You may well already be familiar with many or all of these sites, most are very popular – and with good reason. These are websites that you will find yourself returning to again and again.
1 ) Lonely Planet’s Thorn tree
The granddaddy of internet travel forums – not the very best for every country or every topic but no other forum has the breadth, readership or so fully embodies Lonely Planet’s ethos of independent travel. If you have a travel question to ask then there’s no better place to start. The FAQS for each thread can be chaotic but contain a wealth of basic knowledge and useful information.
2 ) Center for Disease Control’s Yellow Book
The first and best reference for travel health -tips for avoiding mosquito or tick bites, FAQs for traveller’s diarrhea, suggestions about what a traveller’s first aid kit should contain as well as information on specific destinations that should be consulted before arrival.
3 ) Onebag.com
Travel with one carry-on size bag. Ditch the ballast: no excuses, no regrets. This site, which has become the most popular online packing resource provides all the packing information you could ever need.
4 ) The Man in Seat Sixty-One
Route details, maps, photos, timetables, prices and anything else you might need anywhere in the world that passenger trains run. Terrifyingly exhaustive and irreplaceable when planning a trip.
5 ) Trip Advisor
Reviews of everything travel related, especially hotels. The sheer number of reviews are likely to give you the details travel brochures leave out and guidebooks overlook, even if I would treat the ratings with a pinch of scepticism.
6 ) oanda.com
There are any number of sites which provide currency conversion, but Oanda’s FX cheat sheets, which can be adjusted to account for a margin to represent conversion costs, lift it above the pack for the traveller.
7 ) Whichbudget.com
There may be prettier alternatives but, in my experience, the most up-to-date listing of budget airlines and where they fly. Not beautiful, but wonderfully functional.
8 ) SeatGuru
The easiest way to ensure you have one of the best seats (and possibly more importantly avoid one of the worst), short of flying at the pointy end. Plans of planes colour coded to allow you to check at a glance where you’ll be seated.
9 ) World Electric Guide
Plugs and voltages worldwide. Never be without you travel kettle again.
10 ) World Airport Guides
Check airport services and transport options before you arrive, but if you’re planing on catching some kip the venerable Sleeping in Airports is your guide.
11 ) MasterCard Global ATM Locator
Find MasterCard, Maestro and Cirrus ATMs in over 210 countries. Far from comprehensive but worthwhile to give an idea of ATMs around your hotel, airport or attractions.
12 ) How to: Use a Squat Toilet
Prepare before you go – don’t learn, well, on the job. Trust me, the first time you come across one of these beauties you’ll be thankfull.
You are right, WhichBudget is certainly not beautiful. We concentrated on functionality, not design. But all that is about to change. Our graphic designers are updating the look of the site as we speak. Keep an eye on the site.
Martino Matijevic
CEO, WhichBudget
Another great site is http://www.skyscanner.net.
Along the same lines as WhichBudget but with the ability to check prices as well.
Whichbudget is almost useless for the international traveler… It told me there are no flights from Manchester UK to Bangkok…. Which is absolute rubbish
Mal
Whichbudget is almost useless for the international traveler… It told me there are no flights from Manchester UK to Bangkok…. Which is absolute rubbish Too many other routes were “no flights” also..
YOUR site is good
Mal
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