We travel light! The These 2 topo designs back packs are fundamental to every long(4-10 week) trip. We aren't afraid to do our own laundry and cook our own meals. We love making coffee our way in the am. Airbnbs usually work well . And, we also love checking into a really nice hotel!
Flights
How to choose a flight? If you have credit card miles use them!
After that, research flights at Kayak, Skipplagged (no checked luggage and do not input your airline mileage info) and Google's http://matrix.itasoftware.com. If you have flexibility on travel dates you have more options. After looking at all of these sites, you may decide to get more help. For international travel have had good results with a ticket consolidator. Beware of copycat sites that ask for $$ up front search fees. I have found that once I know the going rate for a flight based on the research with the 3 search sites mentioned above, I have a pretty good idea of flight prices and can ask for a competitive rate. No a ticket consolidator can't get you a First Class to Hong Kong roundtrip ticket for $200 so don't waste time. Start with asking 50% off a regular price ticket and know what your upper limit is. Also, don't plan to get air miles for these trips and Paul can't offer any deals on domestic flights. Perhaps other consolidators do. Lastly, if you decide to work with a consolidator, be ready to purchase your ticket within 24 hours so all your homework needs to be done upfront. ***Cannot comment on cancelation fees or trip insurance.***