AIRBNB Resources:

airbnb.com - It has become a very popular resource for travelers.  We try to limit our lists to rentals in great locations, with good pricing, and great views when we find them.  We use AirBNB a lot. ALWAYS double-check reviews and avoid "new" listings most of the time.  Be sure to double check for air conditioning in the summer, and feel free to reach out to the owner for tips / questions!

VRBO Resources:

vrbo.com  - VRBO is another great one to use.  Sometimes you find rentals here you won't see on AirBNB - its always great to have more options, especially during peak seasons when rentals book up fast.  Always double-check reviews and avoid "new" listings when possible.  We don't include as many rental here, because many options just don't have enough reviews to give us the level of confidence we like.  We'll keep updating and adding, however, as reviews come in.

Bed and Breakfast Resources:

Booking.com - this is often our “go-to” for this category.  We find their customer reviews to be very reliable!  

bedandbreakfast.guide  (B&B Guide) - this one screens out the worst-reviewed places, so their lists are pretty reliable.

bnbfinder.com - this one is promising, but they don’t have near as many listings as the others here.   We hope they grow!

Boutique Hotels Resources:

BoutiqueHotel.me  -  this one is usually our favorite.  However, their list will only provide you with hotels who allow booking through booking.com - so some great hotels won’t be on their lists.

MrandMrsSmith.com - This is fantastic and inspirational resource for finding places to stay around the world.  Much of their focus is on premiere hotels (and not what we would call “budget” finds), but it can be a fantastic place to search.  It’s fun to just click on their “Inspiration” tab and find some new places around the world. 

TheHotelGuru.com - This site also links to booking.com, and can be a complimentary resource.

GreatSmallHotels.com - Another resource the books through booking.com, this one tends to go a little more upscale, especially in large European cities. 

Some More Interesting Lodging Guides:

gounusual.com - Great Resource for those trying to find unique places to stay:  Castles, igloos, boats, more! 

eruoglamping.com - Just what it sounds like - a resource of upscale camping places in Europe:

goglamping.net - GoGlamping / More upscale camping experiences - UK and Europe

NOTE:  No matter what form of lodging you book, we recommend you always confirm your booking one last time a week to 10 days ahead of your travel.

TripAdvisor Dining Lists:

TripAdvisor.com - We recommend using TripAdvisor’s dining directories whenever you find yourself needing good food in a place with which you’re unfamiliar.  They have a huge volume of reviews, great genre help, and mapping. 

Michelin Guide - Dining Lists:

Michelin Guide - For respected and relevant reviews of restaurants around the world, Michelin has been the Iconic dining guide since the 1800s.  If you find a 1 star near you, book it.  If you find a 2 star, you’re in for a treat.  If you find a 3 star - make a travel detour if you need to and get there!   

Wanderlog Dining Lists:

Wanderlog.com - Wanderlog is an interesting site - compiling lots of travel planning possibilities.  Their trip-planning features are worth checking out, but we’ve come to really like their restaurant lists. They’re just a little pickier than TripAdvisor, but not as exclusive as Michelin.  They’re worth checking out in most towns.

When trying to get a nicer restaurant into your travel plans, we recommend making reservations at least a couple of weeks ahead of time.  Some of the Michelin star restaurants might even require more advance (varies).

Things to See and Do Resources: 

These are some itineraries and itinerary resources from sources we trust.  Even if you don't find the exact itinerary you need, they will give you some great places to start.  Rank your priorities (and your travel friends' priorities),  see what works for your schedule, and plan an amazing travel adventure.   *Don't try to cram too much in - it's those "unplanned" moments that often product the best adventures.

FodorsTravel.com - In our experience, Fodor’s is the best overall place to start when planning a trip.  Once you search and find their guide to a city - they break the guide down into Sights, Nightlife, Shopping, Performing Arts, and Sports and Acitivities.  There’s not tons of inspiration here, but good, reliable information.  There are ads, but they do a good job of keeping the content credible.  They also have a great “Map View” feature for the different sections so you can always check to see what’s close.  Their Hotels and Restaurants guides are also pretty good.

RickSteves.com - Rick Steves has been an awesome resource for budget travelers for decades, and his content just keeps getting better.  His reviews are reliable, his itineraries are fantastic, and his reputation for credibility is great.  We check out his information on any destination we're thinking about visiting.  

AtlasObscura.com - This is our favorite guide source!  We don’t know how the team at Atlas Obscura finds so many cool, interesting, and odd things to see around the world - but they do it.  It’s easy to find those top few things to do in any location, but these guys go beyond - and get you some off-the-beaten path adventures.

TripAdvisor  - Trip Advisor is pretty commercial in nature, but they have really high traffic - so it's easy to see what's popular pretty much anywhere in the world.  That can be helpful for planning what to see, and sometimes what to avoid.  It's one of our go-to resources for seeing what might be in the town ahead on a road trip.

Wanderlog.com - Wanderlog is an interesting site - compiling lots of travel planning possibilities.  Their trip-planning features are worth checking out, and we really like their “THINGS TO DO” lists.  They’re pretty much ranked from most popular to least - so its a great place to figure out a priority list of things to see.

GetYourGuide.com - We really like this one!  Get your guide is becoming a great source for planning as well as inspiration for travel adventures.  Even if you aren’t looking for things to do on your trip, it’s a good place to get new trip ideas and browse exciting things to do.   They have some "decent" pricing on local activities - worth considering for booking.

OTHERS WORTH CHECKING OUT:

The Crazy Tourist - This is a travel resource that covers destinations all over the world.  Just type the name of a country or city in their search section, and they have good

CultureTrip.com - This one is pretty commercial (lots of ads), but its also pretty reliable. They’ve been a travel industry leader for a long time, so there are enough reviews on things to know if you’re making good decisions.  We always check out the Culture Trip guide for any location we’re planning on visiting.   

Ireland Itinerary for 7 Days / 10 Days / 2 Weeks

 Learning Escapes has compiled some pretty cool itinerary options for Ireland.  They've lived there for over 15 years, and write the guide from the perspective of helpful locals.   We always love this family's content, especially when you travel with kids.  They do a fantastic job.  We hope they keep traveling and making memories to share with us.   There are also lots of fantastic hikes/walks in their content!  

 Ireland Itinerary / Rick Steves / 3 Days to 3 Weeks

Rick Steves itineraries page is great.  With lots of options (from 3 days to 3 weeks), this is a great run-down of the some of Ireland's most spectacular highlights.   This should give you a fantastic starting place for planning your adventure. 

13 Amazing Ireland Road Trip Itineraries / Savored Journeys

These are pretty cool itineraries - with nice maps helping you with driving times and distances.  Savored Journey has limited content, but the itineraries they have are pretty good.  

Wild Atlantic Way Road Trip of a Lifetime / 11 Days / The Irish Road Trip

This full 11 day itinerary has tons of things to see and do, recommendations of where to stay each night, and some nice maps to help on your journey.  This is one of the most spectacular coastlines in the world - something that everybody should see at some point!

Wild Atlantic Way, Best Of / 5 Days / Travel Around Ireland

If you don't have as much time to explore The Wild Atlantic Way, this itinerary cuts a few corners, but still lets to experience some highlights.  Worth a look as its own trip, or to add on to another Ireland Itenerary.

Frommers Suggested Itineraries in Ireland / 8 Complete Itineraries / Frommer's

Frommer's has been around for decades, helping travelers explore the world.  This guide to Italy has several itineraries including a family one, a "dirt cheap" itinerary, off the beaten path, and even one for golfers.  Check them out.  You can almost plan an entire trip on their site.   

6 Great Ireland Itineraries / 7 Days and up / Ireland Before You Die

There are some great itineraries in here - with options all over the country.  There are quite a few ads in their blogs, but the content is still really good.  This is a great place to look at several itinerary options on one page to decide where you want to go.

The Ultimate Wild Atlantic Way Itinerary / 7 Days to 2 Weeks / Helena Bradbury

This is a great one!  The blogger is a great writer and photography - and is also a fantastic planner.  You'll like reading this.  There's a link to buy Helena a cup of coffee if you appreciate her blogs.  This will get you excited about Ireland's west coast!