Helpful Tech
This has been a long trip to plan with multiple modes of transportation. We used a travel agent to book our air to and from Europe using air miles, but I booked all the rest. Yes, it’s been time consuming, I love planning and it’s in my wheelhouse.
Fortunately for me, there are a plethora tools available online. I tried several. Some were helpful, some not so much. Below are the websites and apps I found most helpful. Add your favorites in the comments section.
Hotels: Booking.com. I appreciate the cancellation protection, secure booking and the user review section. Not exclusively, but we booked mostly family-run hotels and Bed & Breakfasts. I have a few “one-off” stays that I emailed directly. Booking is great to feel confident in choosing your stay. They have a website and a phone app so you can keep your confirmation codes handy.
General transportation: Rome2Rio.com is definitely my favorite website to show the best way to get from Point A to Point B. Of course google is good for showing overall maps, too.
Airfare: I always check google.com/flights for schedules and a general idea of airfare, but I have always purchased all our airfare directly from the carrier. And here’s a good reason why: the flights arranged by the travel agent did not assign us seats! So I bought upgraded seats on the American flight from JFK to Athens, the longest leg. Our return from Paris to Portland, with a quick stop in Reykjavik, was a bit more complicated. After several long phone calls with AlaskaAir and IcelandAir, I’m pretty sure we have seats assigned now. For our Aegean & Croatia flights, we bought directly and had no issues getting seats. Also, get the app for any airline you’re using, since you may need to get updates, such as delays or gate changes.
Ferries: ferryhopper.com is the best to book ferries in Greece. It’s a website and a phone app and very easy to use. Also it’s worth checking the cruisedig.com website to see how many cruise ships and passengers will be disembarking in the cruise ports you visit. For example, our first day in Santorini, three large cruise ships arrive, yielding about 12,000 day trippers. Needless to say, we’ll be settling into our new digs and avoiding that throng.
Trains: I’m still working on which app I like best. The best source of all things train travel related is the seat61 website. This guy has a TON of train travel information, for anywhere in the world.
But so far, I’m still using Rome2Rio to see all the train options. I’ve used OMIO to buy a couple train legs, but holding off on most of these until 30 days before we need them.
Trip consolidator: I’m a big fan of Wanderlog. This site allows you to map out your entire trip, then you attach your bookings, tickets, etc either directly or by forwarding your confirmation email. The AI feature is nice to get suggestions for scenic stops if you’re driving, or places to eat, etc.
Planning help: Sandy Papas built the greecetravelsecrets.com website, which helped us come up with ideas and we joined their Facebook group: the Greece Travel Planning Facebook group. Here is where we could search for areas of interest and toss out an occasional query to the lot. We ended up purchasing an hour consultation with Sandy, which turned out to be the BEST investment for our travel planning in Greece.
Packing/clothing: The Travel Fashion Girl website has packing lists for many countries and seasons, with great guidance for employing carry-on-only strategies. Their Facebook group is an excellent source for feedback and ideas from travel savvy women around the world. Caution: you might be buying LOTS of new clothes to try out.
Communication: Get WhatsApp if you’re traveling internationally. Many overseas hotels, tours, etc use this app to communicate. Also, if you’re like me and don’t have any experience speaking any other languages, google translate will definitely come in handy. More on this later, when I have some actual experience.
Miscellaneous: Flush is an app that shows where you can find a toilet. Not sure if it lists paying toilets. I’ll let you know if I have any experiences with this, as well.
That’s it for now. Please share in the comments what your favorite planning tool and travel apps are. Don’t forget, I can help with your planning too!
I like this site a lot!! So much valuable, pertinent information and it’s easy to navigate. It represents a lot of screen time sifting through the plethora of advice and ideas that must reside on the net. So nice of you to just put it out there for all who may not be so savvy! Good job Julianne and I look forward to all your additions/corrections resulting from personal experience. Remember to also just enjoy for yourself.
This is such a great idea!
You did a lot of groundwork. Amazing job. Look forward to more blogs 🙂