When planning a trip, we often visit travel websites, spending hours online to craft the perfect itinerary. But how can you cut out the clutter and find travel sites that can save you time and money?
The internet is usually the first stop when looking for ways to save on a holiday, but there can be an overwhelming amount of information for you to digest. If you have a trusted travel agent, they can handle the heavy work for you. But if you’re organising the trip yourself, there’s a lot to consider, whether booking flights, buying travel money in advance, picking the right travel insurance, or choosing the best debit or credit cards for travel.
That’s why finding the right travel websites can be a godsend. They will help you work through all the items on your dream holiday checklist, whether you’re planning on exploring one of the cheapest countries or the most expensive cities in the world. And there’s a website for every travel need.
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We’ve rounded up some of the most popular travel websites that can help you bag the best bargains while making zero compromises on quality. It’s all plain sailing from here!
Travel websites for booking flights
If you want to keep up-to-date with airfare costs, flight price trackers are your friend. You can find these on any flight price comparison website, including Google Flights, Skyscanner, Opodo and Kayak. Once you have a price tracker set up for a particular flight (or flights) the site will send you an email or a mobile notification if there are any fare changes or when prices are likely to go up.
To set up a price checker, follow these simple steps:
- On the website type in your departure airport and destination
- Choose the number of stops you’re willing to accept, whether you want a return or a one-way ticket, the cabin class and how many tickets you’re looking for.
- To track prices for a particular flight turn on ‘track prices’.
Flexible about which airports you travel to and from? Check out FlightConnections to see which routes operate from airports that are closest to you. So if you live in Shropshire and want to go to Mexico without making a long trip to and from London, a non-stop flight from Birmingham Airport to Cancun might be just the thing.
Frequent flyers who are looking to use their points to fly off on their travels will be familiar with the clunky frustrating experience of trying to find reward flights using airline websites. Instead, try specific points-booking websites like Reward Flight Finder and SeatSpy to see at a glance when reward flights become available and how many points you need to snag the best deals. For example, you could reduce the cost of a British Airways flight to £1 using Avios.
If you haven’t decided where you want to go, you can sign up for Cheap Flights Club’s weekly newsletter. Subscribers are sent its top airline deals. Some of its current offers include return tickets from Manchester to Mallorca for just £29 or Liverpool to Milan for £47.
Best websites for hotels and accommodation
Whether you’re booking a hotel stay or an Airbnb apartment, you’ll want to find the best bargains without compromising on a quality stay. One way to make your search easier is by using the search filters on comparison sites like Trivago, Booking.com and Expedia to sift through a swathe of hotel and holiday letting options.
According to research by Which?, Booking.com is the best overall travel website due to its ease of access, high customer satisfaction and cost transparency. Plus, you can earn travel rewards through its loyalty programme ‘Genius’, with discounts ranging from 10%-20% on stays and car rentals, plus perks like free breakfasts and even room upgrades.
Hotels.com and Expedia share a similar rewards programme called OneKeyCash, which you earn for every pound you spend during your stay. You can use that cash to pay for any hotels, car rentals and flights booked through the websites.
If you want some extra reassurance that the hotel you’re booking doesn’t have lumpy beds or surly staff, you can find reliable customer reviews, ratings and personalised insights on TripAdvisor, Booking.com. A niche, but sometimes useful, source of unfiltered travel information is Reddit. Simply put your search term into Google and add ‘Reddit’ at the end to see similar questions (and the responses) from its 73 million daily users.
All about brand loyalty? You may find it best to book directly with the hotel. Sometimes, the hotel may even reward you with bonus perks or accommodation at a lower rate than is advertised elsewhere.
If you’re looking for a glamorous touch to your stay, Bouteco a site that curates stylish, sustainable hotels could be a good place to start. Mathura Premaruban says in The Independent that it’s “ideal for those that don’t want to compromise on luxury but still want to be environmentally and socially aware”. Small Luxury Hotels of the World is another website that curates a variety of unique, upscale accommodations ranging from shepherd huts to treehouses and even rainforest retreats. Similarly, GoUnusual offers you unusual travel ideas and immersive experiences in the most unlikely places, such as igloos and caves.
Best websites for transportation
From car rentals to trains and even cruises, there’s something for everyone when it comes to booking your dream holiday and travelling around the world. Duolingo and Google Translate are your best friends to break down language barriers, but what about your other needs?
Car hire
If you want to hire a car during your holiday, Kayak or Skyscanner are good to compare prices and find a bargain. AutoEurope offers 24/7 customer service with member-only discounts of up to 15%, and you can rent a car in Spain for as low as £6 a day. For those with a fair fuel policy and who want great customer service, you can use Zest Car Rental. Most of the time, it includes excess-reduction coverage and a second driver in the rate.
And if your trip is to North America, Australia or France, Turo – the Airbnb for car sharing – allows you to rent all sorts of cars for as long or as little time as you need.
Trains
Convenient and with a view, train travel can be a lifesaver, especially in Europe. You can book tickets on Eurostar and Trainline, with tickets as low as £30 from Paris to Amsterdam, or even cheaper with a railcard. Sign up for Club Eurostar and you can even collect points and earn discounts along the way.
If you’re travelling internationally, use the delightful website The Man in Seat Sixty-One to find the best way to book trains all around the globe, plus how to get the best deals and even the best seats on specific trains.
Cruises
Cruises have been rising in popularity thanks to a post-pandemic boom and reward credit cards like the American Express Platinum Card, which gives up to $300 in onboard credit when you book with one of its cruise partners.
You can book cruises using websites like Seascanner, which lets you choose all-inclusive, last-minute and even destination-based cruises. For example, you can book an MSC Cruise to Norwegian Fjords with a £100 deposit for £649 per person for seven days. Other than that, you can also use My Kind of Cruise to find the top deals from Virgin Voyages, Royal Caribbean, P&O, Princess Cruises and Celebrity Cruises.
Travel websites for food and activities
Activities and sightseeing
Once you’re at your destination, you’re probably wondering what to do next, and the first, most straightforward option for checking out the lie of the land is Google Maps. But there are other websites you can use to make the most of your holiday and camera roll.
Lonely Planet works like an online travel guide where you can look for the best things to do and places to visit if you’ve got a flexible schedule. Another one is GetYourGuide, which helps you find iconic attractions, offers multilingual customer support and takes the stress out of planning a trip.
If you’re a history nerd or love to explore the culture of a city, Atlas Obscura is a great place to start. For example, if you go to Paris, you’ll find that you can visit a secret apartment at the top of the Eiffel Tower, or visit what was once the largest book collection in the world.
If you want to do things your way or are travelling solo, you can use Viator to find and book activities, events and sightseeing tours that interest you. You can search for tours based on budget, duration, free cancellation and themes like outdoor activities or art and culture.
Restaurants and dining
It’s only natural to be excited about trying out local cuisines when you’re visiting a new city. Eater and The Infatuation are useful websites for those who want to know the latest food trends, new restaurant openings and even airport dining guides. For instance, did you know that Italian Olympic gymnast Giorgia Villa was sponsored by Parmigiano Reggiano – but she isn’t the only one to have cheese backing her? According to Eater, American athlete Elle Purrier St. Pierre was sponsored by Cabot Cheese in 2021, and even posed with cows, eating cheese snacks, and grilling burgers with cheddar.
Travel+Leisure is also a great website for those who want an all-encompassing platform that tells them everything, from local favourites and hidden gems to fine dining experiences and outdoor adventures. TasteAtlas is an experiential travel guide for traditional food, having searched through old cookbooks and regional cuisines to give you the most authentic experience you’re after.
It’s not too late to start planning your next trip – you’re already halfway there!
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