This page includes links to the best travel brands, products and services that I use when planning my own trips. Many of these companies I have used for many years. You can also find curated packing, travel accessories and gear lists in my shop.
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FLIGHTS
SKYSCANNER
I use Skyscanner for the ability to compare flight times and connections as well as cost. If you have flexibility with your dates Skyscanner is invaluable as you can compare prices for different dates and routes.
CheapO Air
CheapOair is best for deals on first and business class travel.
SPECIAL STAYS
Booking.com
I book all of our hotels through booking.com.
They have a wide selection of hotels with excellent and free cancellation available on most bookings.
They have over 1 million properties to choose from so you are sure to find the perfect accommodation for your needs.
Trip Advisor
Check out reviews of restaurants, hotels, and tours on Trip Advisor. Although I don’t find their website the easiest to use we do check out restaurants on Trip Advisor wherever we go!
TRAVEL GEAR
Anti-theft bags and backpacks
These are the essential items of a travel kit that I always take with me.
I have a number of Travelon and Pacsafe bags and would NEVER travel without them.
After a trip to Paris when thieves attempted to steal from my backpack (unsuccessfully), the bags have paid for themselves.
You can find out my recommended bags in my guides – one for bags, purses and backpacks and one for mini bags.
For more travel essentials visit Tracy’s Travels Shop
TRAVEL MONEY
I have a Wise account and card which I use as well as my normal credit cards when I am travelling. The Wise card works like a debit card and can be loaded up with your home currency and converted into whichever currency you need when required.
It avoids the charges you would incur using credit cards or your normal bank debit card and is an excellent way to handle spending money when travelling.
The exchange rate is excellent and I recently held Australian $$’s, Hong Kong $$’s and UK ££’s on my card. At the end of my trip, I was able to transfer any unused currency back into my bank account.
CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE WISE CARD
GUIDE BOOKS
There are many excellent brands of guide book on the market and everyone has their favourite! Whether you are a fan of Rick Steves for Europe, Lonely Planet, Rough Guides or DK Eyewitness you will find them all on Amazon.
TICKETS & TOURS
Get Your Guide
For day trips and city guides I recommend Get Your Guide. They have more than 30,000 activities available in 7500 destinations so are sure to have something you will want to do.
Great prices and reliability make this the number one choice for me!
With Walks
Formally Walks of Italy is a great tour company for small group tours of European destinations including Italy, France, and the UK.
Specialising in unique experiences, special access, small groups and exceptional guides Take Walks offers online experiences as well as real-life tours.
GROUP TOURS
TOURRADAR
TourRadar is an online marketplace where you can compare and book multi-day tours from some of the best tour operators in the world.
TRANSPORT
Train Travel
We love travelling by train as you will have probably discovered on this website. We have lots of favourite journeys and have learnt tips along the way to make our journeys as comfortable as possible.
For UK train travel I recommend using the trainline.com
Car hire
We do occasionally hire cars if we can’t depend on trains and/or other public transport. Sometimes a road trip is the only way to see some destinations. We recommend Discover Car Rental.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
Can’t afford Travel Insurance? Don’t go on holiday. We never travel without insurance – it can be pricy as you get older but for us the peace of mind it gives us makes it worth every penny.