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Do you want to go on holiday; Do you want to get the best deals possible in all the net. These are some of the best sites that i found ENJOY:-)
Ideas and inspiration
gridskipper.com
This urban travel guide has slick design, witty patter, gritty photography and everything an urbanite needs to know about the fabulously random intricacies and trivialities of the world's sexiest cities. Want to find a rhythmic gymnastics shop in Lisbon? Buy cupcakes in Manhattan? Go to an ironic re-enactment of a Reagan-era, junior high school dance in LA? No? Well they're fun to read about anyway.
superfuture.com
Low-key, high-style graphics lend an edgy look to this site, which lists hotels, bars, restaurants in various cities, plus news of local events and club nights. Check out the 'schnaps' section for photographs of good looking people partying at fashiony dos you'd never be invited to. Then there are the maps: so stylish you could imagine them adorning a Tokyo architect's T-shirt.
lonelyplanet.co.uk
There are travel podcasts, guides by region or theme, including history, honeymoons, islands and roadtrips, plus more obscure sections such as the 'twilight zone' which tracks paranormal activity across the globe and 'fatal attractions' which describes sites and cultural events linked with death. You can also book holidays and buy Lonely Planet guides here, and the travellers' forum, thorntree.lonelyplanet.com, attracts thousands of readers looking to swap information.
whatsonwhen.com
From what's showing in your local art gallery to this year's Glastonbury dates and when the Naked Men's festival takes place in Japan, this site tells you about events and attractions around the world, which can be searched for by date, country or theme.
timeout.com
Excellent if you want to research shops, restaurants and museums in more than 100 cities. Information can be narrowed down into useful categories, for example romantic hotels, decadent dining, pre-club warm up bars etc.
Personal recommendations (from tourists)
tripadvisor.co.uk
UGC - user generated content - is the travel industry's latest obsession. With the advent of blogging, a hotel now needs to worry what each guest might write about them. This site is one of the most used.
virtualtourist.com
A good place to pick up travel tips. When i looked, 616 new tips had been added in the past 24 hours.
wikitravel.org
Readers or 'wikitravellers' can write and edit material for this wiki site which aims to provide a reliable, up-to-date worldwide travel guide. There are 13,361 destination guides.
holidaysuncovered.com
Over 50,000 reviews of hotels and apartments around the world, by real holidaymakers. There's also a search section for flights, accommodation, package holidays and so on.
travel-rants.com
Editor Darren Cronian began this travel blog after what he describes as a 'nightmare booking experience with a high-street travel agency'. Thousands of people visit each week, swapping stories about disastrous holidays.
shiphappens.co.uk
Check you're paying the right price for your cruise, find out what a particular ship is really like and talk to fellow sailors. The Walk the Plank section is where disappointed cruisers rant about what went wrong at sea. When cruise firm Cruise Control went out of business in 2005, hundreds of customers used this site to follow developments.
The inside track
seatguru.com
The internet is giving travellers access to information that the travel companies themselves don't necessarily want to release - which airline seats have storage boxes under them, for example, and so will leave the person behind with cramp. This site has seat maps for most airlines' fleets, with every seat colour-coded to show which have the most space, leg room and reclinability.
pprune.org
It stands for Professional Pilots Rumour Network. That means discussion forums where anonymous pilots and cabin crew can chat about their lives in the airline industry. Some threads are fascinating accounts of the kind of events nervous flyers would rather not read about. Check out the safety and incidents section for talk of crew falling to their death when plane doors have been accidentally ripped off by the boarding bridge.
airlinemeals.com
Whether you love their doll-size proportions or hate their school-dinner quality, this site tells you what you can expect from airlines around the world. Every slimy detail is brought to life with lurid photography.
insideragency.com
Inspired by the film Lost in Translation, in which the main characters are guided through Tokyo's baffling nightlife by Japanese friends, this website helps you find locals to advise you whatever your destination. They won't charge for their services, though they might expect you to cover expenses!:-)
natives.co.uk
A site for chalet maids, ski guides, and anyone else working in ski resorts. Learn how to join the Pylon High club, hook up with fellow seasonnaires and find a ski guiding job with decent free accommodation. It's handy for those planning a ski holiday too, with snow reports and info about resorts - including the seasonnaires' favourite bars and party spots.
sleepinginairports.net
Travellers on a serious budget or those facing a night of delays can find tips on how to make sleeping in an airport more comfortable. It reviews the world's airports for suitability too.
googleearth.com
Type in the address of your hotel and zoom in - look there it is! For real! Good for checking out the lay of the land before you make a booking. However it all depends on the satellite coverage of the area.
geograph.org.uk
This website recently won the Yahoo 2006 travel website of the year award. The Geograph British Isles project is collecting geographically representative photographs and information for every square kilometre of the UK and Ireland, and you can see them here. You can also post your own snaps for missing grid references, though beware, geographing has the potential to become something of a trainspotting-esque obsession.
360travelguide.com
Take a virtual tour of a city or hotel by checking out these 360 degree photographs. Brings rooms, beaches and streets to life more than a standard photo.
Flights
oag.com
OAG - previously known as the Official Airline Guide - is a travel and transport information company that's been producing encyclopaedic flight information since 1929. Today its website still tells you almost everything you need to know - who flies where, how long it takes and how much baggage you can carry onboard.
flycheapo.com
Flycheapo's basic but crystal clear site guides you through the dizzying and constantly changing world of European budget carriers, telling you who flies which route.
airwise.com
I can't believe this website is free. It's not the easiest to use - there are lots of codes for airports and airlines - but it gives you access to complete airline schedules around the world. Not only is every departure listed, it also tells you what plane will be operating the route.
flightmapping.com
A good site for finding out who flies from Britain to cities around the world, it uses a system of clearly drawn maps, which is a relief after the endless lists of most sites of this kind.
kayak.co.uk
This is the UK version of the American travel website www.kayak.com, which claims to have the industry's most powerful flight search engine. The site collates real time prices and itineraries from more than 120 travel websites, including airlines and online agents such as Ebookers.
Packages
responsibletravel.com
A site singling out tour operators and accommodation suppliers that do their bit for the environment and local community so you can holiday with a clear conscience. If you're stuck for ideas, have a look at the 10 best selling holidays. Co-founder Justin Francis writes a blog about industry issues.
traveljungle.co.uk
A fare comparison site for flights, hotels, car hire, insurance, holidays and ski trips. It searches other websites that have last minute offers, such as opodo.co.uk and ebookers.com, to find discounted holidays in destinations of your choice, and those of dozens of airlines for the lowest priced flights on particular dates.
travelsupermarket.co.uk
Part of the moneysupermarket group of websites which compare prices on everything from motor insurance to gas bills and broadband. Essentially, it works in the same way as traveljungle - try both and you'll have this approach covered.
aito.co.uk
Not a place for slashed-price packages, but an invaluable starting point for those looking for tour operator rather than DIY holidays. Aito is the Association of Independent Tour Operators, and the site makes it easy to find the specialist companies offering the trip you're after, be it snowshoeing in Canada or wine tasting in Bordeaux.
Accommodation
couchsurfing.com
Find a free place to stay on this site, where people who are happy to have travellers in their spare room or on their sofa place notices. Particularly useful if you're going somewhere way off the beaten track, if you want to meet local people or just find some buddies while you're on the road. Hosts are totally in control of how long a guest stays at their home and you can read reviews by other couch surfers who got there first.
bigdomain.com
Every New Year's Eve, wherever you end up, you can guarantee your friends will at some point whinge that it would have been a better idea to hire a giant cottage in the country for a kness up(alcohol). This site lists ideal properties all over the UK and Europe. All sleep at least 12 people and there's a late deals section.
mrandmrssmith.com
Sexy, luxury hotels around the world are compiled in a mouth-watering list. You can book a room through the site and the destination guides are pretty good for a brief overview of a city.
special-escapes.co.uk
Don't spend another moment trawling through the insanely complex and unreliable world of online self-catering websites. It's not us saying so; that's the opinion of Alastair Sawday, author of a series of self-catering guides and the man behind this website. All manner of self-catering options in the UK are included.
camping.uk-directory.com
If you want to know which campsites will accept your pet pooch, or which have a swimming pool, this website will let you search according to specific requirements. There's also a description of each of the 1,500 caravan and camping sites featured.
booking.com
This site offers savings of up to 75 per cent on 30,000 worldwide hotels and charges no booking fee. Good descriptions of the hotels, with photographs of rooms, local area maps and lists of nearby attractions. There's also a review facility that is well used.
hostels.com
A site featuring monthly top 10 hostels based on users' ratings and a daily spotlight on a high-ranking hostel. Group bookings can now be made online. Alternatively, Hostelling International has details of its 4,000 hostels at www.hihotels.com.
lowcostbeds.com
Founder Paul Evans used to do all the contracting for Airtours, so has good relationships with hoteliers around the world. Some of the properties aren't exactly luxury, but there are some rock-bottom rates.
Special requirements
babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk
Not every self-catering property in the UK is baby or child-friendly. You can find most of the ones that are on this site. Sian Williams set it up following the birth of her daughter in summer 2005, after asking friends and colleagues for recommendations.
babygoes2.com
This multi-award winning site was set up by two working mums. It's well-designed and easy to navigate with holiday choices divided into categories. Regularly updated with new information and with special offers to suit all budgets.
holidayaccessdirect.com
Finding a holiday for people with disabilities or special requirements has never been easier. This site provides direct links to flights, good accommodation, car rental, insurance, taxis, resort support and mobility equipment suppliers.
solotravelonline.co.uk
This has details of everything you need to know about holidaying as a single person, including real-life experiences, articles from other sources (including Escape travel articles) and a list of travel companies that specialise in the singles market. There's also a section devoted to looking for love.
Cars, taxis and trains
seat61.com
Planning a rail trip across Europe used to be a baffling task until Mark Smith launched this site as a hobby. It's since become a huge success, and is full of advice on route planning and how to get the best fares.
holidaytaxis.com
Allows you to pre-book your own private transfer, ensuring a stress-free and quick journey from the airport to your hotel.
carhiresearch.co.uk
This website searches those of the main car rental companies as well as third-party suppliers to get the best deals worldwide. It also has a product review section where people who've hired cars rate the experience.
Staying safe
nomadtravel.co.uk
Find out what jabs and medication you might need in a particular destination, and all the diseases that are prevalent there, on this health website.
fco.gov.uk
Essential reading if you're going anywhere with political unrest or physical challenges that could leave you at risk. Gives up-to-date Foreign Office advice for every country.
Making friends
thelmaandlouise.com
Subscribers to this site join the women only Thelma and Louise Club, that gives them access to special offers and women-only holidays. They can find female travel buddies too.
retiredbackpackers.com
Set up a profile, find like-minded travellers, swap ideas - all the usual stuff, but for the older traveller. You don't have to be retired, just older than the traditional backpacker, to benefit .
wayn.com
Keep up with friends and relatives wherever they are with the world's largest Web 2.0 social networking site for travellers. Standing for Where Are You Now? it has over seven million members swapping ideas and experiences. Lastminute.com co-founder Brent Hoberman is chairman.
Hope you like the Sites! :-)
If there are any broken links or any problems, let me know.
Ideas and inspiration
gridskipper.com
This urban travel guide has slick design, witty patter, gritty photography and everything an urbanite needs to know about the fabulously random intricacies and trivialities of the world's sexiest cities. Want to find a rhythmic gymnastics shop in Lisbon? Buy cupcakes in Manhattan? Go to an ironic re-enactment of a Reagan-era, junior high school dance in LA? No? Well they're fun to read about anyway.
superfuture.com
Low-key, high-style graphics lend an edgy look to this site, which lists hotels, bars, restaurants in various cities, plus news of local events and club nights. Check out the 'schnaps' section for photographs of good looking people partying at fashiony dos you'd never be invited to. Then there are the maps: so stylish you could imagine them adorning a Tokyo architect's T-shirt.
lonelyplanet.co.uk
There are travel podcasts, guides by region or theme, including history, honeymoons, islands and roadtrips, plus more obscure sections such as the 'twilight zone' which tracks paranormal activity across the globe and 'fatal attractions' which describes sites and cultural events linked with death. You can also book holidays and buy Lonely Planet guides here, and the travellers' forum, thorntree.lonelyplanet.com, attracts thousands of readers looking to swap information.
whatsonwhen.com
From what's showing in your local art gallery to this year's Glastonbury dates and when the Naked Men's festival takes place in Japan, this site tells you about events and attractions around the world, which can be searched for by date, country or theme.
timeout.com
Excellent if you want to research shops, restaurants and museums in more than 100 cities. Information can be narrowed down into useful categories, for example romantic hotels, decadent dining, pre-club warm up bars etc.
Personal recommendations (from tourists)
tripadvisor.co.uk
UGC - user generated content - is the travel industry's latest obsession. With the advent of blogging, a hotel now needs to worry what each guest might write about them. This site is one of the most used.
virtualtourist.com
A good place to pick up travel tips. When i looked, 616 new tips had been added in the past 24 hours.
wikitravel.org
Readers or 'wikitravellers' can write and edit material for this wiki site which aims to provide a reliable, up-to-date worldwide travel guide. There are 13,361 destination guides.
holidaysuncovered.com
Over 50,000 reviews of hotels and apartments around the world, by real holidaymakers. There's also a search section for flights, accommodation, package holidays and so on.
travel-rants.com
Editor Darren Cronian began this travel blog after what he describes as a 'nightmare booking experience with a high-street travel agency'. Thousands of people visit each week, swapping stories about disastrous holidays.
shiphappens.co.uk
Check you're paying the right price for your cruise, find out what a particular ship is really like and talk to fellow sailors. The Walk the Plank section is where disappointed cruisers rant about what went wrong at sea. When cruise firm Cruise Control went out of business in 2005, hundreds of customers used this site to follow developments.
The inside track
seatguru.com
The internet is giving travellers access to information that the travel companies themselves don't necessarily want to release - which airline seats have storage boxes under them, for example, and so will leave the person behind with cramp. This site has seat maps for most airlines' fleets, with every seat colour-coded to show which have the most space, leg room and reclinability.
pprune.org
It stands for Professional Pilots Rumour Network. That means discussion forums where anonymous pilots and cabin crew can chat about their lives in the airline industry. Some threads are fascinating accounts of the kind of events nervous flyers would rather not read about. Check out the safety and incidents section for talk of crew falling to their death when plane doors have been accidentally ripped off by the boarding bridge.
airlinemeals.com
Whether you love their doll-size proportions or hate their school-dinner quality, this site tells you what you can expect from airlines around the world. Every slimy detail is brought to life with lurid photography.
insideragency.com
Inspired by the film Lost in Translation, in which the main characters are guided through Tokyo's baffling nightlife by Japanese friends, this website helps you find locals to advise you whatever your destination. They won't charge for their services, though they might expect you to cover expenses!:-)
natives.co.uk
A site for chalet maids, ski guides, and anyone else working in ski resorts. Learn how to join the Pylon High club, hook up with fellow seasonnaires and find a ski guiding job with decent free accommodation. It's handy for those planning a ski holiday too, with snow reports and info about resorts - including the seasonnaires' favourite bars and party spots.
sleepinginairports.net
Travellers on a serious budget or those facing a night of delays can find tips on how to make sleeping in an airport more comfortable. It reviews the world's airports for suitability too.
googleearth.com
Type in the address of your hotel and zoom in - look there it is! For real! Good for checking out the lay of the land before you make a booking. However it all depends on the satellite coverage of the area.
geograph.org.uk
This website recently won the Yahoo 2006 travel website of the year award. The Geograph British Isles project is collecting geographically representative photographs and information for every square kilometre of the UK and Ireland, and you can see them here. You can also post your own snaps for missing grid references, though beware, geographing has the potential to become something of a trainspotting-esque obsession.
360travelguide.com
Take a virtual tour of a city or hotel by checking out these 360 degree photographs. Brings rooms, beaches and streets to life more than a standard photo.
Flights
oag.com
OAG - previously known as the Official Airline Guide - is a travel and transport information company that's been producing encyclopaedic flight information since 1929. Today its website still tells you almost everything you need to know - who flies where, how long it takes and how much baggage you can carry onboard.
flycheapo.com
Flycheapo's basic but crystal clear site guides you through the dizzying and constantly changing world of European budget carriers, telling you who flies which route.
airwise.com
I can't believe this website is free. It's not the easiest to use - there are lots of codes for airports and airlines - but it gives you access to complete airline schedules around the world. Not only is every departure listed, it also tells you what plane will be operating the route.
flightmapping.com
A good site for finding out who flies from Britain to cities around the world, it uses a system of clearly drawn maps, which is a relief after the endless lists of most sites of this kind.
kayak.co.uk
This is the UK version of the American travel website www.kayak.com, which claims to have the industry's most powerful flight search engine. The site collates real time prices and itineraries from more than 120 travel websites, including airlines and online agents such as Ebookers.
Packages
responsibletravel.com
A site singling out tour operators and accommodation suppliers that do their bit for the environment and local community so you can holiday with a clear conscience. If you're stuck for ideas, have a look at the 10 best selling holidays. Co-founder Justin Francis writes a blog about industry issues.
traveljungle.co.uk
A fare comparison site for flights, hotels, car hire, insurance, holidays and ski trips. It searches other websites that have last minute offers, such as opodo.co.uk and ebookers.com, to find discounted holidays in destinations of your choice, and those of dozens of airlines for the lowest priced flights on particular dates.
travelsupermarket.co.uk
Part of the moneysupermarket group of websites which compare prices on everything from motor insurance to gas bills and broadband. Essentially, it works in the same way as traveljungle - try both and you'll have this approach covered.
aito.co.uk
Not a place for slashed-price packages, but an invaluable starting point for those looking for tour operator rather than DIY holidays. Aito is the Association of Independent Tour Operators, and the site makes it easy to find the specialist companies offering the trip you're after, be it snowshoeing in Canada or wine tasting in Bordeaux.
Accommodation
couchsurfing.com
Find a free place to stay on this site, where people who are happy to have travellers in their spare room or on their sofa place notices. Particularly useful if you're going somewhere way off the beaten track, if you want to meet local people or just find some buddies while you're on the road. Hosts are totally in control of how long a guest stays at their home and you can read reviews by other couch surfers who got there first.
bigdomain.com
Every New Year's Eve, wherever you end up, you can guarantee your friends will at some point whinge that it would have been a better idea to hire a giant cottage in the country for a kness up(alcohol). This site lists ideal properties all over the UK and Europe. All sleep at least 12 people and there's a late deals section.
mrandmrssmith.com
Sexy, luxury hotels around the world are compiled in a mouth-watering list. You can book a room through the site and the destination guides are pretty good for a brief overview of a city.
special-escapes.co.uk
Don't spend another moment trawling through the insanely complex and unreliable world of online self-catering websites. It's not us saying so; that's the opinion of Alastair Sawday, author of a series of self-catering guides and the man behind this website. All manner of self-catering options in the UK are included.
camping.uk-directory.com
If you want to know which campsites will accept your pet pooch, or which have a swimming pool, this website will let you search according to specific requirements. There's also a description of each of the 1,500 caravan and camping sites featured.
booking.com
This site offers savings of up to 75 per cent on 30,000 worldwide hotels and charges no booking fee. Good descriptions of the hotels, with photographs of rooms, local area maps and lists of nearby attractions. There's also a review facility that is well used.
hostels.com
A site featuring monthly top 10 hostels based on users' ratings and a daily spotlight on a high-ranking hostel. Group bookings can now be made online. Alternatively, Hostelling International has details of its 4,000 hostels at www.hihotels.com.
lowcostbeds.com
Founder Paul Evans used to do all the contracting for Airtours, so has good relationships with hoteliers around the world. Some of the properties aren't exactly luxury, but there are some rock-bottom rates.
Special requirements
babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk
Not every self-catering property in the UK is baby or child-friendly. You can find most of the ones that are on this site. Sian Williams set it up following the birth of her daughter in summer 2005, after asking friends and colleagues for recommendations.
babygoes2.com
This multi-award winning site was set up by two working mums. It's well-designed and easy to navigate with holiday choices divided into categories. Regularly updated with new information and with special offers to suit all budgets.
holidayaccessdirect.com
Finding a holiday for people with disabilities or special requirements has never been easier. This site provides direct links to flights, good accommodation, car rental, insurance, taxis, resort support and mobility equipment suppliers.
solotravelonline.co.uk
This has details of everything you need to know about holidaying as a single person, including real-life experiences, articles from other sources (including Escape travel articles) and a list of travel companies that specialise in the singles market. There's also a section devoted to looking for love.
Cars, taxis and trains
seat61.com
Planning a rail trip across Europe used to be a baffling task until Mark Smith launched this site as a hobby. It's since become a huge success, and is full of advice on route planning and how to get the best fares.
holidaytaxis.com
Allows you to pre-book your own private transfer, ensuring a stress-free and quick journey from the airport to your hotel.
carhiresearch.co.uk
This website searches those of the main car rental companies as well as third-party suppliers to get the best deals worldwide. It also has a product review section where people who've hired cars rate the experience.
Staying safe
nomadtravel.co.uk
Find out what jabs and medication you might need in a particular destination, and all the diseases that are prevalent there, on this health website.
fco.gov.uk
Essential reading if you're going anywhere with political unrest or physical challenges that could leave you at risk. Gives up-to-date Foreign Office advice for every country.
Making friends
thelmaandlouise.com
Subscribers to this site join the women only Thelma and Louise Club, that gives them access to special offers and women-only holidays. They can find female travel buddies too.
retiredbackpackers.com
Set up a profile, find like-minded travellers, swap ideas - all the usual stuff, but for the older traveller. You don't have to be retired, just older than the traditional backpacker, to benefit .
wayn.com
Keep up with friends and relatives wherever they are with the world's largest Web 2.0 social networking site for travellers. Standing for Where Are You Now? it has over seven million members swapping ideas and experiences. Lastminute.com co-founder Brent Hoberman is chairman.
Hope you like the Sites! :-)
If there are any broken links or any problems, let me know.
Do you want to go on holiday; Do you want to get the best deals possible in all the net. These are some of the best sites that i found ENJOY:-)
Ideas and inspiration
gridskipper.com
This urban travel guide has slick design, witty patter, gritty photography and everything an urbanite needs to know about the fabulously random intricacies and trivialities of the world's sexiest cities. Want to find a rhythmic gymnastics shop in Lisbon? Buy cupcakes in Manhattan? Go to an ironic re-enactment of a Reagan-era, junior high school dance in LA? No? Well they're fun to read about anyway.
superfuture.com
Low-key, high-style graphics lend an edgy look to this site, which lists hotels, bars, restaurants in various cities, plus news of local events and club nights. Check out the 'schnaps' section for photographs of good looking people partying at fashiony dos you'd never be invited to. Then there are the maps: so stylish you could imagine them adorning a Tokyo architect's T-shirt.
lonelyplanet.co.uk
There are travel podcasts, guides by region or theme, including history, honeymoons, islands and roadtrips, plus more obscure sections such as the 'twilight zone' which tracks paranormal activity across the globe and 'fatal attractions' which describes sites and cultural events linked with death. You can also book holidays and buy Lonely Planet guides here, and the travellers' forum, thorntree.lonelyplanet.com, attracts thousands of readers looking to swap information.
whatsonwhen.com
From what's showing in your local art gallery to this year's Glastonbury dates and when the Naked Men's festival takes place in Japan, this site tells you about events and attractions around the world, which can be searched for by date, country or theme.
timeout.com
Excellent if you want to research shops, restaurants and museums in more than 100 cities. Information can be narrowed down into useful categories, for example romantic hotels, decadent dining, pre-club warm up bars etc.
Personal recommendations (from tourists)
tripadvisor.co.uk
UGC - user generated content - is the travel industry's latest obsession. With the advent of blogging, a hotel now needs to worry what each guest might write about them. This site is one of the most used.
virtualtourist.com
A good place to pick up travel tips. When i looked, 616 new tips had been added in the past 24 hours.
wikitravel.org
Readers or 'wikitravellers' can write and edit material for this wiki site which aims to provide a reliable, up-to-date worldwide travel guide. There are 13,361 destination guides.
holidaysuncovered.com
Over 50,000 reviews of hotels and apartments around the world, by real holidaymakers. There's also a search section for flights, accommodation, package holidays and so on.
travel-rants.com
Editor Darren Cronian began this travel blog after what he describes as a 'nightmare booking experience with a high-street travel agency'. Thousands of people visit each week, swapping stories about disastrous holidays.
shiphappens.co.uk
Check you're paying the right price for your cruise, find out what a particular ship is really like and talk to fellow sailors. The Walk the Plank section is where disappointed cruisers rant about what went wrong at sea. When cruise firm Cruise Control went out of business in 2005, hundreds of customers used this site to follow developments.
The inside track
seatguru.com
The internet is giving travellers access to information that the travel companies themselves don't necessarily want to release - which airline seats have storage boxes under them, for example, and so will leave the person behind with cramp. This site has seat maps for most airlines' fleets, with every seat colour-coded to show which have the most space, leg room and reclinability.
pprune.org
It stands for Professional Pilots Rumour Network. That means discussion forums where anonymous pilots and cabin crew can chat about their lives in the airline industry. Some threads are fascinating accounts of the kind of events nervous flyers would rather not read about. Check out the safety and incidents section for talk of crew falling to their death when plane doors have been accidentally ripped off by the boarding bridge.
airlinemeals.com
Whether you love their doll-size proportions or hate their school-dinner quality, this site tells you what you can expect from airlines around the world. Every slimy detail is brought to life with lurid photography.
insideragency.com
Inspired by the film Lost in Translation, in which the main characters are guided through Tokyo's baffling nightlife by Japanese friends, this website helps you find locals to advise you whatever your destination. They won't charge for their services, though they might expect you to cover expenses!:-)
natives.co.uk
A site for chalet maids, ski guides, and anyone else working in ski resorts. Learn how to join the Pylon High club, hook up with fellow seasonnaires and find a ski guiding job with decent free accommodation. It's handy for those planning a ski holiday too, with snow reports and info about resorts - including the seasonnaires' favourite bars and party spots.
sleepinginairports.net
Travellers on a serious budget or those facing a night of delays can find tips on how to make sleeping in an airport more comfortable. It reviews the world's airports for suitability too.
googleearth.com
Type in the address of your hotel and zoom in - look there it is! For real! Good for checking out the lay of the land before you make a booking. However it all depends on the satellite coverage of the area.
geograph.org.uk
This website recently won the Yahoo 2006 travel website of the year award. The Geograph British Isles project is collecting geographically representative photographs and information for every square kilometre of the UK and Ireland, and you can see them here. You can also post your own snaps for missing grid references, though beware, geographing has the potential to become something of a trainspotting-esque obsession.
360travelguide.com
Take a virtual tour of a city or hotel by checking out these 360 degree photographs. Brings rooms, beaches and streets to life more than a standard photo.
Flights
oag.com
OAG - previously known as the Official Airline Guide - is a travel and transport information company that's been producing encyclopaedic flight information since 1929. Today its website still tells you almost everything you need to know - who flies where, how long it takes and how much baggage you can carry onboard.
flycheapo.com
Flycheapo's basic but crystal clear site guides you through the dizzying and constantly changing world of European budget carriers, telling you who flies which route.
airwise.com
I can't believe this website is free. It's not the easiest to use - there are lots of codes for airports and airlines - but it gives you access to complete airline schedules around the world. Not only is every departure listed, it also tells you what plane will be operating the route.
flightmapping.com
A good site for finding out who flies from Britain to cities around the world, it uses a system of clearly drawn maps, which is a relief after the endless lists of most sites of this kind.
kayak.co.uk
This is the UK version of the American travel website www.kayak.com, which claims to have the industry's most powerful flight search engine. The site collates real time prices and itineraries from more than 120 travel websites, including airlines and online agents such as Ebookers.
Packages
responsibletravel.com
A site singling out tour operators and accommodation suppliers that do their bit for the environment and local community so you can holiday with a clear conscience. If you're stuck for ideas, have a look at the 10 best selling holidays. Co-founder Justin Francis writes a blog about industry issues.
traveljungle.co.uk
A fare comparison site for flights, hotels, car hire, insurance, holidays and ski trips. It searches other websites that have last minute offers, such as opodo.co.uk and ebookers.com, to find discounted holidays in destinations of your choice, and those of dozens of airlines for the lowest priced flights on particular dates.
travelsupermarket.co.uk
Part of the moneysupermarket group of websites which compare prices on everything from motor insurance to gas bills and broadband. Essentially, it works in the same way as traveljungle - try both and you'll have this approach covered.
aito.co.uk
Not a place for slashed-price packages, but an invaluable starting point for those looking for tour operator rather than DIY holidays. Aito is the Association of Independent Tour Operators, and the site makes it easy to find the specialist companies offering the trip you're after, be it snowshoeing in Canada or wine tasting in Bordeaux.
Accommodation
couchsurfing.com
Find a free place to stay on this site, where people who are happy to have travellers in their spare room or on their sofa place notices. Particularly useful if you're going somewhere way off the beaten track, if you want to meet local people or just find some buddies while you're on the road. Hosts are totally in control of how long a guest stays at their home and you can read reviews by other couch surfers who got there first.
bigdomain.com
Every New Year's Eve, wherever you end up, you can guarantee your friends will at some point whinge that it would have been a better idea to hire a giant cottage in the country for a kness up(alcohol). This site lists ideal properties all over the UK and Europe. All sleep at least 12 people and there's a late deals section.
mrandmrssmith.com
Sexy, luxury hotels around the world are compiled in a mouth-watering list. You can book a room through the site and the destination guides are pretty good for a brief overview of a city.
special-escapes.co.uk
Don't spend another moment trawling through the insanely complex and unreliable world of online self-catering websites. It's not us saying so; that's the opinion of Alastair Sawday, author of a series of self-catering guides and the man behind this website. All manner of self-catering options in the UK are included.
camping.uk-directory.com
If you want to know which campsites will accept your pet pooch, or which have a swimming pool, this website will let you search according to specific requirements. There's also a description of each of the 1,500 caravan and camping sites featured.
booking.com
This site offers savings of up to 75 per cent on 30,000 worldwide hotels and charges no booking fee. Good descriptions of the hotels, with photographs of rooms, local area maps and lists of nearby attractions. There's also a review facility that is well used.
hostels.com
A site featuring monthly top 10 hostels based on users' ratings and a daily spotlight on a high-ranking hostel. Group bookings can now be made online. Alternatively, Hostelling International has details of its 4,000 hostels at www.hihotels.com.
lowcostbeds.com
Founder Paul Evans used to do all the contracting for Airtours, so has good relationships with hoteliers around the world. Some of the properties aren't exactly luxury, but there are some rock-bottom rates.
Special requirements
babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk
Not every self-catering property in the UK is baby or child-friendly. You can find most of the ones that are on this site. Sian Williams set it up following the birth of her daughter in summer 2005, after asking friends and colleagues for recommendations.
babygoes2.com
This multi-award winning site was set up by two working mums. It's well-designed and easy to navigate with holiday choices divided into categories. Regularly updated with new information and with special offers to suit all budgets.
holidayaccessdirect.com
Finding a holiday for people with disabilities or special requirements has never been easier. This site provides direct links to flights, good accommodation, car rental, insurance, taxis, resort support and mobility equipment suppliers.
solotravelonline.co.uk
This has details of everything you need to know about holidaying as a single person, including real-life experiences, articles from other sources (including Escape travel articles) and a list of travel companies that specialise in the singles market. There's also a section devoted to looking for love.
Cars, taxis and trains
seat61.com
Planning a rail trip across Europe used to be a baffling task until Mark Smith launched this site as a hobby. It's since become a huge success, and is full of advice on route planning and how to get the best fares.
holidaytaxis.com
Allows you to pre-book your own private transfer, ensuring a stress-free and quick journey from the airport to your hotel.
carhiresearch.co.uk
This website searches those of the main car rental companies as well as third-party suppliers to get the best deals worldwide. It also has a product review section where people who've hired cars rate the experience.
Staying safe
nomadtravel.co.uk
Find out what jabs and medication you might need in a particular destination, and all the diseases that are prevalent there, on this health website.
fco.gov.uk
Essential reading if you're going anywhere with political unrest or physical challenges that could leave you at risk. Gives up-to-date Foreign Office advice for every country.
Making friends
thelmaandlouise.com
Subscribers to this site join the women only Thelma and Louise Club, that gives them access to special offers and women-only holidays. They can find female travel buddies too.
retiredbackpackers.com
Set up a profile, find like-minded travellers, swap ideas - all the usual stuff, but for the older traveller. You don't have to be retired, just older than the traditional backpacker, to benefit .
wayn.com
Keep up with friends and relatives wherever they are with the world's largest Web 2.0 social networking site for travellers. Standing for Where Are You Now? it has over seven million members swapping ideas and experiences. Lastminute.com co-founder Brent Hoberman is chairman.
Hope you like the Sites! :-)
If there are any broken links or any problems, let me know.
Ideas and inspiration
gridskipper.com
This urban travel guide has slick design, witty patter, gritty photography and everything an urbanite needs to know about the fabulously random intricacies and trivialities of the world's sexiest cities. Want to find a rhythmic gymnastics shop in Lisbon? Buy cupcakes in Manhattan? Go to an ironic re-enactment of a Reagan-era, junior high school dance in LA? No? Well they're fun to read about anyway.
superfuture.com
Low-key, high-style graphics lend an edgy look to this site, which lists hotels, bars, restaurants in various cities, plus news of local events and club nights. Check out the 'schnaps' section for photographs of good looking people partying at fashiony dos you'd never be invited to. Then there are the maps: so stylish you could imagine them adorning a Tokyo architect's T-shirt.
lonelyplanet.co.uk
There are travel podcasts, guides by region or theme, including history, honeymoons, islands and roadtrips, plus more obscure sections such as the 'twilight zone' which tracks paranormal activity across the globe and 'fatal attractions' which describes sites and cultural events linked with death. You can also book holidays and buy Lonely Planet guides here, and the travellers' forum, thorntree.lonelyplanet.com, attracts thousands of readers looking to swap information.
whatsonwhen.com
From what's showing in your local art gallery to this year's Glastonbury dates and when the Naked Men's festival takes place in Japan, this site tells you about events and attractions around the world, which can be searched for by date, country or theme.
timeout.com
Excellent if you want to research shops, restaurants and museums in more than 100 cities. Information can be narrowed down into useful categories, for example romantic hotels, decadent dining, pre-club warm up bars etc.
Personal recommendations (from tourists)
tripadvisor.co.uk
UGC - user generated content - is the travel industry's latest obsession. With the advent of blogging, a hotel now needs to worry what each guest might write about them. This site is one of the most used.
virtualtourist.com
A good place to pick up travel tips. When i looked, 616 new tips had been added in the past 24 hours.
wikitravel.org
Readers or 'wikitravellers' can write and edit material for this wiki site which aims to provide a reliable, up-to-date worldwide travel guide. There are 13,361 destination guides.
holidaysuncovered.com
Over 50,000 reviews of hotels and apartments around the world, by real holidaymakers. There's also a search section for flights, accommodation, package holidays and so on.
travel-rants.com
Editor Darren Cronian began this travel blog after what he describes as a 'nightmare booking experience with a high-street travel agency'. Thousands of people visit each week, swapping stories about disastrous holidays.
shiphappens.co.uk
Check you're paying the right price for your cruise, find out what a particular ship is really like and talk to fellow sailors. The Walk the Plank section is where disappointed cruisers rant about what went wrong at sea. When cruise firm Cruise Control went out of business in 2005, hundreds of customers used this site to follow developments.
The inside track
seatguru.com
The internet is giving travellers access to information that the travel companies themselves don't necessarily want to release - which airline seats have storage boxes under them, for example, and so will leave the person behind with cramp. This site has seat maps for most airlines' fleets, with every seat colour-coded to show which have the most space, leg room and reclinability.
pprune.org
It stands for Professional Pilots Rumour Network. That means discussion forums where anonymous pilots and cabin crew can chat about their lives in the airline industry. Some threads are fascinating accounts of the kind of events nervous flyers would rather not read about. Check out the safety and incidents section for talk of crew falling to their death when plane doors have been accidentally ripped off by the boarding bridge.
airlinemeals.com
Whether you love their doll-size proportions or hate their school-dinner quality, this site tells you what you can expect from airlines around the world. Every slimy detail is brought to life with lurid photography.
insideragency.com
Inspired by the film Lost in Translation, in which the main characters are guided through Tokyo's baffling nightlife by Japanese friends, this website helps you find locals to advise you whatever your destination. They won't charge for their services, though they might expect you to cover expenses!:-)
natives.co.uk
A site for chalet maids, ski guides, and anyone else working in ski resorts. Learn how to join the Pylon High club, hook up with fellow seasonnaires and find a ski guiding job with decent free accommodation. It's handy for those planning a ski holiday too, with snow reports and info about resorts - including the seasonnaires' favourite bars and party spots.
sleepinginairports.net
Travellers on a serious budget or those facing a night of delays can find tips on how to make sleeping in an airport more comfortable. It reviews the world's airports for suitability too.
googleearth.com
Type in the address of your hotel and zoom in - look there it is! For real! Good for checking out the lay of the land before you make a booking. However it all depends on the satellite coverage of the area.
geograph.org.uk
This website recently won the Yahoo 2006 travel website of the year award. The Geograph British Isles project is collecting geographically representative photographs and information for every square kilometre of the UK and Ireland, and you can see them here. You can also post your own snaps for missing grid references, though beware, geographing has the potential to become something of a trainspotting-esque obsession.
360travelguide.com
Take a virtual tour of a city or hotel by checking out these 360 degree photographs. Brings rooms, beaches and streets to life more than a standard photo.
Flights
oag.com
OAG - previously known as the Official Airline Guide - is a travel and transport information company that's been producing encyclopaedic flight information since 1929. Today its website still tells you almost everything you need to know - who flies where, how long it takes and how much baggage you can carry onboard.
flycheapo.com
Flycheapo's basic but crystal clear site guides you through the dizzying and constantly changing world of European budget carriers, telling you who flies which route.
airwise.com
I can't believe this website is free. It's not the easiest to use - there are lots of codes for airports and airlines - but it gives you access to complete airline schedules around the world. Not only is every departure listed, it also tells you what plane will be operating the route.
flightmapping.com
A good site for finding out who flies from Britain to cities around the world, it uses a system of clearly drawn maps, which is a relief after the endless lists of most sites of this kind.
kayak.co.uk
This is the UK version of the American travel website www.kayak.com, which claims to have the industry's most powerful flight search engine. The site collates real time prices and itineraries from more than 120 travel websites, including airlines and online agents such as Ebookers.
Packages
responsibletravel.com
A site singling out tour operators and accommodation suppliers that do their bit for the environment and local community so you can holiday with a clear conscience. If you're stuck for ideas, have a look at the 10 best selling holidays. Co-founder Justin Francis writes a blog about industry issues.
traveljungle.co.uk
A fare comparison site for flights, hotels, car hire, insurance, holidays and ski trips. It searches other websites that have last minute offers, such as opodo.co.uk and ebookers.com, to find discounted holidays in destinations of your choice, and those of dozens of airlines for the lowest priced flights on particular dates.
travelsupermarket.co.uk
Part of the moneysupermarket group of websites which compare prices on everything from motor insurance to gas bills and broadband. Essentially, it works in the same way as traveljungle - try both and you'll have this approach covered.
aito.co.uk
Not a place for slashed-price packages, but an invaluable starting point for those looking for tour operator rather than DIY holidays. Aito is the Association of Independent Tour Operators, and the site makes it easy to find the specialist companies offering the trip you're after, be it snowshoeing in Canada or wine tasting in Bordeaux.
Accommodation
couchsurfing.com
Find a free place to stay on this site, where people who are happy to have travellers in their spare room or on their sofa place notices. Particularly useful if you're going somewhere way off the beaten track, if you want to meet local people or just find some buddies while you're on the road. Hosts are totally in control of how long a guest stays at their home and you can read reviews by other couch surfers who got there first.
bigdomain.com
Every New Year's Eve, wherever you end up, you can guarantee your friends will at some point whinge that it would have been a better idea to hire a giant cottage in the country for a kness up(alcohol). This site lists ideal properties all over the UK and Europe. All sleep at least 12 people and there's a late deals section.
mrandmrssmith.com
Sexy, luxury hotels around the world are compiled in a mouth-watering list. You can book a room through the site and the destination guides are pretty good for a brief overview of a city.
special-escapes.co.uk
Don't spend another moment trawling through the insanely complex and unreliable world of online self-catering websites. It's not us saying so; that's the opinion of Alastair Sawday, author of a series of self-catering guides and the man behind this website. All manner of self-catering options in the UK are included.
camping.uk-directory.com
If you want to know which campsites will accept your pet pooch, or which have a swimming pool, this website will let you search according to specific requirements. There's also a description of each of the 1,500 caravan and camping sites featured.
booking.com
This site offers savings of up to 75 per cent on 30,000 worldwide hotels and charges no booking fee. Good descriptions of the hotels, with photographs of rooms, local area maps and lists of nearby attractions. There's also a review facility that is well used.
hostels.com
A site featuring monthly top 10 hostels based on users' ratings and a daily spotlight on a high-ranking hostel. Group bookings can now be made online. Alternatively, Hostelling International has details of its 4,000 hostels at www.hihotels.com.
lowcostbeds.com
Founder Paul Evans used to do all the contracting for Airtours, so has good relationships with hoteliers around the world. Some of the properties aren't exactly luxury, but there are some rock-bottom rates.
Special requirements
babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk
Not every self-catering property in the UK is baby or child-friendly. You can find most of the ones that are on this site. Sian Williams set it up following the birth of her daughter in summer 2005, after asking friends and colleagues for recommendations.
babygoes2.com
This multi-award winning site was set up by two working mums. It's well-designed and easy to navigate with holiday choices divided into categories. Regularly updated with new information and with special offers to suit all budgets.
holidayaccessdirect.com
Finding a holiday for people with disabilities or special requirements has never been easier. This site provides direct links to flights, good accommodation, car rental, insurance, taxis, resort support and mobility equipment suppliers.
solotravelonline.co.uk
This has details of everything you need to know about holidaying as a single person, including real-life experiences, articles from other sources (including Escape travel articles) and a list of travel companies that specialise in the singles market. There's also a section devoted to looking for love.
Cars, taxis and trains
seat61.com
Planning a rail trip across Europe used to be a baffling task until Mark Smith launched this site as a hobby. It's since become a huge success, and is full of advice on route planning and how to get the best fares.
holidaytaxis.com
Allows you to pre-book your own private transfer, ensuring a stress-free and quick journey from the airport to your hotel.
carhiresearch.co.uk
This website searches those of the main car rental companies as well as third-party suppliers to get the best deals worldwide. It also has a product review section where people who've hired cars rate the experience.
Staying safe
nomadtravel.co.uk
Find out what jabs and medication you might need in a particular destination, and all the diseases that are prevalent there, on this health website.
fco.gov.uk
Essential reading if you're going anywhere with political unrest or physical challenges that could leave you at risk. Gives up-to-date Foreign Office advice for every country.
Making friends
thelmaandlouise.com
Subscribers to this site join the women only Thelma and Louise Club, that gives them access to special offers and women-only holidays. They can find female travel buddies too.
retiredbackpackers.com
Set up a profile, find like-minded travellers, swap ideas - all the usual stuff, but for the older traveller. You don't have to be retired, just older than the traditional backpacker, to benefit .
wayn.com
Keep up with friends and relatives wherever they are with the world's largest Web 2.0 social networking site for travellers. Standing for Where Are You Now? it has over seven million members swapping ideas and experiences. Lastminute.com co-founder Brent Hoberman is chairman.
Hope you like the Sites! :-)
If there are any broken links or any problems, let me know.
