If you like to travel you probably spend a good amount of time on-line doing some research on everything from your destination, flights, transportation, restaurants, etc.  I do and I have some favorite travel sites to share.  I’d love to know what travel websites and apps you enjoy too.

Here are the travel sites that I use on a regular basis.

Trip Advisor

Head on over to Trip Advisor to read reviews and recommendations from other travelers and to research your destination.

Kayak

Kayak is great for reviewing flight schedules and prices.  What I love about this site is that you get to book your flight directly through the airline.  I learned my lesson once having booked through a third-party.  My flight was cancelled and because I did not book my flight directly through the airline, the airline wouldn’t help me after standing in line for a long time.  I had to contact the third-party to re-book.

Hotel Tonight

If you ever need to book a last-minute hotel room, this is your site!  Hotel Tonight will let you know what rooms are available.  You may be able to snag a nice hotel at a discount due to a  cancellation.  This is a great travel site for road trips when you don’t know how far you will be driving before calling it a night.

Yelp

Yelp is the queen of review sites for restaurants, hotels, and just about any business you can think of.   You can use the app from your phone.

Open Table

I have written about Open Table in the past.  It’s my favorite way of making dinner reservations whether I am in a new city or my own home town.  It’s easy to use and tells me at a glance what is available for the number in my party and the time frame I want to dine out.  This is especially useful for last-minute dinner reservations.  You can use the app from your phone.  It saves you from calling all over town to see if there are any “open tables“.

Costco Travel

I have found Costco Travel to be very competitive and have saved quite a bit on car rentals and trip insurance.  I only buy trip insurance when it’s an expensive trip such as an overseas vacation.

I haven’t booked any trips through Costco as I usually book directly through the airline and the hotel; however, I do know people who have raved about their savings on vacation packages through Costco.

Bed Bug Registry

Sad but true to have to recommend the Bedbug Registry.  I have used it for many trips to check on hotels to see if there have been any Bedbug complaints.

My Other Travel Posts

If you are new to my blog, check out these travel posts:

5 More Great Travel Tips

Summer Vacation Road Trip Essentials

30 Packing Tips for Europe

5 Packing Tips for Europe (& Other Overseas Destinations)

Your Favorite Travel Sites

What are your favorite travel sites?  Please share in the comments below.

Back in the day it was a priority to travel in style, whether you were a celebrity or not.  In those days you flew in your best clothes and many women wore high heels.  Perhaps airports weren’t near the size they are today, but still, high heels?

Styles certainly change with the times.  Following is a peak into celebrity airport fashion dating back to the 60’s.

Yesteryear’s Celebrity Airport Fashion

Marilyn Monroe stepped out of her tight skirts to travel in more comfortable pants.

via The Berry

Brigitte Bardot’s 1966 tailored pantsuit.

via Harpers Bazaar

Between the hat and the white boots, Ursula Andress definitely is entering the 70’s with a bang.

via Source Unknown

In the early 60’s Sophia Loren is seen here traveling in a formal dress and hat.

via NY Daily News

Today’s Celebrity Airport Fashion

Fast forward to today and you will find everything at the airport.  I’m all for being comfortable but you can still dress casually with style.

Following are some of my favorite celebrity airport looks.  These stars got it right by picking neutrals such as black, gray and navy for their travel wardrobe.

I particularly like wearing darker colors.  It’s so easy to get dirty from spilled drinks on the plane or from a greasy luggage wheel.

The majority are wearing flats which are needed for comfort.  After all, you want to save your feet for those gorgeous heels for dinner.

First off is Reese Witherspoon who looks chic in black and white.

via Pop Sugar

Here’s another one of her travel outfits.  Simple yet stylish.

via Pop Sugar

Gwyneth Paltrow’s gray scarf is the perfect accessory to her all black outfit.

via Harpers Shadow

I love Gwyneth’s tailored gray coat.

via Pop Sugar

Nicole Kidman looks stylish wearing all black.

via Pop Sugar

Angelina Jolie is also a fan of all black.  It really is the ideal color to wear when traveling to look fresh and clean on arrival.

via Pop Sugar

Hopefully Salma Hayek has a pair of flats in her bag for comfort on the plane.  All of these celebrities carry one great oversized bag that is their carryall.  No need to carry a purse and a tote.

via Pop Sugar

Cindy Crawford’s scarf and necklace also add style to her simple jeans and sandals look.

via NY Daily News

Cameron Diaz traveled on the wild side in her animal print pants.

via Pop Sugar

At 77 Jane Fonda proves you can be stylish at any age.

via Elle Magazine

What do you like to wear when traveling by plane?

Even though I consider myself a seasoned airline traveler, I am always discovering new travel tips.   I’ll start off my post with my favorite tip, TSA Pre-Check.

TSA Pre-Check

I have been traveling by air quite often in the last few years and decided to apply for TSA Pre-Check.  If you haven’t signed up for it yet and take more than a couple of flights a year, it’s well worth it.

I applied this past Spring and have since used it on ten flights in the last few months.  I am thrilled that I do not have to wait in long security lines any more which also means I don’t have to arrive at the airport as early (Extra bonus on those early A.M. flights!)

I no longer have to take my shoes or jacket off, or remove my laptop from its bag.  The TSA Pre-Check security lines are so much shorter and quicker to go through.

You can apply on line at Transportation Security Administration and either make an appointment for your interview or go as a walk-in.

You will be fingerprinted and go through a quick interview.  Within four weeks or so you will receive what they call a Known Traveler Number (KTN) if you are approved.  The cost to apply is $85 and your KTN is good for five years.

Once you receive this number, you will need to add it to all of your air travel reservations.  I travel on Southwest a lot and added my KTN to my frequent flyer profile.   When I make a reservation it automatically gets put on my boarding pass.

Sign Up for Text Alerts

In my opinion flights are being delayed more and more.  I like being notified via text message instead of email.  A text gives me instant access to the information.  When making your reservation, sign up for text alerts.  If you belong to a frequent flyer program, add it to your profile.

Don’t Pay for Luggage Until You Arrive at the Airport

I recently had to cancel a flight due to a family emergency.  When checking in, I paid for my luggage the day before.  I am still trying to get my refund for the luggage as well as the lost ticket.

My favorite airline is Southwest.  Luggage is free and there is no cancellation fee.  Unfortunately, they don’t always fly to my destination but if they do, they will be my airline of choice.

Run Updates, Back Ups & Downloads Before Traveling

If you are like me and my husband, you travel with your iPhone and iPad or similar products.  Be sure to update any apps and back up your devices either in the cloud or on your home computer before traveling.

Don’t wait for the last-minute to download any new movies, podcasts, music etc.  We have run into technical difficulties and have learned to do this a few days in advance for a smoother departure.  We once panicked that our movies didn’t download properly and were facing an 8 hour flight with no entertainment to pass the time.  I had to pay for the airport wi-fi to fix the download error.

Pack Extra Batteries & Chargers in Your Carry On

Nothing drains a phone battery more than flight delays and cancellations.  I have had to use my phone to try to re-book flights, notify family and once even rent a car to get home because no flights were available.

After traveling across country, my battery was already down from using the device on the plane.  I now carry an external battery that give my devices an extra two hours of battery life.

I am always amazed at how few outlets there are in airports.  And just when you think you are lucky enough to find one, it doesn’t take long to realize it’s not a working outlet and that’s why no one is using it.

My favorite story was when we were on our way to Europe and had a layover in the Chicago O’Hare Airport.  We couldn’t find an outlet anywhere and wanted to charge our iPads that we had used on the previous flight and at the airport.

We approached a bartender at a kiosk bar asking if he knew where we could charge our devices.  He smiled and whipped out an extension cord with room for several plugs.  Buy a drink and the electricity was on him.  He probably made the most tips out of anyone in that airport.  Smart guy!

Additional Travel Tips

If you would like additional traveling tips, visit my previous posts:  30 Packing Tips for Europe and 5 Packing Tips for Europe (& Other Overseas Destinations).

Safe travels and enjoy your summer vacation.