While January brings a lot of things (diets! terrible weather! sickness! new starts!), for me it brings in endless travel consults. It's January and summer travel is on the horizon. It is so fun talking through trips with people- I love getting to help people choose from the endless options that await them and guiding them as they craft a trip that is tailored to them exactly. I love it!

I thought it'd be helpful to send a few of the resources that I really love and use to you, in case you find yourself in the same boat. (And if you are planning a trip to Europe- well, lucky you!)

JAMES VILLAS: After our trip to France in December, I'm a huge fan of James Villas. The company offers great service, their "inventory" of properties gives you great options regardless of budget. Regardless of if you're looking for a luxury villa (like this one!) or a cost effective way to travel with a family or group- James Villas has so many good options.

We loved our time in Provence, and I can't wait to try out other properties of theirs in the future.... I am currently dreaming of Greek sunshine and late dinners along the Spanish coast.

*Note: Property rentals through James Villas work on a weekly basis, so it's not a great fit if you're wanting to hop quickly through destinations. The value here comes from limited travel, enjoying cooking at the house and the cost savings of not having to pay for additional hotel rooms for friends/children traveling with you.

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GO EURO: This site is my go-to for checking the cheapest/best/fastest way to get between destinations in Europe. The main search tool has three tabs- flight, bus, and train. You can click through the tabs to see how expensive and how long each of the options will take.

You can also be referred through to purchase the option you like best, even though they bring in options from every company out there. It's a great resource!

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LUXURY LINK: If you are looking for the best bang for your buck, Luxury Link offers fabulous packages and deals for the same price (or lower!) than you can typically find through other websites. We've got some really inexpensive deals through the site that have included nice perks upon our stay like massages, dining credits, and treats in your room upon arrival.

Use this link and you'll get $50 off your first stay, and I'll get credit for our next stay. Maybe we can toast our travels poolside. :)

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RAILEUROPE: I love this site for a more extensive searches when planning rail travel. I also like it because, most of the time, you can pre purchase tickets... and since the other rail sites are in local language, this site will automatically be 100x less confusing.

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TABLET HOTELS: Another favorite place of mine to find great hotels. These offer beautiful boutique hotels that fly a bit under the radar. Truly, it helps us find some great spots that we wouldn't have had been able to find otherwise.

If you use this referral link, you'll save $25 on you first stay... I promise, you'll be hooked after your first Tablet booking.

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TRIP IT: This site is a great tool for adding and syncing all your travel plans. All you do is forward your email confirmation to "plans@tripit.com" from your email, and it will create a trip with all the details for you. Your plans will have maps, contact details and confirmation numbers all tagged to them.

Plus, their offsite mobile capability makes it easy peasy to use on the go... even without a data plan.

Hopefully, these get you off to a good start in planning your vacation.... and when you get stuck, email me for a travel consult. I'm in the zone these days. Let's see what we can do to help make your trip even better. Get more information on travel consults here.