The web is now full of fantastic travel resources that help you plan or book everything you need for your trips. From flights, ground transportation, tours, useful tools and other travel-related services here are our top recommendations on what to use. Planning your first holiday or trip? Then read our guide.
Please note: should you make a purchase via some of these links we may get a commission at no extra cost to you. However, we do highly recommend everything mentioned.
booking.com
With over 28 million listings in over 150,000 destinations, booking.com is a great place to start your search for accommodation. You’ll find hotels, hostels, apartments, guesthouses and various other types of accommodation. What’s more, the platform is easy to use, allowing you to search by districts and zones, as well as using maps. Also on listings is customer reviews so you can see what previews guests thought of the property before you book.
GetYourGuide
GetYourGuide is a great place to find and book tours and other activities for your holiday. They have over 50,000 options for cities and destinations all around the world. They also come with reviews which makes it that much easier to make an informed decision before booking. Read the reasons for using GetYourGuide for finding and booking tours.
Flixbus
Flixbus UK provides a cheap way to get around Europe and are easily recognisable due to the bright green buses. They provide connections between 28 countries and 2000+ destinations. The service is perfect for budget travellers or those who aren’t keen on flying or trains. What’s more, you’ll find sometimes find incredible ticket prices, such as £5 each way.
Omio
Omio (previously known as GoEuro) is a service that allows you to search and book your train, buses and flights across Europe. The tool searches across 800 transport services including national train and bus companies and then tells you the best prices and route to take. You can then proceed to book your tickets either on their desktop site or through their mobile App. They also offer live train updates as well as mobile tickets through their App.
Airbnb
Airbnb has grown quickly into a unique and modern way to book travel accommodation. The concept of the site is a platform where homeowners can rent out their property or spare rooms. Since being founded in 2008 the website now offers over 6 million places to stay across almost 100,000 cities.
Google Flights
Another option for searching and booking your flights is to use Google Flights. Here you can easily search and compare flights between destinations around the world. Also possible is to filter your preferences. Such as departure times, the number of stops, airlines and other criteria.
Uber
Uber allows you to book a car (a ride) in many cities and destinations around the world. It’s a bit like taking a taxi except slightly easier as you just need to use their App to find and book your ride. You can also see the approx fare before booking, as well as information about your driver. Often you’ll find Uber can be cheaper than getting a taxi, but it will often cost more than public transport (such as buses, subways etc).
Also it’s worth noting that sometimes during peak times and around special events (such as New Years Eve) there might be surge fares where the prices can be much higher due to demand.
iVisa
iVisa.com provides services allowing you to check if you need a visa and also apply. They offer a user friendly interface that makes this process easier. iVisa.com has been serving customers well and now has over 15,000 reviews on Trustpilot with an average rating of 4.5.
Welcome Pickups
Welcome Pickups offer transfer services between airports for many major cities around the world. They currently serve approx 19 countries and 41 cities. Most of these are located in Europe, but other cities include Hong Kong, Tel Aviv and Dubai.
A few key features of their service includes:
- Flight monitoring to ensure your driver knows when you’ll arrive.
- English speaking drivers.
- 24-hour customer support.
On top of this Welcome Pickups offer guides, sim cards for your phone, tickets for attractions and more.
The brand also has fantastic reviews on TrustPilot as well.
Numbeo
Numbeo is great for finding and comparing the cost of general services at destinations around the world. The site has various categories such as cost of living, crime and other information. You’ll find information for over 8000 cities which are contributed by hundreds of thousands of contributors. A good way to budget for your trip is to use this site to compare the cost of items in your home city to the city your planning to travel to.
Google Sheets
For organising all your travel plans and complex trips consider using Google Sheets. This online tool provides spreadsheet functionality and allows you to manage your itinerary and important information. Read more about planning a multi-destination trip.
Kitty Split
Kitty Split provides a great solution for managing shared costs with friends. Such as when travelling in a group where you want to split the cost of accommodation, transport or other payments. The tool allows you to list members of your group and put down who’s paid for what, as well as the split for each person.
Holiday Weather
The weather can play a big impact on our holiday decisions. To plan your trip around the weather then consider looking on www.holiday-weather.com, which has data on over 100,000 travel destinations. On the site you’ll find average temperatures for months throughout the year, as well as live weather and other useful information.
Monzo (UK)
Monzo is an online app-based bank that allows you to easily pay for things and also manage your finances. The app has a great user interface and has been designed with the end-user in mind. Through Monzo you can track all your spending and also save when using your card abroad. Read about some of the benefits of Monzo. Note Monzo is currently only available in certain countries.
gov.uk
When planning your travel it’s always a good idea to check entry requirements and other important information for your destination. If you are based in the UK then www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice is a reliable choice and should be updated with the most up to date information. You can find entry requirements, safety information, health, local laws, money information and more.
Time and Date
timeanddate.com is a useful travel resource so as to check the sunrise and sunset time of your destination. You will be able to filter by different destinations, and also for different times throughout the year.
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