Travel Products and Services We Recommend

There are tons of travel products and services for you to choose from when planning a trip.

The following are suppliers of travel products with good reputations within the travel industry.

As a travel agent and as a frequent traveler myself, I worked with most of these suppliers or had colleagues that did. I have personally purchased travel gear from many of the others.

From booking a trip to finding women's travel clothes and travel gear, you can feel confident using these suppliers.

Booking Your Trip

• Start by researching the best prices for air, hotels, or packages at www.TripMama.com. TripMama is a meta-search engine that checks prices from sites across the web, and lets you choose the itinerary and price that's right for you.

No more searching a dozen websites independently! TripMama saves you time and money!

• Travelocity, of course, is the largest and best-known of the "do-it-yourself" booking sites. They offer great prices on airfare, hotels, car rentals, and packages. While no booking engine has all of the airlines or hotels in the world, Travelocity has a lot.

Their prices are generally very good, but be aware that you are pretty much on your own if you make a mistake in the booking, or if your flight changes - while they do have customer service, you won't have an agent going to bat for you.

• Hotels.com has some of the best prices for hotels and resorts around the world.

Their site offers descriptions of the hotels, plus traveler reviews. You can find the best price for your destination in no time!

You choose your cruise, place your request, and you'll get quotes emailed to you from several travel agents. You can grab the best price or negotiate some "perks" (like a bottle of wine in your cabin!). The service is free, and you'll get someone else to do the leg work!

This video explains how it works:

• Cheap Caribbean has just what it's name implies - good prices on packages to Caribbean destinations.

They have air and hotel packages, all-inclusive as well as European Plan, and they offer hurricane insurance and "sunshine insurance" (a $100 rebate if it rains during your trip).

Many packages are last-minute (or within a couple of months - don't look to this site for long-term planning).

• Funjet also has good prices on Caribbean packages, but they offer packages throughout the U.S., including Las Vegas and Hawaii (they have pretty good prices to Hawaii!).

And they have packages to Europe!! You may not think of Funjet for Europe, but they have a lot to offer (they have air/hotel/car packages, not escorted tours). If you're an independent traveler, check out their Europe packages.

• Once you've booked your trip to Europe or the U.S., what do you do when you get there? Viator has the answer - tons of activities all over the world, from walking tours, hop-on-hop-off trolley tours, tickets to plays, skip-the-line admission to museums - anything you want to see or do at your destination!

There's more to a vacation than flights and a hotel - have fun during your stay!

• For more exotic experiences at good prices, Friendly Planet deserves a look.

From China to Dubai, you'll find escorted tours at bargain prices. Check their "Hot Deals" - they recently had week-long packages to China for less than $1000 - including airfare from the U.S.!

Travel Products that Save You Money and Make Your Trip Easier

• The first thing you'll need is a good suitcase (or two!). It should be lightweight and have wheels for dragging through the airport.

Irv's Luggage has some great deals on quality luggage, travel products and accessories, and free shipping!

• What to put into the suitcase? TravelSmith is a great resource for women's travel clothes, shoes, accessories, and other travel products.

TravelSmith also has packing tips (including videos) and other travel info. I have a very nice pair of walking shoes from TravelSmith that I take with me on all my trips!

• For travel books and city or country guides, check Barnes and Nobel.

You'll find travel guides from Fodor's, Frommer's, Lonely Planet, and more; plus Budget Travel's The Smart Traveler's Passport , full of tips from other travelers like you!

Barnes and Noble also sells a few travel products, such as book lights and travel journals.

• If you're going out of the country, you'll need a passport. You can go to the post office and wait several weeks if you have the time, or you can let someone else do the work and get your passport within days!

This is an area where you need to be careful, and RushMyPassport is a reputable supplier. You'll pay an additional fee, but it can be worth it to know you'll get your travel documents on time.

• For overall money-saving help, you can't beat the Entertainment Book

and Restaurant.com.

Your local Entertainment Book has coupons for flights, hotels, and car rentals; you can get a book for your destination city and save on restaurants, activities, and attractions.

Restaurant.com certificates save you money on meals in cities throughout the country; if you sign up on their website, you can get $25 coupons (gift certificates) for $5!

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