Best Travel Planning Websites & Applications
Apple once uttered the famous phrase that changed the world of technology: There’s an app for that — and when it comes to travel planning, there really is an app for that!
In fact, there are hundreds (if not thousands) of apps that can help travelers piece together their trip itinerary, find the best places to eat, reserve tickets ahead of time, save maps for offline use, and find information about visas online, as well as much more.
Here are some of the best travel planning apps and websites to add to your bookmarks:
TripIt
The most popular and well-known application for travel planning is, without a doubt, TripIt.
TripIt works by having the traveler forward all of their flight, hotel, car rental, and other reservations to a special email address and organizes all of the data into one easy-to-access place.
Best of all, trips and itineraries are available across multiple devices, are sharable with friends or family, and are automatically synced. Other useful features include safety ratings for neighborhoods (perfect when searching for accommodations!) and in-app navigation.
TripIt is available on iOS, Android, and as a stand-alone website.
Maps.me
Despite its quirky name, Maps.me is a highly detailed mapping app that helps travelers search and discover interesting places nearby. The biggest benefit of this app is that it does not require an internet connection, which is perfect for those moments when you need to find a place but don’t have service.
Maps.me covers nearly every country in the world, as well as remote and off-the-beaten-path places. Travelers can use the app to find cafes, restaurants, bars, hotels, museums, hospitals, and dozens of other categories.
Google Things To Do
One of Google’s recently launched services, simply named ‘Things To Do,’ is an excellent resource for travelers at the start of their trip planning journey.
Nestled between Google Flights and Explore, the Things To Do tab begins by having travelers type in a country, city, or region and it displays the top tourist attractions in the area. From there, travelers can narrow it down by interests (i.e., Kid-friendly, outdoors, art & culture, history, beaches, wineries, etc.) or click on a specific attraction to get more information.
Each attraction comes with a simple description, a rating, short tips and snippets of what other travelers think, and photos of the place. There is also the option to ‘save’ the attraction and have it show up on Google Maps.
GetYourGuide
Travelers who love to learn more about a destination’s history, food, culture, or background will love GetYourGuide. The website (which also has its own app!) was designed for tourists to pre-book tickets, excursions, and tours to more than 50,000 activities across 2,500 destinations!
The website allows visitors to filter activities based on interests, price, duration, and even language. The majority of activities allow for free cancellation (up to 24 hours before a tour) for a 100% refund, and some can even be given as a gift to your jet-setting friends.
However, the biggest benefit of using GetYourGuide is their exclusive ‘skip the line’ tickets which, as the title mentions, allow holders the chance to save time and skip the ticket queues.
Roadtrippers
Planning an epic road trip? Say no more — Roadtrippers has your back!
This website works by having the traveler fill in each destination they wish to visit on their road trip and, afterward, the widget suggests interesting places that the traveler can add to their itinerary.
The Roadtrippers widget recommends everything that a traveler needs to enjoy their trip, including tourist attractions, campsites, natural attractions, hiking trails, and even hotels and restaurants.
Once the traveler has created their itinerary, they can even push the trip to the Roadtrippers mobile app and use the turn-by-turn navigation to make their way through the attractions conveniently.
TripAdvisor
One of the most trusted resources for travel planning on the internet, TripAdvisor is a must-have when planning any holiday. While many travelers love the interface and recommendations that TripAdvisor shows, the real star of this website is the reviews.
Virtually every place has its own user-generated review page, whether that’s a restaurant, bar, hotel, or even the little cafe on an island in the middle of nowhere! In fact, there are more than 500 million reviews from real travelers, making this an invaluable resource for trip planning.
Pack Up + Go
Last but certainly not least, Pack Up + Go is the website for travelers who are, well, sick and tired of planning their trip.
Take all the stress out of figuring out where to go, how to get there, and what to pack with this ingenious site. All you need to do is fill out a pre-trip survey, note your interests and budget, and voila — Pack Up + Go will create a surprise trip based on your interests.
If you’ve been looking for spontaneity and a hint of mystery, this is your chance!
Suggested Read: Travel tips visiting India
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