Travel Resources: All Websites & Apps You Need
Planning a trip is my favourite part of any upcoming travel plans, I know this is not for everyone as most people simply book a flight and that's it for them. As a solo female traveller, it is important for me to plan a trip and not just simply arrive there.
When planning a trip; there are a lot of things that you need to think about such as getting a visa, vaccinations if needed, and knowing your itinerary. Sometimes this process is stressful and time consuming.
There are a lot of travel related websites and apps that honestly made my life easier whenever I was travelling. So, here is the list of the best websites and apps in my opinion that you need to know about and start using when you are travelling.
Visa & Travel Documents
If you are looking for an easy, quick and reliable way to get a visa to your dream destination, then iVisa is your best option! iVisa provides 100% online travel documents such as: Visas, health declaration forms, embassy registrations, passport photos, passport renewals, tourist cards, and other travel documents. It is the simplest solution to process your travel visa.
Here’s why you should choose iVisa:
Speed and Simplicity - Easy, traveler-friendly application process. Simple and much less complicated than dealing with foreign governments.
Get Approved - All documents are reviewed by a team of immigration experts. Their staff is well-trained and offers years of experience.
Secure and Safe - World-class data centres and state-of-the-art security. Your credit card information will never be exposed to any government websites!
Awesome support - Their customer support is ready to help 24/7. They want you to enjoy your travels and avoid the stress of getting a visa!
Flight Booking
If you are looking for a place to book cheap flights, then WayAway is your option. WayAway is a flight aggregator that provides travellers with the best rates on airline tickets. Its innovative search finds the best option for specific travel dates by comparing airfares offered by all major US and global airlines and agencies. The aggregator displays final prices, without any hidden fees. With the WayAway Plus membership plan, users get access to premium travel support, travel content prepared by locals, and cash back on flights, hotels, car rentals and other travel services.
If you are interested in the WayAway Plus membership plan, then use this promo code (TP-385219) when visiting this link to get 10%.
If your flight have been canceled or delayed or there was any issue with it, then you need a compensation and AirHelp can help you with that. AirHelp has helped more than 10 million passengers understand their rights and receive up to €600 in compensation for delayed or canceled flights since 2013. All they need to do is to submit your flight details. If you are eligible, AirHelp will handle the claim process on your behalf for a 35% fee (50% if legal procedures are necessary).
If you are looking for a reliable luggage storage solution; then you should choose Radical Storage. Radical Storage provides travellers with luggage storage solutions so they can enjoy their holiday to the fullest, giving them the opportunity to eliminate problems with early arrivals or late departures from the home/hotel. Service operates in over 70 countries and 350 cities with more than 3500 storage points. Luggage storage network. Customers are able to book storage of their luggage online at various vendors in more than 350 cities. Each piece of luggage is covered up to 3000 €/$/£.
Here's why to choose Radical Storage:
Fixed price of 5€ per bag per day with coverage up to 3000€/$/£ per bag
More than 3500 storage points strategically located in the main city areas
Each piece of luggage is covered by a €3000 guarantee
Planes, Trains & Buses
If you are looking for an easy, quick, and reliable way to reach a country or city in Europe, the US, and Canada by plane, train, or bus then Omio is your best option! Omio are my favourite app/website to move around Europe, and they have been changing the world of travel by empowering customers to go on journeys that move them. Their pioneering and practical platform helps travellers worldwide explore Europe, the United States and Canada via train, bus, flight and ferry. Choosing them means saving time and money while loving the journey you’re on.
Omio is a unique platform on which users can book travel tickets by comparing trains, buses, and flights in Europe on one search. Compare and book tickets for trains, buses, and flights in Europe, the US, and Canada with multiple search filters and time estimates.
All your travel options in one place, with more than 1,000 trusted travel partners across trains, buses, flights, ferries, and airport transfers, so that you can focus on the journey.
Here’s why you should choose Omio:
Support on your journey
Tickets on your phone
COVID-19 travel info
Updates & reminders
If you are looking for a similar option in Southeast Asia & Oceania, then 12Go is you option to go with. 12Go has already helped more than 3,500,000 travellers from around the world get from point A to point B trouble-free and with a high-quality service guarantee. Over the years, the service has received more than 166,000 customer reviews.
These are my top two options, but there are many other great ones as well if you don't like the two I mentioned above. You can choose Kiwi.com which is is a pioneer in virtual interlining (connecting flights from airlines that do not codeshare). With Kiwi’s unique algorithm, Kiwi is able to create combinations of flight, train, and bus tickets and offer them in a single itinerary.
You can also use Trainline which is Europe’s leading train and coach app. They work with over 210 rail and coach companies to help their customers travel to thousands of destinations across 45 countries. Their aim is to bring together all rail, coach, and other travel services into one simple experience so customers can get the best prices and smart, real-time travel information on the go. Their platform hosts more than 80 million visits per month and sells more than 210 tickets every minute. Trainline helps customers make more than 172,000 smarter journeys every single day.
For buses in Europe you can use FlixBus. FlixBus offers safe and comfortable long-distance travel in Europe. Since its founding in 2013, FlixBus has created the largest transport network in Europe, covering 26 countries and serving more than 60 million passengers.
For an international bus tickets booking company, you can use BusBud. BusBud is an online bus-booking platform that has compiled the world’s largest selection of bus tickets. Wherever you’re traveling, you can easily compare bus tickets from different companies and book the best option for your next trip. Busbud’s platform simplifies the booking process. You can quickly find the cheapest price, shortest trip duration, or the best amenities for your bus trip. With all these options in one place, travelers can prioritize what matters to them.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is really important whenever you are travelling, even if it is for a short amount of time. You can choose to get your travel insurance through Ekta, which is for everyone between the ages of 3 and 85. You can buy it online on a website, and you will receive your insurance policy by email within 2-3 minutes. There is a multilingual technical support chat 24/7.
Here's why you should choose Ekta:
Work all over the World
Insurance covers COVID -19
Client support 24/7
No hidden clauses in the contract
Get insurance policy online
10 years experience at the insurance industry
No hidden restrictions in medical services
You can also choose to get your travel insurance through VisitorsCoverage. VisitorsCoverage is a Silicon Valley-based insurtech company headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif. which provides travel insurance for millions of global travellers in over 175 countries. They are the largest provider of visitor’s insurance for inbound travel to the U.S. and offer numerous specialized coverage products for travellers in a world of growing natural disasters, civil incidents and travel calamities.
Using patented online search, compare and purchase technology, VisitorsCoverage partners with the world’s top insurance underwriters and providers offering hundreds of tailored policies to their customers. Founded in 2006 by insurtech pioneer and industry expert Rajeev Shrivastava, they have helped corporations, families, solo travellers and service groups find affordable coverage in minutes that allows them to travel the globe confidently and worry-free.
VisitorsCoverage is constantly evolving by creating innovative, market- demand products and by continually updating an extensive online knowledge base for their global clientele.
Hotel & Accommodation
Probably the most famous website & app for hotel bookings source is Booking.com. In case you didn't know about it, Booking.com is ranked as the #1 travel site in terms of Customer Satisfaction by J. D. Power. The site is available 24/7 in 40 languages and has a unique direct long-term relationship with more than 900,000 accommodations.
Another great option for cheap hotels is Agoda. Agoda is one of the fastest growing online hotel platforms worldwide, listing over two million hotels and accommodations and providing services in 40 different languages. Agoda’s award-winning website is fast, easy to use, and employs world-class technology.
You can also choose to book your accommodation through Trivago. Trivago helps millions of travellers each year compare deals for hotels and accommodations. Get information for weekend trips to various cities and you can find the right hotel on trivago quickly and easily.
Trivago is always seeking well maintained quality sites to partner with. trivago has a great selection of hotels and vacation rentals for you to offer to your users. With trivago your users can simply enter where they want to go and the desired travel dates, and let trivago’s hotel search engine compare accommodation prices for them. To refine the search results, simply filter by price, distance (e.g. from the beach), star category, facilities and more. From budget hostels to luxury suites, trivago makes it easy to book online.
For a cheap option if you are travelling on a budget; then you can choose OYO. OYO properties are competitively priced for consumers in the range of $30 to $80. With such varied options, competitive prices, and quality living spaces, OYO will become a major player in the US hotels and hospitality industry.
OYO’s mission is to create quality living spaces. The company started with the belief that everyone deserves a beautifully designed chic and comfortable living space. Everyone deserves a better life and OYO can change the way people live.
If you want to easily compare prices or hotels or accommodations; then you can choose Hotellook. Hotellook is a service that helps you find and compare prices on hotels around the world, provided by a leading reservation system.
Today, Hotellook offered to put together information on more than 250,000 hotels in 205 countries, working with data from more than 10 online booking systems, such as Booking.com, Agoda.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, and others.
If you want to stay in a hostel instead of a hotel, then your option would be HostelWorld. Hostelworld, the global hostel-focused online booking platform, inspires passionate travellers to see the world, meet new people, and come back with extraordinary stories to tell.
Hostelworld has more than 13 million reviews across over 17,000 hostels in more than 179 countries, making the brand the leading online hub for social travel. The website offers multilingual experiences and support. Hostelworld customers are not your average tourists; they crave unique experiences, which Hostelworld facilitates through the best choice of hostels around the world. It’s the social nature of hostels that turbo-charges these travellers’ global adventures and empowers them to “Meet the World”.
Thanks to the brand’s global presence and their customers’ favourable buying behavior, Hostelworld customers represent a promising audience that you can benefit from. On average, Hostelworld customers book over four leisure trips per year, nearly half stay for three or more days and spend $3,000 per year on travel.
Universal SIM Card
Now, I'm not going to lie, when I first about this I was amazed. Drimsim is the first universal SIM card and free app for travellers. Drimsim is a real SIM card. It’s a plastic card with a chip, just like any other, which you can insert into your phone, tablet, or router.
The difference is that it is not tied to an operator. Once your plane lands in a new country, Drimsim is immediately ready to work.
Drimsim operates in 229 countries, provides stable communication, a fast Internet connection, and prices similar to those of local operators.
You can call your friends and they can call you. You can chat, post photos, and make routes without being afraid of spending all your money on roaming. Drimsim negotiates directly with the operators. Therefore, Drimsim is cheaper than roaming and SIM cards from other providers.
Drimsim has an app to help you keep track of your expenses. The balance can be refilled manually or via auto-payment. Money is written off in seconds and megabytes, but not for packages or subscribers.
Airport Services
If you are looking for an easy, quick and reliable way to get from the airport to your accommodation, then Welcome Pickups are your best option! Welcome Pickups are the safest way to travel as they provide airport and port transfer, sightseeing rides, and in-city rides. Welcome Pickups are one of the best, most trustworthy and convenient 5-star airport taxi companies for your airport transfer based on user reviews across various platforms such as Google, Tripadvisor and Trustpilot.
Welcome Pickups offers a great experience and safety to its travellers such as:
Local english-speaking drivers
Flat, pre-paid fee
Flight monitoring for delays
24/7 customer support
Here’s why you should choose Welcome Pickups:
20 minute gap between transfers - After each ride, their drivers have 20 minutes to clean the car and ventilate the cabin.
Contactless ride - You can request to have zero contact with the driver during the transfer with just one click.
Regular Car Sanitisation - They provide hand sanitisers and hand wipes for all their travellers and drivers.
You can also choose GetTransfer. GetTransfer is a booking service for transfers and car rentals with a personal driver at the best prices. Booking a transfer on GetTransfer is more advantageous than taking a taxi or contacting other transport companies.
Another option is Kiwi Taxi, which is an online transfer booking system.
You can also choose I'Way. I'Way is an online booking system for airport transfers. Since 2009, over 9 million passengers have used the service.
Rental Cars
If you want to rent a car to move freely around a country or go to places that you usually can't reach unless you have a car, then here are your options👇🏻:
Rentalcars.com is an international car rental booking service that is present all over the world. Rentalcars.com is the world’s biggest online car rental service. As part of Booking.com, they work with over 900 car rental companies in 60,000 locations across 160 countries and always find the right car in the right place at the right price. Arranging over eight million car rental bookings every year, Rentalcars.com gives everyone the power to compare the price and quality of their service, as they have collected more than 3.5 million customer reviews and published them on their website. The service offers 24/7 customer service with 1,200 consultants and their website is available in 43 languages.
Economy Bookings offers a wide range of cars for rent (over 175,000). In the summer, the most popular cars are those in the Economy, Full Size, and Intermediate classes. There are more than 20,000 rental shops in 150 different countries. Many of the shops are situated close to airports so that travellers can easily rent a car right after their arrival and not spend money on additional transfers. Choosing a car has never been easier. Every car on the website has a detailed description, high-quality photos, and a user rating. You’ll get all the necessary information about the car so that you can be fully prepared for your trip.
There are only cars with good ratings. Clients highly appreciate the cleanliness and technical state of cars provided by Economy Bookings, due to the company’s collaboration with well-known and reputable agencies, such as Alamo, Hertz, Europcar, Sixt, National, Thrifty, Enterprise, and more. Also, the company works with local car rentals that provide the best service and have good customer reviews.
Started in 2017, QEEQ.COM is one of the fastest-growing online car rental platforms worldwide, listing over 7 million rental cars in around 200 countries. Their fast growth and increasing global recognition has been illustrated by a nomination for the World Travel Awards 2019, which was preceded by a Magellan Gold Awards as well as a Travolution Award in 2018.
QEEQ.COM serves road trip travellers from different countries by working with car rental companies all over the world, from household-known names to small local specialists, to bring customers the cars, choices and deals that make a difference to every trip. Dedicated market managers in supply chain maintain close relationships with QEEQ.COM’s car rental partners around the globe, creating special promotions and marketing programs to help QEEQ.COM offer some of the best deals on the Internet. This competitive edge is backed up by a best-price guarantee. The company offers its customers the widest set of car rental options and always strives to offer the most competitive price.
Discover Cars is an Award winning car rental comparison website (World Travel Awards, Financial Times 1000, Inc. 5000). Customers can find, compare and rent a car globally. they have over 1 million users traffic in the high season, a very high customer review on TrustPilot and already partner with some of the top webmasters in the travel vertical.
Localrent.com cooperates only with local national car rental companies, which allows us to provide the best products on the market, despite small geographical coverage.
AutoEurope is an online service for booking cars in over 180 countries around the world. Customers can find an appropriate option and book a car in three steps. Car cards contain basic information and rental terms. You can compare prices from different service providers, such as Herz, Sixt, etc.
If you are looking for an alternative to car rental then here are 2 options👇🏻:
BikesBooking.com is an online booking service for motorcycles, scooters, quads, and bicycles all over the world. BikesBooking compares the prices of 950 rental companies from over 40 countries. 50,000 vehicles are available for booking in more than 2,000 locations around the world.
BikesBooking provides an alternative to car rentals. The service is a key player in the online booking market for motorcycle and bicycle transport.
PaulCamper is the largest camper-sharing marketplace in Europe. It lists over 10,000 camping vehicles throughout Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom for you to enjoy. This is a proud community of outdoor lovers, aiming to bring everyone closer to nature.
Travel Activities
So, I like to plan my activities beforehand, but I always leave free time for anything spontaneous. If you are looking for pre-planning and pre-booking some activities, here are the best options👇🏻:
GetYourGuide is the booking platform for incredible travel experiences. Powered by a global team of over 500 travel experts, GetYourGuide helps travellers find the best things to do wherever they’re headed, including skip-the-line tickets to the world’s most iconic attractions, walking tours by top local experts, immersive food and beverage tours, cooking and craft classes, bucket-list experiences, and niche offerings you won’t find anywhere else.
Since it’s founding in 2009, travellers from more than 170 countries have booked over 20 million tours, activities, and attractions through GetYourGuide. The company is based in Berlin, Germany and has offices in 16 countries around the world.
Tiqets is the largest online ticketing platform in the world. Tiqets offers directly bookable, instantly available, and completely mobile tickets for museums, shows, and attractions all over the world, including in cities like Dubai, Rome, New York, and many more. Tiqets’ mission is to help more people experience different cultures. The service brings travellers and venues together to create fantastic experiences. With an amazing offering of attractions and museum tickets, from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which stretches across the globe (and is still growing), there is something that will appeal to every traveller.
TripAdvisor helps you browse hundreds of millions of traveller reviews and opinions before you book, compare low prices on hotels to find the best deals, and choose between thousands of tours and attractions worldwide.
Viator, a TripAdvisor company, is the world’s largest experiences marketplace, connecting travellers with tours and activities that they’ll remember for a lifetime. From wine tastings and walking tours to cooking classes and catamarans, Viator offers more than 300,000 experiences in 200 countries.
In addition, Viator offers tickets and passes to popular landmarks, and travel and transportation services such as bus tours and day trips. On Viator’s website, users can filter activities by type, price range, duration, time of day, rating, special promotion, and more.
Go City is the perfect option for travellers who plan on visiting multiple attractions and sights. The program offers tourists the opportunity to save up to 55% of the initial cost of entrance tickets to various museums, tours, and attractions in the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Hawaii, China, and Mexico.
WeGoTrip is an online service for booking audio excursions and tours on 35+ countries on different languages (mostly english). Travellers can take audio excursions created by professional tour guides and local experts. WeGoTrip’s customers book excursions on the website and get them instantaneously. Audio excursions are contactless, and clients can start to use them right after the purchase. t a friendly support team should any questions arise.
Klook helps you explore a city, go on land or sea adventures, or even learn a new set of skills. The possibilities are endless!
Established in London over 25 years ago, Big Bus Tours is the world’s largest operator of open-top bus sightseeing tours. The service currently operates in 23 cities across the globe. The tours incorporate all the top sights of each city and travellers can hop-on and hop-off at major landmarks to explore at their own pace. Recorded commentary is available in multiple languages and BBT also offers live guides in many locations. In addition to the tours themselves, BBT enhances the sightseeing experience by providing a range of complementary experiences, such as river cruises, guided walking tours, and entry to local attractions.
Mapo Tapo is an outdoor travel brand aiming at developing extreme sports local tourism in remote areas. Benefits of Mapo Tapo are:
Travel with and get to know outdoor enthusiasts from all over the world
Visit true off-the-beaten-track locations where to practice your favorite extreme sport
Leave a positive impact on local communities!
Eatwith is the largest global community for authentic culinary experiences with passionate locals around the world. They connect travellers and locals with hosts in over 130 countries and provide unique, intimate, and immersive experiences in private homes and exclusive venues. Each of their hosts is hand-selected by their team, and offers a huge diversity of culinary experiences - from a seat at a dinner party in an elegant Parisian home, to enjoying an Italian feast with a Roman family, taking part in an authentic cooking class in Tokyo, or marvelling at the Manhattan skyline over a rooftop brunch! From home cooks and food lovers to MasterChef's and Michelin-starred chefs, their hosts all share one special ingredient: a passion for bringing people together through food. Their guests leave the table having discovered new cultures, cuisines and friends - it’s really the original social network!
Group & Package Tours
YouTravel.me is a service that has all multiday small group tours in one place. YouTravel.me allows you to quickly and safely book a one-of-a-kind journey and easily pick up and go to any place in the world. The website offers more than 14,000 expertly crafted tours that would take you to more than 130 countries, as well as more than 4,000 theme tours - from yoga and fitness to trekking in the most inaccessible places on earth.
Expedia Group, Inc. is an American online travel shopping company for consumer and small business travel. Its websites, which are primarily travel fare aggregators and travel metasearch engines, include Expedia.com, Vrbo, Hotels.com, Hotwire.com, Orbitz, Travelocity, trivago and CarRentals.com.
Cruises & Yacht Renting
Cruise Critic, the leading authority and market leader for consumer cruise information; no other single resource covers the world of cruising as thoroughly as Cruise Critic. Since its inception in 1995, Cruise Critic has earned the status of being the most influential cruise site and an innovator of consumer cruise news. The site was acquired by Tripadvisor in 2007, and is part of the largest travel community in the world.
With the aim of helping people to find the right cruise, Cruise Critic features more than 650,000 cruise reviews as well as advice and information from the team of cruise experts on everything from choosing a ship to planning your time in port. The site also offers itinerary and pricing information, deals and money-saving tips.
Cruise Critic features reviews of 700 cruise ships, including ocean, river, luxury and expedition vessels, with information from our team of experts, as well as reviews from people who've recently cruised on these ships. The content covers all aspects of a cruise, from cabins and dining options, to onboard ambiance. Cruise Critic also provides an overview of the 120+ cruise lines featured on the site, and almost 500 ports worldwide, to help travellers find the right cruise and itinerary, and plan their trips with confidence.
SEARADAR is a professional concierge service specializing in sailing yacht rentals worldwide. On SEARADAR's website, anyone can rent a yacht just like they book a hotel or airplane tickets. On top of that, the brand provides a concierge team which is ready to support you should you have any questions.
Sailing is one of the greatest ways to explore our planet, and despite common beliefs it can be even more affordable than regular travel. SEARADAR offers you a dedicated concierge team which can help you arrange your dream trip. Absolutely free of charge, they will assist you with: - yacht selection - destination choice and route planning - find a professional crew - help with paperwork. Brand stays in touch with clients throughout their whole trip.