Travel Resources
Updated: May 17, 2012
On this page you will find travel resources that will help you book your trip and find information about your destination. You can use these travel suggestions and links not only for planning your travels before you go, but during your travels too!
How to use this page: Clicking a link on this page will open one new window. Keep that window open and then every time you click something here, it will open up in that one new window. You can keep the pages side by side and go back and forth from this page to the other to do your booking research without losing this resource page.
Disclosure: Any purchases made after clicking through links on this page will support the site via commissions. The site does not otherwise get paid for posting these links to some of our favorite online services!!
Thank you for using this page as your travel and art shopping portal. I enjoy looking for companies that provide great service and I really do appreciate your business.
Book Your Trip
Find tickets for air and train travel, places to stay, car rentals and cruises:
Travelocityis a ‘one-stop shop’ for customers looking to purchase travel.
Expedia: Don’t throw money away! Book Flight + Hotel at the same time & Save up to $500!
Flight Network offers deep discount airfares, hotels and car rentals
Hotwire offers unbeatable low prices on airline tickets, hotel reservations, car rentals, vacation packages and cruises.
Find discounted airline flights at CheapOair. Save big on all airlines. Coupon code *ASIAFLY10* should work for flights to Asia and CARIB10 for flights to the the Caribbean. Use coupon code SENIOR10 (until December 31, 2011) for a senior discount of $10 off your fare. Codes USFLY10 for domestic US flights and *EUROFLY10* for flights to any European destination will also get you $10 off (through December 31, 2011).
RailEurope,for more than 60 years, has been showing North Americans what Europeans have known all along: the best way to travel in Europe is on the trains! They also sell country and regional passes, sleeper cars, scenic trains, tours and add-ons, the list goes on and on … Here’s a link to Rail Europe specials and promotions.
Hotels & Places To Stay
Places to stay from low to high end hotels as well as hostels:
Hotels.comoffers more than 40,000 properties worldwide in over 400 destinations – from hotels and B&B’s to condos and all inclusive resorts. Hotels.com also specializes in providing travelers with accommodations during sold-out periods. $30 off with 5 night booking!
At HotelsCombined.com you can compare hotel prices and save!
Tablet Hotels:Extraordinary hotels. All the time. Tablet reviews and presents hotels which have personality and obsess on the details. Each hotel on the site has been visited and reviewed by someone from Tablet, and then the reviews are given to the selection committee to be reviewed and chosen for inclusion on the site. Many on the selection committee have travel industry, architecture or design backgrounds, and all are experienced travelers with a low tolerance for boredom. I like that.
Accorhotelsis a hotel business and leisure portal, offering you almost 4,000 hotels in 90 countries from budget to luxury. Their properties include All Seasons, Ibis, Suitehotel, Mercure, Novotel, Pullman, Sofitel! If you are going to France, the Ibis chain offers inexpensive and clean accommodations.
Westin Hotels & Resorts®Every Westin – and there are more than 120, including 30 of the world’s finest resorts – is a haven of serenity and a distinctive alternative for those who appreciate a higher standard. Enjoy 20% off worldwide with last-minute Starpick rates at Westin Hotels!
Hostelworld.comoffers reservations for hostels and budget travel worldwide.
HomeExchange.comoffers a service in which you can make yourself at home anywhere in the world, live like a local. They’ve got over 20,000 worldwide listings! Save 20% with Home Exchange using code: cdispatch10.
Swap your homes for your vacation now!
CouchSurfing.com is a great idea for the adventurous traveler. There doesn’t seem to be an age limit, although a majority of this site’s users are in their 20s and early 30s. Find a couch wherever you go – offer your couch to return the favor!
Travel Information
Stuff you need to know:
Transportation Security Administration | TSA
SeatGuru.com says that not all airline seats are the same. They will give you the skinny on your seat, or help you choose one to make your flight more comfortable.
Airlines
Buy air tickets directly from your favorite airline:
Air Franceis a world-renowned name and an award winning airline with 13 US gateways that each have non-stop flights to Paris, plus an extraordinary connections network via Air France’s Paris hub.
Condoroffers a broad range of worldwide flight connections at very attractive rates. With budget travel on the rise everywhere, Condor is a no frills airline.
JetBlue:Take off to an exciting destination in the continental U.S., Bermuda, Mexico, the Caribbean or Latin America with JetBlue flight or a Getaways vacation package.
SWISS Air:I’ve heard nothing but good things about flying with SWISS. You can get the latest SWISS offers and can book online now!
Alaska Airlines | United | USAir | American
Tours + Museum Tickets
Here at artist-at-large I promote independent travel so that you can discover the world on your own terms.
But some people just like that group vibe so we sought out tour partners that will enhance your independent travels with guided daytrips.
Viator is the leading online provider of destination travel products: sightseeing tours, theater tickets, attraction passes, theme parks, even zero gravity flights … all of the things you do when you get to where you want to be!
Paris Trip offers days tours from Parisand is the minibus tour specialist in Paris. They run their own fleet of vehicles and welcome tens of thousand of visitors every year at the doorstep of their hotel in Paris. Hard to reach areas, like Giverny and the Champagne region, are easily reachable with ParisTrip.
The Paris Passwill save you time and money, especially if you are short for time in Paris.
The London Pass,the leisure pass that lets you experience the best that London has to offer. Get 5% off the retail price of the London Pass with this code: londpas05
(ongoing)
The New York Pass is a Sightseeing Card that offers free entry to over 55 Attractions in New York City for one great price! The New York Pass uses smart card technology that work just like credit cards. Just present the pass at the ticket counter and your admission is taken care of! The New York Pass comes with great extras like front-of-the-line privileges at many major attractions. Get 5% Off Any New York Pass! Use Coupon Code: nyp5pc2007
Travel Insurance
When you travel abroad, does your health insurance travel with you? Probably not. Prepare for the unexpected, like a lost passport in Rome, food poisoning in Mexico, broken leg in Brazil … When you travel, you may purchase a policy that covers trip interruption or lost luggage but what about health insurance? Medical emergencies can happen any time, anywhere. MEDEX also pays directly to foreign hospitals and cover evacuations.
eHealthInsuranceoffers a variety of options for individual health insurance at home as well as both domestic and international travel health insurance.
Passports & Visas
Last minute travel plans? Expired Passport?
Rush My Passport has helped thousands of U.S. citizens get their passports within 24 hours.
Genealogy
Along with going to museums and galleries, and enjoying the food and culture of a place, are you also interested in finding your family’s roots? I know I am – that’s what took me to Prague and will eventually take me back to tramp through Germany and Scotland.
On Ancestry.com you can record the bits of the family tree that you do know, do research, and keep your records all neat and tidy in their database so that when you are traveling, all you need is a computer with an internet connection to bring up your tree to add information, look up locations of ancestors, or help in discussing your research with someone who doesn’t speak your language. And you can do that much for free! With a free trial of Ancestry.com’s US Deluxe Membership
you can sift through other public trees to find ancestors you never thought you had as well as search through census records and other files kept in the site database.
Travel Etiquette
Don’t forget to take your calling card – and I’m not talking about your phone card!
They are more than business cards, every traveler should carry calling cards. They make it easy to give out your contact information to other travelers, or when a front desk person at the hotel doesn’t speak your language, just pull out a card and it makes checking in all that much easier.
We love moo.com! Make it easy for your newly met travel and art friends to find you when they get home! At moo UK
and moo US
you can put a wide variety of your artwork samples on one side and your contact information on the other of their very nice selection of cards that can be used as both business cards and personal calling cards. They also have postcards and stickers.
Communication
Having a lifeline to home is sometimes necessary, sometimes a comfort.
Unlimited calls to landlines with Skypeis a piece of software that people can download to call other skype users over the internet for free and make inexpensive calls to both land line phones and mobiles worldwide. It can also be used for instant messaging and having a skype phone number comes with voicemail.
Language
Learning even a few words in a country’s native language will open doors that will lead to authentic cultural experiences. If you don’t have access to a local language class, or just don’t have the time to put one in your schedule, consider learning a new language via your iPhone, software, the internet, audio CDs, or your computer.
Transparent Languageoffers engaging and personalized self-paced programs that build your language.
Art Materials & Photography Equipment
More often than not, it’s best to pack your art supplies with you.
In Europe, art materials are more expensive than in the US, and even though it’s fun to shop for them, most of the time it’s just easier if you have what you want in your bag when you need it. In some countries, finding art supplies stores is a rare thing.
Blurb is my favorite print-on-demand source for book publishing. They specialize in photography and art books and have a wonderful supply of beautiful papers to show off your work. You can save 15% on your entire Blurb.com order by clicking here and using Coupon Code 15OFFBLURB.
Since 1911, artists have turned to Blick Art Materials for dependable savings, a huge selection, and fine customer service on art supplies. You can order from their extensive online catalog and have the materials sent right to your door.
Shutterfly makes it fun and easy to be thoughtful and creative with your memories. Their single-minded focus on helping you enhance, organize and store your digital photography allows them to provide the highest quality products for you, our customer.
Borrow Lenses is like a lending library where, for a fee, you can borrow lenses for your camera. Whether you need to rent some gear for a long vacation or a weekend getaway, or you just need it for 12 days instead of two weeks, they can work with you on the details.
Car Rental
Rent a car for part or all of your trip.
AutoEurope is a reliable company, with online services where you can rent or lease a car for your travels in Europe.
Avis.com is one of the most recognized and respected car rental companies in the world. Founded in 1946, Avis has been one of the world’s top brands for customer loyalty, providing business and leisure customers with a wide range of services worldwide. Book online and receive a free upgrade.
Use your Mastercard & Save Up to 20% PLUS get a Free Single Upgrade
Thrifty Car Rentalis one of the most widely recognized brands in the travel industry which caters to cost-conscious business and leisure travelers.
Founded in 1958, Budget-Rent-A-Car is one of the leading, most trusted providers of affordable and reliable car rental for the value-minded consumer. Take $50 off a mini-lease.
Luggage & Bags
Protect your electronics with cases from CaseLogic. They’ve got cases for everything, from your iPod to your laptop and cameras, and with CaseLogic.com – Free Shipping On Orders Over $50
Study Up
One of the best ways to get ready for travel is to watch movies that were filmed in your next destination. I know it gets me even more excited about going to a place, but even better, it allows me to be a little familiar with it ahead of my arrival. If you are up to it, try watching movies created in the language of the destination, with the subtitles on or off. That gets my ear trained for my new home away from home, no matter how short the journey. Even if you are going to an English speaking environment, like Britain, Ireland, Scotland or Australia, travel is so much easier if you are familiar with the accents. So if you don’t have a Netflix account already, why not try Netflix for free?! You can get unlimited movies instantly streaming right to your TV.
Beach Reads
We’ve all got different tastes when it comes to beach reads – trashy novels, historical fiction, a good mystery, a biography, or nothing longer than a magazine article. Thanks to e-books and electronic readers, you no longer have to schlepp a library with you on your beach holiday. You can even download your guidebooks and travel information. Check out Amazon’s Kindle Fire
Maps & Guidebooks
At Maps.com you can find topos and road maps, travel maps and wall maps, globes and games. Any of these make perfect gifts for the world traveler, or the kid who wants to travel the world. 10% OFF all orders!
Fashionistas
Sign Up for Weekly Fashion and Healthy Living Deals From OpenSkywhere you can create your own shopping experience!
Shop the BAGGU sale for high quality bags at up to 35% off!You’ll find reusable shopping bags, fashionable backpacks and daybacks, iPod cases, leather hobo bags, and many other designs.
Keen,Merrell
& Ecco Shoes
are some of the best travel shoes made and are comfortable when spending entire days walking or street hiking. Comfortable, sturdy, and stylish. I particularly like the toe-guard style of Keen for keeping the little piggies safe. There are even some styles that are labeled green for the environmentally conscious. I get complements on my Keen sneakers almost daily!
Vintage Travel Posters
And, last but not least, I could not resist adding the links to these beautiful and fun graphic Vintage Travel Ad Posters from a bygone era. Found over at AllPosters and they’ve got quite the collection:
Image at left: Viva Italia
Send in your comments on the site. We’d love to hear them!
