Trip Styler Recommends

Editor’s Note: I travel my pants off and research trips until I’m blue in the face. Then I live it packing my bags once every two weeks leaving by plane, train or automobile. I’m on a life-long mission to try every trip style—though I’m still working on the Mancation—write about it and inspire your next trip. Are you in the mood for glamping or roughing it; Paris chic or cheap; long weekending in LA or NY? Whatever your trip style, we’ve got you covered. We’ll even show you how to do Hawaii in a weekend.

Behind every trip style is a travel tip and resource. Here’s a collection of our first class recommendations, you know, the ones that get served champagne in fold-flat seats 1a and 1b. We don’t recommend it unless we’ve lived it, loved it and think you’d like it too!

My Top Picks & Why
  • Kayak - One of the world’s largest travel meta search engines. {app}
  • Jetsetter - Travel flash sales, the Gilt Groupe‘s foray into travel. {app}
  • Tablet Hotels - Tightly edited collection of hotels with a low tolerance for boredom.
  • Trip Advisor – World’s largest travel review site. {see Trip Styler’s 50+ reviews on Trip Advisor here} {app}
  • TripIt – Travel itinerary management tool. {app}
  • Hotel Tonight – An app that finds the top last-minute deals in a growing number of US cities.
Travel Tools
  • Room 77 – The world’s first hotel room search engine. {app}
  • Seatguru.com - Find out the best seat on the plane, before you fly.
  • HipMunk - Visual flight search sorting by trip ‘agony.’ {app}
Curated Lists [trip style = luxury]
  • Tablet Hotels - Tightly edited collection of hotels with a low tolerance for boredom.
  • MrAndMrsSmith - Curated list of stylish boutique hotels worldwide.
  • Kiwi Collection - List of properties worldwide for “people who care where they stay.”
Travel Flash Sales [trip style = luxury on a "budget"]
Blind Booking [trip style = budget]
  • Priceline - Bid on a hotel by location and star rating without knowing hotel name.
  • Hotwire – Browse hotel deals by location and amenities, without knowing hotel name.
  • Travelocity’s Top Secret Hotels - Browse hotel deals by location and amenities, without knowing hotel name.
Group Buying [trip style = budget]
Vacation Rentals [trip style = budget]
  • VRBO - Vacation rental site with large presence in Canada and the US.
  • AirBnB - Vacation rentals, private rooms and sublets with collections of unique properties.
Trip style = cruising
  • Vacations To Go - Find major and boutique brands in one place, plus short-term sales via their 90-Day Ticker.
  • CruisesOnly - USA’s largest cruise agency.
  • RepositioningCruise.com - Repositioning cruises, most with off-beat itineraries in the off-season.
Trip style = all-Inclusive