Travel Planning

Honestly, this is probably the most common question in all of travel planning — and the most frustrating one to answer. Studies suggest the sweet spot is booking three months before your trip.

From our own experience, we can’t always back that up. It really depends on the airline, the destination, and what’s going on in the world at any given moment.

We’ve booked flights three months out only to watch the price drop significantly the week before departure. It happens.

So there’s no truly satisfying answer here — sorry.

Sometimes you’ll find lower prices on portals like Opodo or Expedia than on the airline’s own site.

That said, we always book directly with the airline. In our experience, it’s just easier if something goes wrong or if you have a special request to sort out.

If getting the absolute lowest price is your priority, booking through a portal is totally fine — just be careful about which one. If you spot a great deal on a site you’ve never heard of, always search for reviews first before handing over your credit card details.

We always book flights and hotels separately — it gives us the most flexibility.

If you come across a package deal that looks good, compare the prices before you commit. Packages are sometimes actually more expensive than booking each part on its own. But if the numbers genuinely work out, there’s nothing wrong with going that route.

Either way, stick to reputable platforms — same advice as with flights.

For price alone, booking online is almost always cheaper. For a city break or a straightforward beach vacation, we honestly don’t see a reason to use a travel agency.

That said, if you value personal advice, there’s nothing wrong with it. And if you’d rather hand off all the planning and just show up — a travel agency can absolutely make sense.

We’re actually big fans of printed travel guides. Over the past few years, though, we’ve been reaching for them less and less.

They’re still useful for planning at home before a trip. But once we’re actually on the road, we do pretty much all our research online these days.

It depends. With high trip costs and a real risk of canceling last-minute (think: kids who catch every bug going around), this kind of insurance can absolutely make sense.

One important thing to understand: trip cancellation insurance only pays out for valid reasons. That typically means illness, death, or job loss — not just deciding you don’t feel like going anymore.

Filing a claim also involves paperwork — and especially for illness, it can get surprisingly tedious. A simple doctor’s note often isn’t enough; your doctor may need to complete a form from the insurer.

Don’t underestimate the effort involved. For a budget airline ticket, it’s probably not worth it. For an expensive trip, it can be.

Tipping customs vary hugely from country to country. To find out what’s expected at your destination, check out our worldwide tipping guide.