trip Archives

Change of plans? Sell your trip instead

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You planned the dream getaway. Flights? Booked. Hotel suite? Paid for. Maybe you even splurged on a poolside drink package because hey, you earned it.

Then bam, life throws a wrench in it. A surprise meeting. A fever. The worst part? That pricey reservation is nonrefundable.

Here’s the twist: You don’t have to kiss that cash goodbye. There are sites that let you resell those unused travel plans and get money back in your pocket. And if you’re looking for a travel deal, you might land a great one.

🔄 How it works

You post your reservation, someone else buys it at a discount, and you recover a chunk of your cost. The platform takes a cut, usually a 12% fee.

The site holds the buyer’s money in escrow until the trip actually happens. That means you don’t get paid until they check in or take off, which keeps everyone honest.

🌍 The sites

SpareFare is a heavyweight in this space. It’s UK-based, so you’ll find lots of Euro-friendly listings: flights, hotels and vacation packages.

Roomer Travel is perfect if you’re stuck with a hotel room you can’t use.

TransferTravel is the wild card. You can list not just flights and hotels but also cruises, event tickets and more. It’s like Craigslist for travel deals, only cleaner.

🔐 Worried about getting scammed?

Totally fair. But don’t stress. These sites use escrow systems, so no one gets paid until the booking is used. Buyers are covered, sellers are protected. Win-win.

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Five easy ways to tune up your ride

Let’s get your car road-trip ready for the holidays.

⚠️ Roadside lifesaver: Portable air pump (28% off)

Small enough to fit in your glove box. You’ll be glad to have it if that tire pressure light turns on.

No more cracked seats: A dab of leather conditioner (39% off) softens, shines and smells amazing while it works its magic.

💥 Chip happens: Fix windshield cracks before they spread with a repair kit ($10, 50% off). One drop, wait five minutes and save hundreds.

You deserve better than a plastic bag: Toss your clutter into this leakproof trash bin (41% off) before it takes over your back seat.

📦 Junk in your trunk? From tailgating to shopping bags, this collapsible organizer (15% off) keeps your cargo chaos-free.

ICYMI: Here’s how Prime members can save 25¢ per gallon on Fridays until Dec. 26.

🏁 Your personal pit crew: My Amazon gear page has 25 more handpicked tools to help your wheels stay rolling.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

The passport stamp is history

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Your next European trip won’t come with a passport stamp. Soon, travelers will face high-tech border kiosks that scan your face, fingerprints, and passport.

🔌 Shocking road trip: A woman’s Volkswagen ID.4 got welded to an Electrify America charger in Athens, Alabama. Literally fused together by an electrical arc. She waited nine hours, called everyone from tech support to the dealership, and the only fix? A guy from Knoxville with a crowbar. Really. EVs may be the future, but this one needed an exorcism.

✈️ Set Google Flights price alerts: Head to Google Flights, search for your trip and toggle the “Track prices” switch. You’ll get email alerts when prices drop. Bonus: It’ll even tell you if current prices are high, average or low compared to typical trends.

Plane easy

🌎 I’ve got fixes for the most annoying travel problems.

👔 Wrinkled outfit? A travel steamer (18% off) puts that rusty hotel iron to shame.
🎧 Tune out the world: Grab these noise-canceling headphones (37% off) for peace and quiet.
😴 Total blackout: You + Manta’s sleep mask ($40) = out cold, even on midday flights.
✈️ Red-eye ready: This travel pillow (36% off) is soft enough to make the middle seat bearable.
🧳 Overpackers, rejoice: These smart cubes (44% off) let you squeeze more into your carry-on.

🛡️ ICYMI: Click here for 25 must-haves you need to stay safe, secure and prepared for the worst on your next trip.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

Porsche dream gone wrong: Michael Foley thought he’d scored a vintage Porsche 911 in Europe. Instead, he wired $20K to scammers with a fake listing, forged docs and promises of a Euro road trip. Now he’s got no car, no cash, just the memory of telling his scammer, “Thank you, I’ve wanted this car for years.” Ooof.

💍 Ring of fire: YouTuber Daniel Rotar’s Samsung Galaxy Ring swelled mid-trip, clamping his finger like a lithium bear trap. Airport security screeners wanted him to take the ring off, but he couldn’t, forcing him and his bulbous device to wait until doctors iced and lubed it off. Samsung paid his hotel, but he’s done with smart rings.

ChatGPT pulls an all-nighter: OpenAI just dropped Pulse, a new Pro-only feature that works while you sleep. It reads your chats, data and random wishes (like my Antarctica trip), then hands you a personalized morning briefing. I’m going to try it and report back.

Resell your ruined trip

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Non-refundable travel plans don’t have to mean lost money. These sites let you recoup some of the cost.

DJI’s power play: DJI’s new Power 2000 is part battery beast, part road trip buddy. It’s a 2kWh LFP unit expandable up to 22kWh, thanks to 10(!) daisy-chained expansion batteries. It hits 3000W output and doubles as a noise-conscious “Uninterruptible Power Supply,” meaning it can keep devices powered during blackouts. Cost? $10,000.

Ditch the copy-paste: The free Chrome extension Add to Sheets lets you send info from any website straight into a Google Sheet. Planning a trip? Just right-click on location details, booking links or prices to drop them right into a column. Pretty slick.

Three easy ways to document your road trip

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Don’t let your trip photos disappear into your camera roll. Try these simple tips to organize, share and remember every stop.

✈️ A canceled or delayed flight is the worst: Before I leave for the airport, I look up my trip on FlightAware. If your plane is stuck in another city, you’ll see it there before your airline updates its app.

🏃🏼‍♂️ Fake it ’til you jog it: There’s now an app called Fake My Run that lets you draw made-up jogging routes and upload them to Strava like you’re a cardio god. Inspired by “Strava mules” (yes, people pay others to run for them), the app’s developer says it’s a comment on running’s toxic clout-chasing culture. I was running down the street where the houses were numbered, 64k, 128k, 256k, 512k and 1MB. What a trip down memory lane!

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Tell AI: “Act like a travel agent and plan a three-day trip to Nashville on a budget.” Done in seconds.

Vroom vroom

🚗 That’s the sound of your next trip starting strong.

Let your phone and small stuff ride shotgun with a bike bag (8% off).
Flat tires? A portable inflator (24% off) lets you skip the gas station stop.
Grab a two-pack of floor mat cleaners (5% off) to scrub away all that dirt.
Forget melting ice, a car fridge (15% off) keeps your drinks cool for longer.
This key organizer (15% off) holds up to eight of your keys and a car fob.
Feel safer while you’re parked with a steering wheel lock (28% off).

🇺🇸 Memorial Day savings: Here’s that special link to save big on the best gadgets for your ride.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

🎶 Rockin’ votes: Planning a road trip? YouTube now lets your friends add and vote on songs in shared playlists. Here’s how to create one. Then, click the three-dot menu > Collaborate > toggle on Collaborators can add songs and videos. Hit Share to send the link to your pals. No arguing over who gets to DJ.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Snap a pic of your passport, ID and itinerary before your trip. Store it in a secure cloud folder or password-protected app so it’s safe and easy to access if needed.

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