Plan the perfect trip with these websites!
As travel superplanners, we have tried and tested almost every website out there to help with our trips. We have come up with a list of the very best of them to help you plan the perfect trip. This will save you countless hours of trawling through sites that give you unhelpful, out-of-date, or even incorrect information.
So, what sites do we use to plan the perfect trip?
INSPIRATION AND ITINERARY PLANNING
Hillman Wonders Of The World – This unbelievable resource lists the top 1000 must-see sites in the eyes of a group of top travel writers, led by Howard Hillman. It is a great way to see what the world has to offer at a glance. We love using it. It is our favourite place for a bit of quick inspiration as we start to plan the perfect trip.
Trip Advisor – OK, so sometimes the reviews can be manipulated by business owners or people who hold a grudge against a business. However, don’t let that dissuade you from using this mammoth resource. It is a bit of a travel one-stop shop to help you plan the perfect trip. In fact, Trip Advisor is our favourite travel site of all. It features things to do, accommodation, restaurants, a forum for each destination, and some lists that are great for wanderlust. You can read the reviews and book your hotels directly through it for the ultimate convenience.
TripHobo – This is a fantastic resource for anyone planning a trip with multiple stops. You just input in where you want to go, and this handy site will optimise the attractions for you. This means that you can see as much as possible in as short a space as you can.
Lonely Planet – One of the world’s biggest travel brands. They have a book on pretty much any destination you could want to visit, and offer fantastic advice.
Wikitravel – This is a great place to get an initial feel for a place. They feature helpful hints and tips regarding most parts of the travel experience.
ACCOMMODATION
Booking.com – If you want a hotel, then Booking.com should be your one-stop shop. With the world’s largest selection of hotels, excellent 24 hour customer service support, and a best price guarantee, you can get that hotel booked right away, with the confidence that you will not find the price cheaper (and if you do you can claim the difference). They also offer free cancellation on most rooms!
Trip Advisor – As above. You can read the reviews and book your hotels directly through it for the ultimate convenience.
AirBnB – We stayed in our first AirBnB in April 2015. It was so good that it is now the first place we look for accommodation options. The basic premise is that you can rent a room in somebody’s house, though sometimes you can get entire homes. The prices are in general much lower than hotels. We also love the freedom that getting the keys to a house gives us.
Agoda – Especially good for accommodation in Asia, as it really seems to get the best fares over there.
Hostelworld – If you are a budget traveller, then look no further than Hostelworld. As it specialises in hostel dorm rooms, which are on a per person basis, I would always recommend checking out sites like Airbnb too if you are a couple. The price could strangely end up cheaper. If you aren’t comfortable staying in somebody’s house though, this is a great budget option. Most hostels also have private rooms.
Couchsurfing – The ultimate budget accommodation. This involves finding a host in your chosen city who is willing to offer you a couch to sleep on free of charge. This is a fantastic way of immersing yourself more completely in the culture of a country. You can make new friends too.
FLIGHTS
Skyscanner – This fantastic website searches for flights from many different airlines to show you the cheapest (or fastest) options available. It will even let you see how much you could save if you were flexible on your dates, without having to type all of the information in again and again.
Momondo – Like Skyscanner, Momondo searches various sites to find you the best deals on your flights. It often comes up with deals that Skyscanner misses.
Do you have any go-to websites to help you with your travel planning that we have missed off? Please let us know in the comments. Let’s all help each other to plan the perfect trip!
