Everything you need to plan and book your next trip
My go-to tools for planning, booking, and sorting the boring stuff fast, so you can get to the fun part. All in one place, and all of it stuff I use myself.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It's how the guides stay free. Full details in the affiliate disclosure.
What are you planning today?
Use these before you touch a booking site. They're free and they'll save you from expensive guesswork.
Book it in this order
Most trips go wrong at the planning stage, not the airport. Put your departure date in and you'll get the order I use, with real dates attached.
Your booking countdown
Live countdownNothing gets saved, nothing gets sent anywhere. It just does the maths so you don't have to.
Not booked yet? Put in the week you're aiming for.
Longer trips need a bigger head start on the admin.
Good to know: the one step people skip is insurance. Cover for cancellation starts the day you buy the policy, not the day you fly, so buying it the same week as your flights is the whole point. More on that in our travel insurance guide.
Travel Insurance
Don't book anything non-refundable without it. Seriously. One cancelled flight or a hospital visit abroad and you'll wish you'd sorted it first.
EKTA
Travel InsuranceNever let us down. No-nonsense cover at prices that don't sting, and they actually pay out when things go sideways.
Visit EKTAWhy travel insurance matters
- Hospital bills abroad can run into tens of thousands without it
- Cancelled flights and lost luggage are covered from day one
- A GHIC covers state treatment in the EU, not a flight home
- Most people only realise they need it when it's too late
We use EKTA. Never had a problem getting a payout.
Money saver: if you travel more than twice a year, an annual multi-trip policy usually works out cheaper than two singles. Do the sums before you buy the second one. Our budget travel guides have more of this kind of thing.
Which of these should you actually use?
Sixteen partners is a lot to scroll. Three taps and you'll get the two or three that fit your trip, plus the free tool I'd open first.
1. What sort of trip is it?
2. How tight is the budget?
3. What still isn't booked?
Accommodation
I check two sites for every trip, never one. Prices for the same room genuinely move by 15% or more between platforms, and the cancellation terms move with them.
Booking.com
Hotels & StaysOur go-to for hotel searches. 2 million+ properties in 220 countries, from budget to boutique.
Visit Booking.comTripAdvisor
Reviews & HotelsA billion reviews from people who've actually been. Good for checking a hotel before you commit.
Visit TripAdvisorHotellook
Hotel SearchCompares 100,000+ cities and 220 countries. Worth a check if Booking doesn't throw up what you need.
Visit HotellookAgoda
Hotels & FlightsStrong on Asia, solid everywhere else. Great app if you're booking on the move.
Visit AgodaHostelworld
HostelsIf you're happy in a dorm, the money you save goes straight back into more trips. Millions of honest hostel reviews.
Visit HostelworldWhich stay site for which trip
← Swipe to scroll on mobile
| Site | Best for | Weak spot | My habit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking.com | Choice, free cancellation, city hotels | Drip pricing on city tax and cleaning | First search, every time |
| Agoda | Asia, app-only rates | Fees can appear late in checkout | Second search for Asia trips |
| Hotellook | Comparing several sites at once | You still book on a third-party site | Sanity check on price |
| Hostelworld | Dorms, private hostel rooms, solo trips | Thin outside backpacker routes | Anything under 25 quid a night |
| TripAdvisor | Reading reviews before you commit | Review quality varies a lot | Last check before I pay |
Tinker's Tip: book the free-cancellation rate first, then set a reminder for six weeks before the trip and re-search the same dates. If it's dropped, rebook and cancel the old one. I've saved three figures doing this on a single week in Italy. Our handpicked hotels and stays page has the places I've actually slept in.
Flights
There's no magic booking day. What there is: flexible dates, a price calendar and the discipline to fly on a Tuesday instead of a Saturday.
Trip.com
FlightsOur favourite flight search. Map view, fare alerts, price calendar. Actually find the cheap dates easily.
Visit Trip.comSkyscanner
Flight SearchGood for flexible searches, especially the 'whole month' view when you care more about price than date.
Visit SkyscannerExpedia
Flights & PackagesUseful when you want flights, hotel and car in one go without bouncing between five tabs.
Visit ExpediaEasyJet
Low-Cost FlightsProbably the airline we use most. Never had a serious issue, which is more than we can say for most.
Visit EasyJetDelayed or cancelled? Check what you're owed
UK261 / EU261Fixed amounts, set by distance and how late you landed. Your ticket price makes no difference at all.
Figures correct as of September 2026. Claim direct with the airline first. It's free, and you keep all of it rather than handing a claims firm a third.
Watch out: a late departure that still lands on time doesn't count. The clock is measured on arrival at your final destination. Full walkthrough in our travel compensation guides, and the wider travel problems hub covers the rest of the mess.
Getting Around
Hire car, train, or neither. In most European cities the answer is neither, and you'll save a fortune on parking. For anything beyond the city limits, see our road trip routes.
DiscoverCars
Car HireCompares hundreds of suppliers. Best for finding the actual cheapest car, not just the headline price.
Visit DiscoverCarsGetRentaCar
Car HireGood alternative if DiscoverCars doesn't have something, especially in less obvious destinations.
Visit GetRentaCarReality check: the headline car hire price is rarely the price. Fuel policy, young driver fees, a second driver and the excess waiver can double it. Read the terms before you get to the desk, because the desk is where they win. More on trains, buses and ferries in our transport guides.
Tours & Experiences
Book the things that sell out. Leave the rest until you're there and you've seen the weather forecast. Our free self-guided walking tours cover a lot of what people pay for.
GetYourGuide
Tours & Activities8 million+ reviews, skip-the-line tickets, day trips and experiences. What we use for most things.
Visit GetYourGuideBig Bus Tours
City Bus ToursHop-on hop-off in London, New York, Paris and loads more. Brilliant for getting your bearings on day one.
Visit Big Bus ToursGoCity
City PassesOne app, loads of attractions. Genuinely saves money if you're planning a busy city break.
Visit GoCityMoney saver: a city pass only pays off if you'd have visited three or four paid attractions anyway. Add up the individual ticket prices first. If the total is below the pass, skip it and spend the difference on lunch. Our handpicked tours and experiences page lists the ones that were worth the money.
Stay Connected
Sort your data before you land. Roaming charges are a 2015 problem and you don't need them.
Airalo
eSIM DataCheap data the moment you land, no roaming charge panic. Works on iPhone and Android, 200+ countries.
Visit AiraloBefore you install
Three-minute checkYour phone needs to be unlocked and eSIM capable. Most handsets from 2019 onward are. Install at home on wifi, then switch it on when you land, and leave your normal SIM in for calls and texts.
Our travel gear guidesEntry rules a UK traveller needs to know
Three separate things get muddled up constantly: the UK ETA, the EU's EES, and ETIAS. Here's the short version, correct as of September 2026.
← Swipe to scroll on mobile
| Scheme | Who it's for | Status right now | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK ETA | Visa-free visitors coming to the UK. British and Irish citizens are exempt | Live and enforced. Carriers refuse boarding without one | £20 per person, valid two years |
| EU EES | Non-EU visitors crossing a Schengen external border, which includes us | Fully operational since 10 April 2026. Nothing to apply for | Free |
| ETIAS | Visa-exempt visitors to the Schengen area, UK passports included | Not running yet. Expected in the last quarter of 2026, no date confirmed | Not applicable yet |
Watch out: you cannot buy an ETIAS today. Any site taking your money for one is taking your money for nothing. When it launches it'll be through the official EU channel only. Run your trip through the free entry requirement checker instead.
Is your passport actually valid for Europe?
Two rules, both catch peopleA UK passport can be in date and still get you turned away at the gate. This checks both Schengen rules at once. Dates stay in your browser.
Ireland doesn't apply these rules to British passports. Denmark asks for under 9 years and 9 months on arrival, so give yourself a margin. This is a guide, not a border officer.
Good to know: passports issued before September 2018 can carry up to nine extra months from the old document, so the expiry date lies to you. The issue date is the one that matters for EU entry. Check it now, not in July.
The pre-departure checklist I actually use
Twelve things. Do them and nothing memorable happens, which is the entire point of a checklist.
Ticks are remembered on this device only. Want a printable version? Grab the free travel starter kit.
Booking mistakes that have cost me money
All of these have happened to me. Some more than once, which is the embarrassing part.
Booking the non-refundable rate to save eight quid
Leaving a 55-minute connection at a big airport
Paying for airport parking on the day
Assuming the hand luggage rules carry across airlines
Paying in pounds at a foreign card machine
Booking the tour before checking the weather window
Packing guides by trip type
Browse by season, destination or trip style. There's a list for everything from a weekend city break to a three-month backpacking loop.
Get the free travel starter kit
Step-by-step planning checklists, printable templates and a stack of money-saving tips. Sort the whole trip before you spend a penny.
Count me in
Now pick somewhere to go
The booking side is sorted. This is the fun half of the site.
FAQs
Are these affiliate links?
Do I book through you?
What's best for budget trips?
What should I book first?
Can I plan everything with your free tools?
Do I need an ETIAS to travel to Europe right now?
What is the EES and does it change how I book?
Is it cheaper to book direct or through a comparison site?
My flight was delayed. Am I owed anything?
I've got a GHIC. Do I still need travel insurance?
Sources checked
- Home Office ETA factsheet, current UK ETA fee and validity
- France Diplomatie on the EES, full operation from 10 April 2026 and ETIAS still to come
- ABTA on upcoming changes to travel to Europe, EES status and ETIAS timing
- House of Commons Library briefing, EES and ETIAS background for UK travellers
- Your Europe travel documents guidance, the 10-year issue rule and 3-month validity rule
- Citizens Advice on travelling in Europe, GHIC cover and passport validity
All figures on this page checked September 2026. Rules move, so check the official page before you travel.
Time to actually book it
You've got the tools, the links and the checklist. All that's left is the bit where you commit to the dates and stop just looking at flights.