After completing two cross country road trips, visiting 47 states and 24 countries, I’ve figured out which travel companies I trust and rely on and which you won’t catch me using again. Many of my favorite travel resources are recommended in itineraries and destination specific posts โ and now you find all my recommendations in one place! From rental cars to airlines to hotels and vacation rentals to luggage, keep reading to discover how my go-to favorites can make your next trip as stress-free as possible!
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How to Save Money on Flights
Best tools to compare flight prices – I always book directly with the airline! But to check prices and travel dates, I’ll search in incognito mode to avoid the cookies using Kayak, Momondo and Skyscanner. These help me evaluate fares, check if other airports have better deals and book with confidence.
Google Flights gets a lot of love from some creators but I personally avoid it. It never gives the cheapest price and serves up tons of layover heavy routes I’m realistically not gonna spend my wild and precious life on!
Booking Hotels and Vacation Rentals
Agoda – I use Agoda to book hotels in Asia and find last-minute hotel deals.
Booking – Booking is my go-to hotel booking site for the US and Europe. They even have an LGBTQ friendly Travel Proud designation!
VRBO – Prefer a vacation rental? VRBO has a broad selection and more pricing transparency than fee-heavy Airbnb.
Car Rentals
Costco Travel has gotten me some great car rentals deals so if you’re a member check it out.
Compare prices + reserve your car rental – I use Rental Cars which is part of Booking.com to compare prices rather than get quotes from each company separately. I also like Discover Cars for the same reason.
LGBTQ Friendly Tour Companies
LGBTQ friendly hotels – This post rounds up which major hotel brands are LGBTQ friendly. My preference these days is to stay in a queer friendly hotel whenever I travel, but it is especially important to do so if you’re going somewhere where laws and social attitudes trend anti-LGBTQ.
LGBTQ tour companies – I keep lists of gay tour companies, lesbian tour companies (including solo lesbian and older lesbian group trips). Know of a company that belongs on this list? Email me to have it included.
Queer friendly day trips – I use GetYourGuide and Airbnb Experiences to book day tours. I recommend checking both because prices and availability can vary for the exact same tour.
Housesitting/Pet Sitting
TrustedHousesitters is what I use personally and recommend. I’ve used the site as a sitter, finding free places to stay, but I mostly use it to keep my pet care costs down while traveling. If you’re curious about my experience, I’m happy to chat!
Travel Safety Essentials
My go-to safety tips for traveling – This post unpacks hotel safety tips for queer women and nonbinary people.
Trans travel safety tips – Helpful advice for trans and nonbinary travelers with a focus on US travel.
Luggage Recommendations
Suitcase – I have the Crew VersaPackโข Global Carry-Onย from TravelPro and I love it! I especially love that it comes with a clear TSA approved bag for your toiletries and the option to swap out the insert depending on your needs. For shorter trips (or if you need an extra bag), I swear by this Eddie Bauer duffel, which folds up when not in use.
Backpack – Want to travel with a backpack instead of a suitcase? I’m partial to Ospreys.
Day bag – I love this backpack so much, I bought it twice! I do not recommend the 30L bag however, as the pockets are less useful.
Seat pack organizer – This Travelon seat pack organizer changed my life. Now, my power back, chargers, cords, snacks, book or travel journal and iPad (if I’m traveling with it) are all in one convenient place.
Other Stuff I Recommend
Luggage storage – Traveling car-free? Radical Storage lets you store your luggage at local shops for less than $5 per bag per day with insurance coverage for your stuff. The ability to store my luggage and set off exploring is incredibly useful and I love to have all the options in one place!
Universal travel adapter – Get yourself one or two of these, they’re cheap and you’ll use them forever and never have to worry if you have the right adapter.
Camera gear – I have the Nikon Z50 โย a lightweight mirrorless camera that punches above its weight when it comes to wildlife photography, astrophotography, and lugging around all day. This post has way more detail on why I love it + recommends some alternatives if you’re partial to Canon, Panasonic Lumix, Sony etc. But if you’re just looking for what I use and love, it’s that!
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