If you know me, you know how much I love to travel. I haven’t been all over the world but I have hit 15 countries and 39 cities and have ZERO PLANS TO STOP.
One of my coworkers is in the process of planning an international trip, and naturally, I’m beyond excited for her. Today while discussing her itinerary, I exclaimed to her how much I love talking about travel and she responded, “I know… your face lights up at the topic!” So, of course, I shared some of my favorite resources with her that have helped me get started with traveling… and now I want to share them with you!
The following sites and apps will help with the planning process and when you get on the ground:
- Sleeping in Airports (Website)
This may seem like a weird first choice, but I think that this site is chock full of information. I will say that sleeping in airports is not something I do regularly. I’ve done it twice and do not enjoy it at all. But, before I started sleeping in airports I used this site to get an idea of the amenities in the airports that I would be passing through. I’m also just naturally curious, so I love reading the best and worst airport rankings of the year. When I finally chose to sleep in an airport (Heathrow on my way to Greece was my first and whew, it was an adventure in itself!), the site prepared me with information such as noise level, how bright the lights air, what time security wakes people up, the fact that we (extended layover people) would all be rounded up in one central area… This site is mostly crowd-sourced reviews so it’s great to have real-life, honest opinions. - Units Plus (App)
This app is so simple, yet so necessary! You can convert units such as bytes to kilobytes and centimeters to meters but the gem of this app is the currency converter. Quick and straight to the point, you can convert over 150 world currencies. This app was particularly helpful when I was haggling with the shop owners at the souks in Dubai! - Tripit (Website & App)
Tripit has been around for years and it’s still my go-to app when consolidating all of my travel data. You can import your flight (or train, or boat) itineraries, add in your lodging (and it will map out your route from the airport to your hotel), and include other activities so everything is packaged up very neatly all in one place! Being that I’m either traveling solo/meeting up with a group later on that I’ve never met/traveling with a small group of friends, I like a family member to know where I plan to be and Tripit allows me to email my itinerary out. Download the app so you can take your itinerary on the go. - FlightView (App)
This app is pretty simple and straight-forward. Input your flight information and get live information on boarding, weather, and delays as it relates to your flight. I also like the feature where it shows you your aircraft’s previous flight. Again, something that you don’t need to necessarily know, but my curiosity gets the best of me! - Skyscanner (App)
I mainly use this to track flight prices. Sure, I could do this via a website, but I love having the information at my fingertips. Skyscanner will also save your search and will push updates to your phone or email you (if you choose) when the prices change.
Honorable mention to the old standby, TripAdvisor. I honestly can spend hours researching activities and looking at photos of hotels.
I hope this list was of some use to you. Do you any travel apps and sites that you absolutely love and never leave home without? Drop some names and pages in the comments section below!
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