Throughout human history, it has never been easier to travel than it is today. Information that was once difficult to obtain before arriving at your chosen destination is now available with a single click — thanks to the incredible number of websites designed for travelers.
Of course, given the sheer number of travel websites on the internet, it’s not always easy to determine which ones are reliable and which ones offer questionable information. However, there are a few trusted web portals that can genuinely make your life easier and help you find everything from cheap airfare and affordable accommodations to popular attractions and the best restaurants.
Here are the top 10 websites for travelers that can be immensely useful before you embark on your journey.
Skyscanner
Probably the most well-known flight search website, Skyscanner helps you find the cheapest airline tickets to any destination in the world. You can choose to search for one-way tickets, return tickets, or multi-city tickets (traveling to one destination and returning from another). The site also allows you to search for cheap flights by month, flights with or without layovers, and flights from nearby airports. You can also search for accommodations and rent a car through Skyscanner. If you want to try another similar site before purchasing tickets, Kayak is recommended.
Secret Flying
This site finds the cheapest airline tickets worldwide and shares them with its readers. They often publish so-called error fares, making it possible to travel to the other side of the world for significantly lower prices. You can follow them on Facebook to receive notifications whenever a good deal from your city appears.
Booking.com
The most popular site for searching for accommodations, Booking is a favorite. It offers many filters to help you find something that suits you by location and price. Be sure to read reviews of accommodations before booking — go through several pages of reviews to get to the more critical or realistic ones. Another great feature of this site is that you will receive small benefits when you become a Genius member, such as free breakfast or late check-out.
TripAdvisor
Another ultra-popular site for searching accommodations, TripAdvisor can actually help you organize almost your entire trip. Besides a wide range of accommodations, you can find the most popular tourist attractions and restaurants at your chosen destination, book various tours and guides, rent a car, and much more. The most useful aspect here is the reviews of accommodations with traveler photos, which are often more realistic than those found on Booking. Reviews of tourist attractions are also available, so you can decide if a place is worth visiting based on other travelers’ ratings and comments.
Airbnb
On Airbnb, you can find affordable accommodations (often cheaper than other sites) from people renting out their apartments or houses. If you want to save even more, you can rent just a room. Although Airbnb offers many advantages, it also has some drawbacks. For instance, you have to pay for accommodations immediately (unlike Booking, where you can pay upon arrival), and there are often hidden costs such as cleaning fees. Despite these drawbacks, Airbnb allows you to travel and spend little on decent accommodation — plus, you can even make friends with the host!
Hostelworld
While not personally used for booking accommodations, Hostelworld is a good site for finding the cheapest possible lodging at your destination. This site is mainly used by backpackers and other travelers looking for decent yet inexpensive accommodation (although you can also find expensive hostels here, depending on the location). The significant drawback of this site is the high booking fees, so you will likely pay more than the actual cost of the accommodation. On the other hand, you can find suitable accommodations and then book directly through the chosen hostel.
Couchsurfing
If you’ve always dreamed of traveling without spending a dime on accommodation, this is now possible. This site has developed a new way of finding lodging at your destination — connecting travelers with hosts willing to accommodate them for a few days for free. For some travelers, this is an ideal way to meet locals and save money that would be spent on a hotel, apartment, or hostel. Of course, couchsurfing also has some downsides, such as not knowing how you will get along with the host and the unspoken rule that you should spend some time with the person whose home you’re staying in. Despite this, the couchsurfing experience can be great, especially for travelers interested in seeing how locals live and getting advice on what to do at the destination.
Lonely Planet
Besides printed guides that can make trip planning easier, Lonely Planet also has a website where you can find a wealth of information about any destination that comes to mind. This site is an excellent starting point for planning what you want to see and do somewhere, and on the Lonely Planet site, you can also search for airline tickets, travel insurance, and accommodations. There is also a forum where you can exchange tips with other travelers and get answers to all your travel questions. You can also buy various useful items such as guides, maps, cookbooks, and dictionaries. In short, Lonely Planet is a place where you can organize an entire trip to any part of the world and find out what other travelers have to say about the places they’ve visited.
Freetour
One of the best ways to get to know a city is to go on a walking tour. With this site, you can do it (almost) for free. The concept is quite simple — find and join a tour you like and then tip the guide. So, you choose how much or whether to pay the guide for their services. Besides these free tours, you can also find paid tours on the site, which are theoretically supposed to be cheaper than elsewhere. If you can’t find a suitable tour on this site, you can also check out GetYourGuide, where you’ll undoubtedly find what you’re looking for — but you’ll have to pay for it. At the very least, you can see the price ranges of tours on this site and then decide on the spot which company to go with.
Rome2rio
If you’re interested in the fastest or cheapest mode of transportation from point A to point B, this site will help you a lot. Here, you can find out which carriers offer services to your desired destination and check approximate travel costs by plane, bus, train, boat, or car. Although the site initially became popular thanks to these features, you can also find accommodations, rent a car, or read guides and tips about various destinations. Rome2rio is an excellent tool for planning your travel itinerary and gathering information about carriers, schedules, and prices.
These 10 websites can be incredibly helpful in planning independent trips, whether you want to travel as cheaply as possible, find the best connection for your next flight, book accommodations, learn more about attractions, or hire a guide.
Source: seesrpska.com
Photo: nomago.hr