Is This Booking Platform Legit?
Booking platforms are one of the most intimidating things about traveling. You are about to give this company, a lot of times a company you have never heard of before, your hard earned money and hope they do not scam you. To help with this intimidation factor I’ve created a list of booking platforms I have used for various activities and would recommend using.
Airlines
Expedia
Gotogate
Kiwi
Kayak
Trip.com
Out of these booking platforms for flights I really like Kiwi. I had never heard about it till last year and they have a lot of options when it comes to budget airlines and their app is really user friendly. Another one that I am seeing more of is GotoGate and they are not too bad either, to me it was more difficult to use their website and app, but at the end of the day they gave me tickets to real flights.
Other Transportation
Omnio
This is a booking platform mainly used in European countries, such as, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Poland, etc. It is by far my favorite place to buy train tickets. You can buy the tickets right before boarding or you can book way out in advance. They make it really convenient, easy, and it’s legit.
12Go.asia
As you can imagine this booking platform is mainly used in Asia. I had never heard of this site prior to going to Asia and I was really hesitant booking through them, because the reviews online are not the best. However, we went for it and thank goodness we did. They make traveling through Asian countries really convenient and affordable. Plus, they are legit and will email you the necessary tickets. We have used them multiple times and have had no issues with them.
Rail.Ninja
Compared to the other booking platforms this one is not my favorite. They are a little more expensive and the website is not as easy to navigate. However, with a name like Rail.ninja you can imagine why I was worried about booking with them, but I was forced to book with them while traveling in Norway, because they were the only booking platform offering the cheapest train tickets from Bergen to Olso so I took the plunge. They are actually legit and had a decent experience. I ended up using them one other time in Norway and once in Italy.
Flix Bus
Flix Bus is like Greyhound, but better in my opinion. You can find Flix bus tickets mostly in Europe, North America, and in Brazil. The app is really user friendly and the website is great as well. Really enjoyed buying tickets from Flix Bus.
Guided Tours
Get Your Guide
Viator
TripAdvisor
All three of theses are mostly created equal in my opinion. You can’t go wrong with any of them. I found myself using Get Your Guide more, because they tend to be a little cheaper and their app was easier to use. But seriously any of them are great options to choose from when booking a guided tour.
Housing
Airbnb
In case you are not familiar with Airbnb it is a booking platform where people can list their homes for you to stay. You can rent the entire home or you can just rent a room in the house. I love using Airbnb while traveling, because they are usually located off the beaten path and it’s not just another hotel room, it’s a locals home. Giving you more insight into the culture and lifestyle. However the con to airbnb is since it’s off the beaten path they can be more difficult to find and check-in instructions can sometimes be confusing. I recommend if you are only going to be in that location for only a day or two the hassle of airbnb is not worth it, but if you are going to be in that location for several days it is definitely worth the extra effort.
Booking.com
This is the best platform to book hotels. They have listing in just about every country you can imagine and they make the process very simple. You will have to read in the description if you will be billed on the website or will you have to pay the hotel in person. That will vary from hotel to hotel
Car Rentals
Holiday Autos
Rental Cars
These are great options when trying to find cars to rent in other countries. Holiday Autos we used when traveling in Turkey and Rental Cars while traveling in Jordan. We had no issues with either of the booking platforms.
I wish I had read something like this prior to traveling. Just giving me some extra assurance about what websites I was using to buy tickets. Just know I am a real person, who has actually used these booking platforms and would not recommend them unless I meant it. Just remember to have fun and send it!
