Couch Surfing
Hands down my favorite travel website on the internet. The community is huge, over a million couch surfers worldwide. I couch surfed once in Budapest, and was rewarded a point of view only a local could show. Since I moved back to Austin, I’ve hosted a number of couch surfers. I give travelers a place to stay, they show me their way of life. In addition, couchsurfing.org has local meetup groups. I’ve met and hung out with some extraordinary travelers through the couchsurfing community. I highly recommend you start building your CouchSurfing profile now!
Travellers Point
Travellerspoint is a small travel community that features expert travel advice. The members on the message board are extraordinary helpful and knowledgeable. Travellerspoint is my top choice for travel advice, legalities, and transportation issues. Before traveling, I recommend running your itinerary through the boards.
Momondo
How can a Danish aggregator feature cheaper flights within the U.S, than any American flight aggregator? By eliminating all third party fees! I use Momondo to research every flight I book. I’ve seen Momondo rates as much as $150 cheaper than SkyScanner. Momondo eliminates all booking fees by forwarding you directly to the airline’s main website.
Escape The City
Escape the City is a new website that continues to grow like wildfire. The idea: Turn the corporate world upside down by offering jobs that make a difference. I’m especially impressed with the quality of volunteer opportunities posted on Escape the City. Examples include, partaking in a gold mining expedition in Ecuador and leading a volunteer group in Malawi. If you’re tired of your boring day to day job, definitely give Escape the City a look.
Hostel World
My go to site for anything related to hostels. I read the reviews on hostelworld before booking any hostel. I’ve found some great places to stay during peak seasons by exploring page 2 and page 3 of this website.
Trip-it
I build almost all of my travel itineraries through Trip-it. Trip-it allows you to forward all of your lodging and transportation information to store in one location. In addition you receive statistics on miles traveled, locations visited, cities visited.
AirBnB
Airbnb is great for people who enjoy a finer lodging experience. Connect with other travelers to rent out house, apartments, villas, or condos. Like CouchSurfing the community is safe, secure, and builds trust through user reviews. AirBnB doesn’t charge until after a traveler books your home. They even offer free professional photography in many instances.
Flyer Talk
Flyertalk features some of the best travel hackers on the planet. Airfare remains the most expensive travel cost. The users of this forum exchange ideas on generating airline miles through various credit card reward programs. If you really want to dwell deep into the art of discount travel, FlyerTalk is a must read.
Sleeping in Airports
Ever wonder where to find the best nooks and crannies for overnight airport sleeping? Sleepinginairports displays the best locations to sleep. I used to dread the days of overnight uncomfortable, noisy airports. Now, I have an advantage over about 90% of other overnighters through knowledge of this great website.
Seat Guru
Think sleeping in airports, but with airplane seats. Seatguru maps out the exact location of the most comfortable seats inside the airplane. Not everyone can afford 1st class long distance traveling. Thus, before booking a coach ticket, take a gander at seatguru to find the best available seats.
Travel Finances
Conversion fees can add up during overseas traveling. Travelfinances outlines the conversion percentages of the major credit cards. I’ll save you the research. Capital One is the best travel card available. No foreign transaction fees and favorable airline miles rewards. In addition, Travelfinances is a great resource for information on financial news, legalities, taxes, and travel insurance.
Road Sharing
I haven’t used roadshare yet, but added based on responses from people who have. Roadshare is a social community that helps travelers save on transportation fees. A great way to travel with a companion for a few days while splitting the costs.
Cruise Compete
A travel aggregator for cruises. You can find some superb deals by searching thoroughly on this website. Check this site frequently during the offseason. Great deals await!
Weather2travel
Weather2travel is your global resource for worldwide weather information. Avoid the pitfalls of travel by planning ahead. If your flleixble with your dates, view Weather2travel to ensure that mother nature doesn’t affect your travel plans
Global Volunteers
A great resource for volunteering abroad. Global Volunteers helps you find volunteer opportunities in areas your passionate about. For example, if you enjoy helping young children, Global Volunteers can help place you in exotic locations like the Cook Islands.
Hotels Combined
If you prefer the comforts of a hotel, HotelsCombined is the cheapest aggregator I’ve seen. I only use hotels these days for business travel. However, there are times where you need to unwind and relax from travel stresses. View HotelsCombined to receive a great overview of the hotels in your area.
