Travel Resources: Flights, Money & Accommodation

The three biggest costs of any trip are always the same: getting there, spending money once you arrive, and somewhere to sleep. Get those right and the rest of your budget tends to look after itself.

These are the websites and apps I actually use to keep all three cheap. For even more ways to save, pair this with my 14 travel hacks everyone should know.

Cheap flights

The best way to find cheap flights is to stay flexible. Being open with your dates, or even your destination, often decides what deal you can get. These comparison sites search hundreds of airlines at once so you can spot the cheapest fare.

• Skyscanner is the one I reach for first. Search a whole month, or even a whole year, and use the “Everywhere” option to find the cheapest place to fly. Price alerts included.
• Google Flights has the fastest interface, with a brilliant map view for finding cheap destinations and stop-over savings.
• KAYAK searches other travel sites for you, with multi-city search and a handy “include nearby airports” option.
• Holiday Pirates is less a search engine and more a daily feed of genuine bargains on flights, hotels and packages. Great for inspiration.

Travel money

Be careful with currency exchange services, especially at airports. Even the ones shouting “no fees, 0% commission!” make their money by quietly setting a poor rate. The gap is bigger than you would think: on a 1,000 dollar exchange I have been offered over 100 dollars less than the real mid-market rate.

The best approach today is a travel-friendly bank card, then withdrawing cash from an ATM when you arrive (using a card that does not charge foreign fees).

• Wise (formerly TransferWise) lets you spend and send money at the real exchange rate with very low fees. The multi-currency card is brilliant for travelling.
• Revolut is a travel-friendly card with fee-free spending abroad up to a monthly limit, plus easy in-app currency exchange.
• Monzo is a UK challenger bank with fee-free spending worldwide and a genuinely useful app. I carry more than one card so I always have a backup.
• MoneySavingExpert is not a card, but it is the best UK resource for comparing travel cards and finding current deals before you go.

Accommodation

After flights, where you sleep is usually your biggest expense, so it pays to shop around.

• Booking.com is the easiest place to start for hotels and guesthouses, with trusted reviews and a strong app.
• Hostelworld is the go-to for hostels. Hostels are not just cheap, they are one of the easiest ways to make friends when you travel solo.
• Agoda often has lower prices on hotels in Asia, though it is worth double-checking the cancellation terms.
• Airbnb lets you rent a whole apartment, which can sometimes be cheaper than a hotel room, and is ideal for slow travel and longer stays.

Sorting out these three is the biggest saving you can make on any trip. For plenty more, have a read of my 14 travel hacks everyone should know.