resources are most valuable and genuinely worth it. Everything from travel essentials for solo traveling and staying in hostels to the best travel credit cards and, of course, how to find the best flight deals…

To make traveling easier for you, below is a list of some of my favorite travel resources and products. These are all resources that I use regularly and full-heartedly believe in.

Finding Flights Deals

• StudentUniverse — This is the first place I check when looking for domestic and international flights. Despite the name, anyone can use it. I often find flights are $100+ cheaper here than flights on Google Flights or other flight search engines.

✈️ NOTE: Use this link to receive $20 off your first flight with StudentUniverse. I also have a detailed post that reviews my experiences with StudentUniverse if you are unsure and want more information.

• Skyscanner — This is my second favorite flight search engine that I use to cross-check the deals on StudentUniverse. I recommend using their “everywhere” function. This way, you can see all the incredible places across the globe that you can travel to for super cheap.

• Skiplagged — An amazing search engine for finding cheap flights and visiting “hidden city” destinations. With Skiplagged, I traveled from Zurich to Barcelona (with a purposeful 9-hour layover to explore the city) to Nice, France in a single day. It was both ridiculously cheap and the best experience! But, there are rules you’ll want to follow.
  • Only use it if you’re traveling out of your carry-on bag. ❌ Checked bags!
  • Do not use it often — 1 – 3 times a year, spread out from each other!
  • Avoid using this with the same airline!

Helpful Post: 🧳 Nervous about flying? Here’s my complete guide to flying with everything I do before, during, and after when flying!

Earning Free Travel

As someone obsessed with the points and miles travel hacking game, my biggest advice is always to have a travel credit card in your wallet!

They not only help you avoid foreign transaction fees that add up very quickly when traveling internationally but also allow you to earn points on your everyday spending. These points can then be used to redeem coveted business-class seats, free hotel stays, and so much more.

💳 Seriously, I could go on and on about it, and it’s largely how I travel so much on a budget. If you’re interested in learning more, feel free to contact me and I can send you some resources to level up your travel game.

• Chase Sapphire Preferred — This is my absolute favorite low-cost travel card that doesn’t cost a ridiculously high annual fee. Plus, it comes with a sweet intro offer. You get 60k CSR points when you spend $4,000 within the first 3 months of opening your account. These can then be utilized to unlock free hotel stays and flights!

• American Express Green Card – For a mid-tier travel credit card, I recommend the American Express Green Card. This card offers 3x points back on travel, transit, and dining! Plus, it comes with $189 in statement credit for a CLEAR membership that lets you skip to the front of TSA security lines. 🤩 And of course, after spending $3k in 6 months, you have the sweet sign-up bonus of 40k AMEX points.

• American Express Gold — This is another solid mid-tier travel credit card that’s worth having in your wallet if you dine out often or spend a lot annually on groceries! I also appreciate the $120 Uber credit that comes in handy while traveling. That said, I would prioritize the American Express Green Card first!

🚨 NOTE: I do not promote anything I don’t personally use and fully believe in. Unlike all these crappy AI sites, I own each of the cards I’ve mentioned above, and you are always welcome to contact me for any advice on how to maximize your points!

Accommodations Guide

• Expedia and Hotels.com — With their OneKeyCash reward system, these are my preferred hotel search engines. But, I recommend also checking on Booking.com because listings are sometimes a little bit cheaper there!

• Hostelworld — The best and most comprehensive hostel search engine out there. They also have an amazing app with a neat hostel-specific messaging function that’s great for meeting other travelers staying at your hostel!

• VRBO — This is similar to Airbnb. However, I’ve been having so many issues with Airbnb that I prefer VRBO over them. That said, please consider staying in a hotel where locals are being displaced by companies like Airbnb.

• Couchsurfing — This platform connects you with locals who will let you sleep on their couches for free. Obviously, you have to be careful and research the people you apply to stay with, but it’s a pretty awesome way to save massively on housing and connect with locals. I did this when I went to Norway, and it was an amazing experience!

Helpful Post: Check out my detailed account of my Couchsurfing experience and everything you need to know about using the platform safely here.

Transportation Resources

• OMIO — This is my absolute favorite way to travel across Europe. The interface is super intuitive, and I’ve booked over 35+ trips with them. I’ve only had an issue with the company once (see my full Omio review to learn more about that)… But, considering the other 30+ trips were fantastic, they get a glowing endorsement from me! Sign up with the link below for $11 of your first booking!

✅ 🚂 Click here to sign up for Omio here to save money

• Klook — For travel through Asia, Klook is one of the best platforms for purchasing tickets for transportation as well as excursions. For instance, for my trip to Japan, I used Klook to book my Tokyo TeamLabs timed entry ticket, the bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka, the 2-day Osaka Amazing Pass, and several of my other train rides in Japan. Booking all of this in advance removes the stress of having to wait in queues, especially during peak times!

• DiscoverCars — If you’re planning a road trip and traveling internationally, I’d recommend renting with DiscoverCars. They often have convenient car pick-up locations at airports, and sell solid car insurance, which I’ve found useful.

Reliable Sim Cards

Unless you have a sweet phone plan that includes affordable international data roaming, I recommend getting a pre-paid SIM card for any international travel. They allow you to tap into local networks, which means you get faster and more stable data connections.

• Airalo — This is the world’s first ESIM store. They provide ESIM cards with 1 – 50 GB of data for super affordable prices, and the installation is an easy process. 😅 And after using Airalo for several years across 5+ trips (as recently as March 2024), I have only positive things to say.
  
  Here are the most popular Airalo ESIM cards: USA | Europe (30 days or less)| Europe 30+ days|Asia| Japan |International ( works in 130+ countries)

✅ For an extra $3 off your Airalo purchase, use the code: KRISTI7012

• SimOptions — For those who need or want a physical sim card, you can use SimOptions. I discovered them in 2019 when I first studied abroad in Paris, and I’ve used them several times since — as recently as Fall 2022. They sell physical SIM cards as well as e-sim cards. I’ve used them for both and can vouch that they’re awesome!

☎️ NOTE: The difference between an e-sim and a regular sim is that everything is done electronically with an e-sim. This means life is EASIER!

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