Travel Tips

Carryon Luggage Tips

My husband came up with this travel hack years ago for vacations that involve a flight.

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How to Pack a Tote

Here’s how I pack my carryon tote bag as a personal item and keep essentials on hand.

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Accommodations

Expedia

When searching for hotels and comparing prices, Expedia is a great place to start. Their database is rich with information and photos. Always compare your finds with the hotel’s own website, though, to make you have the best rate and always check for hidden fees.

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Vrbo

When traveling with family members or a group of friends, we enjoy the benefits of renting a VRBO property. Houses and condos with bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen space are often less expensive than multiple hotel rooms and more convenient.

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Airbnb

Similar to VRBO, airbnb offers properties for rent with the additional option of partial rentals. We personally prefer whole house rentals, but we have friends who appreciate onsite property management for questions and assistance.

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Marriott Bonvoy

As long time Marriott Honors members, we have enjoyed the perks of hotel reward stays, room upgrades and more. We usually start here when choosing our hotel accommodations for travel and book directly on their site to earn points. We especially appreciate the incredible range of hotel brands under Marriott Bonvoy.

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Hilton

Hilton offers excellent accommodation options with a wide variety of hotel brands (like Embassy Suites perfect for family travel and free daily happy hour). Join their Hilton Honors program for reward stays and upgrades. Book directly through Hilton for the points.

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Getting Around

Avis

Avis has always been my husband’s car rental choice for business and pleasure. We enjoy Avis Preferred membership for discounted rates and skip the line features. They are available world-wide.

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Sixt

Relatively new to the US, Sixt is quickly becoming a car rental agency of choice. Their customer service is top notch. The digital process is smooth with a user friendly app. I was upgraded to a brand new BMW X5 my first time!

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Tour Companies

Viator

We absolutely love Viator for planning excursions when traveling abroad. When we travelled to Barcelona and Florence, they provided excellent service. We especially appreciated their insight and professional guides for our rather large group of over 20 people!

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