16 Useful Travel Websites You Probably Didn't Know About

Help for the holidays.

Jenny Chang / BuzzFeed

Chelsey Pippin / BuzzFeed

1. Triptease

triptease.com

At Triptease, you can browse user-provided itineraries while the site's built-in search engine searches for the best rates and opportunities for your trip. Combining the best of professional and community travel advice, Triptease allows you to search for specific locations or use a stumbling feature to inspire your wanderlust.

Best for: Getting good deals on highly reviewed travel experiences.

2. Homestay

homestay.com

Homestay is a unique and personal accommodation option that focuses on connecting like-minded travellers with local hosts in their home. With locations around the world the Homestay.com community offers a tailor made local experience for travellers, and an equally unique and gratifying experience for hosts. Simply load up the site to browse and find the right places and people to make the most of your trip.

Best for: Planning a trip to a new or remote location so that you have built in local support, or getting to know a familiar holiday spot in a new way.

3. Skiplagged

skiplagged.com

Skiplagged helps you find the cheapest flight possible by making use of hidden city opportunities. If you want to fly from San Diego to Chicago, it's sometimes cheaper to buy a San Diego to New York ticket with a Chicago layover, and simply not take the Chicago to New York connection. Skiplagged keeps track of these money-saving opportunities so that you can easily find the cheapest flight to your destination.

Best for: Shorter flights and one-way trips.

4. Rome2rio

rome2rio.com

Rome2rio is a super useful site that will help you take your entire travel time into consideration. Before booking your plane, train, or boat tickets, plug your home postcode and precise travel destination into the site's interface for an accurate estimate of exactly how long your full travel time will take over several different transportation methods and routes.

Best for: Travellers on a tight schedule.

5. The Man in Seat 61

seat61.com

Seat 61 is an excellent way to find alternative transportation. If you'd rather take boats, trains, and busses than planes, look no further. Just plug in your start and end points to see what routes and methods are available to you.

Best for: European travel, backpackers and budget travellers, travellers with fear of flying.

6. Jet Lag Rooster

jetlagrooster.com

If you're crossing time zones, Jet Lag Rooster will design a personalised sleep schedule to help you avoid jet lag on your trip. Plug your travel details in 3 days before your flight, and Jet Lag Rooster will do the rest!

Best for: International travel, business trips.

7. Black Tomato

blacktomato.com

For luxury travel experience, you must check out Black Tomato which allows you all kinds of specific options to find a travel experience tailor made for your needs. Most notable is their Unusual Holidays, sure to inspire your creativity and wanderlust.

Best for: Honeymoons, bug budget travel.

8. Responsible Travel

responsibletravel.com

Responsible Travel is a brilliant travel agency that provides environmentally conscious travel packages so that you can enjoy your holiday and preserve the earth for holidays to come. The service puts an emphasis on respecting local cultures and local environments to encourage a more tolerant and better cared for global community.

Best for: Conscious travellers.

9. iFly

ifly.com

Once you've booked your flights, there's no better airport resource than iFly, which will keep you up-to-date on delays as well as give detailed information about any airport. iFly will help you plan trips between terminals, find the best places to eat and shop on a layover, and put you easily in touch with any airport's lost and found.

Best for: Making the best of your layover!

Chelsey Pippin / BuzzFeed

10. Context Travel

contexttravel.com

For a truly informative walking tour, there's no better resource than Context, which provides tours around the world given by prominent professors, archeologists, historians, and urban planners.

Best for: Curious tourists and history buffs.

Spotted By Locals

spottedbylocals.com

Spotted by Locals offers you a real deal travel experience. Check out 57 city guides across Europe and North America compiled from local tips to discover true gems.

Best for: Finding tucked away restaurants and less crowded activities.

11. Trover

trover.com

If Instagram and TripAdvisor had a baby, it would be the unique and lovely Trover. Trover's interface allows users to share striking photos of their travels combined with reviews of their experiences, and is easy to browse for unique and vetted ideas as you plan your own trip.

Best for: Off-the beaten path adventures, travellers who want a local experience.

12. Peek

peek.com

Peek is the must-have itinerary planning resource. The site curates a wide variety of high quality activities to pump up your holiday, and provides exclusive city guides from celebrities and well-known tastemakers, like Adrien Grenier and Wolfgang Puck.

Best for: Foodies, fashion fans, and trend hunters.

13. Triposo

triposo.com

Triposo is an extensive travel guide covering dining, tours, and accommodations that is completely available offline, making it super useful for trips abroad.

Best for: Offline travel tips.

14. Sandeman's New Europe

neweuropetours.eu

If you'll be visiting one of the 18 cities serviced by Sandemans free walking tours, you mustn't miss it. Tours are operated by local guides who work on a donation basis, and there are usually several run at each location everyday. The tours are good for getting an insider peek at famous cities, and are a great way to explore a city on a shoestring budget.

Best for: Budget travellers, students.

15. Travellr

travellr.com

Get quick and specific travel advice by using Travellr. This handy site connects you to experienced travellers for tailored advice on everything from the best places to eat, the cheapest airport shuttles, to the most customer friendly hotels and anything else you could dream up.

Best for: Honest reviews and quick advice.

16. Foodspotting

foodspotting.com

Foodspotting is useful at home and away. Find the right place to get the food you're craving by plugging in your location and desired dish. Foodspotting then provides you a digest of nearby eateries and reviews that suit your food mood.

Best for: Foodies, impromptu travel, travelling with kids.