Travel Resources
Trying to decide which companies to book your trip with? Over the last 19 years of travel, I’ve used hundreds of companies during my travels. Some have been great, some have been just awful.
Below is a list of the ones I come back to time and time again. They are the best out there and continually offer superior deals and experiences. They are where all my travel planning and booking starts. Use them to book your trips too!
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links, including the HostGator link. At no extra cost to you, I earn a small commission from each booking that allows me to keep content up to date, run events, create new guides and stories, and hire staff to help maintain this website. I use all the companies listed here and recommend them because they’ve made my travels better. If you have any questions, email me and I’ll happily respond. Advertiser Disclaimer. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Airfare
Skyscanner
This is my all-time favorite flight search engine. It always seems to find the best deals and its calendar view lets you see which days are cheapest to fly. I like it because it searches the small booking sites no one else does so no stone is left unturned. Start all your flight searches here.
Going
Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights) finds incredible flight deals and sends them directly to your inbox. If you’re flexible with your dates and destinations, you can score some amazing deals and save hundreds of dollars in the process! It’s the premier dealing subscription service in the United States.
Google Flights
Google Flights lets you enter your departure airport and see flights all over the world on a map so you can determine where the cheapest destination is. It’s a good search engine to get a sense of routes, connections, and fares.
Point.me
Point.me is a search and booking engine that helps you find the best ways to use your points and miles. It searches 30+ loyalty and 100+ airline programs to find the best value possible. As a Nomadic Matt reader, you can get 4 months free with the code NOMADICMATT4.
For more information on how to find a cheap flight, read this article with all my tips.
Accommodation
Hostelworld
This is the best hostel-accommodation site out there, with the largest inventory, best search interface, and highest availability. I use it for all my hostel bookings. There are not many other options out there that compare to the scale this site has.
Booking.com
Booking.com probably has the widest selection of budget accommodation in the world (it is especially good for listings in developing countries). In my research, it consistently finds the cheapest rooms. I also like its easy-to-use interface and no-money-down policy. I book all my hotels here.
Trusted Housesitters
Trusted Housesitters is a platform that connects you with people in need of pet and house sitters. In exchange for looking after their pets or home, you’ll get access to free accommodation. It’s an amazing resource for long-term travelers looking to travel slowly.
Hostel Pass
This new card gives you up to 20% off hostels throughout Europe. It’s a great way to save money. It’s constantly adding new hostels too. I’ve always wanted something like this and so I’m glad it finally exists. Use the code NOMADICMATT to get 25% off too!
HomeExchange
HomeExchange is a network that facilitates swapping homes with another person or family. They have over 200,000 members with houses in 155 countries, making it an amazing platform for finding house swaps around the globe
For more information on how to find a cheap flight, read this article with all my tips.