Ah, yes, the five stages of planning for a trip—dreaming, excitement, overwhelm, booking, and eagerness. Well, maybe something like that, right? Most trips involve doing some research, making reservations, and organizing excursions. For many, the hardest parts are getting started and staying within a budget. That’s why we’ve rounded up the 25 best travel resources to help you stay organized and achieve your trip planning goals!
It’ll require some planning and resources to get yourself here!
Whether you’re looking to find the best activities or get the best deals, these travel resources online cover all that and more. Some of them are only online, some are only mobile apps, and some are both—but all of them will help make planning the best trip ever a breeze.
While you may have heard of a couple of these travel tools, other ones have excellent reviews but haven’t achieved household name status (yet!). Either way, you’ll fall in love with them!
READ MORE: 8 Essential To-Do’s Before You Travel Abroad
25 best travel resources online
Planning & Research
1. GoAbroad Online Advisor
GoAbroad.com lists thousands of international programs (with reviews!) in 11 directories from studying and interning to working and adventuring abroad. Not sure where to start? Fill out the free GoAbroad Online Advisor form with a little bit about yourself and what you’re looking for, and ideal programs that meet your requests will surf right into your inbox!
2. iVisa
Know what country you want to visit but not sure what documents it requires? Hate going through the long arduous process of applying for a visa? iVisa is an online passport and visa service that does all the hard work for you! It’s a safe, affordable, and reliable travel resource that processes your documents in a timely planner.
3. Lonely Planet
As the crème de la crème of travel advice websites, you’ve come to the right place with Lonely Planet. Learn about the top attractions, the best ways to get around, the best times to visit, and more about pretty much anywhere in the world all in one place. The top-notch travel descriptions and beautiful imagery will also pump up your excitement for your getaway!
4. Wanderlog
From gathering reservations to mapping routes, Wanderlog is both an online site and mobile app that helps you keep everything organized for your travel itinerary. You can even collaborate with friends while travel planning in real-time. It automatically stores plans for offline use too. Plus, you can read descriptions and reviews and explore top lists that other users made.
5. TripAdvisor
As another one of the best travel advice websites, TripAdvisor has you covered if you want to go somewhere but don’t know where to start. With millions of reviews and ratings, you’ll easily discover the best things to do, places to eat, places to stay, and even where to park in rural and urban destinations all over the world.
Finding & Booking Flights
6. Skyscanner
Both an app and a website, this travel resource boasts the cheapest flight prices thanks to its price trend tracker and multi-city searches. It has received thousands of rave reviews for helping people find, compare, and nab budget-friendly flights. You can also look for car rental and hotel deals with Skycanner too.
7. Hopper
This free mobile app helps travelers save big on flight costs by notifying them when it’s the right time to buy. It also helps you find the cheapest days to travel, provides tips about airports, allows you to freeze future prices, and offers flexible dates and refundable ticket plans. You can book flights, hotels, and cars with Hopper too.
Accommodation & Lodging
8. Agoda
Agoda’s a free online search engine specifically made to help you find hotels, hostels, and resorts with over 2 million properties listed worldwide. This site will help you get the best value for your lodging and even offers a best match guarantee, so if you find a better price on the web, they’ll refund the difference.
9. Tripping.com
More interested in a vacation rental? Tripping.com lists over 12 million accommodations to choose from in more than 190 countries. Whether you’re looking for a cabin or a condo, you’re bound to find an affordable and spacious vacation rental at a good price with this online tool.
10. Hostel World
With nearly 18,000 listings across 179 countries, and millions of reviews, this is a fantastic travel resource that helps budget travelers and backpackers find good deals on accommodations. You can find hotels, hostels, bed and breakfasts, rooms, dorms, and more all in one place on the site and the mobile app.
Transportation & Getting Around
11. AllTrails
Looking to hike, bike, walk, and explore the outdoors while you’re traveling? Can’t get more details beyond the driving directions on Google Maps? You’re in luck with AllTrails, which provides more than 200,000 detailed trail maps for your next adventure—and yes, you can download them for offline use too!
12. AutoSlash
AutoSlash helps you save hundreds of dollars on car rentals! This travel resource doesn’t rent out cars itself, but it does all the hard work for you—all you do is enter some information about your car rental needs, it searches all the car rental providers, and it emails you the best deals.
13. Omio
Whether you’re looking for flights, ferries, buses, or trains, Omio is a helpful site for your transportation needs in Europe and the U.S. You can book tickets on the app, and keep them tucked away on your phone. Many reviewers love how easy Omio is to use and also that you can compare prices for different transportation modes.
14. Rome2Rio
If you’re looking for travel resources that help you find the best way to get from Point A to Point B, you’ll love Rome2Rio. It’s a more robust transportation tool that lists flights, trains, buses, ferries, rideshares, and rental car info in more than 160 countries. All you gotta do is plug in your starting location and ending destination, and this app and website will find the best, most affordable route for you.
Food & Activities
15. Atlas Obscura
If you’re looking for things to do beyond the landmarks, give Atlas Obscura a try to discover the “world’s hidden wonders” that other travelers recommend. This is one of the best travel resources online that suggests plenty of unusual attractions to visit and places to eat all around the globe. You can even sign up for small-group trips and online courses.
16. Klook
Whether you’re looking for relaxing activities or outdoor adventures, Klook lists a gamut of things to do at great prices. You can book activity tickets and tours on this online site and mobile app. Klook also provides transportation tickets and dining options, more specifically in Asia.
17. Get Your Guide
Get Your Guide is all about helping travelers book last-minute tickets to attractions, tours, and activities. Plus, the tickets have a flexible cancellation policy. Both an online site and mobile app, this resource lists over 40,000 activities for you to discover with insightful tips too.
18. Zomato
As far as travel resources go for food, Zomato will help you find the best local eats so you can go beyond the corporate chain restaurants. Hungry for something healthy? Or something theme-related? This will help you discover anything your stomach desires all over the world with lots of reviews to boot.
19. HappyCow
For travelers who are vegan, vegetarian, or for those with special dietary needs, HappyCow offers an easy-to-use app to help you find restaurants, cafes, and grocery stores that meet those needs. With over 156,000 options in 180+ countries, this app makes it easier to avoid spending hours hunting down a place, or worse, feeling “hangry.”
20. Pocket
You know how when you travel, you don’t always get a good Internet connection, or you have to be in airplane mode on flights? This can be frustrating when you’ve found things online that you’d like to read later (e.g. articles with restaurant or activity recommendations). With the Pocket app, you can download items when you’re online and save them to later watch or read while offline.
Banking & Insurance
21. Digital Wallet
Digital wallets, or e-wallets, allow you to conveniently and contactlessly purchase items in stores, in apps, and online by using your phone instead of cash or plastic. Some examples include Apply Pay and Google Pay. Digital wallets offer enhanced security with how it stores cards and makes payments. You can also save your boarding passes, tickets, and transit cards.
22. Mint
While traveling, it can be hard to track spending and staying on top of a budget. But Mint makes it easy. Mint is a free mobile app that assembles your bills, credit cards, accounts, subscriptions and more all in one place. You can even get notified when bills are due and receive insights into how you can save more money—great for saving up for your next trip!
23. NordVPN
While you may rely on public Wi-Fi while abroad, you take the risk of scammers infiltrating your Internet connection and stealing financial information. Plus, you may not be able to access the same sites and streaming platforms you use at home while abroad. But NordVPN, a virtual private network provider, provides a secure connection and a means for travelers to watch their favorite shows too.
24. SafetyWing
When you travel, you’re open to more vulnerabilities, and you just never know if an accident, natural disaster, or illness will strike. And the last thing you want to worry about is affording a large bill down the road. SafetyWing offers an impressive travel insurance policy that even covers dental and trip delay at a very affordable price.
25. Medjet
Most travel insurances don’t cover air-medical transport services, and if they do, they come with restrictions and other costs. Medjet offers both short-term and annual insurance options that cover transport both domestically and internationally. You just pay a membership fee for your insurance, and you don’t have to worry about any bills or paperwork after an incident.
Research Your Trip in Our Travel Article Directory
Do you have the best travel resources to plan your next trip?
Need a plan? The right resources will have you covered.
Planning a trip can feel like a whirlwind, but this list of the 25 best travel resources cover all the bases to make arranging your next getaway much easier. And daresay, more fun! With the vast majority of these tools, you’re in good company with reviews, advice, and recommendations from fellow travelers who have been in your shoes. Your next adventure awaits. Bon voyage!
Plan Your Trip with the Travel Resources Hub on GoAbroad.com
Look for the Perfect Program Abroad Now
Start Your Search