Travel resources worth bookmarking

Compare travel review sites before booking — What Tripadvisor, Booking.com, Viator and GetYourGuide reviews can (and cannot) tell you.

• Lonely Planet — Travel guides and information
• Atlas Obscura — Unique and off-the-beaten-path destinations
• TripAdvisor — User reviews and ratings for destinations
• Wikivoyage — Free, community-written travel guides
• National Geographic Travel — Inspiring travel content and photography
• Rick Steves — Practical guidebooks, videos and itineraries for Europe
• UNESCO World Heritage List — Every World Heritage site, searchable by country
• AllTrails — Hiking and walking trails with maps and recent reviews
• Roadtrippers — Plan road trips and find stops along the way

Work out how you will get between places before you book stays: a route that looks short on a map can mean a full day of buses. Then check entry requirements for your passport, and book timed tickets for popular sights early. For seasons, see where to go month by month.

• Rome2Rio — Transportation planning and comparison
• Booking.com — Accommodation bookings
• XE Currency Converter — Real-time currency exchange rates
• IATA Travel Centre — Passport, visa and health entry requirements by nationality
• timeanddate.com — Time zones, sunrise and sunset times, and public holidays
• One Bag Travel — Pack lighter and travel with only a single carry-on travel backpack
• Pack A Book — Find books set in the destination you’re visiting
• Viator — Book activities and experiences
• Musement — Book tickets to museums, attractions and activities all over the world

Food

Find the best local cuisine and dining experiences for your travels.

• Eater — Food news and dining guides
• Yelp — User reviews for restaurants and more
• Zomato — Restaurant search and food delivery
• TheFork — Restaurant reservations in Europe

Compare the same property on two sites before you book: prices, fees and cancellation rules often differ. Check the total price with cleaning and service fees, and read recent reviews, not just the average score.

• Hostelworld — Hostel bookings and reviews
• Hostelz — Hostel price comparison
• Couchsurfing — Stay with locals for free (paid membership required)
• Vrbo — Vacation rentals by owner
• Airbnb — Vacation rentals and experiences
• Booking.com — Books hotels, homes and more
• TrustedHousesitters — Free stays in exchange for looking after pets and homes (annual membership)
• HomeExchange — Swap homes with other travelers
• SleepinginAirports — The Guide To Sleeping in Airports
• Hotels With Gym — Find Hotels with Gym and Fitness Center

Search on a comparison site, then check the airline or rail operator’s own website: booking direct is often the same price and makes changes and refunds simpler.

Air travel

Find the best flights and air travel resources for your journey.

• Skyscanner — Flight comparison and booking
• Kayak — Flight and travel deals
• Google Flights — Flight search with price history and date grid
• FlightAware — Live flight tracking and delays
• AeroLOPA — Detailed aircraft seat maps
• AirlineList — Airline ranking
• LuggageLosers — Live ranking of airlines by how much luggage they are losing right now

Ground travel

Resources for local transportation during your travels.

• Rentalcars.com — Car rental comparisons
• Uber — Ride-hailing service
• Rail Europe — European train travel
• The Man in Seat 61 — How to travel by train anywhere in the world
• Omio — Trains, buses and flights across Europe in one search
• 12Go — Buses, trains and ferries across Asia
• BlaBlaCar — Carpooling and long-distance buses
• Rome2Rio — Discover how to get anywhere

Budget travel

Resources for traveling on a budget and finding the best deals.

• Secret Flying — Cheap flight deals
• Couchsurfing — Free stays with locals (paid membership required)
• Workaway — Work a few hours a day in exchange for food and a bed (annual membership)

Before you commit to a month somewhere, check three things: whether a remote-work or digital nomad visa applies to you, real internet speeds, and whether your health insurance covers long stays abroad.

• Nomads.com — Best cities for digital nomads (formerly Nomad List)
• Speedtest Global Index — Mobile and broadband internet speeds by country
• Coliving.com — Flexible shared living spaces worldwide
• Nomadico — Coliving and coworking spaces for digital nomads
• Work Hard Anywhere — Laptop-friendly cafes and workspaces
• Citizen Remote — Digital nomad visa information and applications
• SafetyWing — Travel medical insurance for remote workers

Check at least two governments’ advice before you book: they rate the same country differently and update at different times. For emergency numbers, plugs and currency, see the quick facts on each country page. New to advisories? Read how to read government travel advice. Booking through a site you don’t know? Run these checks first.

Government travel advice

• U.S. Department of State — Travel advisories and safety information

• UK Foreign Travel Advice — Safety, entry requirements and local laws for every country

• Government of Canada — Travel advice and advisories by destination

• SafeTravel — New Zealand government travel advisories

Health

• CDC Travelers’ Health — Vaccines and health notices by destination
• World Health Organization — International travel and health

Insurance

• World Nomads — Travel insurance

Flights are usually the largest part of a trip’s footprint, so the biggest change is flying less: take the train for shorter trips and stay longer when you do fly. For hotels and tours, look for recognized certification rather than a “green” label the business gave itself.

• Ecobnb — Eco-friendly accommodation
• Green Key — Eco-label for hotels and campsites, with a search of certified places
• GSTC — Global Sustainable Tourism Council criteria and recognized certifications
• Responsible Travel — Ethical tour operators
• Lokal Travel — Sustainable travel experiences
• myclimate — Flight carbon footprint calculator
• Interrail — Rail passes for travel across Europe
• Byway — Flight-free holidays by train, bus and boat
• Leave No Trace — Seven principles for visiting outdoor places responsibly