Opening Chat

As a post-95 travel blogger, I really want to share my thoughts about travel planning with everyone. Every time I prepare for a trip, my friends call me an "organization freak," but I've just learned from my past painful experiences. I still remember my first international trip - I spent ages searching through emails just to find my flight tickets, and I couldn't find the hotel confirmation in any folder, almost missing my flight. After that, I vowed to make my travel planning crystal clear. After years of exploration and learning from mistakes, I've finally found a set of really handy tools, which I'm sharing with you today if you're planning a trip.

Trip Manager

When it comes to trip management, I have to give a huge shoutout to TripIt! It's like your personal assistant who understands everything you need. I remember first using it when I went to Europe, visiting five countries with dozens of flight and hotel bookings. I used to save screenshots before, which was really troublesome to search through. After using TripIt, it opened up a whole new world - all itineraries at a glance, never worrying about finding bookings again.

What impressed me most was its offline functionality. Once while driving in Iceland, I suddenly lost signal and couldn't use navigation, but thankfully TripIt had stored the hotel's exact address and directions. If it weren't for that, I probably would have been driving in circles in the snow until dark. Oh, and it updates flight information in real-time, sending immediate notifications about gate changes and flight delays - it's really hassle-free and efficient.

Speaking of packing, I must formally introduce PackPoint. It completely solved my "decision paralysis" problem. When I went to Hokkaido last winter, it not only reminded me to bring thermal underwear but also suggested waterproof jackets based on my planned skiing activities. Most thoughtfully, it calculates reasonable clothing quantities based on travel duration, so I never pack too much or too little anymore.

Once when I went backpacking in Southeast Asia, planning to stay for a month, PackPoint's generated list included not just regular clothes and toiletries but specially reminded me to bring mosquito spray and portable clotheslines. These items were absolute lifesavers in tropical regions - you could hang wet clothes immediately and they'd be dry the next day.

Booking Expert

Rome2Rio is really my favorite! Last year during my European trip, I needed to get from Amsterdam to Brussels. Rome2Rio immediately listed all possible transportation methods: train taking about 3.5 hours for around 30 euros; bus taking 5 hours but half the price; even carpooling options, cheaper but with flexible timing. I chose the train because it provided detailed station information, even marking the exact platforms for transfers.

I always use Skyscanner for booking flights - it's really great at saving money! Last year when I wanted to go to the Maldives, tickets were usually over 5000, but Skyscanner found a connecting flight combination that, although taking 2 extra hours, saved me 1500. It also has a really useful price alert feature. I often set it up months in advance and book immediately when the price drops to my target.

I discovered a particularly useful trick: using Skyscanner's "anywhere" destination search and selecting your preferred month - it lists the lowest prices for all destinations. That's how I once found discounted tickets to Chiang Mai and had an impromptu trip.

Experience is King

Get Your Guide is truly my go-to platform for experiencing local activities abroad. Last year in Bali, I booked a local chef's Indonesian cooking class through it. It included pickup service, and the course content was incredibly rich - from morning visits to traditional markets for ingredients to learning each step of marinating and cooking, finally tasting our own dishes. Importantly, it was cheaper than booking through domestic travel agencies, and we could use Alipay, which was super convenient.

As a fitness enthusiast, I'm really grateful for platforms like ClassPass. I love trying fitness classes in different countries and meeting locals through exercise. In Sydney, I took a particularly interesting class at a yoga studio where the instructor was an Australian who spoke Chinese. After class, I had coffee with several local Chinese students and chatted about interesting aspects of local life.

Practical Tools

Speaking of internet issues, this is truly a pain point for everyone traveling abroad. I used to buy local physical SIM cards on Taobao in advance, but sometimes the size wouldn't match, or the signal would be poor once I arrived. Since using Airalo's eSIM, these problems have been solved. It supports over 170 countries and regions, and the prices are very reasonable. I recently used their package in Thailand - 10G data for 10 days cost just over 100 yuan, which was completely sufficient, and the signal was excellent.

Oh, here's a money-saving tip to share. If you're visiting multiple countries, you can buy their regional package. For example, when going to Southeast Asia, buying a package covering all of Asia is cheaper than buying individual country packages. Best of all, it's instant use - no worries about losing cards or activation issues.

For those who frequently visit the United States, you must download the Mobile Passport APP. It's an officially recognized expedited entry application for the US. Last time I entered through Miami, while the regular line was extremely long, the Mobile Passport lane had barely anyone - immigration was completed in less than 10 minutes. Just note that this APP is only open to US and Canadian citizens and can only be used at designated airports.

Safety First

Speaking of travel safety, this is truly an extremely important topic. Now I carefully check official travel advisories for destinations before each trip. The UK government's travel advice website is particularly professional - it not only tells you which areas need special attention but also provides local emergency contacts and medical information.

I've also developed my own safety habit of keeping an offline emergency contact list on my phone, including local police stations, hospital phone numbers, embassy addresses, etc. Although you might not need it, it's better to be prepared. I also scan all important documents and store them in the cloud, so I won't panic if I lose my passport.

Last year when I was traveling in Turkey, it was because I had checked the safety tips in advance that I knew some areas weren't suitable for solo travel, so I changed my plans and joined a local tour group. Although it meant less freedom than independent travel, safety always comes first.

Final Words

Every time I see friends stressing over travel planning, I really want to recommend these tools to them. Travel isn't actually that complicated - find the right tools, master the correct methods, and anyone can become a travel expert. As I often tell my followers, rather than worrying about whether to set off, why not start using these tools and begin planning your journey?

Finally, I want to say that tools are just aids - what's important is your love and anticipation for travel. Everyone has their own way of traveling; there's no standard answer. These tools can make your journey smoother, but the real excitement lies in the little moments along the way.

Oh, and if you have any particularly useful travel tools, please tell me! Let's make this travel tool list more and more complete together, helping more travel enthusiasts. After all, shared joy is double joy, isn't it?