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There are thousands of travel
websites. Here are the ones I think are best! |
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These are
sites that I’ve used and/or reviewed, and that I think are the best in the
whole wide web! This list
is optimized for independent travelers on a “midrange” budget, who are headed for exotic international destinations. However, most
sites are applicable for other travelers as well, and I've included a few sites specifically for backpackers. |
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Essentials |
Bob’s choice |
Comments |
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Cheap flights |
Online consolidator offers very low prices, but carefully review terms and restrictions!
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Online travel agent |
Single
site for booking air, hotels, and more. I've used for everything from flights to Vegas, to hotels in Myanmar. Regularly do well when I spot-check prices vs. other alternatives.
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Travel search engine (air/hotel) |
Searches many
websites for air & hotel; do bookings at those other sites. Sidestep also good; Mobissimo is good outside US. |
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Other Useful Resources |
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Airline safety info |
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Airline Safety
Records has info on US airlines. Airsafe has info on “crashes by
airline.”
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Airline quality ratings |
Has ratings
of worldwide airlines on quality of service, etc. |
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Audio tours on iPod |
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Download
walking tours to your iPod. I haven’t yet tried
these, but Tourcaster has reasonable selection; also a few at audible.com. |
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Budget airline directory (WW) |
Extensive
listings of budget airlines by region. |
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Currency Conversion |
Current
exchange rates for all world currencies |
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Deals |
Good for
last-minute deals. Also check
Priceline.com
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Flights: Round-the-world |
Good
prices on complex international and round-the-world routes |
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Guidebooks: Online |
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Fodor’s online and Wiki
Travel are OK, but nothing online is as thorough
as a written guidebook. |
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Hostels: Bookings & reviews |
Also
consider hostelworld and hihostels |
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Hotels: User reviews |
See what
other travelers think of hotels you’re considering. |
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Maps: Online |
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Try Google maps or Lonely Planet |
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Maps: Hardcopies |
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Availability
and quality of maps varies by publisher and by country. Look around on Amazon. |
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Local residents & guides |
Local
residents/guides are a good way to get first hand information. |
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Meet other travelers |
Get
information from people who have been where you’re going. |
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Message Boards |
Lonely
Planet’s “Thorn Tree Forum” is good; also try TripAdvisor forums. |
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Online travel magazines |
Excellent
free content |
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Sleep on a local’s couch |
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Couchsurfing looks intriguing, though I have not used it.
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Travel articles |
New site
building an inventory of articles |
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Travelers Insurance |
Enables
comparison of prices and coverage for various options. |
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Traveler’s health info |
Info on
destinations, vaccinations and diseases. |
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Traveler’s safety info |
Other
sites if citizen of Australia,
Canada or UK. |
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Trip Journals |
Use Facebook
if you’re already a member |
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Visa requirements |
For US
citizens |
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Videos: Post/view |
Results
vary widely, but consider looking around for video clips of your potential
destinations. |
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Wifi hot spots |
Quantity
of listings varies by country. |
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World climate info |
Easily
find info on typical monthly average temperatures and rainfall. |
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World weather forecasts |
Check
forecasts for the next 10 days |
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World time |
Easily
find out “what time is it” in another location |
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