Planning a holiday isn’t just about flights and hotels. Once the main booking is in place, it’s often the little extras that make a trip smoother, more enjoyable, and less stressful.
Over the years, we’ve found a handful of platforms and tools that we regularly recommend to our clients, and just as importantly, use ourselves when travelling. Some help with booking activities, others make travel days easier, and a few simply help you avoid unnecessary costs while you’re away.
Everything below is completely optional, but if you’re looking for a good place to start, these are some of our go-to recommendations.
Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. This means we may receive a small commission if you choose to book through them, at no extra cost to you.
Booking Activities & Experiences on Holiday
If you enjoy getting out and exploring while you’re away, whether that’s sightseeing, food tours, or visiting major attractions, booking activities in advance can often save both time and money.
Two platforms we regularly suggest are GetYourGuide and Viator.
Why we recommend them
These platforms offer a wide range of experiences worldwide, including:
- Guided tours and sightseeing
- Museum and attraction tickets
- Food and cultural experiences
- Transfers and day trips
- Shore excursions in cruise ports
They’re suitable for both land holidays and cruises, and often offer very competitive prices.
A note for cruise travellers
If you’re taking a cruise, GetYourGuide in particular sometimes offers the same or very similar excursions to those sold by cruise lines, often at a lower cost.
If you do choose to book independently, it’s essential to:
- Check port arrival and departure times carefully
- Allow plenty of buffer time
- Remember that cruise ships will not wait for guests delayed on independently booked tours
Used sensibly, these platforms can be a great way to explore — just be mindful of timing.
Travelling in Asia? Use Klook
If your trip includes Asia, we strongly recommend Klook.
Klook is one of the leading activity and ticket platforms across Asia and is something we personally use when travelling in the region.
What Klook is particularly good for
- Theme park tickets
- Transport passes
- Tourist attractions
- Experiences in major cities
- Regular discounts and special offers
It’s especially useful in destinations such as Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, and South Korea, where advance booking can save time and avoid queues.
Klook.comAirport Extras & Travel Insurance
Travel days can be long enough without worrying about parking, early departures, or last-minute logistics.
For practical extras such as:
- Airport parking
- Airport hotels
- Airport lounges
- Travel insurance
We regularly recommend Holiday Extras.
In many cases, we can add these extras to your booking for you — sometimes even with payment alongside your final balance. If you’d rather arrange things yourself, you can also book directly using the link below.
Spending Money: Travelling Without Cash
These days, we rarely travel with large amounts of cash. For most of Europe and North America, you can travel almost entirely cash-free, with cards widely accepted.
When we travel, we personally use Monzo, mainly because of:
- Low or no foreign card fees
- Clear, real-time spending tracking
- Simple in-app controls
There are still destinations where cash is useful, but for many trips, having a travel-friendly card like this makes things far easier.
If you’d like to open a Monzo account, they often run sign-up incentives (offers vary).
👉 https://join.monzo.com/c/llbnkwx
Staying Connected Abroad: eSIMs with Holafly
Mobile roaming charges can add up quickly, particularly outside Europe. If you have a phone that supports eSIMs, Holafly is well worth considering.
We’ve used Holafly ourselves, especially when travelling in Asia, and in many cases it’s worked out cheaper than paying daily roaming fees.
Why eSIMs can be useful
- Easy to set up before you travel
- No physical SIM card required
- Ideal for longer trips or heavier data use
- Compatible with most modern smartphones
If you use our link, you’ll receive a discount on your eSIM purchase.
Booking Extra Nights & Flexible Stays
If you’d like to add extra nights before or after your main trip — such as a pre-cruise hotel stay or a night near the airport — you can also use our Magical Traveller booking portal.
Here you can:
- Book pre- and post-cruise hotels
- Add extra nights before or after flights
- Browse short stays or even full holidays
👉 https://magical-traveller.bookingportal.co.uk/
Of course, if you’d rather we arrange everything for you, we’re always happy to do so — just let us know how involved you’d like us to be.
A quick, honest note about links
Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. This means we may receive a small commission if you choose to book through them, at no extra cost to you.
We only share partners we trust and, where possible, use ourselves. If you choose to use any of these links, thank you — it helps support us as a small, independent travel business.
Need help deciding what’s right for your trip?
If you’re unsure whether something is suitable for your destination or travel style, just get in touch. We’re always happy to advise and help tailor things to suit your plans.