Sitting down to plan your next trip is not always a pleasant experience. Where do you start? Which websites can you trust? Sometimes people are so disheartened by how daunting the travel planning phase seems that they give up before they start.
Travel Planning Like a Pro
I believe so deeply in experiencing what the world has to offer that I have created a 3-part series on the best travel websites to help you get started. This is Part 1: The Top 10 Travel Planning Websites, which is followed up by Part 2: The Top 5 Websites for Tips and Reviews, and then finally Part 3: The Top 10 Travel Resources.
When you’re ready to begin planning your next trip I recommend checking out these go-to websites to get you started on the right path. Let’s get started with planning your next trip:
Airbnb
Airbnb offers you the ability to reserve anything from a spare room to a docked boat to an entire furnished home directly from someone who is local to your destination. You can narrow your search based on location, price, and the amenities that are important to you: free parking, Wi-Fi, laundry, pets, etc. An added perk with Airbnb is that you’ll get to feel more like a local since you’re staying in a neighborhood rather than a commercial, touristy zone.
AirTreks
AirTreks is the worldwide leader in providing affordable, customized and efficient international air tickets. Travelers and travel agents have the ability to create customized itineraries with an unlimited number of destinations all in one price estimate. AirTreks is made up of dedicated travel consultants whose goal is to provide you with the optimal routes at the best prices.
Dream Trips
DreamTrips is a travel membership site that allows you to convert all “membership dues” into travel points, like a travel savings account. They offer everything from à la carte travel (hotels, flights, rental cars, etc.) to exclusive fully pre-planned getaways. Click Here for more details.
Globetrooper
Globetrooper is a community designed to help you find travel partners for group trips and world adventures. It also contains detailed information about regions, adventures and personal experiences from people around the world. A great user interface that now includes a special Round The World (RTW) travel section.
Responsible Travel
Responsible Travel is a brilliant travel agency that provides environmentally conscious travel packages. They help connect travelers with small travel companies around the world so you can get more out of every adventure. Responsible Travel puts an emphasis on respecting local cultures and local environments, but goes further than traditional “ecotourism”.
Skiplagged
Skiplagged helps you find the cheapest flight possible by making use of hidden city opportunities. For example, if you were looking to travel from San Diego to Chicago, it’s potentially cheaper to buy a San Diego to New York ticket with a Chicago layover, and simply not take the Chicago to New York connection. Skiplagged tracks these, and many other opportunities to help you save money no your next flight.
Skyscanner
Skyscanner is a flight comparing search engine that’s the go-to website for booking flights in Australia and Europe. One of my favourite features is the ‘everywhere’ button! Say you’re not sure where you’d like to go; simply select “everywhere” and you’ll be presented with options from cheapest to most expensive. Great for spontaneous travel.
The Man in Seat 61
The Man in Seat 61 is an excellent way to find alternative transportation by boat, train, or bus on routes you may have thought planes were the only option. This site aims to allow travelers to experience more of their journey than is available waiting in airports or flying above the clouds. Just plug in your start and end points to see what routes and methods are available to you.
Triporama
Triporama is a group travel planning site that helps you plan trips with all the collaboration you desire. Great for keeping everyone up-to-date, and sharing ideas or research. Not sure what kind of trip you want to take? They have lots of sample trips and inspiration guides to help you narrow your focus.
Where are You Now “WAYN”
Where Are You Now “WAYN” is a crowd-sourcing platform that allows you to share your trips and browse other people’s experiences to get suggestions for your next adventure. Also a great way to document your trip. You can meet like-minded travelers for recommendations and even document your travels.
With awesome travel planning websites like these, we no longer have anything to be worried about! So get out there and start taking care of that bucket list.
Was this helpful for you? If so, please share it with a friend who you think would get value!
Be sure to comment below and let me know what your go-to travel planning websites are!
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Was this valuable for you? If so I’d really appreciate your comments below and shares on social media.
I have bookmarked your blog because I’m learning so much about travel!
Dr. Lisa
Thanks so much for your support Dr. Lisa! I’m glad you’re getting value here
Wow I didn’t know there were so many of these websites. I have to bookmark some of these for use in future travel! WAYN, in particular, sounds so interesting to get insider tips from other travelers!
I was amazed when I started using some of these .. how did we not know about them before lol
Skyscanner, Dreamtrips, and Airbnb are the only ones I know of on this list. I will check out the rest, since I never knew they existed. Thanks for sharing!
You’re very welcome Jo Jo, I hope the others help as much as the ones you’ve been using
I was only aware about few of them. Very useful info as a having wide choice helps in making better decisions. Grateful to have found your blog.
Thanks so much Shweta, happy you received value here
This is a very helpful page! I have hear of some of these but there are some new ones for me on here so I will have to take a look. I particularity like Skiplagged and think it’s a pretty awesome concept! AirBnb is my all-time favorite! This is worth a bookmark to refer back to 🙂
Yes, those are definitely amazing sites! So happy you received value from this post
Interesting – I actually don’t know most of these sites and will gladly check them out. Love that you included skiplagged though. It’s kinda tricky but saved be a good deal a few times already 🙂
christina recently posted…Travel Burnout? Why Travel Can Cause Stress And How To Handle It
Happy to help Christina! Always great to hear on of these sites helped people out
I was familiar with some of these websites, but there were quite a few that I had never heard of. Pinning this for reference!
Awesome Carmen, glad to have helped!
AirBnB is a really great website, and it is one of our most reliable travel resource. We book great, affordable homestays in AirBnB. We haven’t checked the other sites you recommended since we are still traveling in-country (the Philippines), and we haven’t gone abroad yet. But we will definitely check or even use these online resources when we have the chance to travel abroad.
I really hope these help you out for future travel, would love to hear about your results
Have been using airbnb and skyscanner. But have not tried the rest. I definitely will. I have been wanting to see a website which can help me plan my itinerary with the same level of perfection that I am able to do when using pen and paper
I really hope these sites can help your search Neha. Please let me know which site fits your needs, i’d love to know 🙂
Very useful sites. I might add Traveloka is big here in South East Asia. 🙂
Marky Ramone Go recently posted…Egypt | Scaling Mount Sinai Before Sunrise
Thanks so much for that tip Marky! I’ll definitely check out Traveloka
Have come across a few but not all. I particularly am intrigued by the Responsible travel one for that is quite unique. I definitely want and will be checking out what it is is all about. Thanks for this ready list.`
You’re so welcome Ami! I hope you’re as amazed by these sites as I was when i found them
These look like some great resources! Thanks for the tips.
You’re so welcome Michelle, I hope they help your travel planning