Thought it would be a cool idea to post tips, ideas, sales, etc. in one thread. I get a a lot of PMs with travel questions and have come up with kind of a generic response that I send out. Sort of the meat of my approach to flights and hotels. There's A LOT of great experience amongst this group. So, without further ado...
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For flight research, my go-to is
https://www.google.com/flights
A lot of pro flyers also use Kayak.com
For great last minute airfare deals, keep an eye on this site:
Secret Flying | Cheap Flight Deals
For hotels, I use tripadvisor.com. It shows rates from several sites. Express Deals on Priceline are often the best way to get low rates, but you really have to know what you're doing or you can get the wrong hotel for your needs. That said, I usually use Priceline Express Deals when traveling nearly anywhere in the world and I don't have a hotel for the night. Great for last minute if you're flexible.
I use Uber instead of taxis. Usually around 1/2 the rate and better service. Taxi drivers throughout the world are thieves.
For building stopovers on your flights, I use
https://matrix.itasoftware.com
This is very tricky, and you have to learn the tool, but lets say you're traveling from PDX-Saigon and you have a change of planes in Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, etc. Maybe the layover is only 2 hours. You can use Google ITA Matrix to find a 23-24 hour layover for the same price, which gives you a free stop in a new place. 24 hours is enough to explore the city and grab 5 hours of sleep at a cheap hotel. You usually need to call the airline directly to book tickets like this, and it may take some convincing to get the phone agent to book the trip. If he/she is uncooperative, hang up and call back.
I use this site to check Visa requirements:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_United_States_citizens
I use Tripadvisor's "Near Me" tool to find Cheap Eats nearly anywhere in the world. Its fairly reliable.
T-Mobile has a $50 per month plan that gives you free phone data in most countries in the world. I don't travel without it. Its the 2GB post-paid Simple Choice plan. I start/stop it as needed depending on my travel schedule. Its easy to swap sims in your phone between your regular service and the T-Mobile service.
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