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35 BEST TRAVEL PLANNING TOOLS AND APPS

Travel planning tools and apps are critical for a great trip. Knowing how to plan a trip will help you pull it off seamlessly.

First, put yourself in a “plan to travel mindset.” Next, research the best travel planning tools you can find to help you plan a trip that will be truly memorable.

From logging on to Google Maps to get directions anywhere to using booking.com for hotel bookings and rental cars to knowing where to go for cheap flights. It pays to have the best apps and travel tools to ensure your best trip.

Here are some of the best travel planning tools and apps we’ve identified, contributed by frequent travelers to help you with your travel plans for your next trip. Most are available in the App store.

Best Travel Planning Tools and Apps

Table of Contents

Plan your foreign currency needs

One of my favorite travel planning tools is XE Currency .  With this app, you plug in an amount in whatever currency you want converted, then select the currency you want to convert to and voila! It’s the best way to organize your foreign currency.

Say you think you’ll need abut US$100 every day while you’re in Spain. Insert US$100 into XE and select Euros. This is a great tool for verifying the amount of money you need from an ATM abroad, converting restaurant bills, and so much more. 

It helps you keep a grasp on your spending while you travel.  Quotes are live and, it converts all currencies and, being an app, its ready when you are.

XE Currency Converter also has a handy tool to assist you in keeping tract of your business expenses. Just fill it out as you go along and print out/ submit when you’re done.  It’s like having a private assistant. One of the best travel planning tools.

This travel planning tool will save you money and time and give you peace of mind. It’s one of the most useful tools I use regularly to plan travel.

Talek blogs at Travels with Talek   

Quickly identify best camping sites

Simply download the app, and search the area you want to camp. You select an area of the country (big or small!), national park or not, set your filters, and browse the campsites.

There’s something for every type of outdoorsy traveler: glamping, KOAs, national parks, and even dispersed camping in national forests.

The filters are great for finding spots to fit your preferences, as you can search by price (I often use it to find free camping), rating, hike-in vs car camping, and much more. 

The Dyrt is so fun and addicting to play around with, I’ve planned dozens of dream camping trips with it. A cool feature is the downloadable topo map option.

This allows you to find and plan travel to your campsite in those off-the-beaten-path areas where you might not have cell service.  One of the best travel planning tools for the outdoor lover.

Kaisa blogs at Glam Granola Travel

Save your itinerary and tips to Google Sheets

Easy and free to use, Google Sheets, is the Google equivalent of Excel.

When planning a trip, we tend to use many sources to gather information, which can sometimes mean anything we’ve found has the possibility of being lost or forgotten about.

So inputting all of the information discovered into one sheet makes it simple to access and plan your travel itineraries.

If you’re going on the trip with others, you can also share the sheet and work on it together to help plan the trip of a lifetime!

Creating new sheets for every adventure I go on, I use the same layout each time, and it’s simple to create a new one for every trip you go on. I tend to split the sheet into three tabs; itinerary, things to do/see and sources.

Available as an app, it’s helpful on the go as you’re able to access the sheet wherever you are in the world, even if you have no WiFi.

If you couldn’t fit something into one of the days, for example, you can move your itinerary round, to ensure you’ve seen everything you wanted on your trip! How’s that for cool travel planning tools?

Kim blogs at The Adventure to Me

Shoot for cheaper airline tickets

The cost of your flight is pretty much guaranteed to be one of the most expensive parts of any trip abroad.

Having the free app Hopper up my sleeve has been a life-saver every time I’ve been planning a trip to South America , the region that I cover as a guidebook author and blogger.

Hopper works like a charm. It’s one of my favorite travel planning tools. All you need to do is plug in the dates you intend to fly (or you can set up a few different options if they’re yet to be fixed) and it’ll tell you when it predicts flight tickets will be at their cheapest.

It does this by looking through years of historical flight pricing data and using this to determine whether buying now, three months in advance or even just three weeks out is likely to be the kindest to your pocket and score you the cheapest flight.

Sure, it can be a little bit of a gamble as it’s using historic data, not a crystal ball.

However, it has personally helped me score extraordinarily cheap flights to Easter Island, as well as some pretty sweet deals between the UK and Colombia, so it’s one of the travel planning tools that I now use on each and every trip. It’s a great travel planning app.

Steph blogs at Worldly Adventurer.com

Map your city

One of the best travel planning tools for detailing a city break is the Citymapper App.

I use it almost every day for getting around my home town of London, but it’s equally useful for finding the easiest, quickest, cheapest or fastest way around in any one of 41 cities around the world, including Paris, Berlin, Rome, Istanbul, Vancouver, Tokyo, Sydney, Mexico City and Singapore and other popular destinations.

The app is so brilliant because it merges information on every available type of transport in that city.

Not sure if it’s quicker to get the bus, train, taxi or walk? Citymapper will give you every alternative and show you all possible routes so you can decide.

It tells you how much each type of transport costs and includes helpful hacks, like which exit to take from the station or where to stand on the platform.

It’s also connected into real-time travel updates so it will tell you how long you have to wait for the next bus or if your service is disrupted.

The best part is that you don’t have to BE in that city to use it. Just click the settings button and you can easily switch cities, allowing you to plan your trip in precise detail before you even get on the plane.

Bella blogs at Passportandpixels

Staying loyal to a specific booking app pays off

For example, Hotels.com, a booking platform (which also comes with an app) where you can find accommodations all over the world offers a program that allows its customers to get a free night after 10 stays.

What’s great is that the value of your free night is based on the average price of 10 properties where you stayed, so if you stay at more expensive accommodations, your free night will cover the price of mid-range-to-expensive accommodation.

Likewise, if you stay at less expensive hotels, the value of your free night will be lower, and you might have to pay the difference if you want to use your free night for a stay at a more expensive property.

In addition, users also collect points which can boost their status over time and provide better prices on many accommodations. The app tells you about your status based on your bookings and overall history.

You should especially follow this advice if you are doing a road trip along the West Coast USA and need to watch your travel expenses.

However, it’s not just Hotels.com that rewards loyal customers. Many other platforms such as Booking.com offer free nights and perks for those users who stay with them for a while.

Daria blogs at The Discovery Nut

Use an itinerary planning app

GPSmyCity is an app that features self-guided city walks in 1,000+ cities worldwide – from Voodoo tours in New Orleans to the  best things to do in Moscow . Of course, this essential tool also provides travel inspiration.

The app includes detailed tour route maps and powerful navigation features, to guide you from one sight to the next. You can follow GPSmyCity’s expert guides or take their suggestions and create your own custom walking tours.

It’s a great way to plan and explore all of the best tourist attractions on your own and at your own pace. Another awesome thing about this app…you have the option to “upgrade” any walking tour and download it, so it will work offline.

No internet connection, no cellular data, no problem! (It costs $1.99 per tour to upgrade, or you can get a yearly subscription for $12.99 for unlimited upgrades.) This way you can access offline maps and offers a user-friendly interface.

I, personally, love this because any time we are on a trip and trying to navigate…finding a data connection can be tricky. Plus, having GPS running in the background drains your battery life, big time.

But these are problems you won’t have to worry about with GPSmyCity!

Lindsey blogs at Have Clothes Will Travel

Compare flight prices with search engines

One of the most important things about traveling is finding the best flights possible.

The definition of a “good” flight really depends on your travel preferences. Some people want long layovers to skip out of the airport and do some quick explorations of the city.

While others just want to get there as fast as possible. But something we can all agree on is we want cheap flights!

The best way to do this is with online flight search programs like the popular Skyscanner ( https://www.skyscanner.nl/ ) and the less known flight finder from the popular Youtube channel Yestheory ( https://travel.yestheory.com/flights/ ).

By using both these websites you are able to find the absolute best and cheapest flights for your dates and destinations.

One great feature includes making multi-route plans like flying Amsterdam, to Singapore to Bali to Amsterdam.

Plus, you can see the prices per month and use this to find the absolute best time to fly.

Be sure to use these websites for planning your your leisure or business trip and enjoy great flights that make people look at you in shock when you state how much they were!

Samantha blogs at Samseesworld 

Score free resources

The free version of Touring Plans is great to use to plan out your family’s  Magic Kingdom  itinerary  as it is customizable to your needs. You can input things like the rides and attractions you’d like to visit and your desired break times.

It will also make suggestions about the best way to minimize wait times when it comes to the rides. The best thing about it though is that you can get an updated plan if you make changes to it throughout the day.

Websites and apps like these are very helpful, especially those with free versions, and should be used to make your trip planning easier – especially those travelling with young families.

Plan your train journeys

The Man in Seat 61 ( www.seat61.com ) offers a comprehensive guide on train travel around Europe and other continents and is an excellent travel planning tool.

The website was created by an independent traveler who shares information, his experience, as well as gives advice on best train routes all around the world.

If you plan on having a trip with a train anywhere, this is your best option for go-to travel resource, hands down.

You can find various information about timetables, prices, train station and the best train options for you depending on the country you plan on going to.

It goes as far as providing photos of different train cabins or even vending machines for train tickets at particular stations.

Also, you can get detailed instructions on how to book train tickets and where to find official vendors.

It is so detailed that yo most likely won’t even need to check any other resource page for the information you’re looking at.

Organize a hassle free-by-day itinerary

My all-time favorite app to use while traveling is Sygic Travel.

It’s completely free to use, and I actually stumbled upon it while trying to plan out my last-minute itinerary while I was visiting Vienna last spring! What’s so great about Sygic

Travel is that it will literally plan your whole day of travel for you. So, all you have to do is have a set plan of everything you want to do and see, and the app will do the rest!

An account is absolutely free to make. Once you make an account, you tell the app everything you want to do, and then you will get an itinerary that will reorganize your day in a way so you spend the least amount of time on transportation.

In addition, the app will give you directions from place to place, and you can let the app know whether you’d like to walk, use public transportation, or drive. It has saved my butt when I’ve been on a time crunch many times, and I can’t recommend it enough!

Use a guidebook as a journal

As much as I love technology to help with some travel planning tasks, I’m also old school. I LOVE travel books from Lonely Planet.

They are always my first stop when I’m planning a trip. They do have a decent website, however, I prefer the physicals guide books as these become working documents.

I start on their itineraries page, and them write notes and draw stars on other places I want to add into my own itinerary.

Throughout the book I highlight anything I think is really important as well as cover the pages with other helpful information I have found on notes.

Sometimes I will get a tip-off from a local or another traveler and rather than just write it on my phone, I find it much easier to write it on the margins of the location or note it on the map.

Another advantage is that the book doubles as a travel journal and travel guide. You always know what you did on what date. Here’s a tip. Put tickets in the relevant pages.

My shelves are full of old Lonely Planet guidebooks which also serve as a great mementos of my trips.

Becki blogs at Meet me in Departures

Plan around your travel highlights

Planning a trip is fun, but sometimes it can be stressful as well. What do I need to pack? What area should I stay? What are the main attractions I have to see in this city?

One of the best travel planning tools that has helped me seamlessly plan my trips is an app called Visit A City . The best part about the app is that it’s completely free to use. Visit A City features over 7000 detonations.

Just type in the destination you’re going to and you’ll be given an option of popular attractions in the city, day tours and trips you can take from that destination, things to do in that city, walking and biking tours, and customized itineraries.

My favorite feature about this app is that you can tell it how many days you plan on being in that city and it will create a custom suggested itinerary of the things to do and see for you.

You can even create your own itinerary based on their suggestions on the app as well.

All in all, Visit A City app helps you create a personal travel guide that’s packed with valuable information right on your phone.

Disha blags at Disha Discovers

Get from point A to point B many different ways

One of the most useful travel planning apps I have come across is Rome2Rio .

The app lets you find routes to some of the most remote places.

The app has additional local bus, train and ferry route details that even google maps doesn’t know about. With direct links to timetables of local transports, the app really lets you plan for the off-the-beaten path hidden gems.

Say you want to go from Havana to Hanoi, New York City to New Delhi or anywhere else. 

This cool little app will not only show you all the transportation options and alternative routes, it’ll tell you the itineraries, the cost and even the seasonality!  Just plug in the trip origin and destination and see all the different ways to get there.

Many times I’ve saved tons of cash by finding an alternative airport to fly into then taking local transportation to my final destination. 

Or, I found that I can get somewhere by a different option like a ferry making the trip that much more fun. I’ve even use the app to help me identify a brand new destination to visit that I would not have thought of before.

How cool is that!? This is definitely one of my favorite travel planning apps.

Merryl blogs at Merryl’s Travels and Tricks

Planning your trip ahead of time can make all the difference between a hectic, stressful trip and a relaxing, fun-filled vacation. That’s where mobile travel apps come in.

We asked our fellow travel bloggers what their recommendations for the best travel apps for Europe, Asia, and the Americas are. Here’s what they had to say.

The Best Travel Apps for Europe, Asia, and the Americas

Find the perfect venue.

Drinkspal is the perfect mobile app for anyone visiting a new town and looking for the perfect venue.

You can filter down on what you’re specifically looking for, so it could be a pub that has WiFi within a 5 mile radius, but then you can further filter to find ones that are dog friendly, sell bottles of prosecco at under £15, sells Thai food and has a beer garden.

While many apps or sites list the different venues in a city you might visit, none have successfully allowed you to filter down until you reach the perfect option.

But the best little addition is the drink deals and highlighted bars that are offering happy hour, meaning you can pick the bar in your area that will save your pennies, meaning your money can go towards the important things in life, such as activities and experiences.

Obviously, this is a completely free app and doesn’t take up a huge amount of space on the phone.

Tom Bourlet blogs at Spaghetti Traveller .

Complete immigration forms on line

U.S. Customs and Border Protection created the Mobile Passport app so that passengers can complete immigration forms on their smartphone and use a shorter line when they arrive in the United States.

You will love the time that it will save you! It’s similar to the Global Entry program but it is free! Unfortunately, only US Citizens and visitors from Canada can use the app at select airports and ports, but they are looking to expand the program.

You can download the app and set up your profile before you travel.

Once you land, answer the standard questions inside the app. After you have WiFi or data on your phone, submit your answers.

Within a few seconds, you will receive a receipt with a barcode that is valid for four hours. Once in the immigration hall, find the designated mobile passport line.

When it is your turn, show your passport and the barcode to the customs officer. It’s that simple!

Anisa blogs at Two Traveling Texans .

This travel search engine is available in the form of an app making finding cheap flights on the go pretty simple. All you have to do is entire your dates and destination and all the work is done for you.

The app isn’t unique to searching for just flights as you can use the app for hotels and rental cars. What I like about the app is the ability to search to anywhere from your chosen destination should you need some travel inspiration.

There is also the option to search by month, which comes in handy when doing some travel planning.

If you do know your exact travel dates however, the app’s easy interface makes it easy to see all pricing and flight details brought up from the search.

Skyscanner is one of the best tools to help you get great travel deals by finding the best routes, best flights and best time to score your best travel experience.

The app also provides recommendations for last-minute trips with pricing for a variety of destinations. Skyscanner is free to download.

Rai blogs at A Rai of Light .

Get accurate directions quickly

The best travel app that I love using is Google Maps. I’ve used it all over Europe and North America and think it’s the most reliable directions app.

My favourite and most used feature of Google Maps is the directions functionality.

Just input the address of wherever you want to go and it will give you directions in multiple formats: walking, cycling, driving, public transit and rideshare (if available).

The directions are different depending on your mode of transportation and are super easy to follow.

Google Maps is also great for planning a route and we use it this way all the time for planning our motorcycling trips.

You can add multiple destinations and stops in between and Google will tell you how many kilometers are between each stop as well as the elevation change. Very handy on a motorcycle!

I’ve even used Google Maps offline when traveling, which is great if you don’t want to use cellular data or don’t have an internet connection.

Download a map ahead of time and you’ll be able to use a map and track your location without using cellular data.

Lesley blogs at Freedom56 Travel .

Adam Groffman blogs at Travels of Adam .

Keep your expenses in check on the road

Our recommendation for the best travel app for Europe, Asia, and the Americas is the travel budget app – Trail Wallet. It was created by travel bloggers Never Ending Voyage several years ago.

As bloggers on the road continuously, it is important for us to keep to a budget. Our first year we used an Excel spreadsheet and to be honest it was time consuming.

Trail Wallet has simplified our life on the road whilst keeping our expenses in check. We create a trip, which for us is a year, add in our daily budget, the categories and the currencies we will be using.

As soon as we have an expenditure we enter the cost into the app, into the category, add the amount, and press save and away we go.

The app calculates our daily spend, what is remaining, our average spend and our total for the trip. We can even add a note, e.g., the restaurant we had lunch in.

We can even view our expenditure in a graph. The app cheekily gives us a reminder if we blow the budget for the day.

Trail Wallet has been a time saver for us. It is available as a download from iTunes and is suitable for iPhones and iPads.

Jane Dempster-Smith blogs at To Travel Too .

Listen to music on the go

In general, music is an essential part of my life. I like to listen to music in the background to match my mood and to motivate me to get things done.

When I first started using the Spotify app, I got hooked because it solved different problems for me. First, it’s pretty easy to create playlists and categorize my music accordingly.

Second, I have access to my music library with all my devices, and everything gets synchronized no matter if I’m using Android or iOS.

Third, Spotify offers me several ways to discover new music and keep growing my library, such as a personalized playlist created just for me or by showing me my friend’s public playlists.

Also, as you’ve probably already guessed, I pay for a Premium subscription so I get some extra perks, like no ads. Plus, I’m able to listen to my music offline as well.

The two playlists I always have on my phone are my Roadtrip and Running ones. The first one has songs that are fun to listen to while on a ride, and the second is mostly upbeat pumping music to drive my pace while jogging.

Also, sometimes when I travel, I search for music that relates to a destination to enhance my travel experience and even give me some insight into the local culture.

Bianca blogs at Nomad Biba .

Converse in any language

Google Translate has been an absolute lifesaver on my travels and is my top recommendation for the best travel apps for Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

While I try to learn a few words or phrases in the local language of the country I’m visiting, there are situations that come up that just can’t be solved with “delicious” or “thank you very much”.

With Google Translate, you can type in the phrase you’d like to say in English (or your native language), and it will translate it into the language of your choice.

Say you want to be sure the meal you ordered is vegetarian, or you want to know what time the next bus arrives.

You can choose to either have your phrase spoken so the person you’re interacting with can hear it, or you can show them the translated text.

My husband and I have used this to flag down a local man in Vietnam and tell him, “Our motorbike has a flat tire,” to which he helped us back to his home where he fixed the tire and his wife served us noodle soup.

Sometimes you have the opposite problem: You want to know what something in another language means.

Perhaps you’re reading a menu and you want to know exactly what you’re ordering.

You can either type in what you see, or you can use the photo-to-text feature. Simply snap a shot of the text in question, highlight it, and it will be translated for you.

This is especially helpful when you’re traveling in a country, like Thailand, where the alphabet is totally different from what you’re used to and typing it would be extremely difficult.

One thing I’d recommend is when you’re planning a trip, be sure to download the language package for the country you’re visiting ahead of time.

That way, you can use the app even if you don’t have cell service or Wifi (aka you’re on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere and desperately need directions!).

Katie Diederichs blogs at Two Wandering Soles .

Plan trips and share details with others

Sometimes the most useful things are free and right front of us. One such thing is the Apple Notes app. It’s my favorite app for planning my trips. I start it with a list of blogs to read. Gradually I build it up to have all the information in one place, including:

• Airline, car and hotel booking numbers, timing and other notes.
• Lists of things to see and places of visit
• Restaurant recommendations

During the course of my planning, I shortlist the categories and end up with an itinerary, which I refer to during the entire trip.

Some of my favorite features are:

• The ability to share the notes doc with everyone on the trip so we can all use it simultaneously.
• Notes is easily accessible and everyone with an iPhone has the Notes app at their fingertips – no need to install or learn a new app.
• The app is simple to use and has all the features I’ll ever need in my planning – tables, pictures, formatting etc.
• Notes syncs to iCloud when a connection is available. All the notes are available on all my devices, seamlessly. It doesn’t need WiFi. It always just works online or offline.

It really makes staying organized when I travel a snap!

Jyoti blogs at Story at Every Corner .

Convert currency on the go

GlobeConvert is a fantastic little app for travel. When you’re moving through multiple countries it can be hard to keep up with exchange rates.

In Southeast Asia one day we were in Cambodia using US Dollars, the next in Vietnam where it was nearly 30,000 Dong to the Pound! That takes a lot of working out.

A conversion app like this shouldn’t be that noticeable. It needs to do its job and nothing more.

For this, GlobeConvert is fantastic. It’s really fast, has large touchscreen buttons which make it easy to use and resets with one touch (quick tip, hold down the backspace key to reset all digits rather than tapping multiple times).

Importantly, it also doesn’t need to use data. You can refresh the exchange rates when you have a WiFi connection, and after that it will work without using expensive roaming charges.

You can add favourite currencies if you’re traveling to a lot of different countries and quickly swap the exchange rate between your home country and others.

It seems quite a boring app to recommend, but once you’ve used it you’ll see exactly why I won’t use a different one ever again.

Ben Reeve blogs at The Sabbatical Guide .

Hail a cab in China (there’s an English version)

If you are traveling to China, then you need to download the Didi app. In short, Didi is the Chinese version of Uber/ Lyft, and it’s the most popular ride-sharing app in China.

Similar to Uber/ Lyft, you can use Didi to book different types of cars and services. The major difference is that Didi also calls taxis for you in addition to regular drivers and some services provide a premium service.

Without Didi it’s virtually impossible to flag down a taxi on the streets in China now.

Once you download the Didi App (there is an English version) you can register with your non-Chinese phone number or Wechat, another very important app in China that’s similar to WhatsApp but much more.

There are four different categories on Didi, Luxe, Express, Premier and Taxi.

Taxi is pretty self-explanatory and actual fare is charged by meter. Luxe is when you want to schedule your ride with a luxury car and suited driver and it’s best for business purposes.

Express is similar to regular Uber and under Express there is “Express Pool” like Uber Pool, Express (like regular Uber/Lyft) and “Select”, which has newer cars and more experienced drivers.

Premier is a service with professional drivers and drivers with 5 stars and hence more expensive. Payment with Didi is simple, you can add a foreign credit card or simply use cash.

Most Chinese people use Ali pay or WeChat Payment but as a traveler, you may not have those set up, so cash or credit card works better.

Serena blogs at Serena Lenses .

T ranslate in China and elsewhere

Baidu Translate is a real lifesaver during your trip to China and is my recommendation for one of the best travel apps for Europe, Asia, or the Americas.

You don’t have to be worried about the language if you download this app before your trip. It’s a voice translation app that works for text-to-text translation.

There are many other popular languages you can translate from English by using this app. Baidu Translate is approved in China, so there’s no chance to be blocked.

You can download it for free on your iPhone or any Android phone. I loved most the voice translation feature of this app. Just turn on the speaker before speaking in English, and it will accurately translate in Chinese and vice versa.

This app also supports camera translation and can translate the text from the image. However, all features are only accessible when you’re online.

Baidu Translate doesn’t work in an offline mode; you must have a good Internet connection when using this most useful and best voice translation app based in China.

Nafisa Habib blogs at My Own Way to Travel .

Count your daily steps and stay motivated

Everyone likes getting something for nothing, am I right? My current favourite travel app is the Sweatcoin app. Sweatcoin converts your daily outdoor steps into currency, which can then be traded in for goods, services and gift cards.

The reason I love this app for traveling is because that’s when I walk the most. Whether you are out exploring a city on foot or hiking in the mountains, every step you do is a little piece of gold.

To start earning things for steps you would be doing anyway download the Sweatcoin app and create an account. The app will run in the background on your phone and use your phones GPS signal to track your steps. You don’t need to have mobile roaming turned on.

5,000 daily steps become 5.00 coins, 10,000 become 10.00 and so on. There are different monthly subscriptions that enable you to convert more steps per day.

Each subscription charges you a varying amount of coins each month (all made from your own steps – no real money is involved).

This app is a great app to motivate you to move even when you are at home and why not start earning something from your steps.

Erin blogs at Curiously Erin .

Plan your road trips

There’s nothing better than a good road trip.

Stock up on the snacks. Put together an awesome playlist. Gather a couple of friends, or go it solo, and hit the open road.

The key to a successful road trip is the planning, which makes Roadtrippers the perfect companion, especially since it’s web AND mobile friendly!

You don’t have to think about how to fit everything in because Roadtrippers takes all of your bucket list locations and creates the best possible route between them.

A huge bonus is the app also estimates how many miles you can expect to drive, AND about how much money you’ll spend on gas.

These are two factors that are very important when it comes to budgeting out a road trip, and two things you don’t need to worry as much about thanks to Roadtrippers.

Once you’ve planned out your trip you can then save it, share it with friends, and even edit it on the go if you have any last minute changes!

An additional perk, and probably one of the best features in my opinion, is the ability to find “hidden treasures” along your route, all thanks to the phone navigation synching which can help you find things in your own city, or in the locations you travel through, that you didn’t even know existed!

Lindsey Messenger blogs at Seven Day Weekender .

Get customer reviews before you commit

We’re full-time RV travelers and are always looking for tools that can help make our road trips easier to plan. One of my favorite apps is TripAdvisor. I love that I can use it on my phone or laptop to accomplish more than one task.

The first thing I use it for is to find campgrounds.

TripAdvisor has such a large collection of reviews that I always feel confident in the location before we show up.

Another terrific feature of the reviews functionality is that visitors can post their own photos.

This way you see what a resort looked like last week, not when it was first opened.

TripAdvisor also has a feature that allows you to message other users if you have questions on their reviews. I’ve actually used the feature a few times and have almost always received an answer.

Finally, TripAdvisor is great once we’ve arrived at a destination to help us find great activities and restaurants.

The other users always provide helpful tips for visiting different destinations.

I also really appreciate how the restaurants are sorted by type of food and price so I can find those that best fit our needs at the time.

Julie Chickery blogs at Chickery’s Travels .

One app that we always use on our trips and suggest everyone download is Maps.me. Maps.me is a free app that provides offline maps to users of Android, iOS, and Blackberry.

When we install the app, no map comes with it, but we only have to select the region and the country we want and download it. Being able to use all the maps information without needing to have mobile data is the biggest advantage of Maps.me.

And, it’s a crucial advantage if you don’t have a local sim card and with the steep prices of roaming data.

With Maps.me you can search and navigate to hotels, attractions, streets or whatever you are looking for.

One thing that I really like about Maps.me is how easy it is to search hotels within the app. The maps show the hotels that are on booking.com and gives information about rating and pricing.

This is great if you arrive at a town without a hotel booked.

Another thing Maps.me excels at (I believe it’s even better than Google Maps) is navigation on foot.

Maps.me has an incredible amount of trails marked and a remarkable detail, even in very remote locations.

When doing a hiking trail, I prefer to use maps.me, even if I have mobile data because it usually has the trail marked while google maps sometimes doesn’t.

Jorge and Claudia Bastos blog at Travel Drafts .

Find off-the-beaten-path locations to include in your itinerary

Here is yet another Maps.me recommendation.

Whether I’m planning a trip from home or while I’m already on the road, my number one travel tool is the free app Maps.me.

As you probably already guessed, Maps.me is an app that provides a map. It’s comparable to Google Maps. Except, Maps.me is much more accurate when it comes to biking and hiking trails and navigating in lesser developed countries in general.

Seriously, anything from small street vendors, hidden waterfalls, local supermarkets, and unknown gas stations are marked on Maps.me. Are you looking for off-the-beaten-path hikes, deserted beaches, or viewpoints?

I guarantee you can find them on this app. I even use Maps.me to navigate hikes that normally require guides! How’s that for one of the coolest travel planning tools!

When I’m planning a trip I always mark all the places I would like to visit on the map to get a general idea of how far apart they are.

Next, I use Maps.me to make a rough itinerary, and lastly, I use Maps.me to navigate to all my destination without using data!

Because the best part about Maps.me is that you can download the map of your destination and use all of Maps.me’s features when you’re offline, making Maps.me the perfect app for both planning your trip and for navigating during your trip!

Lara blogs at Bothe Feet on the Road

Organize your multi-city trips

Organizing a multi-city, multi-country trip can become really stressful really quickly.

I used to rely on emails, individual apps, and even printouts to try to keep everything organized, but inevitably things would get overlooked, or I’d be missing a crucial bit of information along the way.

Just before our last large overseas trip to the US and New Zealand, I heard about Tripit and it was an absolute game-changer!

We were organizing things at the last minute and it could have been a really complicated job – but Tripit made it easy. As soon as you book anything – accommodation, flights, car, etc. – all you need to do is forward your confirmation email to Tripit and all the information uploads into the app automatically. Magic!

You can enter things manually too if you prefer, but when booking multiple flights, places to stay and cars, it was incredibly useful to just flick an email through and everything would be input automatically.

Having all the information in one place also helped spot any gaps in our itinerary – like nights that still needed to be booked! And having all our booking references and flight times in one place while we were traveling was a real godsend.

You can even access it while offline! I still use the Tripit app now, even when booking short breaks, as it becomes a handy reference point of your past travels too!

Nadine Maffire blogs at Le Long Weekend .

Stay vegan while traveling

As a vegan world traveler, HappyCow is the app that I use the most when planning where I am going to eat during my travels. HappyCow is a global directory of vegan restaurants, vegetarian restaurants, and restaurants with vegan options all over the world.

It’s crowd-sourced, which means that users are adding new entries, photos and restaurant reviews every single day.

The HappyCow website has been around for nearly 20 years, but recently it has grown exponentially, thanks to the increased interest in veganism and plant-based eating.

And of course, now that there’s an app version, it’s even more convenient to use.

During the trip planning phase, one of the first things I do is take a look at HappyCow to see what kind of dining options there are in my destination.

But even if I don’t have time to do much pre-trip research, the app makes it really easy to find veggie food on the go.

Just click the “show everything nearby” button, and you’ll instantly see all the dining options that are closest to your current location, along with photos, user reviews and opening hours.

Even if you don’t identify as vegan or vegetarian, HappyCow is a great way to discover healthy alternatives to the fast food that it’s so easy to fall back on when traveling.

Wendy Werneth blogs at The Nomadic Vegan .

Locate vegetarian options beforehand

More Happy Cow raves! If you are a vegan or vegetarian traveller, then you might already know it’s not always easy to find hearty food.

The HappyCow app flags all the local vegan and vegetarian restaurants, along with places with great options and is one of the best travel planning tools for vegetarians.

Users can leave reviews to flag issues and give advice – for example, ‘ask for the veggie burger without mayo to make it vegan’, ‘best place for dairy-free ice cream’ and directions to hidden food stalls.

You can easily search for places in order of which is closest to your location and review the ratings, before bringing your restaurant of choice up on the map.

In challenging countries, this can save hours of researching meal times beforehand. This has been a lifesaver for me, particularly in countries known for their meaty diets.

For example, when travelling in Tokyo I discovered a whole network of amazing, vegan Buddhist restaurants through this app which I’d have never have found on foot.

Cassie blogs at Cassiethehag

I discovered Evernote about 5 years ago and fell in love with it instantly.

Evernote is a note-taking app with a free version and premium version with more functions and abilities. I like this app mostly because it’s simple and easy to use.

That’s the most important thing for me. I’m able to quickly bring up the app, jot down notes, and have all my notes sync across all my devices.

So something I type at home on my Evernote desktop app will show up on my phone when I’m out shopping or traveling.

Another big thing I love about Evernote is its ability to create folders for notes and be able to easily move them around when needed.

For example, when I travel to several cities/countries at a time, I like to create a new folder for each country, and within each folder, I can create separate notes that contain itinerary info, things to-do list, and a journal where I can document my trip!

Evernote is integral to keeping me organized while I’m traveling. If you have the premium version, you’re also able to upload pdf files, photos, itineraries, etc.

I can’t do without it in life! There are many note-taking apps nowadays but if you’re looking for simple and effective, Evernote is all that!

Jason blogs at Mint Habits .

Did we miss any? Let us know what your recommendations are for the best travel planning tools and apps.

If you’re looking for more travel tips, you might like this post:

• Travel Safety Tips You Need to Know

Here is a list of great reference books on travel planning tools and apps. Real time and money savers.

BTW, if you are getting ready for your trip, make sure to take advantage of these useful,  money-saving links  to book your trip:

• Research and  book your flight  with  Skyscanner . I have found them to be the best because they list all airlines including the budget ones. You are always sure of having researched all options.
• For  car rental around the world, Discover Cars has flexible pickup and drop-off options, I recommend   Discover Cars .
• Book your accommodation  with  Booking.com . I find they have a wide selection and a nice, user-friendly, transparent website.
• Protect your trip  and, more importantly, protect yourself with travel insurance. I use  Travelinsurance.com  and have been very happy with them.
• Looking for a  small group tour  to unforgettable destinations with top professionals?  Intrepid Trave l is your choice.
• For more  general tours  to any destination or attraction,  book with   Viator . Check them out.
• Need a visa?   Get your visa  for all countries with   Passport Visa Exp ress.
• Looking for a cool walking tour to explore a city? My favorite walking tours are offered by Take Walks.
• Food and drink tours are the best way to enjoy a city. And Devour Tours are my favorite.
• Looking for a good VPN to protect your security, privacy and freedom online while traveling? Nordvpn is your best option.
• The best and most economical way to stay connected while traveling is with an Airalo eSIM.

I personally use, and can recommend, all the companies listed here and elsewhere on my blog. By booking through these sites, the small commission we earn – at no cost to you – helps us maintain this site so we can continue to offer our readers valuable travel tips and advice.

Want more travel planning tools and tips? Check out these handy guides or this post on travel apps for your international trips .

Talek Nantes

7 responses.

Thank you for reading!

what a great list. Would also like to add ATM Fee Saver mobile app – it gives a list of ATMs in foreign countries with no fees or lower fees than others along with withdrawal limits etc., found it quite helpful while travelling. worth to add it to your list!

Thanks. I’m always learning looking for new tips.

Awesome Post… Like it.

Great post! I would perhaps add https://holiwise.com/ – they help you find travel destinations based on your preferences.

Thanks for the tip and for reading.

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The 50 Best Travel Websites and Travel Resources 2024

March 28, 2024

Here’s my collection of the top 50 travel websites and travel resources for all stages of dreaming, planning, booking and remembering your trip based on decades of professional travel. 

The Best Travel Resources for Booking and Planning Your Trip 2024

As a regular contributor to  The Independent’s 50 Best Travel Websites feature , I know my way around travel websites. As a frequent traveller myself, I practically live on the things.

From dreaming about a trip, planning a trip, writing up a trip and reviewing trips for work, these are the travel resources, online booking sites, search engines and route planners I use to help me get the job done. Booking travel without travel agents has never been easier – even if it doesn’t feel like it at times.

So here’s my list of the best travel websites for 2024. It’s the best time to uncover the best places.

If you book or buy through the links on this page, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. However, we only ever recommend things we believe in and use ourselves. We also don’t earn a commission from all of these travel websites. Alas ;-)

The Best Hotel Booking Sites for Special Occasions

To find the best hotels needs a little bit of legwork. If you’re looking for somewhere beautiful to stay with a real travel experience, then try these sites first. If you’re looking for something more practical, jump on down to the next section.

Here are the top travel websites when it comes to boutique hotels:

Design Hotels

Beautiful, stylish and with up to 40% off for members, the chic and sleek Design Hotels website is a firm favourite of mine. Membership is free, quick and easy on the eye.

Best Loved Hotels

Best Loved Hotels gathers together properties from the UK and Ireland that show a real passion for what they do. From countryside manors to city break boltholes, I’ve stayed in several of their properties and have loved each one.

Mr & Mrs Smith

You may be forgiven for thinking this gorgeous collection was all about romance, but beyond finding great places for anniversaries and honeymoons, Mr & Mrs Smith cover great child friendly places too. Not just a website for inspiration, you can book directly on the site.

Small Luxury Hotels

The name says it all. Small Luxury Hotels   collect together independently minded hotels on their website and promise – and deliver – an authentic travel experience.

Leading Hotels of the World

Another website that wears its heart on its sleeve, Leading Hotels of the World gather together more than 375 luxury properties (including resorts) around the world.

MyBoutiqueHotel.com

With a great eye for design, MyBoutiqueHotel.com , as the name suggests, sources boutique hotels from around the world available for direct booking. Properties are combined into an easy on the eye collection, with curated lists for main cities plus the ability to create your own shortlists as you narrow down your choice. Membership is free and the themed lists save hours of research. You’ll find budget and luxury boutique hotel choices and can drill down to those suitable for work, for the kids, for romantic getaways and more.

The Best Hotel Booking Sites for the Best Deals and Specifics

These are the best travel websites for 2024 for booking flight and hotel packages together or for searching for accommodation when you have very specific needs. These online travel agencies let you trawl through thousands of places to stay in the blink of an eye. Plus, several offer exceptional hotel deals for your next adventure.

cozycozy.com

Describing itself as a search engine for accommodation, CozyCozy.com is an exciting newcomer on the hotel booking block. It rounds up offers from hotels, rentals, hostels, treehouses and boats into one easy to use platform. You’ll find the giants, like Booking.com and AirBnB and VRBO, as well as smaller accommodation solutions too. By searching with Cozycozy.com, you can save yourself a lot of time. They won’t cover everything. But they come pretty close.

A few more things to note. They guarantee that the price you see is the price you pay. They have a range of filters that go further than the rest (think searching for a hairdryer or washing machine.) And, my favourite. They have an “unusual” tab that opens up possibilities you may never have known existed. Yurt for one anyone?

Lastminute.com

I’ve grown old with Lastminute.com , originally because I fell in love with the name. But over the years, I still find them useful for last minute city break or resort based holidays (vacation packages if you’re from the US.) They’re an online travel agency with easy to navigate interface and lots of last-minute deals!

Expedia is SO big and all-encompassing that it’s sometimes easy to get lost within the website. But that’s also its strength for when your travel plans don’t fit into the travel sites I’ve mentioned above.

TripAdvisor

The great green travel website can really give you an inside look at a hotel. Yes, some of the reviews are fake but even the bad reviews can be helpful. One person’s “bad review” because there was no nightlife is another’s blissful discovery if they want a quiet, relaxing stay.

Plus, you get the benefit of booking through a trusted source with backup. AND the TripAdvisor community is really helpful if you have specific niggly questions about tourist destinations or are looking for great ideas.

Booking.com

Booking.com offers more search filters for hotels than anything else I’ve come across in the travel industry. When the specifics really matter (rather than the sense of atmosphere or design) then I turn to Booking.com It’s a powerful hotel search engine, with guest houses and self-catering options as well.

Top tips for finding the best travel deals

• Look for off peak options whenever you can.
• Don’t just stick to the big booking websites. Check out the smaller, unique travel websites as well.
• Consider flying from regional airports.
• Have a system! Our handy Travel Toolbox © will help with this.

Finding Great Flight Deals

There is, quite simply, an art to finding a good flight. Not just in terms of cost but also in terms of comfort and connection. It really is a useful life skill to be able to skip the travel agent and find what you want yourself.

With that in mind, check out our guide to the  best flight booking hacks for savvy travellers here.  

Then, get acquainted with the following flight search engines, for both domestic and international flights.

Skyscanner is the travel agent boyfriend or girlfriend with special deals you never had. Skyscanner listens, remembers your birthday, cleans your windscreen and empties the bin even when it isn’t its turn.

Well, OK, it doesn’t do any of that but  it DOES make it very, very easy to look for flights. Instead of forcing you to enter the same details in, or tie you to a date, Skyscanner uses filters and choices that simplify the flight-finding process. You can also search by price and switch currencies between dollars, euros, sterling and more. For both domestic and international travel.

If you have any flexibility in your planning, Skyscanner can let you search through the whole month for the best fare, slide filters for time of day, number of connections, just about anything. The only weak spot is searching for flights with infants, where the system is a little glitchy. Other than that, it’s one of the best airfare sites.

Don’t be put off by the watery name. Kayak is a meta search engine that crawls the web for flights and lets you sift through the results with ease. If you’re committed to finding the cheapest flights, then make sure you check everywhere you can.

Google Flights

Fellow travel professionals swear by Google Flights, although it’s never quite become one of my favourites. The strength of using Google’s software is that it responds quickly to real time changes. Perfect if your flight has just been cancelled because of weather or some other external event and you need to find your way home quickly.

You can even use Siri. “Hey google, give me search results for flights to New York!”

Travel experiences await.

The Best Travel Websites for Driving Holidays

You’re in road trip heaven here. We love road trips and have everything for them. Check out these great resources for planning a road trip.

Your Road Trip Toolkit

• The road trip essentials you need to know about
• The Ultimate Road Trip Planner  with printables and handbook
• 101 fun road trip questions for your next drive
• I nspiring road trip quotes for your instagram caption ideas.

AA Route Planner

This is another travel website that I love for its simplicity. Want to know how to get from A to B? Enter it in the AA Route Planner. It shows you a map and clear journey times in a split second. You can just leave it at that or add in stop off points and adjust for traffic and so on. The only problem is that it only covers driving in Europe.

MapQuest offers fantastic coverage of the United States and is free and easy to use to help plot our road trips.

Google Maps

Google Maps , on the other hand, cover the world. But it’s slightly more fiddly to use. It’s a lifesaver while actually on the road but it’s also useful in planning.

You can save destinations, plot itineraries and tweak public maps for your own trips. And – did you know that you can download maps and directions offline? Indeed, you can. It’s not only an online travel site.

Car Rental Travel Resources

I’ve driven cars all around the world and used all kinds of car rental companies and rental cars. Sometimes needs must but these days, wherever possible, I book through a reputable, international company. Then I look for car rental deals.

Hertz is one of my favourites. It’s so widespread and well-organised. Plus, as an inside tip, if you sign up to their Gold members programme (for free) you can quickly get lots of benefits.

However, for more of a search comparison site, I use Holiday Autos and then open RentalCars.Com in a new tab.

• Don’t forget to download your free copy of our car rental checklist here.

Healthy Tray of Treats Room Service at One Aldwych, Covent Garden

The Best Travel Resources for Health

Centers for disease control and prevention.

Clearly, you should consult your own doctor before you travel. But, the CDC Travel Website is the one my medical friends recommend. So, don’t rely on it entirely. You do need an appointment with a real person. But it’s helpful to get an idea of what vaccinations and medication you are likely to need for certain countries before you decide to book. This applies all the more if your situation has changed due to a recent illness or pregnancy.

The Best Travel Websites for Saving Money

Money saving expert.

Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert website firmly focuses its attention on a UK audience. It provides regularly updated and researched guides on essentials from currency exchange to travel insurance and finding cheap flights.

They also crunch the numbers with credit cards, publishing spreadsheets and tables to help you navigate the world of credit card rewards and the best way to save money.

Travel Insurance

I’d always recommend checking out the guide above before you book. But one of my favourite places to go for travel insurance is Heymondo.

Roaming Costs: Airalo

Unless you have roaming fees included in your usual phone package, remember to switch off mobile data when you travel.

Instead, embrace the brilliance of an eSIM. That means, you switch SIM cards without having to physically pop the plastic cover out of your phone using the back of an earring, hoping you don’t lose it before you head home again.

I’ve tested Airalo all across the world, including North America, Europe and the Middle East. It’s fantastic. So quick. So much money saved.

Train Travel Resources

Db rail planner for train travel in europe.

I love the DB site. It covers almost all of Europe and has an English version online travel website that is so easy to use.

National Rail Journey Planner

National Rail itself may be long gone but as a travel website, the National Rail Journey Planner is the best I’ve found to negotiate the different rail networks of the UK.

Eurail (Formerly InterRail)

Forget the sweaty backpacker image. The Eurail network includes First Class rail travel through glossy transport hubs. You can buy a range of rail passes or simply use their maps, itineraries and suggestions to help you plan your rail trip through Europe.

Heathrow Express

This remains the fastest way to reach the city centre of London from London’s Heathrow Airport, as well as Paddington Station, the gateway to the west, southwest and Wales. Using the Heathrow Express website in advance, you can book tickets for as little as  £5.50. Plus, children 15 and under travel for free.

The Elizabeth Line in London

A sneaky little bit of inside info. To save money on the Heathrow Express, take the slightly slower “normal” train from Paddington to Heathrow instead. Costs a fraction of the price and is generally more comfortable.

If you’re looking to travel through Japan, then you can’t miss their high speed shinkansen trains. They’re part of what Japan is famous for. Buy your Japan Rail pass before you go to get the best deals as a tourist.

The Best Travel Websites for Honeymoons and Anniversaries

While you can build your own honeymoon through the travel resources above, niche travel website 101 Honeymoons takes the hard work out of the equation for you. It filters honeymoons by month, interest and family situation, with trusted input from some of the top travel writers in the trade.

My Favourite Cruise Travel Resources

Everyone has different tastes. I prefer smaller cruises with plenty of cultural and adventurous options and excursions. Look for cruise lines which aim to introduce people to the destination and respect local customs rather than just keep people on the ship.

I would highly recommend Avalon Waterways for cruises in Europe and beyond and Uncruise Adventures for small ship cruising in Alaska.

In 2022, I took my first giant cruise with Princess Cruises – and you can read what that was like here.

The Best Tour Companies

It took me years to believe it but sometimes joining a tour, just for half a day, is a great way of connecting with locals and learning new skills.

These days, it’s easier than ever to find just the tour you need as one of the latest trends has become a permanent fixture. In popular destinations, it’s also useful to use these sites to skip the queues and buy your tickets in advance.

You can search for recommendations on travel blogs (ahem) or head straight to the big search sites.

I’ve tested both of these across the world and would highly recommend them:

• Get Your Guide has great cancellation policies and an easy booking process.
• Viator has a huge collection of local guides, transfers from the airport, cooking classes and more.

The Best UK Travel Websites

Self catered cottages.

For ease of use, the app that comes with Sykes Cottages makes it easy to plan a trip away in snippets of down time in a busy life. Quality Cottages sweeps some gorgeous luxury cottages into view in Wales.

Glampingly remains my favourite site for finding quirky yet comfortable glamping spots in Europe. Want to know why? Check out this collection of the best treehouse holidays in the UK.

With a mix of glamping and alternative places to sleep, C anopy and Stars fills in the gaps.

A special, self-catered foodie twist

To add a sense of luxe to your self-catered holiday, order in a gourmet meal from One Fine Dine. This private jet catering company now packages up incredible meals with full instructions on how to finish them off and plate them up. Adds a lovely sense of occasion to a self-catered trip away.

In Conclusion

And one last note. Are you American and wondering why I’m not talking about dream vacation packages? I am, we just call them holidays in the UK. And car rentals are hire cars. And travel guides are, well, travel guides. I guess some things stay the same after all ;-)

Did you enjoy this collection of the best travel websites and travel resources for 2024? Bookmark this list of travel websites on Pinterest for later.

For more travel tips, check out our travel resources on how to plan your next trip here.

Our Favourite Travel Resources for 2024

• Download your FREE pre-trip checklist
• Download your copy of the Ultimate Travel Packing Checklist

Some of the best travel resources can be those you create yourself. Here are some creative travel journal ideas to get you started. Future you will be grateful!

Best online travel sites 2022

Use the best online travel sites to plan your trip ahead of time so you can enjoy your time away.

• Buying advice
• Testing process

The best online travel sites are wonderful not only plan your next trip for peace of mind, they're also a fun way to get excited ahead of your next adventure. You can simply go to one site and plan most of your trip's main parts from flights and hotels to rental cars and excursions. If what you're after is just hotel bookings, check out our list of the best hotel booking sites .

While what many of these sites offer is similar, it's the way in which they do it which is important. The last thing you need is a stress-inducing website when planning to go away to relax and unwind. So we've reviewed the best sites based on their price, of course, but also on the way they work, with the ease of use and clarity as important features. We also checked to make sure you won't suffer any extra charges added on top at the last minute. Plus, we took rewards schemes into account, which could help you save money upfront or in the longer term if you use some sites more than once.

With all that in mind, these are the very best online travel sites out there right now.

The best online travel sites

1. expedia.com: best online travel site overall .

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Expedia is a big name in online travel sites and hotel booking services and owns many popular sites like Hotels.com and Hotwire.com. We're fans of the original, though, thanks to its clean and straightforward to use interface. Hit the packages section of the site, and you can add up to five connecting flights, choose to add accommodation for all of or only part of your trip, and tag on car rentals too. 

It's all suitably well laid out, and it only takes a few seconds to start putting together your itinerary. However, we do wish there were a few more options for filtering out accessibility issues. Still, for most people, Expedia.com has everything they'll need, and there's even the option of a cruise too if you fancy it. It's as aspirational to look at as it is useful to, well, use and there are extra discounts for booking multiple parts of your vacation with the site. A Things To Do section rounds off the site's bid to help you plan your entire trip in one place.

2. Booking.com: Best for ease of use

Booking.com

Booking.com is a giant in the world of holiday bookings and not only offers over half a million properties in more than 207 countries but also offers flights and car rental services too. As such you can do it all from this one spot which makes it a very easy-to-use option. That said, there is a lot going on, and the user interface can be a little overwhelming at times. 

But with a superb rewards program, it is a great option that encourages you to keep coming back, making it easier to use as you become accustomed. You can even sort your taxi hire from this site meaning there is very little to think about when you get traveling as it's all been planned ahead of time. You also don't have to pay a booking fee on lots of hotels, allowing you to remain flexible – ideal if you're traveling about a lot on your journey.

3. CheapTickets.com: Best for finding things to do 

CheapTickets.com

CheapTickets is another site acquired by Expedia, but it does things a little differently. You can easily add on flight, hotel, and car or any combination of the three for package deals, although multiple flights are under a different option. So far, so Expedia (if less intuitive), but you can also clearly purchase event tickets from the site, which is far more useful if you want a one-stop-shop place to buy your trip. It's something other sites provide, but CheapTickets is that bit keener to entice you into the process, even if the site itself is a little cheesier looking than others. 

There's also the site's Vacation Value Finder, which lets you tweak how much you're willing to spend and what you're looking for from a vacation before making some fun suggestions. It's perfect for finding a last-minute deal if you don't have your heart set on one place. Students will also appreciate a section dedicated to them with extra discounts once you verify you're a student. All in all, it's a great varied site for numerous different needs. 

4. Priceline.com: Best for user reviews 

Priceline.com

Priceline is a big deal in the online travel site world for a good reason. It's effortless to use with options available for flights, cars, hotels, or any combination of the three. It's mildly annoying that Priceline's super cheap Pricebreaker deals don't extend to bundles, so you won't get an incredible bargain like you would if you booked separately. However, combining the set is still a worthwhile deal with discounts offered for the more you bundle together. 

One thing we really appreciated is that every hotel we looked at had dozens of reviews, and they're all from verified customers. It takes seconds to gain a reasonably accurate picture of what to expect from wherever you're considering booking. That's the perfect peace of mind when you're booking online, and you can't be sure of what you're getting without user reviews backing hotel statements up. Clearly laid out, you can focus on enjoying rather than worrying. Finally, Priceline is keen to make its VIP scheme easily accessible with straightforward discounts offered to you over time -- something that not all sites so clearly highlight. 

5. Kayak.com: Best for aggregated results 

If you're short on time, Kayak is pretty useful. That's because you simply enter where you want to go, and it aggregates results from multiple different sources. While it means you never book directly with Kayak, it does mean you get results quickly and without having to search around yourself, even if you will feel a bit overwhelmed with adverts while you search. 

The site itself looks a little basic, but under the hood is a surprising number of different filters (although no accessibility ones to speak of) and all the critical information you could require, although obviously you'll be sent to another site for the full details. The site also has a deals section, which has some great bargains for things you can do once you reach your destination, along with cheap car rental deals. It might not be pretty, but if you simply don't want to do the groundwork yourself, Kayak has you covered. It can be a real time-saver, and we reckon it's particularly useful if you're mostly researching possible trips in the future and want rough price estimates. Just watch out for the fact you can’t bundle in car rental deals. 

6. Hotwire.com: Best for renting properties 

Hotwire keeps things straightforward. All you need to do is enter what you're looking for, and a somewhat dated interface tells you what's available. It's not as pretty as some sites, but we really liked the extensive property type filters available. Want to stay on a houseboat or in a chalet at your destination? Hit the relevant filter, and you can find out if that's an option in the locale. That might not matter if your heart is set on a hotel, but it's a nice bonus even amongst the awkward site layout. 

Elsewhere, it's mostly business as usual, but that's no bad thing. Well laid out discounts are available to compare reasonably quickly, and most locations have plenty of reviews. If you feel like tracking down specific deals, you can do that too, with the site keen to offer up discounts to central locations if you're not quite sure where you'd like to visit next. It feels like the site needs updating when you compare it to its rivals, but it works well and speedily enough.

7. Agoda: Best for private home rental in Asia 

Agoda is a great option if you want to look for accommodation that isn't a hotel as this specializes in offering apartments and private rentals. In fact, there are dedicated market managers that work on finding properties, especially in Asia. As such you can find unique destination rentals at decent rates and should you change your mind there is a helpful 24-hour free cancellation policy in place. 

Everything is very easy to use and if you want to make more than one booking you can make great savings. Customer support is also a plus, as there is a 24-hour multilingual customer support service available when booking. With millions of reviews, Agoda makes finding a property very easy with a feeling of trust that can offer great peace of mind.

What to look for in an online travel site

Booking Travel Packages Travel packages can let you combine flights, hotel reservations and car rentals together for a better deal than booking separately. Some companies, like Priceline, pick hotels and flights for you, to get you to your destination for the lowest price. Other companies let you mix and match flights, hotels and car rentals to fit your schedule.

Booking Airfare One of the biggest reasons for searching on a travel site is to find cheap airfare. While there are dozens of airfare-specific websites, travel sites also give you the option to add hotel stays and car rentals. The best travel sites combine flight information from over nine different airlines and let you sort flights by price, number of stops, duration and flight class.

Booking International Travel Finding airfare for international travel is the easiest part of booking an overseas trip. AirGorilla helps you find accommodations and rent GPS units with your rental car, so you can find your way around. Often, sites will recommend hotels that are far from your actual destination or event. Searching for reservations on a site that gives accommodation recommendations will help you schedule an international trip with less stress.

How we tested the best online travel sites

We looked at how easy each site is to use during our testing, such as how quickly the site loaded and how easy it was to find what we were looking for. We considered whether the site felt cluttered with adverts or seemed like a dated interface. We also looked at how easy it was to find Contact Us pages, price guarantee information, and any kind of special deals section. 

We also considered how easily bundle deals could be arranged and how extensive they were and any potential discounts tied to them. We checked filter options to see how flexible and easy it was to look up different needs along the way.

We looked at trips between Los Angeles and Miami, Paris to Lisbon, and New York City to Los Angeles during testing. We also looked at lesser-known routes to see if they were also catered for appropriately.

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Jennifer has been freelancing for over 10 years. In the past, she's written about all things tech and gaming wise for outlets as varied as The Independent, Playboy, Eurogamer, and TechRadar. In her spare time, she spends far too much time watching films, attempting to train her pet guinea pigs, and mastering making the perfect burrito.  She's a full time freelancer, but a regular tech news contributor to Top Ten Reviews.

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The Best Travel Websites: Super Useful Sites You’ll Use All The Time

Last Updated: July 1, 2023

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The internet is packed with travel websites to help you with every aspect of the game, and since I started traveling full-time in 2007, that landscape has changed dramatically.

Below, I list my favourite travel websites – and I keep updating this article because sites come and go. Some of these travel websites are newer to my repertoire, and others, old trustworthy friends that have stood the test of time.

In all cases, these travel websites are a part of my regular routine of travel; be it managing finances , booking travel, saving money , finding volunteer opportunities , and more. They are bookmarked and visited regularly , and I know you’ll use them all the time too.

Enjoy this collection of useful travel websites that will help you make your own travels a smooth ride.

See also:  46 Hidden Travel Costs You Can Avoid to Save Money

Table of Contents:

Best Travel Websites for Flights

Best websites for booking overland travel.

Best Travel Websites for Booking Accommodation (Without Overpaying)

Best Travel Websites for Finding Tours & Activities

Best Websites for Doing Stuff Online While Traveling

How to Use These Sites to Research, Book, & Save on Flights

Researching and booking flights is one of my least favourite travel tasks. But I’m pretty good at it, since I can often save up to 70% of the cost of airfare with some hard-earned leg-work – often resulting in long-haul business class flights for less than the price of an equivalent economy ticket.

(See also: A Beginner’s Guide to Frequent Flyer Miles and How to Start Travel Hacking Like a Pro)

While I don’t tend to do a lot of research or booking of flights with my smartphone (I prefer to dedicate my time and concentration to the task with my laptop), it’s worth noting that I love using the smartphone app Hopper to monitor flights over time and determine the best time to buy (ie: when the flight is at its lowest predictable price). I even found in one case that I got a cheaper price by booking my flight through the Hopper app rather than directly with the airline.

(See also:   25 of the Best, Must-Have Travel Apps)

Having said that, I have generally learned (the hard way) that booking flights directly with the airline is best. I do this for a few reasons, including the after-service (eg: if there are problems at the airport) being much easier than going through an internet portal with minimal customer service and likely extra booking fees. Also, more than once I discovered a too-good-to-be-true itinerary on one of the many (reputable!) flight aggregators was just that: too good to be true, and it resulted in my itinerary being changed in torturous ways only after I’d laid down my credit card .

It’s also worth noting that regardless of which site you use to search flights with, it’s best to cross-reference that search on another site. This article on Business Insider demonstrates the difference between Google Flights and Kayak, including criteria/options displayed and some pretty significant price discrepancies.

Oh, I could write a novel about booking flights, if I didn’t detest the task (booking flights, that is) so much. Instead, I’ll get out of my own way and suggest the best travel websites I use for researching flights (with the knowledge that I generally proceed directly to the airline to book the actual ticket):

ITA Matrix – Best Search Engine for Flights (for Advanced Searches)

The ITA Matrix site o ffers sophisticated search functions such as setting the sales city and currency (which can affect pricing). Other bells and whistles include a beefy multi-city search function, a cost-per-mile filter, and an interactive calendar.

However smartphone warriors will know that the app for this site was discontinued in December of 2017, which makes me wonder if this travel website is also on its way out.

Frankly ITA Matrix is a bit of a dinosaur, and Google Flights (below) is actually built on the ITA Matrix database! But, if you want to do some of the more sophisticated searches as mentioned above, then ITA Matrix offers this higher level of functionality. Google Flights is prettier and a bit more user friendly.

Google Flights – Best Travel Website to Search Flexible Dates Flights

Google Flights is great for searching broader criteria if you’re open to flying into a different airport to save money.

You can also see at a glance when selecting your search dates what the prices look like across the month so you can kick off your search with the cheapest dates.

And if you’re just searching for a giggle, the Explore Destinations feature is great for discovering where in the world is open to you with some very broad criteria.

Kayak – Best Travel Site for Cheap Flights

Aside from the Business Insider article discovering that Kayak revealed cheaper flights than Google Flights, Kayak is also known for their price alerts and hacker fares (combining flights with different airlines to give you the best overall price).

You can also see at a glance in the search results whether there are extra luggage fees .

Kiwi – Best for Travel Hacker Flight Searches

Kiwi combines many aspects from the flight search engines above including exploring regions instead of destinations, revealing hacker fares , searching budget airlines, showing you if a round-trip fare is cheaper than one-way, hidden city ticketing, self-transfers, and their Nomad feature which finds the cheapest way for you to explore a multi-destination itinerary.

They also take hacker fares to another level, providing a guarantee that if you book a hacker fare with them, and miss a connecting flight with a different airline (something for which there normally is no recourse), they’ll take care of you. However taking advantage of this feature does break my cardinal rule of booking directly with the airline.

At one point rumour had it that they were a bit sneaky with checked baggage fees, which tend to be more expensive than if you paid the airline directly. Then again if Kiwi saves you as much money as their raving fans out there indicate, perhaps an inflated checked luggage fee isn’t so bad.

Bonus Flights Site:

Seatguru – best travel website for seat selection.

Nothing can ruin a long-haul (or even a short-haul) flight more than a truly crappy seat. Likewise, your flight could be a dream if you had the right seat.

SeatGuru will show you the exact airplane you’re flying in based on the airline/route/date, and will alert you to the good seats, the bad seats, and the seats with cautionary notes.

I use this site every single time when selecting seats for flights, so I can choose the best available seat.

Whenever I can, I like to travel overland instead of in the air. It ’s not only more environmentally friendly, but it’s often more cost-effective, and a much more “organic” way of traveling.

Overland travel gives you a better perspective on the distance you’re traveling and the terrain along the way.

My vehicle of preference (by far) is the train ( I did write a book about some seriously epic train journeys after all, and later experienced the most luxurious train journey in the world , in India). It’s so easy to lose hours just watching the world go by.

But there are also buses, cars, bicycles, and feet to get you from A to B.

Here are some websites that help me make the most of booking overland travel :

The Man in Seat Sixty-One – For Train Lovers

As a train travel evangelist , this site is a dream come true.

While train routes are the main attraction, this site is dedicated to overland travel; you’ll find out how to navigate the rails, buses, and even ferry networks around the world.

There are detailed descriptions on how to book the most cost-effective travel, and lots of information about what to expect of the journey.

Rome2Rio – Best for Finding ALL the Ways to Get from A to B

Enter in your point of origin and destination – be the distance local or international – and Rome2Rio will show you all the various modes (and combinations) of transportation (including flights) that will get you there, along with price and time estimates.

Without leaving the site, you can see schedules for each leg of the journey, with an easy click through to the transportation carrier in question for booking.

Best Websites for Car Rentals

I almost never rent cars. In general it’s not cost-effective, and given my style of slow travel and staying in a destination for a few months at a time, I rarely find myself in a situation where renting a car is practical or useful.

Having said that, whenever I DO need to rent a car or if I’m planning a road trip, I consult vehicle relocation services to see what’s possible.

This is a fabulous way to rent a car (or campervan) for almost-free!

For more information on this unique and cost-effective way to rent cars, check out Almost-Free Road Trips With Vehicle Relocation .

Best Travel Websites for Booking Hotels & Accommodation (Without Overpaying)

It’s worth noting that my favourite form of accommodation is the free kind. Since I started traveling full-time in 2006, I’ve saved over $100,000 in accommodation expenses alone, using a variety of different techniques and websites; it ’s one of my claims to fame . 

There are many different websites to help you find different kinds of free accommodation, so instead of recreating them all here, I’m going to direct you to this article which will give you everything you need to know: The Creative Guide to Free or Cheap Accommodation .

But sometimes, you’ll want to pay for accommodation. Free accommodation isn ’t ever really truly free; it comes with obligations such as taking care of pets (as in house-sitting) or other tasks (as in volunteering). Sometimes the location isn’t ideal depending on what you want to do at your destination, or how long you wish to stay.

And even if you’re on your way to a free accommodation gig, you’ll probably need a few nights at a hotel or hostel on your way in or out of the country. There will always come a time when you need to book some accommodation, even if you’re a full-time house-sitter!

Click here if you are resolute on accumulating frequent flyer miles for hotel stays . 

And if you’re booking monthly accommodation as a digital nomad, check out this resource – it’s my #1 go-to for finding longer term places! How to Book Monthly Accommodation (Alternatives to AirBnB) .

Here are my various strategies and the travel websites that will help you book accommodation most effectively :

Booking.com

Whenever I’m booking a hotel or hostel, I start with Booking.com to get a sense of what is out there and how much it costs. I appreciate the site ’s extensive search filters, and the information about how far various conveniences are (so I know I won’t be stuck in the boonies with no way to get around).

I also rely heavily on the user reviews and photos so I know what I’m getting.

There are no reservation fees, and with their price guarantee you can rest assured you’re not getting fleeced. Many properties allow you to pay them directly (you only use Booking.com for the reservation), and in many cases you can cancel the reservation for free up to 24 hours prior to checking in.

After making five bookings through Booking.com, you will qualify for “.Genius” status which affords you perks like 10% off, early check-in, late check-out, WiFi, free breakfast, etc.

(Please note that if you use the link or search widget above to make a booking, I will earn a wee commission, which doesn’t affect your price, but does certainly help me to keep The Professional Hobo running as a free travel resource for you. Thank you in advance!)

Rooms for Change

I have become increasingly committed to ensuring the money I spend abroad goes to the right places.

Did you know that 90% of the money you spend to stay at an all-inclusive resort trickles back to foreign company owners?

Instead of padding a foreign conglomerate’s pockets, I’d rather support the local community. Rooms for Change helps to do this by allowing you to search for smaller locally-owned hotels and businesses. A portion of their profits also go to charity.

For more eco-friendly ways to book your travel, check this out: Eco-Friendly Travel Companies and Booking Tools .

Worldpackers

Worldpackers is a great website to search for accommodation for a few reasons.

First of all, if you’re on a budget and want a creative immersive travel experience, you’ll find all kinds of cool work-exchange opportunities that offer free accommodation in trade for a few hours of work per day.

But WorldPackers goes beyond traditional work exchange websites because they also have Social Impact and Eco Program volunteer opportunities that allow you to give back (and still get free accommodation – win win)! 

Not only that, but you can filter your searches for hosts who have recently approved applications and are looking for volunteers (so you don’t waste time reaching out to hosts who haven’t been active on the platform).

Even better, they’ve just developed the WorldPackers Academy with over 800 video lessons and online courses. There’s a free track ( Traveling With WorldPackers ), and two paid tracks (one is Planning and Budgeting for Travel , the other is Making a Living While Traveling as a Lifestyle ). Both include content made by dozens of travel content creators – and if you use the discount code PROFESSIONALHOBO, you’ll get $10 off.

Using the link above will get you $10 off membership, normally priced at $49 (and I will also earn a small referral fee).

Longer Stays (Facebook Groups, Local Search)

While AirBnB is a popular choice for people who want to rent accommodations suitable for longer stays, I tend to avoid it. Partly because I have some beefs with AirBnB as a platform (and how it is negatively affecting local economies and living situations for locals since it evolved from its original roots in the sharing economy), and partly because it’s just plain overpriced.

You will pay a premium to book a long stay through AirBnB in advance, even with the long-stay discounts offered. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Now sometimes, it’s worth it, because the alternative can be nerve-wracking. Or sometimes (as I recently did), you can contact the owner directly through the platform and negotiate a different price.

The alternative? Arrive at your destination and from there, begin the search for a privately-owned apartment. Your success with this strategy will depend heavily on the destination, but I have done this in both Southeast Asia and South America. Local Facebook groups are a great place to start in such a search.

Here’s a more in-depth breakdown of this strategy: How to Find an Apartment in Chiang Mai.

If that kind of travel accommodation search doesn’t float your boat (or if you’re not visiting a place conducive to such searches, check out this entire list of resources to help you find monthly accommodation without ever using AirBnB!

Best Travel Websites to Find Local Tours & Activities

When I arrive at a destination, I tend to ask around for good places to go and things to do.

If I’m looking for a place to eat or drink nearby, I also use the “Explore” function in my Google Maps app. (Here are a bunch of other apps I swear by ).

But when I’m looking for activities or tours or ways to immerse in the local culture, I try to find things where my money can support the local community.

H ere are a few great go-to websites to find fun, socially-responsible things to do while traveling:

I’ve written about Withlocals a couple of times already, including in my gigantic guide about  How to Travel on a Budget .

But it bears mentioning again here , since it’s a great way to find tours that are both cost-effective and offered by locals, ensuring your money is being funnelled into the local economy rather than a foreign conglomerate.

Their list of destinations is increasing, but for the most part they are in Europe and Asia.

If I can’t find what I’m looking for on the above site, I head over to Viator. It’s a gigantic aggregator of tours and travel services around the world. You’ll find a bit of anything and everything. Just by browsing what’s available, you’ll get a great sense of what activities are popular in certain destinations.

(Please note if you click on the link or widget and book a tour through Viator, I’ll receive a wee commission, which doesn’t affect your price, and allows me to keep The Professional Hobo running smoothly. Thank you for your support!)

When I was in Hong Kong , I discovered how awesome free walking tours are.

You meet up with a local who gives you their take on their town; be it historical, food-related, architecture, etc. You get to see your destination through a local’s eyes, get great suggestions for things to do and places to eat, and you often get to experience a few things that most travelers wouldn’t know about nor get the chance to do.

Guruwalk is a database of free walking tours around the world.

Now don’t be like me and assume that the walking tour is actually free. While there is no price to attend, your local guide isn’t there entirely out of the goodness of their heart; they are there to earn your tips. You pay according to the value you feel you received – so don’t be stingy, because again, this is a fabulous way to get your money into local hands and directly contribute to the local economy.

Are you intrigued by my dedication to responsible travel with many of the recommendations in this article? It’s because I recently wrote an article about responsible travel – and was horrified during the research process at the unexpected pitfalls and ways travelers unwittingly harm rather than help local economies and cultures. Check it out here: How to be a Responsible Traveller: 5 Unexpected Pitfalls

Best Resources for Doing Stuff Online While Traveling

These days, almost everybody travels with some form of indispensable technology. Be it a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or some combination of the three – these devices perform a variety of tasks that make life on (and off) the road easier, help us to earn a location independent living , and much more.

In fact, I’ve created an entire new section on my website called Travel Lifestyle Guides – chock full of resources for Digital Nomads and people who like long-term travel.

In my original inca ntation of this article I outlined a few of the websites I use to back up my stuff, surf securely, and manage my website on the go.

I have since written separate entire guides for each of these (and many more) topics! So instead of reiterating this content, I’ll direct you to the relevant resources here:

How to Protect Your Information by Backing Everything Up

How to Get Paid, Pay for Goods and Services, and Transfer Money to Others

How to Surf Securely and Protect Your Data with a VPN

How to Create and Manage a Travel Blog

How to Manage and Track Your Frequent Flyer Miles

What are your favourite travel websites? Please share in the comments!

48 thoughts on “The Best Travel Websites: Super Useful Sites You’ll Use All The Time”

Excellent collection of websites. A few of these I’m not familiar with so I’ll have to go check them out!

@Laura – Great! Let me know what you think!

really useful for travelers. thanks for this!

A few of these I’m not familiar with so I’ll have to go check them out!

I believe my life just shifted finding your blog. Thank you.

@Libby – Woohoo! Sounds pretty fantastic. Let me know how I can help!

I would add http://www.helpx.net to your list for volunteer accommodation. Home stays with full room and board in exchange for labour around the property is a great way to travel and live like a local on a shoestring.

@Rich – That’s a great addition. I haven’t used it myself, but it seems to be a fabulous resource. Have you any experience with it?

Whoo hoo! What a role model you are! I have been a long time lover of travel. I recently discovered some resources and have been doing research on volunteer tourism. This is the best I have seen so far! Not to mention how inspiring your story is. I’ve had this itch the last year, wondering why I am not doing what I love most…traveling. I’ve got a fantastic finance who is at my side ready for our next adventure. I hope a storage unit will hold my belongings 🙂 Any words of wisdom for first-timers?

@Chelsea – If you’re researching volunteer tourism, have you checked out the International Guide to Volunteering? Here’s a rundown: http://www.wisebread.com/the-underground-guide-to-international-volunteering-review

As for words of wisdom, ah so many, and so few! Take a deep breath, relax, and don’t be afraid to be afraid from time to time – it means you’re doing something good! 🙂

These are excellent resources. I’m in the planning stages of a six month trip to Europe and these will be exceptionally useful. Thank you!!

@Lisa – I’m glad this will help! Sounds like an exciting trip! When do you leave, and where do you hope to go?

I LOVE your website! Being a fellow gal with no fixed address, I have a few adds that your readers may find useful:

http://www.volunteersouthamerica.net/ – The best website out there for “free” volunteer opportunities in South America.

http://www.mindmyhouse.com and http://www.trustedhousesitters.com – While house carers has the most listings, I find their site very hard to use. I’ve gotten two jobs off of mindmyhouse already. The other one is new, but looks to have great functionality.

If you don’t mind, I may pick your brain on some other separate matters. I am a writer as well, and your website has given me some really great ideas.

@Dalene – I’m so glad you’ve found me! Thanks for the great resources on house-sitting; I had been looking for alternatives to House Carers without much avail. Let’s touch base about writing and such. I hope your recuperation is going well…

Nora – I will send you a separate msg soon, once we get settled in Honduras and I get my thoughts collected. Thanks! =)

Interesting list. I don’t know many of them but will check them out soon. I would also add Airlikes website which is an original and participatory website that reviews airlines and airports.

@Nipe – Thanks for the resource! It’s good to know what you’re in for before you arrive at an airport, especially if you have a long layover to contend with…

Thanks for this list Nora! This is exactly what I was hoping to find as I prepare to embark on my latest adventure 🙂

Hi this a great list. I would like to add http://volunteerstays.com/ in the category of volunteer accommodations. The site offers great opportunities for couch surfing around the world. Also a great resource if you are looking for a travel partner. Do check it out.

This is a great list. Too bad, it’s just now that I was able to read this. Anyway, I’ll take a look at some of the apps that you recommended in here. I would just like to add 25 things to do in Amsterdam. It’s a travel app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch that features a map of Amsterdam that works offline. It also lists 25 of the best POIs in the city, making it easier for me to locate the spots that I have to visit when I get there. The app is also available for Boston and Milan, but I think the developers are adding new key cities. Keep on posting! 🙂

Hi! What great resources (though it’s now 1.5 yrs later!) and explanation for each. I just signed up for HelpX so will let you know how it goes. Also about to sign up for eco-teer. You mentioned that you’d just downloaded the iTravelFree app and the jury was out — any feedback on that now? I’m considering it … Thanks again!!

@Tracy – Although I haven’t used the iTravelFree app a massive amount, I really like downloading all the info for a city/country I’m about to arrive to, and it arms me with general information, ideas for things to do and places to go, and certain customs and policies (like tipping) that are good to know going in. So yes – I do like it!

I second Trusted Housesitters. It’s been our biggest source of housesits in Europe. MindMyHouse second best. Housecarers seems to be more US/Aus-focused.

@James – Since writing this post, I too have successfully used and become a fan of TrustedHousesitters. Here’s an article that includes a link for a discounted membership with TrustedHousesitters: http://www.wisebread.com/10-tips-for-landing-the-perfect-house-sitting-gig

Thanks so much for all your advice – it has been very useful in our 9 months around Europe that is now coming to an end. Apps I would recommend include Hipmunk (flights bookings presented in a wonderfully easy to understand graphic interface). I use it as a first flight search engine. Note it always have the el cheapo airlines so I use it with Whichbudget. Also used Google Translate App and a World Clock App a lot. Agree that XE App is brilliant, as is The Man in Seat 61 – amazing resource and specific hints for train travel.

Hey Rebecca – Glad these tools were useful on your trip! Thanks for the app recommendations. I’ve yet to find a translation app that works well without needing a wifi/data connection…does Google Translate operate offline?

typo – I meant to say that Hipmunk DOESNT always have the el-cheapo airlines. Re Google App – no, it doesnt work offline. It does keep a list of everything you ask it to translate which is then available offline which is only semi-useful. You can also delete/clear all your translation requests, but agree an App that can translate offline would be the ultimate. Otherwise, it’s a little paperback dictionery – almost like something from the Dark Ages!

Rebecca – Paper-what? I don’t understand? Do actual books still exist? 🙂

Hi, I’ve been reading your website and links for hours now. Me and my other half did the same….sold everything after most of our immediate family passed away. We’ve been travelling now for almost 2 years and have no plans to return to the UK. Here’s a link to our travels –

Another website which we have found very useful is workaway.info, we’ve only done one so far and it wasn’t the best experience, but we’ve heard of lots of people of who have had great hosts.

Maybe our paths will cross someday 🙂 Debs

Hi Debs – So glad you found my site and that you’re enjoying it! I’ve heard good things about workaway.info – as with any service the quality of the gig is subjective; I’ve found good and not-so-good gigs on many platforms. Indeed – you never know when (and where) our paths might cross… 🙂

AMAZING ARTICLE, Nora!!! Loaded with useful info, thank you!

Glad you enjoyed this post Claudia! This is an old post that I haven’t looked at in a while, but I still use many – if not most – of these apps and websites.

People need to check the visa restrictions regarding volunteering in the country they plan to stay in. For example, I know that in Ireland you are not allowed to volunteer at all if you are an American. They think people use it to get past the “Americans can’t work here” rule.

Good observation, Marcie! Always check visa rules, and make sure you’re doing the right thing. I will say that many people do go ahead and volunteer despite such restrictions; some countries are more lenient than others in enforcing it – it’s certainly a negligible “crime” in comparison to working (for money) without a visa…

Here are some travel visa FAQs: https://www.theprofessionalhobo.com/things-before-traveling-abroad/

Excellent collection of websites. A few of these I’m not familiar with so I’ll have to go check them out!thanks

Brilliant, John – happy surfing!

Thanks for the list, I’m checking the new ones out!

Awesome, EH! Here’s a more recent list of smartphone apps you may want to check out: https://www.theprofessionalhobo.com/best-travel-apps/

Hey, I read your lovely post and I decided I’d use some of your tips especially the volunteer services. However I was looking over the site for trusted outfitters. Are there any sites where aspiring house sitters can join and not have to pay a membership fee? I’ve visited a few sites where sitters seeking work had to pay but home owners were free.

Hi Marie, I don’t know of any sites that are free for house-sitters to join (nor am I familiar with ones where homeowners can list for free – I’ve been led to believe that they must generally pay to join and list as well). The reality is, one night of free accommodation more than covers the annual membership. Remember also, you can usually browse listings of most house-sitting sites before joining, so you can see if it’s worth your while to join. Here’s some more information (and resources) on house-sitting: https://www.theprofessionalhobo.com/the-creative-guide-to-free-or-cheap-accommodation/

This is a stunning website, can I add the above website to the collection, they deal in volunteers (fair trade swop for accomodation) also they do various projects… Im an avid backpacker who has hot the road in his mid forties..

Many thanks

Excellent tips! Included more than one or two I hadn’t even heard of too. Thanks!

Nora this is an excellent list. My wife found more than a few rocking flight deals on Kayak. Knowing where to look and how to find flights is a skill honed over time. She has it down cold.

Hey Ryan, Awesome that she has booking flights down pat! It definitely is a learned skill.

Thank you Nora! GURUWALK is really wonderful! I recommend the free walking tours in Havana, Cuba 🙂

Hey Yan, Yes, I’m so glad I discovered free walking tours. They’re great!

Thank you for compiling such a great list of travel resources. I particularly like The Man in Seat 61. This is such a great example of a website where you you know you are being advised by an expert who has actually experienced the travel he is talking about and the resources there are so useful.

I agree! I like the personal edge that Seat61 offers in addition to being a killer resource. This guy knows his trains!

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The 10 Best (and Worst) Airfare Search Sites for 2024

Frommer’s regularly pits the best airfare search engines, aggregators, and booking sites against each other in a battle royale to see which can find the lowest price on more than two dozen identical searches for flights. 

This year’s results bring new discoveries. We are excited to announce that none of our new top three—the best of the best—is a household name. We are equally excited to discover that if you’re specifically looking for a last-minute deal on airfare, a fourth website, one that’s not even in our top three, is the best choice. And two former airfare search sites fell out of our Top 10 entirely: This year, both Booking.com and FlightNetwork failed to take off. As for the rest of our Top 10, each one has its pluses and minuses, which we’re about to reveal in our reviews below.

On this year’s list, two sites that previously languished in the bottom half of the reviews have upped their games and zoomed into the top ranks—and one former low performer improved so much that it nabbed the top slot.

We have winnowed down a wide field to the 10 best airfare sites for 2024. Here they are.

We tested 15 sites on 32 itineraries, trying both last-minute flights (leaving in a week) and APEX fares (booked three months out). We covered major gateways (NYC to LAX, LAX to Hong Kong, NYC to Paris) and secondary ones (Philly to Tampa, Chicago to Rome, Miami to Rio). We threw in a curve ball (Dallas to Dubai) and included a flight with no North American legs (London to Barcelona) to see how well each handled Europe‘s wilderness of low-cost carriers.

We also ignored low fares that would be miserable to fly due to excessively drawn-out layovers, too many stops, or flying long detours just to change planes. Basically, we rejected any itinerary that increased total travel time by more than half. Airlines may think those are viable plans, but we don’t.

We then used a rigorous, weighted scoring system that rewarded three points to any airfare search site that found the best fares, two points for second-best, and so on. We also penalized fares with negative points if the price proved to be higher than the average result from all competitors. Fares within 1% of one another were considered equal.

• An aggregator is only as good as the OTAs it canvasses. There are booking engines that sell tickets directly (Hotwire, Kiwi, CheapOAir, etc.). And then there are aggregators, which are sites that do not book tickets but instead search dozens of other booking engines, airfare sites, and OTAs (online travel agencies) and compile the results in one place; travelers then click through to their selection to make the actual purchase on the third-party site that’s actually selling it.

Some of the booking sites that aggregators show you are safer than others. All quality aggregators will remove unreliable ticket sellers from their searches, but problems can slip through. As you should do when you are referred to any unfamiliar company, always do a quick Better Business Bureau check for an unfamiliar airfare seller and search for complaints and red flags. 

Also, some OTAs are prone to dangling lead prices a few bucks below what they will actually offer once you click through, and some misleadingly categorize “direct” flights—which do actually stop, but don't require you to change planes— as “nonstop.” Because prices can change from moment to moment, even the most honorable aggregator may lead you to a site where you can’t find the airfare you were originally quoted. When that happened to us frequently in our review tests, we let you know.

Aggregator Google may be the Titan of online search, but it fumbles when it comes to airfares. 

Google does have some things going for it. It is unbelievably fast, refreshing results even as you key in destinations or change filters. It displays average prices on a popup calendar when you’re choosing dates so you can see at a glance the cheapest days to fly. It also lets you peruse a price grid and price graph on the results page. 

Google’s flight search features a fabulous “Explore” feature that allows you to select major city pairs and find the lowest fare for your dates (plus price trends for the month surrounding it), or just see at a glance how much it roughly costs to fly from your designated airport to dozens of destinations. It is also one of only three sites, including our #1, to feature a filter to include fees for checked and cabin bags in the prices. 

So why is the mighty Google at the back of the pack?

Its price results were all over the place. It found the best fare a grand total of one time, flying from Miami to Rio—but four of our top five sites matched it. Then it tanked on rooting out the absolutely lowest fares for two major routes: NYC to Paris and LA to Hong Kong. Its results for pricier direct flights on those itineraries were just average. 

Google frequently found the exact same flight as many other sites did, but at prices just a little bit higher—often just 5% to 15%, but in some cases bafflingly higher, like the last-minute Dallas-Dubai jaunt on Emirates; Google wanted $673 more than our price champion for that flight, and around $250 more than several other sites found.

After quietly doing away with its Hot Rates (deeply discounted opaque airfares), Hotwire fell out of our ranking after 2017. Now it’s back, but with a huge caveat: Never use Hotwire for last-minute fare. 

Hotwire performed, by far, the worst of any site we tested at last-minute prices, chalking up the highest airfare a whopping six times. The two better-than-average rates it did find were balanced out by a pair of worse-than-average ones on other itineraries. 

Hotwire made up some ground by being flatly average when it came to booking farther in advance. It never found the cheapest overall fare, but it often nabbed lower or even the lowest rates on direct flights.

Beyond that, it failed pretty hard, and we think we know why. Hotwire was the only site that missed big chances to bring no-frills carriers into the mix. On New York–to-Paris, it found a decent $745 fare on Scandinavian, albeit with a stopover—but everyone else found a direct Flybee flight for even less ($666–$687). The best Hotwire could muster for a direct flight: $987 on Norse.

More egregiously, because Hotwire only searches one airport at a time by default, it missed lots of cheaper no-frills flights that were available at nearby alternate airports. Because of that blind spot, Hotwire insisted on a British Airways fare for our London-Barcelona hop that actually cost around four times more than booking a combo of no-frills RyanAir, easyJet, and Vueling from other airports in London—a tactic every other site knew enough to include in results. Hotwire pulled the same face-plant on last-minute fares on the same route; the Air France tickets it offered us cost twice as much as the low-cost carriers in that scenario.

Another mark against Hotwire is its poor set of filters. Along with other problems, it offered no way to indicate a maximum total flight time or layover duration you’d be willing to deal with. That’s pretty much a standard sidebar slider everywhere else. We did like the way its showcases, above the results, how much it would cost to fly on three days to either side of your chosen date.

By the way: If you’re wondering why Expedia (and its corporate siblings, Orbitz and Travelocity) is not on this list, it is because those results are all right here in Hotwire. Expedia now just uses the Hotwire engine for its airfare functions, so if you search Expedia now, you’ve searched Hotwire.

This year,  Hopper , the travel app with an intuitive and colorful interface, tumbled five places from #3. 

When it came to finding cheap airfares, Hopper was a mixed bag. It did well enough on advance-purchase APEX fares, scoring slightly better prices than average about a third of the time. But that decent performance was counterbalanced by a dismal performance in the last-minute category. Hopper got whatever is the opposite of a silver medal, second only to Hotwire in putting up the worst prices the most often. Oddly, the only place where it fared better than average was on our curveball Dallas-to-Dubai itinerary. 

In terms of utility, Hopper still gives its users advice about the best dates to book based on price trends, but that feature used to offer far, far more insight on every flight—it once had bar graphs and historical prices, baggage fees and seat pitches, and the cost of various amenities. Those are all gone, although on the final booking page, Hopper will at least link you to the airline’s own page on baggage regulations and costs (except when that link is broken). 

Some features remain. The calendar for selecting dates is color coded to show the cheapest travel days for two months, so you can easily spot where a bit of flexibility might save you money. In addition to a paltry half-dozen sort-by filters (price, flight duration, number of stops, etc.), Hopper can limit the results to its self-defined categories of Basic (cheapest), Standard (economy fares, but with at least free carry-ons and seat selection), Enhanced (more legroom, priority boarding, free snacks, etc.), plus Premium and Luxury for folks who probably don't need this roundup of the best places to book airfares online. One nice touch: Hopper includes a novel option to limit results to flights with no change fee.

Speaking of fees, Hopper sure does like to pressure you to pay a lot of them for its own add-on services, like freezing a fare for up to 21 days for a sliding scale cost, plus flight protection and cancel-for-any-reason insurances—each of which Hopper, annoyingly, makes you decline on two screens in a row before you can proceed. (On that note, for security’s sake, we always recommend you buy travel insurance from a third party, never from the provider who sells you the trip, in case that provider becomes unreachable.)

We’re not sure what happened to the Czech booking site Kiwi.com to make it tumble from #2 to #7 in less than two years, but the numbers don’t lie. Most of its fares were just a little above or below average, though it did find the cheapest last-minute flights from Miami to Rio and Chicago to Rome. 

What tanked its score was twofold. It performed poorly on advance-purchase direct flights (out of eight itineraries, it scored under average three times and worst of all another three). Kiwi did come up with the cheapest overall fares on NYC to Paris and L.A. to Hong Hong with connecting flights—but then so did most of the sites that outranked it.

Kiwi does have some features to recommend it. It caters to travelers who can be flexible. The default departure date is "anytime," allowing you to see which days are cheapest, and once you do choose a date, pop-up calendars show indicative prices for every day over two months. The results page has a fare grid for three days to either side of your chosen dates, and a trends bar graph showing what prices are likely for a dozen days out (and you can scroll even earlier or later). It’ll even throw in train and bus options, if available, which on our list is unique to Kiwi. It also has the second-best set of filters in the game, rivaled only by our #1. 

But there’s a hitch. We must point out that Kiwi does catch some bad reviews for lackluster customer service when something goes wrong. Frommer’s has received complaints about Kiwi from readers, and few rivals would be jealous of its status with the Better Business Bureau, which fields complaints about its Miami office. Bearing that in mind, some travelers may feel more comfortable using Kiwi to find ideal itineraries but then buy them elsewhere. 

The last time we ran our tests, Priceline lost the precarious grip it had kept on the #10 spot for years and fell off the list entirely. During its time in the wilderness, Priceline evidently cleaned up some of its worst practices. It has vastly improved its filters, provided daily price comparisons on the popup date-picker calendars, and no longer turns up its nose at low-cost carriers. That, plus its solid, if not breathtaking, price performance, has placed Priceline back in good graces and firmly in the middle of the pack.

Overall, last-minute fares were Priceline’s biggest weakness, underperforming even our #7 contender, Kiwi, on that score. It was the advance fares that lifted Priceline to #6. It even pulled off a few nice moves. Priceline alone realized you could shave $40 off a CHI-ROM flight in exchange for a short layover in Istanbul. It was also one of only two tested sites to figure out you could save 35% on a last-minute trip from NYC to L.A. as long as you were willing to endure a brief layover. 

Priceline of course also still offers its original, quirky travel hack: The “Express Deals.” These are opaque fares in which you get to pick your airports and travel dates, but not learn precise flight times, airlines, or stopovers until you pay. Before purchasing, you’ll only know whether it’s a morning, mid-day, or evening takeoff and that there will be “0–1” plane changes. If you are willing to put up with that degree of uncertainty, you can save up to 40%, though the discount is typically more around the 10% mark.

Aggregator Tripadvisor  holds its position in fifth place, proving that while it may no longer be just a platform to vent about travel mishaps, but its airfare results are holding steady. 

Tripadvisor offers the clever cost-saving option to include nearby airports—you never know when Newark-to-Fort Lauderdale will cost half a LaGuardia-to-Miami ticket—and its great set of filters includes one that lets you limit the booking sites it checks to only the names you trust.

What’s holding it back at #5—aside from being annoyingly slow—is that whenever it found the cheapest tickets, or even a better-than-average airfare, so did our top three sites. And those higher-ranked sites pulled off this feat even more often. Tripadvisor also turned in a resoundingly meh performance on last-minute airfares, with overwhelmingly average results nearly across the board. 

The highest ranked OTA on our list, CheapOAir reigns supreme when it comes to last-minute airfares. How good are the airfares it sells? A few rivals managed to find the best price one or two times, but CheapOAir did so an impressive six times. 

However, alongside those six wins, CheapOAir posted three prices that were worse than average (but not the worst). You could say it’s all or nothing with these folks—even more so when it came to advance-purchase fares, where CheapoAir’s performance was all over the place. Put it this way: If we ignored its stellar performance in the last-minute category and scored things based only on buying tickets a few months out, CheapOAir would rank 7th, not 4th. 

A few other quibbles: CheapOAir won the booby prize for Most Annoying Popups—pestering us to "Speak to a travel expert" or pick "Air-hotel package or flights only?" to a vexing degree. It was also the slowest of our bunch, and sometimes pretty glitchy. 

On the plus side, the popup date-picker calendars automatically populate with airfare prices for every day, so you can see at a glance which day is cheapest to fly. CheapOAir also had a handy cheat sheet chart at the top of results showing the costs, both non-stop and cheapest, for the best half-dozen airlines. The filters were also pretty good, including options to show alternate dates and nearby airports (both can be great cost-saving techniques).

Always give CheapOAir a look if you are planning to fly in the immediate future—but then also run the numbers at our top three, just in case.

This decade-old upstart quickly outgrew its travel hacker roots to find a comfortable roost on our ranking among the top three—even when we left out the problematic "Hidden city" fares that were once its calling card. 

Hidden city fares—which you can easily exclude by unticking the box next to the word "SKIPLAGGING"—are tedious to explain but boil down to this: They can sometimes cost less, but you don't get to check any luggage. Most crucially, hidden city fares are against airline rules and can result in unpleasant, pricey consequences or even lawsuits if you're caught. But Skiplagged gives you the option to exclude this controversial type of airfare, which we did for our tests. 

Ironically, the site that named itself for a technique that games multi-leg journeys turned out to be strong on direct flights. Our top three sites were pretty much neck-and-neck when it came to pricing (all excellent at the long game, average on last-minute airfares), so it comes down to their other features.

Skiplagged's delightfully simple graphic interface lets you compare, at a glance, the lengths of trips, including layover durations. When you enter a departure airport or city, the arrival is defaulted to "Anywhere;" if you leave it that way, you get a page of photos with prices for a bunch of tempting getaways all across North America (sadly, though, nowhere else).

Skiplagged’s popup calendars show how much the flight costs on each day over two months, so you can easily see how tinkering with the departure or return can save you money. (On the two sites that placed higher in our review ranking, this feature only indicates price ranges, not precise fares).

We do have a few criticisms. Some of Skiplagged’s seemingly low fares from questionable OTAs were actually higher than the competition once you click over and discover service fees and the like. Skiplagged also lacks robust filters, doesn't disclose baggage fees, and rounds down all the prices—that last complaint is minor since we're only talking about a few cents, but just feels sneaky.

Skyscanner remains one of the best performers on price and essentially tied with #3, Skiplagged, in securing the lowest fares on advance purchase tickets. Skyscanner was consistently average on last-minute bookings—but we give it a shout-out for it nailing the cheapest price by far on a quick getaway from Philly to Tampa, even if it was on Spirit. Something else it shares with Skiplagged: mediocre filters.

This time, Skyscanner earned the edge for a few reasons. You can choose "Explore everywhere" as your destination to get a nice grid of destinations and the cheapest cost to get there. Unlike the similar feature at Skiplagged, which is constrained to North America, if you keep scrolling down on Skyscanner, you will get destinations on other continents as well.

This was also one of the first aggregators to include low-cost airlines, and it continues to innovate by including a star rating for all third-party booking sites (and how many users rated it), which helps with vetting unfamiliar OTAs.

Skyscanner offers the option to include nearby airports and to search for destinations in an entire country rather than just a city. While the initial popup calendars for travel dates do not show, as do some others, the precise prices to fly on alternate days, they do indicate each day’s relative cost category via a color code. Then, once you get to the results page, the tiny "Show whole month" link at the top will provide a page with two months’ worth of estimated prices.

Click here for Frommers' Top 10 Ranking of the Best Hotel Booking Sites

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Traveling in 2024? These 11 apps and websites make award redemptions easier to find

Editor's Note

We get it — mastering points and miles is no easy feat. You may have already seen our guide to getting started with points and miles , but what happens once you are ready to cash those points in for a trip?

Maximizing points and miles to travel luxuriously without breaking the bank doesn't need to be laborious and time-consuming. In fact, there are various tools available that make it easier to find hotel and flight award availability .

With these tools, you can use your points to travel where you want, when you want and how you want in 2024 without spending hours searching for availability.

Here are 11 of the best apps and websites that help make award travel redemptions easy and stress-free.

Max My Point

What it does : Tracks hotel award availability at Hyatt, Hilton, IHG and Marriott properties

What it costs : Free for basic membership; $3.99 per month for a monthly membership

Max My Point is a website that lets you check award availability for Hyatt, Hilton, IHG and Marriott properties worldwide — taking the guesswork out of award redemption searches by showing only real-time pricing and availability.

The homepage shows popular properties, but you can also sort by point value and availability or search for specific properties.

Once you choose a property, you can view a calendar that displays standard room points pricing, standard suite points pricing and the lowest cash rate for a full year, allowing you to plan your trip around the dates with the best points pricing.

After you click on the check-in date you want, you'll automatically be redirected to that property's website to start the booking process.

If you can't find the availability you are looking for, you can register for a free account and set up an alert to receive an email if availability changes.

TPG's director of content operations, Andrea Rotondo, likes using Max My Point to search for Hyatt award night availability. Although Hyatt guarantees standard room availability on points when the same room is available with cash, that isn't always the case once you start searching directly through Hyatt.

Related: It's exceptionally difficult to stay at these World of Hyatt 'unicorns' on points — here's how to book them

Points Path

What it does : Displays award pricing in Google Flights

What it costs : Free

Points Path is a free browser extension that displays award pricing alongside cash prices for select airlines in Google Flights. It also tells you which transferable points can be used with the airlines it supports, recommends when to use points versus miles and suggests when to book a paid rate. Once you select an itinerary, you can book a paid rate as you typically would with Google Flights or redeem an award directly with the airline loyalty program.

Related: How to use the Points Path extension to compare cash and award rates in Google Flights

Points Path simplifies determining when to use cash or miles to buy airline tickets . The browser extension is compatible with Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, but there are plans to create a Safari-compatible version.

StayWithPoints

What it does : Tracks hotel award availability at Hyatt, Hilton and Marriott properties

On the StayWithPoints site, you can view points redemption availability from Hyatt, Hilton and Marriott properties around the globe. Or, you can use StayWithPoints' amalgamated list of popular properties for inspiration.

Clicking through to a specific property shows you a full year of award availability, points value and cash and points pricing per night.

It can take some scrolling, but you can find some great cash prices and award redemptions — like this search that brought up a full week of points availability at Zemi Beach House in Anguilla.

After clicking your preferred check-in date, you'll be taken straight to the hotel's website to book directly.

If you register for a free account you can also set alerts for when award redemptions become available for the properties you have your eye on.

What it does : Syncs your credit cards and loyalty programs to help you spend smarter and earn more points and miles

We're not above a little shameless self-promotion, and honestly, this list wouldn't be complete without a nod to our very own TPG App .

Within the app, you can see all your credit cards in one place, track your hotel and airline loyalty program points and miles , get recommendations for the best card to use for different purchases, keep up with the latest TPG news and so much more.

Once you're ready to spend the points you've accumulated, you can use the TPG App's "Award Explorer" tool to find out how many points or miles you'll need to book your dream vacation.

Just input your departure airport, the destination and how many tickets you need, and the TPG App will display estimated points pricing across 21 loyalty programs (based on availability).

You'll also be able to see how close you are to having enough points for that particular trip and whether you're better off paying in cash or points.

TPG's newsletter editor, Becky Blaine, likes using the TPG App to choose the card that will net her the most points based on where she is shopping. Earning points more quickly helps her take those dream trips even sooner.

What it does : Finds flight award availability based on your itinerary

What it costs : $5 to enjoy Standard Plan access for 24 hours; the Standard Plan starts at $129 annually

Point.me 's robust interface checks for award flights within 34 loyalty programs across more than 100 airlines.

By entering your itinerary details, Point.me will display real-time award availability, including which transfer partner will get you the most bang for your buck.

Point.me also has a team of experts available 24 hours a day to help you travel more for fewer points with advice tailored specifically to your needs. How much you pay determines how tailored your experience will be.

To try the service for just one trip, you can pay $5 to access Point.me for 24 hours (unless you have access to a complimentary code). The Standard Plan starts at $129 annually, while the Premium Plan costs $260 per year. You can also use Point.me's concierge service to have travel experts book your trip for you for $200 per passenger. Additionally, you can schedule a one-on-one consultation to help you meet your points and miles earning (and redeeming) goals.

Bilt Rewards users can access a limited version of Point.me for free through the Bilt Rewards app. Similar to the full version, you can search for award flight availability, though you will only see results from programs that are Bilt transfer partners. If you have Bilt Rewards you want to transfer to an airline loyalty program to purchase tickets using points, this is a good way to try Point.me for free.

Related: Bilt Rewards app adds live award availability powered by Point.me

Roame.travel

What it costs : Free for the basic Community plan but requires signing up for a free account to search

Roame.travel works a lot like Point.me but without the charge. All you need to do is sign up for a free account to search 11 airline programs for award availability. Unlike Point.me, Roame.travel gives nearly instant search results in under 12 seconds.

Roame.travel shows lots of multicabin awards, so make sure you closely review your cabin classes. In the screenshot above, two of the three flights are mixed-cabin itineraries, with the transpacific flight in economy class.

As always, we recommend confirming award availability before transferring awards.

Related: The complete guide to searching award space on Roame.travel

What it does : Displays award seat availability on long-haul, international flights

What it costs : Free for the basic version and $9.99 monthly for the Pro version

Seats.aero searches for award space every few hours and provides results for the next few months. It's one of the best ways to search for Lufthansa's first-class award space, as it's generally only available to Star Alliance partners shortly before departure.

The Pro version allows you to search up to a year in advance on longer routes, set up unlimited alerts and receive SMS notifications when award availability is located.

Reward Flight Finder

What it does : Searches for Avios award availability with British Airways

What it costs : Free for basic searches; paid subscriptions start at 3.33 British pounds (about $4) per month

The Reward Flight Finder app and website certainly do not have all the bells and whistles or amount of airlines as other services, but if your points and miles earning is restricted to only Avios and you're a British Airways loyalist, it could be all you need.

As you'd expect, you simply need to set your departure and arrival points and hit "Search Now," then the app will show you an overview of redemptions throughout the year.

The free plan allows for three economy seat searches a day and one alert every 24 hours. Silver Membership costs just 3.33 pounds (about $4) per month and provides unlimited searches across all cabins, worldwide map searches and up to five hourly alerts. The highest tier, Gold Membership, costs 5.83 pounds (about $7.50) and comes with all the Silver Membership features, plus up to 20 instant alerts and additional points pricing insights.

This is an incredibly basic app, but if you're just starting out in the points and miles world and you're happy to only focus on Avios, it could prove an easy entryway into award redemption planning.

What it does : Checks flight award availability based on your itinerary and preferred airline

What it costs : Free for five economy award availability searches per day; Premium subscription plans with unlimited searches start at $3.32 per month

SeatSpy is a simple-to-use website that checks for award availability across different airlines, including Air France, American Airlines, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Etihad Airways, KLM, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss Airlines, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.

Simply select your airline, departure and end destination airports and hit "Search" to see availability across the next 12 months.

SeatSpy is free to use if you're only searching for economy availability and can stick to a five-search limit. Where the product really shines, however, is in its premium subscriptions.

The entry-level subscription, Premium, costs $3.32 per month and allows unlimited searches across all fares and up to four availability alerts across email, WhatsApp and Telegram. It also includes AwardWallet integration so you can track how many points you have to redeem.

The most expensive subscription, First Class, costs $8.33 per month and includes everything in the Premium plan, plus unlimited alerts at a more regular frequency. "Experience alerts" for hotel rewards are also currently in beta testing.

Both subscriptions offer a "Where Can I Go" search feature, which will show you all the destinations with award availability from your departure airport on the dates you select to travel.

It may have few features when compared to other services on this list, but in terms of simplicity, it's a great site, especially if you're looking at Europe-based airlines.

ExpertFlyer

What it does : Finds real-time seat availability and award flight availability

What it costs : Free for basic membership; at least $4.99 per month for paid memberships

ExpertFlyer (owned by TPG parent company Red Ventures) has one free and two paid membership tiers. The free membership allows you to view real-time seat availability for your upcoming flights. You can also set alerts for aisle, window or exit row seats, two seats together or specific seat numbers so you know when the seat you want opens up.

ExpertFlyer's Basic paid plan ($4.99 per month) offers more functionality to search for flight availability, including award and upgrade availability for various routes. You can set up to four simultaneous seat alerts, but you are limited to 250 searches per month.

ExpertFlyer's Premium plan ($9.99 per month or $99.99 per year) offers more flexibility in terms of flight search options. You'll enjoy unlimited searches, up to 200 simultaneous alerts and the ability to set up aircraft change alerts and seat alerts.

ExpertFlyer also has a mobile app for seat alerts.

Related: Beginners guide to finding award space with ExpertFlyer

Google Flights

What it does : Finds flight schedules and prices, with several filtering options, for most major airlines

Google Flights is your one-stop shop for finding the best flight for your schedule and budget.

You can search flight schedules and pricing across most major airlines and sort results based on price, duration, number of stops, fare class and airlines, among other options. You can also set flight price alerts or only enter your departure city before using the interactive map to choose your destination based on current pricing.

Google Flights does not display points pricing, but that doesn't mean it can't help you find award space. You'll still have to book directly through the airline, but you can save valuable search time by narrowing down your options through Google Flights first.

For example, if you have a bank of points and miles with a Star Alliance, Oneworld or SkyTeam partner airline, you can filter search results by alliance to see routing options. Or, you may find a nearby airport with better pricing that you wouldn't have searched for otherwise.

Bottom line

The great thing about all of these tools is that they can be used together to find award flights and hotel availability for free nights.

For example, start with the TPG App to learn about how to earn the most points for your purchases. Then, use a site like Point.me to find award flight availability or StayWithPoints for award hotel stay availability.

No matter which combination of sites and apps you use, you'll find that they take the guesswork out of award redemptions and put you on the fast track to becoming an expert in redeeming points and miles for your 2024 travels.

Related reading:

• 13 must-have items the TPG team can't travel without
• 8 of the best credit cards for general travel purchases
• 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
• Where to go in 2024: The 16 best places to travel
• Key travel tips you need to know — whether you're a first-time or frequent traveler

• France Guides
• February 13, 2023

18 Best Travel Websites and Tools for France (Planning and Booking)

Are you planning a trip to France and looking for the best travel websites and tools to help make your stay there as comfortable and memorable as possible? Look no further! We’ve compiled a list of 18 of the top travel websites and tools for France that will help you plan, book, and enjoy your vacation to the fullest.

From booking your flight or train ticket to finding a place to stay and exploring the best attractions, these websites and apps will make it easy to plan your dream trip. Let’s take a look at some of the best travel websites and tools for France!

Planning a great kayak trip in France can be quite tricky, but with the help of websites and tools such as Kayak, you can make the process smoother than ever. Kayak is an easy-to-use website that provides travelers with useful information about their kayaking trips in France. It includes detailed maps at accessible prices, routes and tides that are suitable for your chosen type of boat and a vast selection of suitable accommodations right next to France’s best kayaking locations.

Not to mention its online community which helps travelers explore new areas and share resources while visiting some of France’s most picturesque waterways. With Kayak, planning your kayak trip through France has become worry-free!

2. Air France

Air France offers a wide range of travel websites and tools for making the most out of your journey to France. From flight booking and self-service check-in, to travel advice and destination information, Air France’s online customer service makes travelling easier than ever.

You can research all the details of your trip in advance and save money through exclusive deals on flights, hotels, car rentals, and more. With an array of features designed to make planning a France trip seamless, Air France provides the direction needed to ensure your next journey abroad is stress free and full of adventure!

Planning a trip to France can be overwhelming, but with Expedia’s comprehensive selection of travel websites and tools, you can easily get started. Need help booking flights to Paris or Marseille? Expedia offers great deals on airfare for both domestic and international flights. Prefer staying in hotels or apartments?

You can use their website to find a variety of lodging options tailored to your budget and needs. On top of that, they have a range of helpful online resources such as detailed tourist guides, city maps, and itineraries designed specifically for France, as well as time-saving mobile apps for easier navigation. Whether you’re looking for the latest deals or just some advice on where you should go, Expedia has got you covered!

4. Skyscanner

France is an amazing travel destination, and with the right tools to help plan your trip, it can be easy and stress-free. Skyscanner is home to a plethora of great deals and exclusive offers when it comes to France. Their flight booking tool makes searching for the best airline itineraries and routes a breeze, while their versatile accommodation search engine allows tourists to find the perfect spot best suited for them.

With the added convenience of Skyscanner’s app, travelers on the go can now book flights or hotels in seconds. The most convenient way to travel doesn’t end there though; thanks to their car rental feature visitors will have no problem exploring every corner of France with ease. Whether you’re looking for cheap flights, budget-friendly accommodation, or cost-effective car rentals – Skyscanner has got you covered!

Ryanair Travel is the perfect way to explore France! With the airline’s extensive network of destinations, it’s easy to find a flight that fits your needs. Plus, their websites and tools make it simple to book tickets, track flights, and access helpful information like weather updates and baggage regulations.

Customers have come to rely on these features for making quick decisions when booking trips. With everything right at your fingertips, it’s no wonder Ryanair has quickly become one of the most popular airlines when traveling in France.

6. Rail Europe

Planning a journey through France can be an exciting, but daunting task. Fortunately, Rail Europe offers travelers an array of helpful tools for their French adventure. Their website is easy to navigate and remains up-to-date with the latest train ticket fares and fare promotions throughout the country.

In addition, customers are able to set travel alerts customized to their preferences to make sure they never miss out on last minute bargains. Furthermore, the company has an expansive selection of rail passes for multiple countries, allowing customers greater flexibility when moving through Europe’s most renowned regions. With these useful services from Rail Europe, any traveler can have a hassle-free experience exploring France’s enchanting cities and countryside.

Travelling to France can be both a thrilling and intimidating experience, but with the right resources it doesn’t have to be! Trivago is one of the most reliable and convenient travel websites, as it helps you compare the prices of hotels across multiple websites. Not limited to hotels, Trivago also offers several other helpful tools such as activities, advice on planning destination trips, and reviews from fellow travellers.

It even specializes in specific regions like Marseille and Lyon so you can find out the best places to go sightseeing or shopping! With Trivago in your pocket, your French jaunt will be an organized and enjoyable one.

8. Booking.com

Planning a trip to France can be a daunting task, but with the right tools it can be both fun and rewarding. Booking.com is one of the most popular travel websites, offering a variety of helpful features tailored specifically for travelers looking to explore the beautiful country of France. From searching for accommodation to finding discounts on flights and rental cars, Booking.com provides users with an easy-to-use platform to use when booking their dream vacation to the land of wine and cheese.

It even offers expert advice from real local specialists who can give you insider tips and help you enhance your travel experience in France. With comprehensive search options and exclusive deals, Booking.com is no doubt one of the best travel resources available for planning France vacations.

9. Hostelworld

The French know how to enjoy life and have some of the world’s most talked-about cities, like Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, and Strasbourg. Sometimes finding a place to stay in such beautiful places can be difficult without the right resources. Fortunately, Hostelworld provides travelers with access to thousands of hostels in France to make any visit easier. The website provides maps and information about each destination, including local contact details.

With just a few clicks you’ll find detailed information about availability and facilities at hundreds of hostels across the country. Hostelworld also has its own app that can guide you cover everything from booking your accommodation to discovering activities during your stay – in essence taking care of all your travel needs for a hassle-free tour of France.

Plan your perfect vacation to France by utilizing the full range of resources offered by Airbnb travel websites and tools. You can quickly and easily browse listings, filter available properties with detailed search criteria, compare prices between options, get insider tips from locals, or reserve your spot with a secure payment.

Flexible pricing is available for short-term stays in cozy apartments, sprawling villas and modern lofts, plus attractions or tours recommended by verified reviews and ratings. Whether you’re looking for a beach retreat in the south or culture in the heart of Paris – Airbnb has it all! Start planning your dream getaway today.

11. Rome2rio

Planning a trip to France? Look no further than Rome2rio! The travel planning website and app is dedicated to helping you have the smoothest, most stress-free experience possible. Featuring an easy-to-navigate interface, it allows you to quickly compare different transportation methods, distances, prices and journey times.

With Rome2rio by your side, you can even compare airline fares across multiple airlines or drill down deep into individual route information to emerge with comprehensive knowledge about the best way of getting from point A to point B. Plus, the website provides helpful information on local attractions and related blogs for each destination so that you barely have to lift a finger in order to plan out your entire itinerary for your next French holiday.

GoEuro’s travel websites for France offer a variety of tools and services to make traveling in the country an enjoyable experience. Individuals can customize their experience with an array of options from bus, train, car sharing, and flights to lodging and even local experiences such as walking or bike tours. Travelers can save money with convenient booking combinations on all services included in one single ticket, so they stay within their budget while exploring the country.

GoEuro’s user-friendly features also suggest personalized destinations based on individual needs, allowing travelers to explore whatever catches their eye during a visit to France. With these unique tools and services, GoEuro gives travelers all the information needed for hassle-free traveling.

13. Visit France

Planning a dream trip to France can be overwhelming. There are so many amazing sights to see and experiences to have that you can find yourself overwhelmed with information. Luckily, there are countless websites and tools out there designed to help make the planning process easier.

From online forums with insider tips from experienced travelers to comprehensive travel guides, finding information about France has never been easier. These websites also provide such services as accommodation options, airline search engines, rental car booking, restaurant reviews, and more! Take advantage of these resources before you embark on your journey so you can experience France like a local.

14. Mytourism

France is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations and attracts travelers from all over. To make the most of their visit, tourists need reliable tools and resources. Mytourism provides them with just that – a comprehensive selection of travel websites and tools that allow visitors to optimize their stay in France.

From maps to transportation routes, accommodations to sightseeing ideas, Mytourism provides all kinds of information for a truly unforgettable experience. So if you’re planning a trip to France soon, look no further than Mytourism for the best tips and resources!

15. TouristEye

TouristEye is the perfect online destination to explore France’s rich culture and history. With an array of exclusive tools, such as dynamic city guide maps, traveling to and around France has never been easier. Utilizing destination experts for up-to-date advice and local tips, you will be well prepared for any holiday outing.

Also, the site provides access to reviews from other travelers who have already experienced the sites that you plan to visit or stay at. From Paris to Provence and everywhere in between, TouristEye makes it simpler for travelers to make their plans for a French getaway.

16. Trainline

For those looking to explore France, a visit to Trainline is essential. With Trainline, travelers have access to Europe’s leading travel booking website and app giving them the opportunity to plan and book their entire trip with ease. With just a few clicks, travelers can find the right ticket for their journey and access exclusive features like Real-Time Delay Reimbursements and Travel Cancellation Insurance – not to mention 24/7 customer service if anything goes wrong!

Plus, with discounts of up to 60% available, Trainline makes it simple to save on even the most expensive trips. From Paris to Marseille, Tours to Montpellier, Bordeaux or beyond — Trainline has you covered for a stress-free experience.

With the abundance of travel websites and tools available today, it can be difficult to choose which ones to use for a French vacation. Thankfully, Viator has years of experience when it comes to helping travelers plan and organize trips in France. The comprehensive website offers detailed reviews about attractions and provides customers with customer ratings for tours and activities.

It also offers a variety of helpful tools that help travelers map out their adventures in the City of Lights. From automatic price filtering to secure payment options, Viator is an essential resource for booking everything from accommodations and transport to opportunity-of-a-lifetime experiences. With access to hundreds of tour guides across all corners of France, Viator promises travelers an unforgettable exploration of this gem of Western Europe.

18. GetYourGuide

GetYourGuide is committed to providing travelers with an easy and accessible way to explore France. Whether you’re just looking to escape for a weekend or have ample time to get lost in the City of Light, this user friendly platform has tools that will make planning your travels easier than ever. GetYourGuide offers over 2300 activities across 169 destinations in France, allowing users to customize their experience by selecting activities in Paris, the French Riviera, and other popular locales.

From private tours of iconic landmarks like the Louvre or Eiffel Tower to thrilling outdoor adventures like kayaking on the Saone River or zip-lining through an alpine village, users can find something exciting that fits their budget and interest level. GetYourGuide even offers family packages so that multiple generations can enjoy unforgettable experiences together. Book now and get ready to experience all that France has to offer!

In conclusion

Planning the perfect French holiday doesn’t have to be a challenge. From Ryanair, Rail Europe and Trivago to Booking.com, Hostelworld and Airbnb – there are countless travel websites and tools dedicated to helping you plan your dream getaway.

Whether it’s researching activities in cities like Paris and Marseille, comparing prices across multiple websites or booking transportation and accommodation – you can find the perfect resources to make your trip to France a successful one. So get ready for the adventure of a lifetime; with these helpful tools in hand, you are sure to have an unforgettable time exploring this enchanting country! Bon voyage!

We are here out of a desire to help and of course out of a great love for France. Our goal is to help you find everything you are looking for under one roof, to get the most out of your vacation in France, without having to travel all over the web.

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Explore the World: 5 Must-Visit Travel Websites for Wanderlust Seekers

I n today's fast-paced world, taking a break from the daily grind and exploring new horizons is essential for both physical and mental well-being. Travel opens doors to new cultures, cuisines, and experiences, broadening our perspectives and enriching our lives. With abundant online information, planning and executing a memorable trip has become easier than ever. Here are five outstanding travel websites that will inspire and empower you to embark on your next adventure:

1. Work Hard Travel Well

For busy professionals who crave travel experiences but struggle to fit them into their hectic schedules, Work Hard Travel Well is a beacon of inspiration. Founded by Kim, a Black travel blogger and content creator, this website provides practical tips and strategies for maximizing PTO, planning incredible journeys, and extracting every ounce of value from travel experiences. Kim's expertise is helping individuals make the most of their limited vacation time, ensuring every trip is a rejuvenating and unforgettable experience.

Follow her on YouTube here

2. The Points Guy

Travel enthusiasts and frequent travelers alike will find The Points Guy to be an invaluable resource. Founded by Brian Kelly, a travel expert and authority in frequent flyer programs and credit card rewards, this website provides a comprehensive guide to maximizing travel rewards and earning free flights and hotel stays. Their website features in-depth reviews of airlines, hotels, and credit cards and strategies for accumulating and redeeming points for valuable travel experiences . Whether you're seeking luxurious getaways or budget-friendly adventures, The Points Guy has the expertise to help you maximize your travel rewards and stretch your travel dollars further.

3. Lonely Planet

For travelers seeking in-depth insights into various destinations worldwide, Lonely Planet is a trusted and respected resource. Renowned for its comprehensive travel guides and destination-specific information, this website offers a wealth of travel knowledge, including destination guides, city guides, regional guides, and travel tips , all tailored to diverse travel styles and interests. Whether you're planning a backpacking adventure through Southeast Asia or a cultural immersion in Europe , Lonely Planet provides the tools and resources to make your trip informative, engaging, and unforgettable.

4. Condé Nast Traveler

Discerning travelers seeking high-end travel options will find inspiration and guidance on Condé Nast Traveler. A leading publication in the travel industry, this website features a curated selection of travel destinations, hotels, restaurants, and experiences, catering to those who appreciate luxury and refinement. Condé Nast Traveler's expert editors provide in-depth reviews and recommendations, ensuring that travelers make informed decisions and enjoy the best the world offers. From opulent accommodations to exclusive dining experiences, Condé Nast Traveler showcases the pinnacle of travel, inspiring dreams of unforgettable getaways.

5. National Geographic Travel

With a rich history of storytelling and exploration, National Geographic Travel offers a unique perspective on travel, combining stunning photography, insightful articles, and immersive experiences. Their website features a vast collection of travel stories, destination guides, and interactive features that inspire wanderlust and encourage exploration. National Geographic Travel takes readers beyond the typical tourist hotspots , venturing into remote corners of the world, uncovering hidden gems, and shedding light on diverse cultures and traditions. Their website is a treasure trove of travel inspiration, igniting a passion for discovery and encouraging travelers to embrace the unknown.

These five travel websites cater to diverse travel interests and preferences, providing valuable resources for planning and executing memorable travel experiences. Whether you're seeking budget-friendly backpacking adventures or luxurious getaways, these websites offer inspiration, guidance, and practical tips to make your travel dreams a reality. So, pack your bags, grab your passport, and let these travel websites fuel your wanderlust and guide you on your next adventure.

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Travel app Sēkr can plan your next road trip with its new AI tool

Sēkr, a startup that offers a mobile app for outdoor enthusiasts and campers, is launching a new AI tool for planning road trips. The new tool, called Copilot, is available on the startup’s updated website and app, which is used by more than 100,000 users.

The company was founded in 2016 with the goal of helping the “van life” community find campsites based on their needs, such as shower facilities, restrooms, overnight van parking or free Wi-Fi. The app also allows users to connect with fellow travelers who want to participate in outdoor activities together, like rock climbing or skiing.

After being acquired by van company Peace Vans in December 2023, the startup is under new leadership. Sēkr and Peace Vans CEO Harley Sitner was a user of the app for seven years but had noticed last year that the app had gone dormant. He learned that the founders of the startup were going to unwind the app due to the sudden shift in global fundraising climates in late 2022, despite having a strong user base. Sitner, who was a former product manager at Microsoft, was approached to acquire Sēkr in November 2023.

Fast-forward eight months, the startup is now looking to help people better plan the journeys to their destinations, while also updating the app with enhanced features that stay true to Sēkr's original mission.

With the new AI-powered road trip planning tool, Sēkr is combining natural language processing with proprietary data from its community of users who have left reviews and ratings about specific places. Copilot also looks at publicly available data when creating road trip itineraries. The tool leverages OpenAI's GPT, Meta's Llama and others.

“For the millions of people traveling by van, car, or RV this summer, Sēkr Copilot will help you bypass hours of trip planning to quickly deliver a better itinerary,” Sitner said in a statement. “AI isn’t going to create a panoramic sunset, but it will help you overcome the notorious planner’s block, set you up for serendipitous moments, and connect you to an authentic road trip experience co-created by Sēkr’s incredible community of dedicated users.”

Copilot can be accessed via the new “Trip Planning” tab on the startup’s website or app. Once users open the tool, they will be asked to answer a series of prompts about where they’re going and what they’re looking for. The tool will then provide a travel itinerary that has editable trip legs that include camping destinations, stops for food and outdoor activities.

The idea behind Copilot is to help travelers discover unique places that they may not have known about otherwise. For instance, the tool may encourage travelers to check out a taco truck parked by the side of a dusty road in Baja that users have said offers better food than a five-star reviewed Denny's outside of Los Angeles. Or, the tool may encourage users to explore secluded, unmarked areas in BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land that overlooks scenic views.

Sēkr is available on iOS and Android . The app's basic features are free to use. Users can unlock premium features like, offline maps, event discount codes, and unlimited messaging and searching for $4.99 per month.

The startup previously received $2.25 million in seed funding led by Storyteller Overland, with participation from Backstage Capital, Techstars, Ad Astra Ventures, Crescent Ridge Ventures and Andy Ballester, the co-founder of GoFundMe.

https://techcrunch.com/2022/02/09/travel-app-sekr-scores-2-25-million-to-bring-campsite-inventory-into-the-digital-age

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A Groundbreaking Scientific Discovery Just Gave Humanity the Keys to Interstellar Travel

In a first, this warp drive actually obeys the laws of physics.

If a superluminal—meaning faster than the speed of light—warp drive like Alcubierre’s worked, it would revolutionize humanity’s endeavors across the universe , allowing us, perhaps, to reach Alpha Centauri, our closest star system, in days or weeks even though it’s four light years away.

However, the Alcubierre drive has a glaring problem: the force behind its operation, called “negative energy,” involves exotic particles—hypothetical matter that, as far as we know, doesn’t exist in our universe. Described only in mathematical terms, exotic particles act in unexpected ways, like having negative mass and working in opposition to gravity (in fact, it has “anti-gravity”). For the past 30 years, scientists have been publishing research that chips away at the inherent hurdles to light speed revealed in Alcubierre’s foundational 1994 article published in the peer-reviewed journal Classical and Quantum Gravity .

Now, researchers at the New York City-based think tank Applied Physics believe they’ve found a creative new approach to solving the warp drive’s fundamental roadblock. Along with colleagues from other institutions, the team envisioned a “positive energy” system that doesn’t violate the known laws of physics . It’s a game-changer, say two of the study’s authors: Gianni Martire, CEO of Applied Physics, and Jared Fuchs, Ph.D., a senior scientist there. Their work, also published in Classical and Quantum Gravity in late April, could be the first chapter in the manual for interstellar spaceflight.

POSITIVE ENERGY MAKES all the difference. Imagine you are an astronaut in space, pushing a tennis ball away from you. Instead of moving away, the ball pushes back, to the point that it would “take your hand off” if you applied enough pushing force, Martire tells Popular Mechanics . That’s a sign of negative energy, and, though the Alcubierre drive design requires it, there’s no way to harness it.

Instead, regular old positive energy is more feasible for constructing the “ warp bubble .” As its name suggests, it’s a spherical structure that surrounds and encloses space for a passenger ship using a shell of regular—but incredibly dense—matter. The bubble propels the spaceship using the powerful gravity of the shell, but without causing the passengers to feel any acceleration. “An elevator ride would be more eventful,” Martire says.

That’s because the density of the shell, as well as the pressure it exerts on the interior, is controlled carefully, Fuchs tells Popular Mechanics . Nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, according to the gravity-bound principles of Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity . So the bubble is designed such that observers within their local spacetime environment—inside the bubble—experience normal movement in time. Simultaneously, the bubble itself compresses the spacetime in front of the ship and expands it behind the ship, ferrying itself and the contained craft incredibly fast. The walls of the bubble generate the necessary momentum, akin to the momentum of balls rolling, Fuchs explains. “It’s the movement of the matter in the walls that actually creates the effect for passengers on the inside.”

Building on its 2021 paper published in Classical and Quantum Gravity —which details the same researchers’ earlier work on physical warp drives—the team was able to model the complexity of the system using its own computational program, Warp Factory. This toolkit for modeling warp drive spacetimes allows researchers to evaluate Einstein’s field equations and compute the energy conditions required for various warp drive geometries. Anyone can download and use it for free . These experiments led to what Fuchs calls a mini model, the first general model of a positive-energy warp drive. Their past work also demonstrated that the amount of energy a warp bubble requires depends on the shape of the bubble; for example, the flatter the bubble in the direction of travel, the less energy it needs.

THIS LATEST ADVANCEMENT suggests fresh possibilities for studying warp travel design, Erik Lentz, Ph.D., tells Popular Mechanics . In his current position as a staff physicist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, Lentz contributes to research on dark matter detection and quantum information science research. His independent research in warp drive theory also aims to be grounded in conventional physics while reimagining the shape of warped space. The topic needs to overcome many practical hurdles, he says.

Controlling warp bubbles requires a great deal of coordination because they involve enormous amounts of matter and energy to keep the passengers safe and with a similar passage of time as the destination. “We could just as well engineer spacetime where time passes much differently inside [the passenger compartment] than outside. We could miss our appointment at Proxima Centauri if we aren’t careful,” Lentz says. “That is still a risk if we are traveling less than the speed of light.” Communication between people inside the bubble and outside could also become distorted as it passes through the curvature of warped space, he adds.

While Applied Physics’ current solution requires a warp drive that travels below the speed of light, the model still needs to plug in a mass equivalent to about two Jupiters. Otherwise, it will never achieve the gravitational force and momentum high enough to cause a meaningful warp effect. But no one knows what the source of this mass could be—not yet, at least. Some research suggests that if we could somehow harness dark matter , we could use it for light-speed travel, but Fuchs and Martire are doubtful, since it’s currently a big mystery (and an exotic particle).

Despite the many problems scientists still need to solve to build a working warp drive, the Applied Physics team claims its model should eventually get closer to light speed. And even if a feasible model remains below the speed of light, it’s a vast improvement over today’s technology. For example, traveling at even half the speed of light to Alpha Centauri would take nine years. In stark contrast, our fastest spacecraft, Voyager 1—currently traveling at 38,000 miles per hour—would take 75,000 years to reach our closest neighboring star system.

Of course, as you approach the actual speed of light, things get truly weird, according to the principles of Einstein’s special relativity . The mass of an object moving faster and faster would increase infinitely, eventually requiring an infinite amount of energy to maintain its speed.

“That’s the chief limitation and key challenge we have to overcome—how can we have all this matter in our [bubble], but not at such a scale that we can never even put it together?” Martire says. It’s possible the answer lies in condensed matter physics, he adds. This branch of physics deals particularly with the forces between atoms and electrons in matter. It has already proven fundamental to several of our current technologies, such as transistors, solid-state lasers, and magnetic storage media.

The other big issue is that current models allow a stable warp bubble, but only for a constant velocity. Scientists still need to figure out how to design an initial acceleration. On the other end of the journey, how will the ship slow down and stop? “It’s like trying to grasp the automobile for the first time,” Martire says. “We don’t have an engine just yet, but we see the light at the end of the tunnel.” Warp drive technology is at the stage of 1882 car technology, he says: when automobile travel was possible, but it still looked like a hard, hard problem.

The Applied Physics team believes future innovations in warp travel are inevitable. The general positive energy model is a first step. Besides, you don’t need to zoom at light speed to achieve distances that today are just a dream, Martire says. “Humanity is officially, mathematically, on an interstellar track.”

Before joining Popular Mechanics , Manasee Wagh worked as a newspaper reporter, a science journalist, a tech writer, and a computer engineer. She’s always looking for ways to combine the three greatest joys in her life: science, travel, and food.

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