As many of you know I am knee deep in planning our next adventure to Bali and Europe. I absolutely love to plan holidays and have been the ‘travel agent’ of our family for years now.
During my recent searches for the best accommodation, hottest restaurants and most beautiful locations I have come across a few new (to me) tools that can take your vacation planning to the next level!
I really shouldn’t bee spilling these secrets, but it’s in my nature to share a good thing. If I have something that will make a positive difference to someone’s appearance then I just can’t keep it to myself! So here goes…
Websites that got be excited –
Tablet Hotels – If you are into boutique style hotels this is a must click.
One Fine Stay – Like Air BnB but offering only the finest homes.
Design Hotels – Beautiful bespoke hotels if you are after something quieter.
Mr and Mrs Smith – Hand picked luxury hotels.
Air Bnb Plus – A feature on Air Bnb that includes luxury properties with great ratings.
Flight Fox – This one is all about booking flights and is especially good for the cooperate traveller.
Tips I had never thought of before –
– Once you think you’ve settled on a hotel, use google maps to check out its actual location. Pop it onto ‘earth mode’ so you can see what the accommodation actually looks like. Move around the street to look at neighbouring properties. See if there is anything close by that might impact your holiday, like a large night club or busy restaurant.
– On Instagram, find one hotel in an area that you love and a price point that you want to spend. Go to that hotel’s profile and use the drop down arrow which then allows you to see accounts similar to the one your are on. You will come across a bunch of competing hotels in the area that are similar to your original search. Happy researching!
– If you find a property you love on Air Bnb or another search tool, then go onto google and search that accommodation by name. You may find a better deal outside of the engine you had originally been using. I always find Air Bnb to be much more expensive then the price I would have paid if I booked direct.
– It is said booking flights at midday on a Tuesday is the cheapest time to do it.
– It can be cheaper to book round tickets over one way flights.
– Rumour has it that the exact day to find the cheapest airfare is 54 days before flight departure.
– Keep your options open. You may have a few airports located close to you or where you are going. Landing into one may be substantially cheaper than another.
– Set up price alerts with different airlines and sign up to subscription newsletters.
– Consider stopping over to spilt up your journey. This may also lower the cost of your overall flight.
– Stay over a Sunday night. Most hotels get holiday bookings Friday to Sunday morning, and business bookings Monday to Friday. Sunday can be cheaper and quieter.
Now get me on that plane on Friday! I seriously can not wait to be in Bali staying at the gorgeous Dreamland resort. For more holiday inspiration check out My Wyndham Holidays and the Wynham Instagram page.
Happy travelling!
Enjoy,
great tips Nat! Thank you for sharing!