transportation
Booking flights: There is an art to buying tickets. I’ve gone to Hong Kong RT for $600, Europe RT for $300, New York RT for $250, etc. If you know how to stretch the dollar, go to the right sites to find good deals, then the world is your oyster. Cross reference with cheapoair.com and google.com/flights (this is a great website, but unfortunately some airlines do not show up on it! Like Southwest), and I am on mailing list The Flight Deal / The Fare Alert.
Getting Around: Depends on the situation but… Ridesharing Apps: Uber (Europe, North America, Latin America, most parts of Asia), Grab (Southeast Asia), Didi (China) to get around with large groups of friends and avoid taxi spike
Bike & Scooter Apps: Jump / Lime (North America, Latin America, Europe), Didi / Meituan (Asia) to get around when I want to explore the city
Public transit: Subways to quickly move through the city during rush hour. Always check to see if they have 10~ day / 2~ day unlimited passes because those tend to be cheaper than consistently refilling your card!
Renting cars: I love using Turo (car sharing service) if you’re under 25 as it is cheaper, GetAround has a partnership with Uber, and Hertz gives corporate discount.
lodging
Depending on where I’m going and for how long, I love doing a mix of Airbnb’s/hostels ... and sometimes 4+ star hotels for a bit of comfort
Airbnbs: bargain with the host! Tell them about your clean track record, a bit about yourself and ALWAYS ask for a discount. I’ve gotten as much as $500 off once. EVERY PENNY COUNTS. Airbnb’s are super nice because it also gives you a chance to interact with the host, see local culture, and feel like you’re actually embedded into the city (staying at a place locals would stay at). Book Airbnb's through Acorn for 10% back.
Hostels: I love using HostelWorld. Make sure to cross reference the hostel with TripAdvisor and maybe their actual website to make sure you’re not getting any surprises.
Hotels: Great for a good getaway, but tbh I rarely stay at hotels now unless it’s for travel for work. (Edit: 10 months into dating Daniel, whenever we travel domestically we LOVE staying in 4+ star hotels. It makes life more comfortable, and if you can split the bill with someone else it is worth it! I'm personally a SPG member, which means adding up points and free wifi!) Book hotels through Ibotta for 5-10% cash back depending on site you use.
Couch surfing: I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO TRY THIS! If anybody has gone before, drop me a line! Love to hear about your experience.
planning
Friends: Ask friends for recommendations. This has been my go to, especially when I have friends who have lived in that area. I try to link any good docs friends have shared in my blog!
TripAdvisor: IS THE BEST (LonelyPlanet sometimes has questionable recommendations IMO)
Instagram location finder: type in the city you’re looking for in the search bar, and it’s great for searching for places to go, and food to eat (just make sure to cross reference with TripAdvisor/Yelp ahead of time cause sometimes people take pictures #forthegram and not for the actual quality of food)
Payments
I wouldn’t have worked at Visa if I didn’t do a slight plug about the best way to pay abroad.
Developed countries: Look for a no foreign transaction card. I currently have the Chase Sapphire Reserve & I love it! Those there’s a steep annual fee ($495) I get annual travel credit, free Global Entry, lounge access, and my signing bonus gave me $1800 in travel credit.
Besides the reserve, there’s a ton of great cards out there that will make traveling so much easier for you (and safer!) since you won’t have to carry a huge wad of cash around. My second favorite card is the Uber Visa card which is a no-fee credit card that has no charges for transactions fees, 4x back on travel and dining and 2x on online purchases.
Developing countries: Certain places will only take cash. I recommend you bring your debit card and only exchange a max of $200 at a time. Transaction fee is varies per card (I have the Fidelity Gold Debit Card that reimburses any transaction fee) and you never want to draw unwanted additional attention to yourself by carrying around extra cash. Can’t recommend this card enough! Exchanging cash you usually get a lower rate (IE in Carnival in Brazil there was actually a 10% surcharge for tourists) and in Argentina the ATM fees are around $10 per each cash pull with a $70 max.
If you don’t have this card, bring cash! ATM fees most of the time are never worth it.
In any situation: it’s always better safe than sorry. Sometimes cards will get declined or you’ll be stuck in a sticky situation. I usually carry around $200-$400 in USD cash w me “just in case” and in hundred dollar bills bc 20s/10/5’s are harder to switch. I carry USD over other currencies because USD has such a strong exchange rate and is quite viable in most countries you’re traveling to (especially if you’re doing a multi-leg trip).