This list includes travel websites and apps on figuring out where to stay, what to do, and how to get the best deals.
Hotels.com
I use Hotels.com for all of my hotel bookings because it has a great reward program. For every 10 nights booked, they will give you one night free. The free night is the value of the average cost of the ten redeemed nights. Hotels.com is also partnered with the CapitalOne Venture Card and gives 10% back when using your credit card on their website.
Airbnb
I use Airbnb when looking for a cheap accommodation. It is an online marketplace which lets people rent their properties or spare rooms to guests.
Rail Planner
The Rail Planner App is a tool that allows you to look up train information, no matter where you are. It works offline and gives you quick access to departure and arrival times for European trains. The app can help you plan your trip in advance, but it can also be useful when you’re standing in a busy train station, trying to find your connecting train.
The Rail Planner App has a number of very useful features. In addition to the offline timetable that shows you the arrival and departure times for European trains, the app can also help you:
- Make e-ticket reservations. You’ll need a working internet connection for this.
- Find train stations near your current position.
- Look up departure and arrival information for every station.
- Save your most frequent searches as favourites.
- See all benefits for Interrail pass holders
- Visualize your train trip on an interactive map.
Eurail
A Eurail Pass is an all-in-one train ticket giving you flexible access to most trains across Europe. Unlike traditional train tickets, with Eurail you can go wherever you want, whenever you want. Some trains do ask you to make a reservation, but most trains can be boarded as easily as flashing your Pass. If you miss your train or change your travel plans, you can just hop on board the next service.
Check out my blog post on my experience with the Eurail pass at https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2016/07/07/17-days-around-europe-with-eurail-passes/
Ryanair
https://www.ryanair.com/gb/en/
Ryanair is a low-cost airline in Europe where I find the best deals from Europe. I have flown to over 30 countries on Ryanair flights, all for under 150GPB. My favorite feature on Ryanair’s website is “Fare Finder” where you can compare prices to all destinations from a specific airport. I am usually flexible about where I travel to, so I just narrow my filters on Fare Finder and sort the results by price. I then decide on where I want to go based on the cheapest destinations.
Google Flights
https://www.google.com/flights
Google Flights is an online flight booking search service which facilitates the purchase of airline tickets through third party suppliers. It is not always the cheapest for me, but I always check it just in case.
Skyscanner
Skyscanner is a travel search engine that scans the web for worldwide flight, hotel and car-hire offers. It searches hundreds of airlines, thousands of hotels, and all the most popular travel agencies worldwide. You can set up price alerts. Skyscanner has saved me tons of money on airfare.
STA Travel
https://www.statravel.co.uk/tours-worldwide.htm
Find cheap flights, adventure tours, gap year and student travel, career breaks, hotels and hostels, volunteer projects and more at STA Travel. Their website gives great deals to students, youth (under 31), and teachers.
Cheap Flights
https://www.cheapflights.co.uk/
Cheapflights is a travel fare aggregator and travel fare metasearch engine. Its websites publish flight prices, and compare prices from suppliers, including major airlines, through tiny travel agents.
Hopper
Hopper analyzes billions of prices daily to predict how prices will change, and tells you whether to buy or wait.
Purple Parking
https://www.purpleparking.com/
You can compare and book many discounted parking services at most UK airports.
Military Cruise Deals
https://www.militarycruisedeals.com/
If you’re looking for a military discount on the price of your cruise, look on Military Cruise Deals. Their cruise search engine is configured to reveal the cruises with the lowest military discounted rate. However, there will likely be additional discounts and benefits that they can provide only if you book with them over the phone.
Tour Radar
TourRadar allows travelers to book multi-day group and private tours in popular tourist destinations.
Viator
Viator makes it simple for travellers to find exactly what they want to do. With direct access to more than 100,000 bookable activities, travellers can easily discover and book incredible experiences. Optimised for mobile booking, Viator lets travellers plan in advance or book on-the-go to skip long lines and sold-out signs. We also feature:
- 24-hour cancellation policy
- The lowest price guarantee
- Millions of customer reviews
- 24/7 multilingual customer care
Get Your Guide
Find, compare, and book sightseeing tours, attractions, excursions, things to do and fun activities from around the world. Jump into your next adventure! Book top activities & enjoy easy cancellation. Book online. Book on your phone. Fast & easy booking. Easy booking. Best price guarantee. Attraction tickets. Easy mobile booking. Top attraction tickets. VIP access. 30,000 activities.
Trip Advisor
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/
TripAdvisor, Inc. is an American travel and restaurant website company that shows hotel and restaurant reviews, accommodation bookings and other travel-related content. It also includes interactive travel forums.
Open Table
Make online reservations, read restaurant reviews from diners, and earn points towards free meals.
Sygic Travel
Discover things to do on your next trip and plan a trip of your lifetime! Sygic Trip Planner is a free map based travel itinerary.
Check out my Sygic Travel itinerary for the Iceland Ring Road at https://travel.sygic.com/go/trip:598c6e5171208
Visit A City
Plan your trip with free itineraries, guides, activities and maps. Create your personal travel guide with full information on all attractions, shopping and more.
Google Translate
Google’s free service instantly translates words, phrases, and web pages between English and over 100 other languages.
Currency Converter
Convert 180+ currencies on your device with the world’s most downloaded foreign exchange app- XE Currency.
Mark O’Travel
Create your own travel map marking states and regions where you’ve been!
IVHQ
International Volunteer HQ Limited is a New Zealand based volunteer travel company founded by Daniel John Radcliffe in 2007. IVHQ grew from having projects in over 18 countries in 2012 to over 30 in 2015. Today IVHQ is working in over 40 countries.
Choose from the world’s best range of volunteer abroad programs, available year-round.
Here’s a link to my blog post about my IVHQ experience in Zambia https://mandytravelstheworld.news.blog/2018/08/25/ivhq-zambia-teaching-program/
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