The world’s best travel websites
How to find your way through the internet jungle
In the old days before the internet was invented, we all had to rely on travel guide books and tourist brochures. Nowadays trip planning has become easy and efficient, but it’s often a challenge to navigate through the website maze. Here are a few amazing websites that tell you how to find the nearest underground station, a public washroom, an ATM machine, where to get free board and lodging, how much luggage you can take, what the weather is like in your travel destination, how to travel as a vegetarian/vegan, how to cycle through Europe and much more.
If you know of any other useful travel related websites please leave a comment and I will gladly add it to my list. Thanks and happy travels!
Accommodation and Food & Volunteering:
Work for free board and lodging:
Have some time to spare but not enough money? If you are willing to work for a few hours a day, grateful hosts are welcoming you into their home.
Couchsurfing: Stay with local people for free
This great global organization hooks you up with local, open-minded people who offer tourists a free bed and sometimes food, friendship and their services as a tourist guide. Of course you are expected to reciprocate to make the whole thing work.
Free lodging and a hot shower (for cyclists only):
If you are on a bicycle trip around the world finding a safe and cheap place to crash is on top of the priority list. Warmshowers.org is a bicycling community linking hosts with touring cyclists. Hosts offer a free roof over your head (be prepared to sleep in your own sleeping bag on the floor) as well as a hot shower.
- Home | Warmshowers.org
Warmshowers.org is a site for reciprocal hospitality for touring bicyclists.
US reststops where you can legally park for the night:
Whether your are an RV'er, a trucker or just a car driver on a long trip, finding a safe rest stop where you are allowed to pitch camp for the nights is becoming increasingly difficult. This website links you up with all the spots.
Worldwide opportunities on organic farms:
The WWOOF organization is especially popular among the younger generation or the lone traveller. It links up willing workers with owners of smallholdings. In exchange for a few hours of work the volunteer usually gets free board and lodging and becomes part of the family. A great way to explore the world on a shoestring and to meet local people.
Volunteering and teaching jobs worldwide:
Volunteering has become hugely popular. It's a great way to meet the local population while helping out. This website is a compilation of various organizations which offer volunteering positions and teaching jobs worldwide.
Warning: While many volunteering organizations are legitimate, there are a few sharks out there who make unsuspecting Gringos pay thousands of dollars for a working holiday. So before you sign up make sure that you are dealing with a registered and reliable organization and google it for references and complaints.
Vegetarian/Vegan restaurants:
While the average traveller will be happy to eat in just about any restaurant, finding a vegetarian/vegan restaurant in a new country might pose a challenge. This website will show you where to go.
- Vegan Backpacker - Vegan Travel Around The World
Two vegans backpack around the world for a year, writing about eating adventures, reviewing restaurants and sharing vegan travel tips for vegans and vegetarians.
Connect & Communicate:
Find travellers you met on the plane:
Do you believe in match making in heaven? Met a nice lady on the plane but were too shy to ask for her address? Just enter the number of your flight, day and time as well as departure and arrival city and with some luck your dream partner might be looking for you as well.
Language exchange:
Want to learn a new language an need a native conversation partner or somebody who corrects you?
- Language Exchange Database
Meet nice people from other countries and improve your knowledge of foreign languages!
Weather Livecams worldwide
Want to know what the weather is like in your travel destination? Earth TV cameras show you images of the world's major tourist traps in real time.
- earthTV | live TV cameras on 5 continents
The earthTV cameras show impressions from different places: sizzling metropolises, impressive landscapes, famous sights and more.
Pre-trip organization & what to pack:
Personalized pre-trip to-do lists and packing lists:
This is an amazing website, especially if you are a bad organizer or a forgetful person. You just enter your travel destination, the date of your departure, your accommodation choice and your interests and this free programme will supply you with super handy to-do and packing lists. The to-do lists tell you in detail what to organize in advance, 2 weeks, 1 week, 1 day, night before the trip and as you leave.
- Holiday Checklist | Vacation Travel List | Travel Checklist
The Don't Forget Your Toothbrush site contains everything you need to plan you holiday checklist. Sign up today and arrange your travel checklist.
Transportation, travel logistics & luggage:
Rail and metro/underground information:
Information about rail and underground travel worldwide including maps and prices.
How to get from point A to point B:
You don't need to travel all the way from Rome to Rio to find this website useful. Don’t know how to get to a travel destination and how long it’s going to take? Worldwide listings and maps and suggestions of public transportation, nearest airports etc.
- rome2rio: discover how to get anywhere
Discover how to get anywhere by searching plane, train, bus, car and ferry routes
Luggage limits:
The luggage limits are continuously changing, which can make travelling quite a challenge. This database gives you the latest information for 180 airlines worldwide.
- Luggage Limits - Airline Baggage Allowance Policies
Free search tool for flight specific baggage information.
Cycle through Europe
Europe has currently a bicycle network of 14 routes covering 70’000 km of trails. More info about cycling in Europe and trip planning:
ATM locator
Don’t know where to get money? Find the nearest Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) worldwide.
Important: Many countries (particularly in Europe) use 4 digit pin codes while North America uses up to 6 digits. Before you leave North America you are therefore advised to change your pin code to 4 digits only. If you don't do this, you might not be able to use your ATM card at all.
- MasterCard ATM Locator | MasterCard ATMs | MasterCard®
No matter where you live, chances are you're close to a Maestro, Cirrus or MasterCard ATM. Use our MasterCard ATM locator to search by address, at airports, or in proximity to major attractions or landmarks.
Toilet finder
In Europe, when you are asking for the nearest public washroom, you will probably be sent to a laundromat. In North America, if you look for a toilet, you will end up in the plumbing department. Therefore remember: In Europe and other continents, it's a "Toilet" and in North America "Washroom". This website will send you to the right spot:
- Reviews of Hotels, Flights and Vacation Rentals - TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor - Unbiased hotel reviews, photos and travel advice for hotels and vacations - Compare prices with just one click.
Hotel and restaurant reviews
Not quite sure if the flashy resort or expensive restaurant that you found on the net is worth its money? These two websites give you honest reviews of thousands of travellers based on their own personal experiences.
- WorldWeb.com Reviews
Reviews ► Verified travel reviews -- including tips, ratings and recommendations -- for businesses in .
Unique experiences with local tour guides that you won't find in the average travel catalogue:
How to hire your VIP travel guide at low budget cost? Want to travel to a remote location or go for a walk through the urban jungle to meet some quirky people? Ready for some authetic food that you won't find in a normal restaurant? Local experts from all over the world are offering unique and authentic experiences via the following websites:
- tripbod.com original travel experiences - plan, experience and host authentic local activities perso
Making travel personal - advice, authentic things to see and do from the people behind the places
- Vayable - Tours, trips and other things to do on vacation
Hand-picked, tours, trips and other things to do that take you off the beaten path, beyond guidebooks and vacation packages. For travelers and locals who crave authentic experiences.
- CanaryHop - exploring the world one hop at a time... now hop along
CanaryHop is a marketplace for activities, tours, activities, and lessons. We connect people who are looking for a local to introduce them to a city, teach them a new talent, or show them an exciting activity.
- Urban Adventures - Day tours, with a local. Small Groups and Local Experiences.
Urban Adventures - Day tours, with a local. Our goal is to make sure you have the perfect day when visiting any of the over 100 Urban Adventure cities around the world.
- Find Travel Partners for Group Trips
Find travel partners, create adventure trips and enjoy group travel with like-minded people.
- Rent a Local Friend - rentalocalfriend.com
Get a private tour customized to your own interest and time. We are local journalists, writers and photographers who show visitors our favorite places.