Websites and downloadable content related to travel online.
45
votes
11answers
1k views
Is there a good website to plan a trip via trains in Europe?
My wife and I have decided to move across Europe by train.
Do you know of any good sites for planning a trip via train (schedule and maybe prices)?
We're going to go across Europe from east (Russia ...
34
votes
9answers
1k views
How can I do a “broad” search for flights?
Several airline and trip planning sites will allow you to check "I am flexible with my dates" or a similar option. Is there any way to also search more broadly for location?
For example, if you ...
29
votes
5answers
9k views
When to book tickets from travel sites rather than airline sites?
When booking plane tickets, I generally buy directly from the airline's website (as it is often the lowest or near-lowest price for the destinations I travel between). However, I know there are many ...
22
votes
8answers
496 views
Is there a list of free accomodation resources?
I want to travel abroad cheap, and I would prefer to find some place to stay through a person or website, rather than book a hotel or hostel. There is couchsurfing.com, which I know about. Can you ...
16
votes
6answers
362 views
Is there a website for searching/booking European trains?
Is there a website to search for european train tickets? I mean something like kayak.com, expedia.com, airfare.com, etc for trains? I know there are specific countries' website like db.de, sbb.ch, ...
16
votes
2answers
229 views
Website resources for 'out there' jobs related to travel
I've come across a few travel + working websites - which can get you a 'non-standard' job in a remote place - like EscapeTheCity which has had roles from post office master in Antarctica to landmine ...
15
votes
5answers
856 views
The most difficult countries to travel in?
Now at first sight that's a subjective question. But I'll explain now that it's not. So please don't answer subjectively either!
Pamir Highway between Dushanbe and Khorog, Tajikistan
When papers ...
15
votes
3answers
226 views
Is there a resource with the average load factor on a specific flight?
I almost always seem to be traveling on full flights. So almost never have the luxury to be able to change seats or even rows. Is there any way to find out beforehand if a specific flight is on ...
15
votes
3answers
314 views
References for tipping etiquette in different countries? [closed]
Where can I find information about tipping etiquette in different countries? I'm hoping for a comprehensive database so I don't have to ask about the countries one by one here.
15
votes
1answer
309 views
Where can I find and book plane tickets on date not on destination?
I have a holiday coming up and I would like to travel with the family somewhere. I have specific wishes regarding departure and arrival times, but the destination is less relevant. Where can I search ...
15
votes
2answers
479 views
Is there a definitive reference guide to cell phone standards by country?
I have an AT&T iPhone 3GS, and am wondering if I should switch to something else for use when visiting other countries.
15
votes
2answers
231 views
Is there an equivalent to “The Man in Seat Sixty-One” for bus travel?
Whenever I want to learn about train travel for a specific country of region I first go to the site The Man in seat sixty-one. It lists the major routes, railway companies and describes rolling stock ...
14
votes
7answers
260 views
Is there a list of online public transportation planners?
For Oslo in Norway you can go to ruter.no, punch in where you are and where you want to go. It then gives you options on how to get from point A to point B using various public transportation (and ...
14
votes
3answers
296 views
What causes experts at sites like FlightFox to be so much cheaper than search engines?
I was looking at this: https://flightfox.com/contest/57321
And I checked the dates on Momondo, and it cost around $1400. (I only checked one set of dates though)
The searcher expressed that they'd ...
14
votes
7answers
876 views
What are the most effective rideshare sites in the US?
Recently, I have been traveling from upstate New York to NYC quite frequently and would like to find a site that is more effective than craigslist in attracting reliable rideshares for splitting gas ...
14
votes
3answers
214 views
Is there a resource to find free, open wifi hotspots?
It would be great to know where free, publicly accessible (municipal or otherwise) hotspots are when travelling in foreign cities. Does such a utility exist (website/app etc.)?
14
votes
2answers
178 views
Is there a website dedicated to odd hotels?
There is a boeing 747 hotel in Sweden. Is there a search engine or any other way to find similar odd hotels per destination?
14
votes
3answers
218 views
Is there any common website for Spanish intercity bus timetables?
As I wrote in an answer some time ago, there are, in my opinion, very good bus connections in Andalusia (and elsewhere in Spain). But I don't know of a single site where you could easily check the ...
14
votes
1answer
109 views
Are there any travel websites that offer incentives for users to achieve certain tasks on their travels?
I was just talking to some people about how on my travels I contribute to OpenStreetMap and Google Maps / Mapmaker mainly to help other travellers find stuff that isn't easy to find.
I much prefer ...
14
votes
1answer
233 views
An online map indicating the status of all open and closed international borders
I like to make up my own interesting international routes on my longer trips rather than always following conventional routes.
But often it's tricky to plan a route in lesser-known parts of the world ...
13
votes
2answers
251 views
How can I determine which airlines are relatively safe?
The world is full of different airlines ranging from ones with proven track records of safety and security to ones with old, poorly-maintained planes that are falling apart. Are there any resources ...
13
votes
4answers
155 views
Are there any websites or resources for planning bicycle routes across western Europe?
A friend and I are potentially interested in doing a bicycle tour across parts of western Europe, which parts specifically we're not sure of yet. We would be starting in London and from there we would ...
13
votes
2answers
370 views
Is there a feasible way to combine hitchhiking and couch surfing?
On my previous trip I tried hitchhiking for the first time and became addicted so this year I'm spending six to twelve months traveling in East Asia and Eastern Europe.
I also tried couch surfing for ...
13
votes
2answers
204 views
Travel planning web sites
I am currently planning a 2 month trip through China, and I wanted to know what are the best online options to plan a trip.
First off : I am really looking for an alternative to a spreadsheet. ...
13
votes
0answers
578 views
Does browsing ticket sites in incognito mode and/or from different IP's result in cheaper ticket prices?
I stumbled across a discussion yesterday where industry insiders share tips relating to their respective fields. Someone who works in e-commerce stated :
"When purchasing items on the internet ...
12
votes
9answers
263 views
Is there any online resource that can tell me what visa rules are for passport holders of a specific country?
When thinking about travelling, I often have to think about a place to visit, and then look up visa rules for that particular country. This can be a fairly painful process because official government ...
12
votes
2answers
317 views
Opaque hotel booking sites?
In this question, I first heard of opaque hotel booking sites. It sounds very interesting, but I don't know such a site. So my question is: Where should I start to look for opaque hotel booking sites?
...
12
votes
3answers
407 views
Are the live flight radar websites *actually* live?
I was keeping an eye on a friend's flight on PlaneFinder. It was meant to be flying past my office, so I walked to the window to see (the airport is about a minute away when they pass, so it's pretty ...
12
votes
2answers
115 views
How do I find out which holidays will disrupt my travel and by how much?
I'm sure it has happened to many of us: You travel to a country with a different culture, and suddenly, you find yourself in front of closed restaurant/shop/museum/etc doors (or, alternatively, you ...
12
votes
3answers
198 views
Is there a flight search engine that has an option to show full flights?
Quite often when searching for plane tickets I get only some high priced results, ridiculous schedules, etc. It makes me wonder if these are the only options to get from point A to point B or have I ...
11
votes
3answers
208 views
Are hospitality-exchange services reasonably safe to use in first-world countries?
Are hospitality-exchange services like CouchSurfing and warmshowers.org reasonably safe to use? I mean both for hosts and for guests, and both for men and women, in first-world countries.
What ...
11
votes
3answers
329 views
What's a good alternative to Dopplr?
From the Dopplr website:
Dopplr is a service for smart
international travellers. Dopplr
members share personal and business
travel plans privately with their
networks, and exchange tips on ...
11
votes
4answers
206 views
What is some useful software for brainstorming/planning long trips?
I'm planning on taking my partner and his family on a trip around the UK next year, and I have a ton of ideas in my head that I want to have written down in some form that makes it easy to edit and ...
11
votes
3answers
140 views
Mitfahrzentrale-style website for Norway?
Does anyone know a Mitfahrzentrale-style website for Norway, for planned hitch-hiking? I need to travel from Kiruna (Sweden) to Tromsø (Norway) on 20 December, and the first train arrives in Narvik ...
11
votes
2answers
127 views
Is there a booking site for chartering flights?
Are there booking sites for chartering flights? A Google journey revealed many sites where one could enquire for details on chartering a plane, but so far all the enquiring needs to be done by sending ...
10
votes
2answers
2k views
What is the difference between i-ticket and e-ticket in India's online train ticket reservation?
What is the difference between i-ticket and e-ticket in India's online ticket booking?
When we book online train tickets in India through the Government website of www.irctc.co.in, we have a option ...
10
votes
3answers
147 views
Are there any tour group comparison websites?
After having good experiences with the various websites for comparing flight prices (Expedia, Orbitz, etc), I was wondering whether there's anything similar for tours that compares times, prices, ...
10
votes
3answers
410 views
Is there a website that measures the level of xenophobia in countries/cities?
Is there a website that measures the level of xenophobia in countries or cities? It would be better if it's color coded.
Xenophobia could mean a lot for some tourists, I myself do not like to travel ...
10
votes
4answers
166 views
I am looking for a hotel search engine for rural areas
I am trying to find a bucolic holiday destination, which means finding a nice hotel in a small beautiful village for spending some quiet time.
Most search engines are only finding major cities, and ...
10
votes
2answers
188 views
Visa for US citizen visiting Nicaragua
When a US citizen travels to Nicaragua, what does it cost to enter the country? How long can the stay be without having a visa or paying a fine? Is there a resource online where up-to-date answers to ...
10
votes
2answers
172 views
Is there a hotel / B&B Finder using Google or Bing maps?
I'm looking for a good site that lists Hotels and B&B on top of Google Maps or Bing Maps.
That has tool tips with prices and availability.
What is the best site of this kind?
10
votes
2answers
130 views
Online resources/communities especially for travelling to remote islands [closed]
I'm dreaming of visiting remote islands such as St. Helena or the Kerguelen islands, but mostly don't get past the dreaming stage because I don't really know how to start making it happen. I think ...
9
votes
5answers
183 views
How to choose a good restaurant in Switzerland?
I am making a spontaneous day trip to Basel tomorrow, and there is the problem of choosing a nice restaurant for lunch. I don't want a famous place where you need reservations a month in advance to ...
9
votes
3answers
292 views
Why airline websites charge more money than discount travel websites
What is the reason that when you book a flight between 2 destinations from an airline website (aircanada.com), the prices are much more than when you book the same through a discount website like ...
9
votes
3answers
116 views
Accommodation search engine that allows setting an approximate price range without a date?
While looking for accommodation for my vacation, I have become rather frustrated with sites like booking.com where you have to set the check-in and check-out dates before you see any prices. ...
9
votes
3answers
111 views
Is there a global online resource for campsites?
I'm wondering if there's any website which covers either the whole world or possibly a major part of Europe listing campsites, ideally with ratings, bookings, maps, pricing, availability.
Something ...
9
votes
3answers
157 views
Resources to find overseas volunteer opportunities with technical skills?
I'm a software engineer, and I want to volunteer my abilities in a foreign country for a month or two, preferably for a charitable organization. I previously did some work for the Grameen Foundation ...
9
votes
1answer
223 views
Are flights actually cheaper *to book* during the week?
Last week I was eyeing up flights to Vegas from Vancouver. I had vaguely chosen the flight that I wanted. On Saturday I found that the flights I wanted weren't there, and in general, it was more ...
9
votes
3answers
76 views
Accommodation for a large group in Cairns in November 2012
I'm organising a largish group (around 10, hopefully) to go to Cairns in November for the total solar eclipse on the 14th.
With a group that size, it'd be nice if we could have a place to ourselves - ...
9
votes
1answer
661 views
Travel agents - can they match ITA Travel Matrix prices?
(applies to all travel agents, I'm just using FC as an example)
Flight Centre - the world wide travel agent, often boasts "lowest prices guaranteed". I've had trouble getting them to actually hold ...
