These are the travel tools, booking platforms and services I trust when planning trips, booking hotels, staying connected abroad, arranging transfers, and protecting my journeys.
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After checking the flight price, accommodation is usually the next big part of the real trip cost. These are the hotel tools Dino recommends for comparing stays, checking value and avoiding surprises.
Booking.com is usually my first hotel check after finding a good flight deal. The selection is huge, filters are easy to use, and it is especially useful for comparing guesthouses, apartments, hotels and family-friendly stays in one place.
I still recommend checking the final price carefully, because the same room can sometimes appear cheaper on another platform depending on dates, currency, taxes or cancellation rules.
Agoda is one of my go-to options for hotel deals, especially when I am checking prices around Asia, beach destinations and city breaks where rates can sometimes be more competitive than other major booking platforms.
It is worth checking when you want to compare prices quickly and see whether the same hotel is cheaper outside the usual first result.
Booking.com is often the easiest and most familiar place to book, but the same room is not always cheapest there. HotelsCombined helps compare hotel rates across different booking sites so you can see where the best available price is.
This is especially useful before booking a longer stay, a resort, or an expensive city hotel where even a small nightly difference can add up quickly.
These are the flight and holiday tools Dino uses for finding live fares, checking alternative routes, discovering destination ideas and comparing flight + hotel package options.
Skyscanner is one of the most used flight-search tools for a reason. It is simple, fast, easy to compare dates, and often one of the best places to start when looking for cheap fares.
Dino tip: if you feel adventurous, use the globe in the upper-right corner and switch countries. In our experience, the Ireland and Austria versions often show very competitive prices and reliable OTA options.
Kiwi is recommended mainly for deal discovery and inspiration. Its flexible filters make it easy to discover cheap flights to broad regions or “anywhere” destinations in just a few seconds.
It is especially useful when you have departure-airport flexibility and want to explore where you can fly cheaply, instead of searching one fixed route at a time.
Trip.com is useful when you want to keep everything in one place. Flights, hotels, trains and holiday packages are easy to compare, and the app is very practical when managing a full trip.
I especially like checking it for flight + hotel packages, where discounts can sometimes make the total trip cost more attractive than booking everything separately.
These are the platforms I would check first for package holidays and last-minute all-inclusive offers. Each one is useful for a different market, which makes them great tools for comparing where the best value is.
HolidayCheck is one of the best places to compare last-minute all-inclusive offers from Germany, Switzerland and Austria. It compares offers from many of the biggest tour operators in the region and helps show you where the best price is.
It is especially useful when you want a wider overview of package holiday deals instead of checking one operator at a time, and it can save a lot of time when hunting for the cheapest all-inclusive option.
Icelolly is one of the best low-cost holiday price comparison sites in the UK. It compares millions of cheap holidays from some of the country’s top travel companies, making it a very useful tool for quickly spotting competitive deals.
If you are looking for a beach break, family holiday or last-minute package from the UK market, this is a great place to start before booking.
Invia is one of my favourite sites for all-inclusive package holidays from the Czech Republic. The offers are often excellent, especially for last-minute sunshine holidays.
They also have Slovakia and Hungary versions, but in my experience the Czech site often shows the strongest offers, so that is usually the version I check first.
These are the connectivity tools Dino recommends for staying online abroad, whether you need a simple eSIM for a city break, a bigger multi-country plan, or internet access while travelling at sea.
Saily is one of my favourite eSIM options because it is simple, modern and very easy to set up before a trip. It helps you land with internet ready, without searching for local SIM cards or depending on airport Wi-Fi.
I especially like the Ultra Plan, which adds extra value for travellers who want more than just data. If you travel often and want a smoother all-in-one experience, this is a very strong option.
Airalo is one of the best-known eSIM brands worldwide and a very useful option when you want flexibility across many destinations. It is easy to browse by country or region, and the app makes installation and top-ups straightforward.
It is a great choice for travellers who want a reliable, well-established eSIM option with broad destination coverage and plenty of plan choices.
GigSky is particularly useful for travellers looking for internet options beyond a normal land-based trip. Where it stands out most is cruise connectivity, making it a very interesting option if you want to avoid paying the high onboard Wi-Fi rates charged by cruise lines.
If you are planning a cruise and want to stay connected more affordably, this is the first tool I would check.
From activities and airport transfers to travel protection, flight compensation, secure internet and car rental, these are the extra tools Dino recommends checking once your flights and accommodation are organised.
GetYourGuide is usually my first stop when looking for things to do after booking a trip. It makes it easy to compare tours, attraction tickets, day trips and local experiences without searching dozens of separate websites.
It is also useful for discovering activities you may not have considered, especially when visiting a destination for the first time or trying to plan a limited number of days.
Kiwitaxi is a practical option when you want an airport transfer arranged before landing. It can remove the stress of finding a taxi, understanding local prices or travelling with luggage after a long flight.
I would particularly consider it for late arrivals, family trips, unfamiliar destinations or airports where public transport is limited or inconvenient.
VisitorCoverage is a useful place to compare travel and medical insurance options before going abroad. It offers plans for different trip lengths, destinations and traveller needs in one place.
It is particularly worth checking for international trips, longer stays or destinations where unexpected medical treatment could become very expensive.
If your flight was heavily delayed, cancelled or disrupted, AirHelp can check whether you may be entitled to compensation and help manage the claim process.
It is a useful first check when you do not want to deal directly with the airline or are unsure whether the circumstances of your disruption qualify.
Surfshark is useful when connecting to hotel, airport or café Wi-Fi while travelling. A VPN adds an extra layer of privacy and security when you are using networks you do not fully control.
It can also be helpful when certain websites or online services are restricted or unavailable in the country you are visiting.
DiscoverCars is where I would start when comparing rental cars from different providers. It gives a useful overview of vehicle choices and prices without visiting every rental company separately.
Before booking, always check the deposit, insurance excess, fuel policy, mileage and final supplier reviews—not only the headline daily price.
Dino searches for individual flight deals, but some travellers also want one place where they can browse a much wider selection of worldwide flight, hotel, cruise and premium-cabin offers.
World Traveler Club brings together travel deals discovered across more than 300 travel websites, booking platforms, specialist travel pages and deal resources.
Instead of checking hundreds of websites separately, members can browse a large international selection of economy flights, hotels, cruises, holiday offers and premium-cabin deals from one platform.
It is especially useful for travellers interested in Business Class and First Class deals. Its worldwide coverage includes departures from Europe, the United States, Asia, Australia and other international markets.
Designed for travellers looking for worldwide economy-flight deals, hotel and cruise offers, deal alerts, travel e-books and access to the worldwide deal scanner.
Includes Gold membership features plus Business Class and First Class deals, premium-only offers, price trackers, concierge support and additional premium travel services.
These are some of the YouTube creators I personally follow for travel inspiration, aviation content, cruise ideas, destination stories and entertainment. This is not a sponsored section — I simply enjoy their content and think they are worth sharing with other travellers.
Yes Theory got me through Covid. I remember binge-watching so many of their videos when travelling felt impossible and the world suddenly became smaller. Their message of saying yes, meeting strangers and stepping outside your comfort zone really stayed with me.
I have followed Drew Binsky for almost a decade. For such a long time he has been putting out inspirational travel content from places that many travellers would never think of visiting. His videos helped me look at certain destinations with more curiosity and less prejudice.
Simon Wilson is the guy I watch when I want to be in a better mood. His videos have become more polished over the years, but I still have a soft spot for the older material: the money challenges, spontaneous trips and simple travel ideas were just so fun and bingeable.
Kara and Nate are one of those channels I watch when I want travel to feel exciting, warm and well produced. Their videos are polished, but they still manage to keep a personal feeling that makes long-form travel content easy to enjoy.
Seal On Tour is a channel I watch when I want travel content that feels raw, energetic and very different from the classic polished destination guide. His videos often take you into places and situations that are not usually presented in a perfect postcard way.
Emma Cruises is the kind of channel I appreciate because cruise travel can be confusing if you are not used to it. She makes ships, cabins, dining, routes and cruise rules feel much easier to understand.
Noel Philips is one of the aviation creators I enjoy because he makes the journey itself the story. It is not only about glamorous cabins — sometimes it is the route, the airport, the aircraft, the delay or the strange connection that makes the video interesting.
I follow Josh Cahill especially because I am interested in understanding the full business and first class experience, not only the polished marketing version shown by airlines. His reviews feel very real, and he is not afraid to speak openly when something is disappointing.
I also follow Nonstop Dan because his reviews help me understand the overall business and first class experience in a clear and polished way. I enjoy seeing how different airlines compare when it comes to seats, lounges, service, food and the small details that can change a premium flight.
Real feedback from people who use Dino to find smarter trips.
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