A few websites that I use a lot when travelling and other random hints.

Rome2Rio  Need a bus, a train, a ferry how to get from a city to a small town? This site is fantastic and links through to hard to find bus schedules. In some cases the links you click on will show “not available” – I have found that this is often because I’m looking too soon. Some sites take bookings only one month in advance.

Booking.com Great for hotels but this now has many apartments such as those found on AirBnb. This website tells you up front what the total cost of the stay is rather than clicking through to find there is a 70 Euro cleaning charge that was not displayed initially. Read the reviews not just the star rating before booking. What bothers one person may be nothing to you (such as a bad review for no booze in the mini-bar). I also use this site to find the best price for a next night booking. After doing my research I will try my best to contact the hotel directly and will book directly with the hotel if they match or better the price. All of the booking sites take quite a percentage so you can help out owners by booking directly.

VRBO / Homeaway /

Europe and bathrooms – If you like to use a washcloth in the shower then take your own with you. These are not usually supplied in Europe. I take small baby washcloths that dry much faster than a nice thick plush one. I also take a wash bag with a hook that can be hung on a door handle or hook. Bathrooms with no counter space are quite common.

In Greece and in some small towns you will see wastebaskets for toilet paper. The sewers in some areas do not handle toilet paper well.

Achat / Rachat

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