
(Photo: Vlingva / iStockphoto)
Just a few years ago, you probably would have called up your travel agent if you were thinking about taking a trip or vacation somewhere. These days, though, there are thousands of websites online that can help you with every step of the planning process — as well as offer some help beyond what a travel agent could do for you. With these online tools, you can make sure that your travels, whether for business or pleasure, are enjoyable.
Planning

Tripbase
Tripbase — Get ideas on where to travel and what to do, based on what you enjoy.
Yahoo! Travel — Access an integrated set of travel tools that recommend specific trips, help you find cheap airfare and hotels, and more.
Iloho — Read up on locations you’re considering visiting, as well as plan your itinerary.
Triporama — Manage the travel plans of whole groups of family or friends and make sure you all get where you’re going.
RealTravel — Look at reviews for trips, locations, and even hotels in order to plan your travel.
TripConnect — Get travel advice from your network of friends.
Travel.State.Gov — Check government advisories on travel as well as get tips for specific countries.
TripAdvisor — Plan each step of your trip while consulting reviews from other travelers.
Tripology — Get help from travel agents with planning your vacation.
OneBag — Learn how to pack your bags and travel light.
Trekaroo — Put together a family friendly travel plan.
PlanetEye — Read reviews of destinations around the world.
TripWolf — Get access to professional travel articles as well as information from other travelers.
AmateurTraveler — Discover new places to visit.
TripEssentials — Bookmark and manage accommodations and other travel information while you’re planning your trip across multiple sites.
TravelIndex — Ask questions about traveling and find resources.
Openplaces — Research your destinations and find reliable information.
Flying

SeatGuru
FareCompare — Find cheap flights and get Twitter updates about cheap deals from your home airport.
SideStep — Search major travel sites like Orbitz and JetBlue with just one search.
Mobissimo — Compare results from a variety of travel search engines, as well as get news and connect with the Mobissimo community.
Bing Travel — Find airfare and get tips on when to buy your tickets so that you get the lowest possible price.
Frekfly — Get the details on the airports you’ll be flying through, like where you should eat.
atLarge — Find Internet access at any airport in the world.
AirTroductions — Connect with other passengers who will be traveling through particular airports at particular times.
FlightAware — Track your flights and check out the activity at the airports you’re headed to.
FlightStats — Get information on the status of your flights.
SeatGuru — Learn which seats are the best on the plane.
FlyerTalk — Improve the number of airline miles you get from frequent flyer programs.
Vayama — Search for international flights.
Momondo — Discover the dates that will offer you the cheapest airfare.
Airline Quality — Check the quality of the airline you’ll be traveling with before you book.
FlyMyCase — Have your baggage shipped to your destination before you leave and skip baggage claim.
Yapta — Track ticket prices to make sure you get the best deal.
Riding

Google Transit
Google Transit — Plan trips on public transportation.
RailEurope — Purchase rail passes to travel around Europe.
Driving

Ridester
Ridester — Share rides in the U.S. by either finding a ride or offering one for a share of the gas money.
TripWiser — Plan road trips and get advice from a social network on where to go.
TravMatix — Create a driving plan, complete with suggestions on where to stop for gas.
PlanYourTrip — Find information on motels, campgrounds, and attractions around the route of your roadtrip.
Moblu — Calculate your gas costs for your trip.
Accommodations

LicketyTrip
Hotels Finder — Find hotels in various cities and see their rankings and details on a Google Map.
Rent Me A Vacation — Search for vacation rentals based on location and price.
EpicTrip — Watch videos and read reviews of the hotels you’re considering staying in before you book.
TravelPost — Search for hotel reviews across thousands of websites.
HomeAway — Find vacation rentals all over the world, as well as rent out your own vacation rental.
LicketyTrip — Get last minute deals on vacation rentals.
HostelWorld — Check out hostel options in more than 170 countries.
LateRooms — Book hotel rooms at the last minute for deals.
Skoosh — Search for boutique hotel rooms.
ConcertHotels — Going to a concert? Find a hotel near the venue.
CouchSurfing — Couchsurf your way around the world by finding locals to stay with.
Hostelling International — Book hostels around the world in order to travel on the cheap.
Hospitality Club — Travel for free and connect with locals through this site’s volunteers.
HostelTrail — Read up on hostels located in Latin America.
Domegos — Locate vacation rentals in more than 70 countries.
AirBNB — Connect with hosts who will let you sty in their homes.
gloveler.com — Rent private accommodations inexpensively.
Travel Guides

Simpatigo
Boo — See guides and travel advice written by other travelers.
EveryTrail — Share trip routes and photos online and through mobile devices, as well as find trips where you’ll be traveling.
WhereTo.org — Look at information shared by other travelers describing places they’ve been, along with their recommendations.
Vcarious — Read travel guides written by recent visitors, as well keep your own travel journal.
WikiTravel — Find and edit this shared travel guide organized along the lines of Wikipedia.
Cosmotourist — Get travel tips that go beyond guidebooks and ask any questions you want answered before you travel.
World66 — Check out more than 20,000 different destinations with almost 80,000 articles written about them.
TripCart — Find what to do once you’ve got an idea of where you want to travel.
Geobeats — Watch video travel guides to learn more about where you’re headed.
Travelistic — See thousands of travel videos from all over the world.
Simpatigo — Create custom tours of the area you’re visiting.
World Hotel Link — Read up on information about different areas with a socially conscious angle.
LonelyPlanet — Browse professional travel guides online.
OffbeatGuides — Print your own customized travel guides.
WorldSaurus — Access travel guides written entirely by locals.
KeenGuides — Watch guided tours for the areas you plan to visit.
Local Help

Yelp
Boomtrek — Get acquainted with individual cities, from finding the neighborhood you want to stay in, as well as find other information about the city.
Wayn — Find locals and other travelers to hang out with.
CityTherapy — Hear about the newest and coolest places to go in European cities.
BringSome — Bring or get items usually only available in other countries.
Where’s the Beach, Dude! — Get listings on where nearby beaches are.
Yelp — Read reviews of restaurants and other businesses in there area you’re visiting.
DailyCandy — Learn about local events and the bests of different cities.
HiEverywhere — Connect with a local who has volunteered to be a tour guide.
Networking

Dopplr
Dopplr — Share information about where and when you’ll be traveling with your network so that you can tell when you’ll be in the same places as your friends.
myTripBook — Write about your adventures and share them with your Facebook friends.
TripIt — Network with your traveling friends and update your plans just by forwarding your confirmation emails to the site.
Matador — Read about the exciting adventures of other travelers, network with them and find trips you’d like to take as well.
Jauntlet — Create a travel plan that you can add to your blog, social networking profiles, and other places where you can share your adventures with your friends.
GeoJoey — Vote on the experiences you’ve had while traveling and see what trips are the most highly ranked.
Diddit — Share lists of your adventures and compare them with your friends.
Here or There — Read and write travel blogs to share your experiences.
Extravigator — Discuss luxury travel options and get the inside scoop.
Sosauce — Recreate your travel memories with photo tools.
TripHub — Pull together all your information about your travel plans in one place so you can easily share it.
Where I’ve Been — Map out the places you’ve visited on your Facebook page.
TwisitorCenter — Find visitor information for different cities through Twitter.
TravelBlog — Post a travel blog for free and discuss your adventures with other travelers.
Trips — Use this Facebook application to plan trips with friends as well as share your travel information with your friends.
Driftr — Plan and record your trips so that you can easily share them with friends and family.
TripSay — Tell your friends where to go.
Twaller — Get and give travel tips on Twitter in real time.
EverLater — Keep a record of your travels for later.
###







Fantastic list of really useful travel information- well done. I work for a new website http://www.bedandbreakfastworld.com- which has come from the same company that has HostelWorld and boo.com so thanks for mentioning them and maybe some people looking for B&Bs might find our new B&B site useful too. Thanks
Great list. Let us know what you think of NileGuide (http://www.nileguide.com/), a relatively new player in the trip planning space. Our site provides users with personalized travel recommendations, integrates planning and booking tools, and then enables anyone to download and print their own customized Guide, for free.