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Category: Travel

Date: May 14, 2024

Top Travel Web Apps

The digital era is enabling businesses to adopt new technology and new ways to offer their services. Many businesses build web applications development to increase visibility. The development of a web app for any industry plays a vital role when it comes to the communication and engagement between the customer and the business.

In a similar way, the travel industry has moved firmly to the 21st century with nearly 82% of travel bookings around the world being done through web apps.

The breakthrough in technology makes it perceptible for business to have a web app for its betterment and users look for opportunities to do things virtually.

When it comes to the travel industry travelers/tourists look for a medium that can organize the essentials for their travel. Below are some of the benefits of developing a web application for your travel agency,

• Compare and book flights, accommodations, and more under a single roof
• Reviews and visual content (photos, videos, and images) attracts more attention
• Reduces paperwork as all transactions are done online
• Great source of information for travellers
• Provides credibility to your business

If you are running a travel agency then, it’s time to enhance your travel business by developing a web application for your business. The following write up would help you with some ideas in establishing a web app for your travel business as we have curated a list of top travel web apps.

Popular Travel Web Apps

Below is the list of the top travel websites that could help while building a web app for your travel business,

• PickYourTrail
• Couchsurfing
• TripAdvisor
• TrailWallet
• HostelWorld
• HotelTonight
• LoungeBuddy
• Google Flights
• Culture Trip
• HEHA! Holiday Extras

1. PickYourTrail

PickYourTrail is one of the leading online traveling company that offers customized international travelling packages. The platform have various packages with transparency in pricing and 24/7 services. It is the one stop-shop for customizing your itinerary.

2. Couchsurfing

If you want to low your accommodation cost and meet locals, then Couchsurfing is the best option. The platform allows you to connect with locals who have space for travelers at their home for free. This would be a great opportunity to know more about the destination from the people who live there. In case you don’t want to make you stay at the locals’ house, you can make use of the feature “Hangouts”. This feature can connect you with other travelers for a coffee, visiting places and more. This platform is a great option for a low budget traveler.

3. Skyscanner

Skyscanner helps in finding the cheapest flights by searching and comparing flights from around 1,200 sources. It displays the best available options for flights, hotels, and even car rentals. The colour-coded calendars and graph chart suggest the best time to travel, for maximum savings. The application is also equipped with features that can display ongoing offers from airlines and alters whenever the prices change.

4. TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor provides recommendations, allows to bookmark all the details of the places that the traveler is interested in. The reviews, photos, and other details of the saved places can be viewed. TripAdvisor allows scheduling a personalized trip plan which you can either keep private or share with all. Along with the hotels’ availability, it displays attractive places in the nearby local areas which may enable travelers to find the rooms of their own preferences.

Airbnb is one of the popular apps for homestay. It is a medium that connects people who want to rent their homes with people looking for accommodation. It allows the guest to rent a room or entire apartment from the localhost. It even allows the guests to add rooms to their favorites. Using the application, travelers can search through the neighborhood, price, nearby amenities, and more.

6. TrailWallet

Trail Wallet helps in tracking expenses for people who travel often. The expenses can be organized by trip, by month, or set a daily budget. A bill or receipt added to the application will adjust your budgeting calculations updating with a new balance. Trail Wallet is intrusive and hassle-free to handle but currently available only for iOS.

Did You Know?

76% of global travelers said they look for travel apps that reduce the friction and stress of travel.

AirHelp is one of the largest flight compensation companies that helps travelers in situations like delayed/canceled flights, luggage issues, unexpected disruption, and uncooperative airlines. The application helps travelers to get their compensation during awful situations like cancellations, delayed flights, unexpected disruptions etc.

8. HostelWorld

HostelWorld has all the required features for an accommodation app. The application has descriptions, filters that help in searching at the traveler’s convenience. HostelWorld can help with accommodations anywhere nearby or at the place the traveler wants to be.

9. HotelTonight

HotelTonight offers incredibly last-minute hotel deals. The application is easy to use and allows the user to check the photos and reviews submitted by other travelers. HotelTonight has excellent 24/7 support and helps travelers with a flexible schedule or looking for hotels at the last minute.

10. LoungeBuddy

LoungeBuddy allows travelers to access airport lounges which may help out for relaxation before departure. Complimentary food and drinks, Wifi, plentiful power outlets, and a secured business center are offered to keep travelers engaged and relaxed before the journey.

11. Google Flights

Google Flights , helps with booking flights, hotels, rental accommodations, travel packages, and even in scheduling travel when signed into the Google account. The application has everything that is required to plan trips. Google Flights displays recommendations for hotels, restaurants, and more depending upon the traveler’s destination.

12. AllTrails

AllTrails helps in trying out new routes at unknown places for outdoor explorers with recommendations. Whether it is trekking, hiking, road biking, or anything, AllTraits would be a perfect option. The Pro version of the application allows the explorer to download the route- maps and access them offline.

1 In 5 users report better user experience as a major reason for downloading a travel booking app

TripIt is an organizer for traveling plans. The traveler just needs to send a confirmation email regarding hotel, restaurant, car rentals, and flight. The application automatically transfers these details to the master itinerary and allows the user to view all the upcoming plans. The pro version of the app alerts the passenger with a reminder/notification regarding the booked flights and also sets an alternate route whenever the flight gets delayed or canceled. Organizing a lot of bookings is much easier with TripIt.

Hopper predicts future flight and hotel prices with 95% accuracy and recommends top savings. travelers can experience a flexible trip with Hopper’s flexible dates and refundable ticket plans. The app allows rebooking tickets instantly when a flight gets canceled or delayed using its rebooking services. The color code calendar spots the cheapest days to travel and notifies whenever there are any changes in pricing plans.

15. Culture Trip

Culture Trip helps in exploring things around the destination and gives an incredible experience to the traveler. The app comes with recommendations for places to stay and explore.

16. PackPoint

PackPoint , is a web app that helps in fuss-free packing for your travel. Depending upon the length of the travel, the place, weather, and many more aspects the app helps in creating a customized packing list for the travel.

17. HEHA! Holiday Extras

Source: Holidays Extras

Drive Conversions and Boost your Business with Expert Travel Website Development.

Wrapping up.

Applications that take care of flight bookings, accommodation, restaurants, and more are Skyscanner, Airbnb, TripIt, Google Flights. Features of TrailWallet help in tracking traveler’s expenses. If you are planning to help travelers with booking travel extras like airport parking, lounges, and more HEHA, LoungeBuddy can be supportive.

The above applications can help in the implementation of some ideas to your travel agency application in your way. It’s not too late to start developing your web application . Establish your travel web app to develop your business and reach globally.

We ColorWhistle provides development, design and marketing services, we also provide cloud computing services and CRM integrations for all travel agencies.

If you are looking for assistance in developing a web application for your travel agency contact ColorWhistle by sending us a message or call us at +1 (210) 787-3600, we’ll get back to you asap.

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I am a zealous copywriter with an enthusiasm to learn everyday. I am able to diversify my knowledge at CW as I get the opportunity to write for various industries. What I love about writing is the research part when I can explore on the data while googling. I am also experienced in playing with words for the WooCommerce plugins and eCommerce platforms. When am off from writing I love experimenting new dishes and also a booklouse at time.

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Helpful Apps and Websites for Travel

Written by Dan

Updated on May 15th, 2024

Here are some new ideas for the best and most useful websites, apps, tools and services that make your life easier during travel. Our top travel apps are subscriptions, free services and crowd-sourced data apps that provide cool travel hacks.

This article may contain affiliate links. We earn a small commissions when you purchase via those links — and it's free for you. It's only us (Becca & Dan) working on this website, so we value your support! Read our privacy policy and learn more about us .

Table of contents

• The best insurance: World Nomads Travel
• Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access
• The best travel VPN: ExpressVPN
• Venmo (or PayPal)
• Free ATM Debit Card like Fidelity or Schwab
• Currency Exchange by XE.com & XE App
• Clarity Money
• YouTube Premium
• Prime Video
• Google Flights
• Secret Flying
• Going (formally Scott’s Cheap Flights)
• Chase Ultimate Rewards
• City Mapper
• Google Maps

MyFitnessPal

• Google Translate
• How to book hostels on the go: Hostelworld

Booking.com

• Google Photos
• Adobe Lightroom
• Amazon Photos

Worldtimebuddy

• Traveling Mailbox
• OOTD: the Office of the Day App
• Authentic Jobs
• Hacker News: Who’s Hiring?
• BBC en Español

We’re learning about new apps and websites for travel, all the time. From working remotely while you travel, to finding your way around a new city, “there’s an app for that.”

Let’s see the apps that have helped us most and the ones we are currently using.

Useful Travel Apps for Convenience and Travel Hacks

Google Fi is one of my top-recommended services that you can get if you’re interested in traveling. Whether or not you’re about to go on a short trip or a long trip, Google Fi can help you. Actually, if you want an awesome cell phone plan for home, Google Fi works for you as well.

If you are already sold on Google Fi. You can sign up using this link !

The most useful feature of Google Fi is the ability to use the same phone and the same phone number in most countries. Every time I land in a new country, I take out my phone and I have service right away, with Google Fi. There’s no need for me to find local SIM cards or struggle to find WiFi.

When I’m not traveling full-time, I have a cellphone plan as part of a family plan, at home in the US. I keep that phone around when I’m home because there is more data attached to that plan. During these times, when I am not traveling, I pause my Google Fi plan and it saves me a little bit of money.

I used my Google Fi phone plan to tether local data when I was working from a small cabin in Argentina and needed to check something for work. The data can get expensive because you pay for your usage. The good news is that if you use a lot of data, Google caps how much you’ll pay. You’ll never be surprised with a $300 phone bill.

Now that Google is rolling out other phones to use with Google Fi (before now, it was only Google phones that you could use!), there’s no reason to not try it out for your next trip. It even works in most off-the-beaten-path destinations that you might be considering.

The best insurance: World Nomads Travel

Travel insurance is important to have when you’re on the road, whether for a short trip or during long-term travel. Outside of the United States, you can pay out-of-pocket for some medical expenses and it can equal the amount of a standard doctor co-pay; however, if there’s ever an emergency, hospital visits or emergency evacuation can be expensive.

Luckily, World Nomads is a well-trusted and an amazing travel insurance provider.

Outside of health coverage, World Nomads helps cover other travel-related struggles, like lost baggage, theft and injury.

Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access

Becca and I wouldn’t know what to do in an airport without Priority Pass . We intentionally show up to airports early in order to get to the Priority Pass lounge, whenever we have a travel day. We’re lucky enough to have received Priority Pass through our credit card, Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Every airport lounge is different, depending on where in the world it might be located or depending on which airline or company runs it. Airport lounges give you a nice place to sit and relax before your flight.

Some airport or airline lounges offer nap rooms, showers, full meals, drinks, WiFi and so much more. We’ve been to a lounge in Hong Kong that has a noodle bar!

Some airport lounges aren’t as luxurious as others, and might offer simple snacks and drinks, like nuts and water. We’re not luxury travelers, but our Priority Pass membership is one of our main luxuries that we have come to love.

If you’re interested in trying Priority Pass , you can take a look at the stand-alone version of membership, or check out the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card, which includes a membership in the annual fee.

The best travel VPN: ExpressVPN

A VPN is a good tool to have if you’re visiting websites that aren’t encrypted (HTTP only) or if you’re in a country where there are firewalls that block many websites (like China). You can also use a VPN to get benefits, like spoofing your location and watching location-specific shows online.

I use my VPN for two major reasons:

• YouTube Premium is the only content that I watch. I don’t subscribe to Netflix, Hulu or any other service. Some countries don’t allow downloading YouTube videos, so you can download videos using a VPN!
• Some websites restrict functionality if you’re not located in your home country (for example, music sites, banking sites and some others). For those cases, I’ll connect to a VPN in order to proceed with my task.

Try ExpressVPN!

The Best Apps for Money Hacks While Traveling

Venmo (or paypal).

Venmo and PayPal are two useful things while you’re traveling with friends . Consider the typical situation of when you go out to eat: the bill is huge and the server is unable to split the bill.

If you’re traveling in a country and you only have big currency or no cash at all, it’s typical for someone to either cover you so that you can pay him or her back later, or pay for the entire bill.

Venmo and PayPal are the standard ways to pay a monetary amount from your bank account to other people’s bank accounts. It’s important to mention that Venmo is only supported in the USA. If you try and get Venmo in another country, you’ll probably run into issues. I suggest getting Venmo before you leave, if you don’t already have an account.

Free ATM Debit Card like Fidelity or Schwab

I use two bank accounts as my primary checking accounts when I travel. I have a checking account with Fidelity and Charles Schwab . These bank accounts don’t charge an ATM fee when you withdraw money. This is useful for taking out smaller amounts of money whenever I want to. I avoid trying to optimize each visit to an ATM and it eliminates this type of stress.

I automatically deposit a small amount of money into these two checking accounts every month. I do this so that I never have to worry about empty checking accounts!

I should mention that both of these accounts reimburse ATM fees 30 days after a fee is charged. So, while my ATM receipt shows that I got charged a foreign bank fee, this fee gets reimbursed by the bank within about a month. No pain here!

Currency Exchange by XE.com & XE App

I’ve used Currency by XE.com in the past, but Becca actually uses this currency service a lot (it’s free to use!).

You can track how your home currency is doing compared to the currency in the country where you are traveling. I usually use Google, so I’d input, for example, “200 COP to USD.” From here, I get the conversion for what 200 COP equals in USD. This is a great money and budgeting hack while on the go.

Another trick is to remember the simple math to convert a currency. For example, the Peruvian Sol is always approximately three per 1 USD. So, I try to remember which values equate to which values in my home currency.

Another example is the Colombian Peso. To convert Colombian Pesos to United States Dollars, you divide by 3000. This won’t give you exact results, but it will give you a good ballpark and you’ll start to understand the value of what things cost, instead of always using your phone’s calculator or free XE.com app.

Clarity Money

Becca uses the Clarity Money app to track expenses and manage a budget. Clarity is an app with a nice interface that can help you clearly see what you’ve spent and which categories it falls into.

The best feature it has is that it has an easy search function to, for example, see what you’ve spent at [X store] over [X period of time]. That’s a cool way to see if you’ve spent excessively on shopping or non-necessities and that you need to slow down.

It can also help you budget and be sure you’re setting aside money in different types of buckets for certain goals (like travel, of course).

Mint is another money-tracking app that puts all your accounts together (if you give permission to link them) and you can see things like how much you’re saving over time and your net spend or gain over a month, for example.

When you open Mint, you can see your recent transactions (if you link your credit cards) and you can double-check the categorizations that have come up. In this way, you can see how much you’ve spent on “Restaurants” in the month of June, to give an example.

The best thing about Mint is that it sometimes notifies me if I’ve gotten charged a fee by a bank, before the bank even does. This has helped shift finances when I get back to a laptop, or notify and inform my bank I’d like to arrange a time to discuss.

Using Honey can help you save money when you buy anything online. It’s a browser extension that runs in the background and automatically applies coupon codes and notifies you when there is a deal or a sale. Super cool!

Entertainment Apps for Travelers (TV, videos, music, etc.)

Youtube premium.

I mentioned above that I watch a lot of YouTube videos . YouTube Premium enables ad-less playback of videos and supports downloading videos to your phone. Before a long flight, I’ll usually download some interesting videos to watch (sometimes I do this from the Priority Pass lounge).

I use YouTube instead of Netflix and I’ve never had any issues nor do I ever feel like I’m missing out on anything.

Netflix is great to have when you take long flights or have a rainy day where ever you are. You can download videos onto your phone when you don’t have access to the internet or cell service.

We’ve totally been on long bus rides in Colombia with nothing to do for 8 hours. If you’re traveling internationally, you can use a VPN to spoof your location to another region.

If you’re into new movies, a subscription to STARZ can help you be the first one of your friends to see what’s out.

If you get tired of the shows on Netflix, you can try Hulu ! Hulu will have different programming than some of the other streaming services. If you watch a lot of TV/shows/movies, check out Hulu.

Prime Video

Prime Video is great if you already pay for Amazon Prime. It’s great because it’s free. You don’t have to pay for Prime Video if you already pay for Amazon Prime . Check it out to see if you like the show and movie selection.

Keep an eye out for Prime Day to get the best Amazon Prime deals for travelers !

Spotify helps me get through repetitive tasks while I’m working. I’ll usually have Spotify open throughout my day of work. I’ll download a few songs to my phone and I will use that playlist when I go running or want to listen to music on a flight.

Do yourself a favor and get some bluetooth headphones like AirPods .

Best Apps for Travel Hacks During Flights and Transport

You can book a plane ticket or train ticket, or, you can do a lot of fun research beforehand to make sure you’re getting the best price, best connecting flight , best flight time and best airport.

Why not check out these apps and websites for flights and travel hacks while you’re on the go, or planning a trip? A single app can change a whole travel experience.

Before a flight, I’ll check my seat selection with SeatGuru . It will tell you things like, “the seat doesn’t recline.” Fun fact — I almost never recline my seat. I’m a good person to sit behind! These tips don’t work for every single airline and flight path, but they can save you from an uncomfortable experience.

Google Flights

When I do my flight research, I like to search via Google Flights . The search is fast and the site is really simple and easy to use. There’s not much of an upsell to rent a car or stay in a hotel, like with some other booking sites. Google Flights is a good way to get a benchmark of flights before you choose where or when to go.

Remember that if you’re aiming to use up an airline voucher , this has to be done through the airline website itself. Don’t worry though, because Google will always take you there when you click into a flight.

Secret Flying

Secret Flying is completely free and claims it will find you the cheapest deals online. This includes mistake fares or errors fares, and how to find these types of flight deals that come from mistakes made that are not yet corrected.

To browse error fares, head to the “Error Fares” section of the website, but the key is to get these fares while they’re hot and before they expire (or get corrected by the flight company or airline).

Going (formally Scott’s Cheap Flights)

Going is a membership-based website where by subscribing, the company claims you can save around $550 on average.

To get 20% off your first year of a Premium subscription to Going, use our exclusive code: HALFHALF20 , when purchasing.

You’ll get email alerts about cheap flights that depart from your favorite airports, and the flight deals you receive are vetted by Scott’s vetted flight experts. Two million people around the world use Going and many say that they’re able to take trips three times a year, for the price of one. This is cool to consider if you plan to fly frequently.

So, are you ready to have a new way to save money on flights and airfare? Sign up for Going here.

Rome2Rio was originally a very useful and popular website among the backpacker crowd, and now it’s an app. Rome2Rio shows you every mode of transport to get you from one city to another, or one place to another. In the app, you can see the prices and you can book transport if it’s in a service that exists online.

Up there with the legacy fame in the way that Rome2Rio has been an indispensable website for travelers over the years, Seat61 seems to be the original train travel hack website.

With a new focus on train travel as the eco-friendly and sustainable alternative to airplane travel, Seat61 helps you travel affordably by train (or ferry) in places where ‘you thought flying was the only option.’ Cool!

Kiwi.com is an excellent service if you want to get a general idea of how much it costs to fly to a certain region. I’ve used Kiwi to help determine how much it costs to go to Europe from New York City, for example. Most flight-booking engines give you price from city to city. Kiwi enables you to find the cheapest flight to “somewhere” South America from Chicago, for example.

Priceline can help you find the best deals for hotels, flights car rentals and vacation packages. It’s best to shop around when you’re pricing out your travel logistics. Priceline is a great tool to allow you to see prices from various vendors.

Chase Ultimate Rewards

I mentioned above that I use my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card to get Priority Pass .

The same credit card gives miles per every dollar spent. Those miles start to add up when you buy things that qualify as purchases in travel, food and other expense categories. You can redeem those miles for travel services like flights, cars and hotels.

You can also transfer those points to travel or airline partners, like United and JetBlue. Using Chase Ultimate Rewards has been helpful in saving money when taking long flights. I’ve used my points to book flights all the way from Europe to New York, and from New York to Vietnam .

Travel cards like the Chase Sapphire (and Freedom) credit cards are the best way to start travel hacking . You can really get hooked. Once you start accruing miles and points, you’ll never travel without thinking, “How many points will this flight cost me?” again.

Best and Most Useful Map, Transport and Location Apps

I like Maps.ME as an alternative mapping app. The app’s main focus is offline mobile maps, so this combo is perfect for getting to your destination without using any data.

I’ve found that the maps and directions are better in Maps.ME than in any other map app - the directions are easier to follow, in my opinion. Despite this helpful feature, I still find myself using Google Maps because it’s what I’m used to.

Maps.ME helped out during my hike in Iceland . One of my friends had the app installed and used it to find a hot spring in the middle of nowhere. Well, the hot spring was well-known, but it was an adventure for us to get there!

Maps.ME does a better job helping you get through trails and other places that don’t have roads.

Don’t fall into the same trap that I did! Give Maps.ME a try.

City Mapper

I’ve used City Mapper in the past when I was visiting London. The Tube stations and reliability was better than any other map app at the time. All of my friends in London used it and recommended that I use it, too.

Google Maps doesn’t always have to be the go-to mapping app. Sometimes a city has a general preference for another app based on what features it can offer.

Moovit is a popular app in Israel .

When I was in Israel, Google Maps had trouble with GPS and determining where addresses were in relation to where I was. Moovit fixed that problem! It made walking around and getting directions much easier.

Moovit “knows” everything about the buses in Israel, specifically. If you want to go anywhere in Israel by public transit, download Moovit in order to get there in the best way!

During my travels in South America, Uber has been one of the only taxi apps that I can use. Uber is much safer than regular taxis, specifically in Latin America.

Taking Uber is also easier if you’re not as comfortable speaking a language other than your own. Uber allows you to set your pickup and drop-off location, and everything else is taken care of.

I’ve heard from locals in Mexico and Colombia that using Uber has helped them go out at night and get to otherwise geographically-challenging locations. This means that the app has changed people’s lives, for the better!

When Lyft is available, I prefer to use Lyft. What can I say — I have a soft spot for pink mustaches.

Lyft, Uber and other ride-sharing apps generally do the same thing. They allow you to set your location and easily get to your destination. When I was in San Francisco, Lyft was often used in place of public transportation. A Lyft ride can be about the same cost as a one of their public transportation methods.

Also, in San Francisco, there are special Lyft programs for people that take Lyft to work. There’s a specific route that you can jump into with other passengers. This helps keep the cost down, and you can rely on the route in order to get to work efficiently. Seems more eco-friendly, right?

Taxify tends to exist in cities that do not typically have Lyft or Uber available. This isn’t always true, but I’ve found this to be the case most of the time.

I mainly have used Taxify in European cities. The same strategy for having a safe and easy ride is true here. The difference with Taxify is that regular cabs can use the app. This is because Taxify isn’t necessarily a “ride-sharing app” like Lyft and Uber are.

Grab is the equivalent of Uber in places like Vietnam . The difference is that you can pay by credit (set up the credit option from your home country before you leave, to be safe) or cash, upon the completion of the ride.

Google Maps

Google Maps is the most common app for getting around. It handles walking, biking, driving and public transportation options. I like to use Google Maps to create stars and labels for some of the places that I frequently visit. This makes it easier to get back to those locations easily.

One of my favorite features is the ease of download of offline maps. Downloading offline maps is helpful in saving data if you’re using Google Maps outside of WiFi. Also, if you don’t have any data, you can still use maps when you’ve downloaded the data.

I’ve been using Swarm since before it was Swarm. Swarm used to be a part of Foursquare by way of “Foursquare Check-ins.” They broke it off into a new app that creates a gamification layer to visiting new places. These places can be cafes, bars, hotels, cities, airports and more. You get stickers and points for the places that you check in to.

Your friends can also see where you visited and where you currently are, if they use the Swarm app as well.

My favorite feature is to be able to look at where I’ve been in the past. If you ask me, what’s that cool restaurant that you visited in Belgrade? I’ll be able to search through my Swarm history and tell you the name and location of the restaurant. I checked, and the restaurant that I was thinking about is called Smokvica .

Best Apps for Health for Digital Nomads and Travelers

We like to focus on health when we travel. During long-term travel, you may go through spurts of a high interest in health and activity, counteracted by periods of when you don’t care so much. Not everyone’s interested in health, but some people define their lives and progress by it.

Google Health now has metrics like active minutes per day, miles or km walked in a day, heart health and more.

The app tracks ‘Heart Points’ and ‘Move Minutes’ to help show how much activity you’ve had in a day, and then shows a bar graph of your steps over a week. This can be cool to see if for example you walked 7 miles a day like we did, in Barcelona, Spain .

This app is also on Google Play Store .

If you’re interested in what you consume in a day, MyFitnessPal helps you track calories and consumption activity through an app that helps total these metrics. It can be really interesting and can give some clarity to your habits.

If you’ve been indulging in lots of pizza and pasta in Italy, excessive empanadas in Colombia or too many bowls of pho in Vietnam, you might start with a resolution to get more fit and drop some pounds while traveling for a while.

WeightDrop helps track your weight, if you have a scale nearby. You can see over time how your weight changes, if you like to measure your progress in that way. This is not for everyone, but can be an interesting thing to track over a year.

Best Apps for International Communication While Traveling

Communicating across oceans used to cost a ton of money or take a while. Now, you’ve got either instant communication, or asynchronous communication , and there are tons of ways to do both.

If you’re going to be abroad and out of your home country, why not try a few different ways to communicate with friends and family back home, and with travelers you meet along the way?

Google Translate

English is becoming spoken and understood in many different cities and countries all over the world. I’m really grateful that English is my first language.

Whenever I am in a new place where people do not understand English, I try to learn my hellos, goodbyes and thank yous in the local language. I’ll usually have Google Translate open on my phone to help translate words from another language that I am not familiar with.

My favorite feature about Google Translate is its ability to translate text from an image. A perfect application of this is in translating a menu. You can take a picture of the text on a menu and then you can understand it!

WhatsApp has been forever useful in communicating with everyone. I use it every day to talk with friends and family, but I have also used it to communicate with locals that I meet.

It’s a universal text message application that almost everyone around the world uses. WhatsApp is incredible!

It’s amazing that once you leave the USA, many people use this instead of iMessage or regular text messaging.

Slack is how I keep in touch with more professional contacts. I am a member of several Slack communities that all offer different things.

Slack by itself is nothing. You need an invite from a specific group, organization or company to make something out of Slack. You’re able to join as many communities as you want, after you get that invite.

The workspaces and Slack communities that I belong to help me find work, stay in touch with other travelers, talk about photography and so much more.

Most meetings that you take for interviews and work calls with be on Zoom . A fun tip for Zoom, is to explore within the video settings and remove your background. Instead of superimposing a background of a beach, you may actually be at a beach.

Krisp can block out background noises for you and the person on the other end of the call. This is great if you are in a noisy cafe or airport.

Best Apps for Booking Accommodations While Traveling

If you want more information about how we book accommodations, feel free to check out our article that we wrote about finding accommodations .

Airbnb has been helpful when booking places to stay for a trip. Airbnb has one of the better filtering systems out there. You can choose a place to stay based on a number of different options. Do you want a kitchen? Do you want a single home? Do you a queen-sized bed? Cool. Airbnb can be how you find an optimal place to stay, whether that place is an apartment, a house, a room in a hostel or room in a guesthouse.

VRBO is a great tool when you’re looking for something more like a vacation. You’ll find some of the best vacation rentals when you’re looking to get away. You can also use this to connect with home-owners if you’re interested in doing any long terms stays somewhere.

How to book hostels on the go: Hostelworld

I use Hostelworld to get an idea of where the cool neighborhoods are in a city. This is sort of a flawed system because sometimes the hostels are in the party part of town. This is usually true in Europe, but it’s helpful in Central and South America, because hostels are usually also located in the safest parts of a city.

We also use Hostelworld to find out which cities in a country are best to stay in. Hostelworld helped a whole bunch when we went to Colombia, Argentina and Portugal.

I’ll use Booking.com if Hostelworld and Airbnb do not return quality results. When I was in Patagonia, I noticed that Booking.com had way better options than AirBnb did. Hostelworld and hostels were not as popular for the smaller towns. Booking.com helped us a lot in the coasts of Portugal during our road trip, and in Sri Lanka, where hostels are not yet a huge thing.

Trying to decide between all the types of accommodations? Check our guide for Hostels vs. Airbnb vs. Hotels .

Productivity and Data Management For Travelers On the Go

If you’re a digital nomad or remote worker on the go and you’re looking for travel apps to make your work life easier, check out these suggestions.

Dropbox is great for a professional setting. You can use it to collaborate with others by sharing files and keeping shared assets organized. I use Dropbox for sharing files with clients and keeping my own files organized and backed up. By the way, if you use this link to sign up for Dropbox, you’ll get 500MB of storage for free!

For traveling, I like to use Dropbox to keep a copy of important documents, like a copy of my passport and other banking records. It makes finding these items really easy if you’re like me and can’t remember your passport number. You can quickly open Dropbox and browse toward the location in which you’ve saved those documents.

I’ve been using 1Password for almost five years. I have over 400 logins saved. It’s incredible that I’ve even logged into 400 different websites. Nevertheless, each one of those websites uses a different password.

Because every website has a different password, if that website’s data were ever compromised, my password that the hacker would get is basically useless for logging into any other account that I have.

1Password is essentially a flexible database. You can store whatever you want inside of 1Password. At a high level, it’s a secure vault that can keep varied types of information. You can store credit card information, phone numbers, lists and more.

Storing your credit cards and other information is a good idea if your wallet ever gets lost or stolen. Having a record of your credit card numbers is incredibly useful if you need to call a bank and report the card as lost or stolen.

Over the years, I’ve bounced around using a few different to-do apps. I used Teuxdeux for a few years before switching to Todoist . The reason that I switched was because I wanted to have more control over my to-do items. I use to-do lists to plan my day and Todoist provides a lot of functionality.

When you’re traveling, you can plan on-the-fly itineraries of your trip using Todoist. Let’s say that you want to visit 10 interesting sites in total. You can spread them out throughout your stay and use a simple to-do app to track your progress or plan.

In my case, Trello is sort of like Todoist, except that it’s for more long-term, non-time-sensitive information. I put big ideas into Trello along with long-term goals.

You can use Trello to plan a list of things that require feedback from other people, and you can plan lists of items that include images and other attachments. Imagine that you’re planning to take a three-month trip. What are all of the steps that you need to take in order to leave? It’s different for everyone, but planning the steps in an app like Trello can help make that process easier.

Backblaze is my favorite product to talk about. Most days, I forget that I have it running in the background. It keeps all of my data safe and gives me peace of mind that I’ll never lose a file or a photo.

If you take a lot of travel photos or do a lot of writing when you travel, making sure that your data is backed up, especially if you’re saving everything to an external hard drive, is an important part of traveling. It’s easy to lose a hard drive or damage a hard drive. Backblaze has a simple interface that backs up all of your data in the background.

Best Apps for Photography for Travelers on the Go

Google photos.

Google Photos is an incredible tool for organizing, viewing and storing your photos. If you have an Android phone, like a Google Pixel or something else, photos automatically backup to Google Photos. iPhones require you to download the app before using the service.

My favorite uses for Google Photos are the search and the assistant. Being able to search for locations is so useful. I can search for something like, “Jamaica,” and easily find photos from my trip to Jamaica back in 2012. Even though I didn’t geo-tag those photos or even have cell data, Google can predict that I was there based on other factors and show me those photos.

Google Photos has an assistant that shows you cool information. It can make GIFs from your photo bursts and can make a collage of photos based on similar other ones. If you have a large volume of photos like I do, this type of information is fun to look back at!

As a tip, Google Photos is crucial to have for working out storage on your phone. Even if your iCloud is enabled, you might find that your photos have “filled up” your phone storage. If that happened to you recently, fix your iPhone’s photo storage with these tips.

Adobe Lightroom

Lightroom is my preferred tool for editing photos. Without a computer, I can take photos from my camera, edit them on Lightroom Mobile and then share them on social media. I don’t typically do this, but sometimes I do.

Lightroom is a good way to catalog all of the photos that you take when you travel. Lightroom CC has a similar search process to Google Photos. You can search for generic terms like “dog” and get a bunch of dog photos.

Amazon Photos

Amazon photos won’t let edit your photos, but you can use the service to help backup and view your photos. It comes free with Prime. Amazon Prime will also be useful if you want to watch Prime Video.

Virtual Remote Work and Digital Nomad Apps

The apps below make work possible when you’re away from home, or when your home is ‘away’ from home all the time.

Working remotely is a big part of how I am able to travel for long periods at a time. At any time when I need to sign a contract, DocHub can help. You can have your signature ready to go and you can easily drop it on a line that requires your signature. You can than export that document as a PDF and send it off to where it needs to go. So cool!

A big part of travel is understanding how to deal with time zones. It’s currently 10:45 pm here in Mexico, but in New York City, it’s 11:45 pm. In Dubai, it’s 8:45 am. Good morning, everyone!

When you have to set up a meeting with someone in another time zone or figure out what time it is back home, Worldtimebuddy can help. You can add a few different cities and easily see an overlap of what time it is everywhere.

Traveling Mailbox

When I was traveling full-time, I used Traveling Mailbox on a weekly basis - this service allowed me to receive physical mail while I was traveling. In the past, I sent mail to my parents’ house or let it pile up in the location where I was staying.

The Traveling Mailbox service was especially useful because I run my own business. I often get sent mail that is associated with my business, and I’m able to see a physical scan of my mail items online.

This has been helpful in permitting me to not rely on others to collect my physical mail.

OOTD: the Office of the Day App

This app knows where you are (if you give it your location), and it’ll find you a place to work, as recommended by other digital nomads .

Depending on where you are, you can search (for example) for a place to work in Los Angeles, or Bangkok, Thailand. Each entry comes with ratings for features like WiFi, outlets, ability to make/take phone calls, credit card usage and outdoor space.

Recommend it to a friend, as it gets better as more people use it!

Remote Work Job Boards for Digital Nomads

For a more comprehensive list of work from home websites , check out our full list on remote jobs!

RemoteOK is one of the more popular job sites for finding remote work. It has a simple interface for browsing and searching for different remote jobs. All of the jobs are remote, so there isn’t any remote or location filter like you’d see on other job sites.

Most of the jobs on this site are developer-focused, but you will find jobs for marketing, customer service and a few other types of industries.

Every year or two, I give Upwork a shot. I am curious as to which types of jobs you can apply for and which skills are in demand. It takes a lot of time for someone to become popular on the Upwork platform. You’ll get rewarded for the work that you do and how often you get hired.

I personally haven’t had too much success with Upwork. Most of the proposals that I submit as a developer often go unnoticed because there is a lot of competition. If you’re looking for work, give Upwork a try and let me know how it goes!

I’m on Fiverr . There, I said it. It took me a long time to create a gig and give the platform a shot because Fiverr has a reputation that I didn’t want to be associated with. However, times have changed and I’ve found the platform to be interesting.

There is a lot of competition for certain types of jobs or gigs, but it’s fun to play with the market and AB-test various different gigs to get a sense for what is popular.

The more and more that I played with Fiverr, the more I realized that you get rewarded for using the site more. The more your gigs get ordered, the more you appear in the search results. Depending on many 5-star ratings you have, the more you will rank higher for high-competition gigs. It makes sense: Fiverr wants to reward quality people because the company takes a cut of your income, per job.

Authentic Jobs

Authentic Jobs has been a place where I’ve searched for jobs for so many years. I can’t remember the first time that I heard about Authentic Jobs, but it’s been there with me for a few different career hires.

Authentic Jobs has a filter for remote positions. My favorite filter is actually displaying types of roles, like part-time, full-time and contract roles. There aren’t too many positions listed, but the ones that are listed are usually high-quality. The jobs that are posted are mostly design and development jobs.

For my entire career, I never took LinkedIn seriously. Until recently, my tag line was, “Hire me for pizza advice.” I mean, you can totally still hire me for pizza advice. When you visit my LinkedIn profile now, it paints a more professional picture. There’s a time to be playful, but I started to realize that LinkedIn wasn’t the place for that.

You can share your professional knowledge about travel through LinkedIn. After traveling with Remote Year, I realized that sharing specific travel-related advice on LinkedIn is an effective way to find a new travel community and a way to attract readers to your content.

Hacker News: Who’s Hiring?

I’ll admit that my consumption of Hacker News articles has dropped off significantly. I’ll still vouch for the quality that their monthly job posting has. The best part about this job board is that it’s crowd-validated. The posts get up-voted, so the most popular and interesting job posts bubble to the top.

If there’s a really obvious question about the posting, someone probably answered it in the thread below the post. There’s no filter for remote jobs because it’s a text-only service. However, good ole’ CMD + F “remote” always returns a few interesting positions to check out.

Helping You Work Remotely

Even if you think you have remote work down to a science, it’s never too late to add a new work hack to your work and travel life. While we list lots of tips for working remotely on our website, check out the tools that make it work for us below.

When I was living in New York City, I started working remotely from my neighborhood on days with bad weather. After doing this during a few snow storms, I quickly realized how effective I could be by not going into an office. I started working from home more frequently because of the productivity benefits that I saw.

I quickly got bored working from my living room. I started to look for more cafes to work from near my apartment in Park Slope. After stumbling on a few cafes with bad WiFi and limited power outlets, I found Workfrom .

Workfrom has crowd-sourced a global network of cafes that share helpful stats like how many power outlets exist, how fast the WiFi is and if the cafe has good food or coffee. I added a few of my favorite neighborhood stats to the Park Slope map!

I like how simple Nomad List is. It gives you a generalization for how it is to travel to and live in a city that might be really far away. If you’re going to Hanoi , you can see criteria about how safe it is there, how the internet is there and other helpful stats like air quality.

While it’s an average of a lot of different data points, you can get a good idea about what it’s like to be there.

If you subscribe to Nomad List, you can enter in all of the places that you’ve been to and also connect with other travelers with the Nomad List Slack community.

News Apps: How to stay in touch with what’s going on

Usually when we’re traveling, Becca refreshes the NYTimes app every morning. It pre-loads, at least in summary form, so if we’re on a train or bus without WiFi for the rest of the day, she can still skim through headlines in each section and get briefed on what’s going on.

There’s nothing worse than being out of the loop. With phones, apps and WiFi, you can now stay connected anywhere (even when you don’t feel like it - ugh!).

Also free, but with no limits on articles per month like the NYTimes app, the CNN app has tons of articles. It doesn’t pre-load as well, so expect to use it only when connected to WiFi.

BBC en Español

Maybe you read the BBC in English, but Becca reads it in Spanish. If you don’t read Spanish, and you’re not looking for a way to practice Spanish, what we do suggest is getting a news app in the language you ARE trying to learn. This helps with word recognition and key words, even if you skim for only a few minutes per day.

Apple News is one of the default apps that comes with the iPhone. It creates an aggregation of top stories drawn from many news sources, so you get variation. You can also choose which ‘beats’ you’d like to see, from travel to science to fashion.

Apps for selling stuff and downsizing before travel

When we decided to travel for 10 months on a remote work digital nomad trip , we sold all our furniture. And got rid of a lot of clothes (that we could have made money on if we had just taken the time to sell it all).

We also got rid of things like coffeemakers, bikes, electronics… you name it. We had to downsize, and because we had just decided to go on Remote Year , we had to do it fast.

It’s too bad that we didn’t discover Poshmark until we saw ads for it on the subway after we got back from our trip. The way we started selling on Poshmark was because we went through our belongings after getting back from our trip, and realized we (awkwardly) hadn’t missed some of it. So we started posting listings for our name-brand items on Poshmark.

Poshmark is an app that lets you create listings with photos and details for clothes, shoes, bags, accessories and jewelry. It’s mostly for people who want to buy (and sell) name-brand things at a discount if it’s gently used. We had the most luck with Poshmark after returning from travel, but that’s because we didn’t know about it beforehand.

We recommend Poshmark if you have a lot of name-brand or luxury items you can part with, and you’re downsizing your wardrobe before setting off on the road for a while.

Mercari is like Poshmark but it’s for “anything.” You can sell electronics, bags, luggage, household items and more, in a type of marketplace where buyers can barter. You can also set your settings to ‘eat up’ the mailing fee, or charge it to the buyer. There’s lots of options. We haven’t had luck on it yet, but we’re trying to get rid of a few things we’re done using.

While not an app (yet?), Craigslist was a way we sold our furniture before we ended our lease in order to travel-long term. We also used the ‘Free’ section to get rid of things we couldn’t sell and didn’t want to have when we returned (like the coffeemaker mentioned above!).

Craigslist works by setting up listings, adding photos and locations, and then waiting for buyers to contact you via email. Because we sold furniture over Craigslist, and the world is a big place, we recommend meeting buyers in public places if you can, if the item is small. If you’re selling furniture or something large, have someone else in your home with you when the buyer comes for pickup.

Best apps for learning a language for travel

Did you ever want to learn a new language for your trip ? We often do, and we often have picked up some basics in a very new language while traveling. We know how to say ‘carrot’ in Vietnamese, ‘thank you’ in Lithuanian and ‘tap water’ in Portuguese. These can be super important!

Drops came as a surprise, and we found it while looking up ways to learn some Vietnamese on the plane ride over to Hanoi . Drops is like a swipe-right swipe-left app, but with simple words in another language.

This makes learning a new language really fun!

Looking to learn a new language for your upcoming trip? Try Duo Lingo , which is a fun way to brush up on basics for a language or learn a new one.

As you’ll find in our article about tips for learning languages , there are lots of ways to learn languages, but doing it on the go is easy. With an app like Duo Lingo, you can get some vocab in during a flight, bus ride or taxi ride.

Pleco is the #1 easy dictionary for English-Chinese and Chines-English. It’s great for when you’re in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore. It’s like a dictionary made fun again.

Mondly is a free app that comes in lots of languages. We downloaded it for some languages to learn before we went on trips!

We hope these apps helped improve your travel experience. Now that you’re ready to go, check out our checklist for what to do before going on a trip .

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10 Best Travel TRIP PLANNER APPs To Have in 2024

In a fast-paced world where the stress of work and school is overwhelming, we all need a break to de-stress our minds. Traveling is one good way to take your mind off of stressful things – a breather. And a scheduled vacation gives you something to look forward to.

Whether it’s a local trip alone, a family holiday, or a getaway with your best friends, it just excites you to wish the day would come faster. 

10 Best Trip Planner Apps in 2024

The freeform app.

• TripIt: Travel Planner

Hopper – Flight & Hotel Deals

• Sygic Travel Maps Trip Planner

Roadtrippers: Trip Planner

Tripadvisor, travelspend: track travel expense & trip budget, tripcase – travel organizer app, travel planning apps for your next trip.

The Freeform app is an endless whiteboard that lets users add information from a variety of websites, photos, videos and files.

Because the boards are kept in iCloud, they can be accessed from any device anytime inspiration hits. While you and your travel companions plan your dream trip, the specifics can be shared with several individuals working together on the same whiteboard, making them an ongoing work in progress.

The Freeform app is free to iPhone users on iOS 16.2, iPad users on 16.2, and Mac users on Ventura MacOS Venture 13.1. 

Download the brand-new app here .

Read our full post: Apple Launches New Travel App Freeform – What to Know

Wanderlog Trip Planner App

Wanderlog is your all-in-one destination for planning future trips, sharing travel guides, and blogging past trips.

Its trip planning features are incredibly flexible: you can research destinations and activities, organize reservations by connecting your email, and map out a day itinerary with start/end times. You can also add notes and links all throughout.

Everything is stored offline so you can access your itinerary when traveling abroad. For road trips, it calculates the time and distance between places and exports them to Google Maps (and there are no limits to the number of stops you have on a trip!).

Plus, there’s a fun social component: collaborate with friends on itineraries, write your own travel guide, and blog about past trips. Wanderlog is available on the web and on your smartphone, so you can seamlessly plan while at home and on-the-go.

iOS  /  Android

TripIt: Trip Planner App

If you need any help organizing the dozens of itineraries, TripIt is the app for you. Users simply need to forward your flight, hotel, restaurant, and car rental confirmation emails to [email protected] and the app will create a free master doc for each of your trips. The best thing about this app is that you can get access to your itinerary anywhere, even without an internet connection. 

In addition, the Pro version will find you alternative routes for canceled flights and send out notifications for delayed flights, cancellations, and more from the airlines. 

iOS / Android

Rome2rio is a versatile travel planning app that simplifies the process of finding and booking travel options. It’s a handy tool for travelers seeking to explore various transportation choices between destinations. Rome2rio offers users a comprehensive view of travel options, including flights, trains, buses, ferries, and even driving directions.

Key features of Rome2rio include:

• Route Information: The app provides detailed information on different routes, including estimated travel times, costs, and the number of transfers required.
• Booking Integration: Users can book flights, train tickets, and other transportation options directly through the app, streamlining the booking process.
• Map Integration: Rome2rio integrates with maps, allowing users to visualize their travel routes and explore nearby attractions.
• Multi-Modal Travel: It offers options for combining various modes of transportation, making it easy to plan complex journeys.
• Accurate Pricing: The app provides real-time pricing information, helping users make informed decisions based on their budget.
• Offline Access: Rome2rio offers offline access to previously searched routes, which can be handy when traveling without a data connection.

Hopper is an amazing trip planner app to have on your phone. The app predicts airfares up to 1 year in advance, with 95% accuracy. It analyzes over billions of flight prices and hotels within the day – telling you whether to book your trip now or wait for just a little longer.

Here’s how it works: Key in your destination and a color-coded calendar will display the cheapest and most expensive date to fly. The app will then recommend you to either book the flight now or sit it out and wait for airfare to get cheaper. Also, you can filter predictions to custom-fit your trip – remove long layovers, extra fees, restrictions, and more. 

And if you worry about missing out the cheap flight bookings, don’t be! Hopper will send you a notification when fares have dropped to its lowest point.

SYGIC Travel Maps Trip Planner

Sygic Travel Maps , the new version of Sygic Trip Planner, is the first travel app to display all of the attractions and places a traveler needs to see and visit on a single map.

Sync your trips with the Sygic Travel app and find hidden gems in all cities you visit. The app boast a large database that allows you to find the best hotels, tourist attractions, museums, restaurants, bars, and stores wherever you go.

This mobile app also let you download offline maps and guides, which come in helpful when traveling to remote locations with poor or non-existing Wi-Fi.

It also has a dedicated section to worldwide places of interest for travel business. Get location information for individual cities, countries, continents, or the entire planet.

The app is available in 18 languages.

iOS / Android iOS

Planning on a cross-country road trip ? Roadtrippers is the app for you! Not everyone is fond of waiting long hours at the airport while sitting through your red-eye flight. Hit the road with your friends instead.

Roadtrippers provides everything you need to know on your road trip. Just enter your starting point, destination, and let the app do its work for you! From camping sites to rest stops, outdoor activities, exciting adventures along the way that you didn’t know existed. This app is the perfect buddy for your road trip regardless of your mode of transportation – a sedan, a rental car, or a huge family RV.

Most of us dream of going to places! But planning an amazing trip to places we have not been to is pretty hard as you don’t know where to stay, what to do, places to eat, and adventures to try. We mostly rely on recommendations, most of which are not even right, that we find online. 

TripAdvisor has over millions of travel recommendations on hotels, top dining spots, must-do experiences, and treasured gems to over 8 million destinations at your perusal. It is an all-in-one app that lets you book tables at restaurants and compares low prices on hotels and flights.

You can also follow friends and travel experts for advice that match your interests, watch videos, and read articles. In return, you can share your experiences, reviews, and helpful guides for other users too!

Setting up a budget for your trip is easy, however, sticking to it is hard. TravelSpend will help you with that. It starts with entering your budget and expenses over multiple days so you don’t go overboard. The app helps you in sticking to your budget effectively.

Being in another country is not a problem at all: enter your expenses in any currency and the app will automatically convert it to your home currency.

Track your travel expenses whether going on a solo around-the-world trip or backpacking holiday with your best friends. The app allows you to share your trip with your friends and track your expenses together. Pay debts, split bills, and check your balances – all in the app!

TripCase, a comprehensive travel organizer app, has emerged as a popular choice among travelers seeking a streamlined and efficient way to manage their journey details.

Here’s a breakdown of its key features and functionalities:

Centralized Itinerary Management : TripCase allows users to consolidate all their travel details, including flights, hotels, and car rentals, into a single, easily accessible itinerary.

Real-time Flight Alerts : The app keeps travelers informed with up-to-the-minute notifications on flight statuses, including delays, cancellations, and gate changes.

Itinerary Sharing : TripCase offers a sharing option that enables users to send their travel plans to friends, family, or colleagues.

Travel Directions and Maps : To aid navigation in unfamiliar locations, the app provides directions and maps.

Nearby Recommendations : TripCase offers recommendations for restaurants, attractions, and other services close to the traveler’s location.

Document Storage : For added convenience, the app allows users to store essential travel documents digitally, ensuring that important information like passport details, visas, and insurance policies are readily available.

Customizable Notifications : Users can customize their notification preferences, choosing what types of alerts they receive and how they are notified, tailoring the app to suit individual needs and preferences.

iOS / Android 

Hi, great List. I couldn’t travel without my Apps! I have one App you could check out =) Its called ” ATM Fee Saver” and it gives a list with all ATMs and their fees and limit. I found it super helpful and it really helped me to save some money. Best regards, Charlotte

Thank you for your suggestions! Those apps are very useful and various

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24 Best Travel Websites and Apps to Find Deals and Save You Money

Use our guide to the best travel websites and find discounts and deals so you can vacation without breaking the bank.

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Whether you’re looking for a cheap last-minute vacation or planning to go home for the holidays, you’ll want to know the best travel websites to use. And if you’re tired of wondering which sites are best for each part of your trip planning, we’ve got you covered. 

Here are some of the best travel sites we’ve found to help you bag bargains on airfares, lodging, car rentals and all your other travel needs. Best of all, almost all of the travel websites are free to use. Bon voyage! 

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Best websites to save on airfare

Keeping up with airfare prices has gotten easier thanks to sites like Google Flights and Kayak . To use them, just type in your home and destination airport, pick the flights that work best for you and then set an alert to track the price. For example, Google Flights will send you an e-mail showing if your tracked flight went up or down in price. Both sites also let you see which days are cheaper to fly in that month. Airfarewatchdog also lets you search flight deals.

If you haven’t decided on where exactly you want to go,  sign up for Going (formerly known as Scott’s Cheap Flights.) Their newsletter comes straight to your inbox with deals on domestic and international locations. Or you can follow Twitter handles such as @TheFlightDeal for flights, too.

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Best websites for flight information

Once your flight is booked, you’ll want to keep tabs on gate changes, layover information and more. FlightStats.com can help you plan a smooth trip by advising you on the best time of day to fly from a specific airport and which terminals to avoid when connecting flights. You can also view live updates of flight delays and sign up for free e-mail and phone alerts. Flightaware.com also tracks and predicts flight delays.

If you’re delayed by weather or some unforeseen event, it pays to act quickly. The TripIt Pro smartphone app ($49/year) will send you alerts about cancellations, delays or gate changes, sometimes even ahead of an airline announcement. Use it to locate alternate flights, find out when better seats are available, get fare refund notifications, track your rewards program points, and more.

Best websites to save on hotels

Hotels.com lets you search just one site for accommodations at hundreds of thousands of properties. Plus, its rewards program is simple: For every ten nights you spend at any combination of the program’s 500,000 member properties, you’ll earn a free night’s stay. As a member, you also unlock an average discount of 15% on select hotels. 

Similarly, HotelTonight is an app that lets users book hotels at low last-minute rates. Priceline Express Deals helps you find the best bargains, but there’s a catch. Priceline doesn’t tell you which hotel you’re booking until after you pay.

And try TripAdvisor.com for a detailed list of rated hotels (and excursions) that are close to your destination. The site links you to partner sites, such as Expedia and Travelocity for fulfillment. Click on the "check rates" button and select the site or sites you’d like to try — a new window with results will open for each partner.

Best websites to save on vacation rentals

Vacation rentals are an especially good value for groups because they generally offer more space and amenities for prices similar to or less than hotel rates, particularly if you look at it on a per-bed basis. Check out VRBO and Airbnb to find the perfect experience. For Marriott loyalists, Marriott Bonvoy lets you browse its 30-brand portfolio — which includes more than 2,000 private homes.

At the other end of the scale, if you don’t mind college-dorm-level amenities, check out Hostelworld.com , as a way to save money on vacation rental properties . The site lists 36,000 properties in 178 countries around the globe and includes reviews.

Best websites for cruises and vacation packages

At CruiseCompete.com , more than 500 travel agencies vie to give you the lowest prices for dates, ports and ships you specify, whether you’re booking well in advance or at the eleventh hour. You set up a CruiseCompete account, and they send you their best offers without ever seeing your personal information.

Kayak.com and Tripadvisor.com will also knit together vacation packages for you. Just type in your destination and travel dates to get the best prices.

Best websites to save on rental cars

Hotwire often offers the best-published deals on cars by collecting rates from its eight rental car company partners, including Alamo, Enterprise and Hertz. The site also offers "hot rates" from rental companies that aren't identified until after you’ve paid.

And while Hotwire does offer some good prepaid rental car deals, in certain international cities for the best overseas auto deals you should check out AutoEurope . It offers rentals at more than 20,000 locations worldwide, and customer service is available 24/7.

AutoSlash is also a good site to find rental deals, as it will apply the best coupons and discount codes to your rental and re-book your reservation if the system finds a better deal.

Best websites to save on international train tickets

Trains are often the fastest and cheapest way to travel within and between European countries. Our favorite for checking timetables and booking tickets on European train lines is RailEurope . But you might be able to catch better deals directly from European railways’ sites if you don’t get lost in translation — and make sure you have what you need to travel to Europe as an American!

Best websites for travel insurance

You never know when an emergency situation will spoil your travel plans. That's what travel insurance is for. But don't just go for the default options from agencies and travel providers. At Squaremouth , you can compare plans and prices from multiple insurance providers with just one search and narrow your search results by specifying the kind of coverage you need. Another option is InsureMyTrip.com .

Rivan joined Kiplinger on Leap Day 2016 as a reporter for Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine. A Michigan native, she graduated from the University of Michigan in 2014 and from there freelanced as a local copy editor and proofreader, and served as a research assistant to a local Detroit journalist. Her work has been featured in the Ann Arbor Observer and Sage Business Researcher . She is currently assistant editor, personal finance at The Washington Post.

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6 Best Websites for Booking Cheap Flights

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The desire to get a good deal unites practically all travelers. Whether you're looking for a cheap getaway or a luxury vacation, no one wants to spend more than necessary. When it comes to booking flights, travelers may naturally head to an airline's website. However, that's not always the best site to book flights.

Whether it's taking advantage of credit card perks, earning bonus miles or saving money, the best flight booking site can vary depending on your situation and willingness to get creative. Let's take a look at six of the best sites to book flights and when each is the best option.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

The best flight booking sites

1. google flights.

For ease, speed and features, Google Flights is arguably the best website for flight searches. Search results appear almost instantly. Filters let you narrow down to nonstop options, select a subset of airlines, limit by price or factor in the price of a bag. Similarly, you can use Google Flights filters to avoid certain airlines, multi-stop itineraries, long layovers, early flights or pretty much whatever you might want to avoid.

You can easily check flexible dates, and if you're flexible on where you go you can use the Explore map to see prices for a variety of destinations for certain dates, a certain month or anytime in the next six months.

Google Flights partners with hundreds of airlines and online travel agencies (OTAs) to pull current flight prices. That way you don't have to search each of these sites to be able to see the options. Once you select your preferred trip, Google Flights links you to the top booking options for actually booking your flight — including the airline itself and the best OTA booking options.

The downsides of Google Flights are few. One downside is that Google Flights doesn't always show the cheapest prices — particularly for international flights. That means it's worth double-checking prices on another site before booking through Google Flights.

Like Google Flights, Kayak searches hundreds of other websites and flight booking platforms to find the best deal. Kayak generally doesn't let you book flights directly. However, one benefit of Kayak is the streamlined process. Rather than having to click through several pages to confirm your selection, clicking "view deal" on the results page can take you right to the cheapest booking option.

Also, some travelers may find Kayak's flexible date search a bit easier to work with as you can see results from several days in the search results — eliminating the need to check each day's results separately.

But perhaps the most important reason to use Kayak instead of Google Flights is that it can catch better deals. For example, we found a $550 round-trip flight from Los Angeles to Barcelona using Google Flights. Kayak found a way to lower that price to just $472 round-trip — at least once you scroll past an advertisement.

Note that Kayak manages other flight search sites — including Momondo and Cheapflights — so the results may be very similar between these sister sites.

» Learn more: Is Kayak legit?

So far, we've focused on ease in flight searching, and that's going to be enough for many travelers. However, now let's add in some additional elements to consider when choosing the best flight booking site: earning rewards and saving by booking packages. Expedia excels at both of these.

Through the new One Key rewards program , travelers can earn 0.2% in OneKeyCash from flight bookings made through Expedia. That's not much, but it can stack on top of the awards you earn from the airline and those that you earn on your credit card purchase.

Even better, you'll earn credits toward One Key elite status by booking your flight through Expedia. As you climb up the tiers, you'll unlock up to 20% savings on hotels, get hotel upgrades, priority support and even price drop protection.

Plus, Expedia boasts that travelers can "save up to 30%" when bundling a hotel with a flight booking — although actual discounts are likely to vary.

» Learn more: The pros and cons of Expedia

4. Capital One Travel

For many Capital One cardholders, Capital One Travel might just be the best flight booking site. Part of this is to take advantage of cardholder benefits.

For example, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card holders earn 5x Capital One miles when booking flights through the Capital One Travel portal. Plus, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card holders get up to $300 off travel booked through the Capital One Travel portal each cardholder year.

» Learn more: How to maximize the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Also, Capital One Travel can help you truly get the best price for your flight. Capital One partnered with travel data company Hopper to show suggestions about when it's the best time to book.

Capital One backs up these recommendations with money. If you book a flight through Capital One Travel when Hopper recommends doing so, you'll get up to a $50 credit toward future travel if the price drops within the next 10 days.

» Learn more: How the Capital One Travel portal works

Would you be willing to book a trip as two separate tickets in order to save money? That's the idea behind Kiwi. Instead of simply searching flights from your home airport to your destination, Kiwi checks all potential options to get between A and B. That could mean taking a bus or train from your home city to another to catch a flight to your destination. Or, Kiwi might pair a low-cost domestic flight with a cheap international flight from another city to lower your total cost.

Protect your upfront travel expenses by booking with a card that has travel insurance or by purchasing a separate policy .

For example, when we priced out a round-trip flight from Phoenix to Tokyo, the cheapest option when booked as one ticket cost $1,353 round-trip — and that's with an overnight stay in Vancouver.

Pricing out the same itinerary and dates through Kiwi drops the price to just $789 round-trip. The secret? Booking this as two round-trip flights: One from Phoenix to Los Angeles on Frontier and a separate round-trip from Los Angeles to Tokyo on Zipair.

Keep in mind that there are risks with booking separate tickets to get where you want to go. If a delay or cancellation causes you to miss your connection, the second airline/bus/train company isn't obligated to honor your ticket and rebook you on the next option. So make sure to factor in all of the risks of booking travel like this.

» Learn more: When to use Kiwi for your next flight booking

6. BookWithMatrix

ITA Matrix is a very powerful and ultra-customizable search platform for finding exactly the flight itinerary you want — whether that's booking a longer layover, avoiding certain aircraft types or booking nerdy trips such as the Alaska Milk Run .

The catch: Travelers can't actually book flights through ITA Matrix. And, unlike Google Flights, ITA Matrix doesn't even link to the best flight booking site for that itinerary. Instead, travelers are left to attempt to re-create the same itinerary through another flight booking website — which can be hard in the case of certain complex itineraries.

Enter BookWithMatrix. Travelers can copy-paste their perfect itinerary from ITA Matrix into BookWithMatrix to get bookable links through the airline or select OTAs.

Alternatively, travelers have the option to install the PowerTools extension in Google Chrome .

This extension adds booking links right on the ITA Matrix itinerary page, avoiding the need to browse to another page.

Popular cards for booking flights

Depending on the airline and credit card issuer you choose, you may earn anywhere from 1 to 3 miles per dollar spent on the card that you can put towards booking flights.

You usually earn more when you use the card to purchase travel directly from the airline. You could also earn more by making purchases in expense categories that pay bonus miles, like restaurants or gas stations (these vary from issuer to issuer).

on Chase's website

on American Express' website

$0 intro for the first year, then $95 .

$0 intro for the first year, then $150 .

• 2 miles per $1 on United purchases.

• 2 miles per $1 at restaurants and hotels (when booked directly with hotel).

• 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.

• 2 points per $1 on Southwest purchases.

• 2 points per $1 on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases, local transit and commuting (including rideshare), and on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming.

• 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.

• 2 miles per $1 on purchases made directly with Delta and at U.S. supermarkets and restaurants (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.).

• 1 mile per $1 on all other eligible purchases.

Terms apply.

• 6 points per $1 with JetBlue.

• 2 points per $1 at restaurants and grocery stores.

• 1 point per $1 on other purchases.

• 1 Mosaic tile per $1,000 spent.

When you open a new airline credit card account, you may be eligible for a big welcome bonus after meeting a minimum purchase requirement. After that, you'll continue to earn miles for purchases you would have made anyway.

If you seek more flexibility in redeeming miles for award flights, consider applying for a more general travel credit card instead. A more general travel credit card differs from an airline card in that you can book flights with multiple carriers, rather than reaping the benefits of staying loyal to a single brand.

The more high-end (or 'premium' ) the travel credit card, the more benefits you can enjoy, including airport lounge access or automatic elite status in certain programs. That said, a brand-specific airline card can net you benefits like waived baggage fees, which can have meaningful dollar value.

» Learn more: The best airline credit cards

Final thoughts on the best flight booking site

There's not a one-size-fits-all best website for booking flights. Instead, the best flight booking site for you is going to depend on how simple you want the process to be, whether you're willing to get creative with your booking, and even which credit cards you have.

For most travelers, the simplicity of Google Flights is going to make it the best one-stop shop for searching and booking flights. However, it's worth considering other options if you're flying internationally, want to book a flight-and-hotel package or have a Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card .

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2024 :

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

1.5%-5% Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

Up to $300 Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

on Capital One's website

2x-5x Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.

75,000 Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

5 travel websites that get visitors excited about booking a trip

Learn how to build a website that transports travelers to their dream destination. Here are five of the best travel website designs.

Inspire visitors to book a trip with your web design.

Online travel agencies (OTAs) accommodate every travel need — last-minute deals, digital nomad destinations, remote tours, and more. It’s no wonder 41% of travelers prefer booking through them . And because travel rates have almost returned to pre-pandemic levels , travel websites are enjoying visits from wanderlust-consumed viewers again. 

But not all travel agency websites are made equal. The best travel websites won’t just appear on search engines like Google and booking sites like Skyscanner or Expedia — they’ll inspire travelers and give them the information needed to book their next adventure. 

5 of the best travel agency websites

People land on OTA sites with a purpose — to book something — be it tours, flights, or a hotel stay. The most effective travel websites use animations, graphics, and strategically-placed buttons to help visitors achieve this goal. They also make the most important information easy to find. They might list standard tour prices on the front page, for example, or provide FAQs about popular destinations. 

Here are five of the best travel sites and why they work:

1. Know to Go

Know to Go ’s site is a single landing page beginning with a full-screen top-down shot of green plants, gray rocks, and boats on bright blue water. This aerial shot resembles an airplane window view, inspiring visitors to book a trip to see similar sights and feel the excitement of arriving somewhere unfamiliar. 

The company’s slogan is “Tailor Made Travel,” which expresses the agency’s philosophy: custom itineraries to meet everyone’s unique needs. No matter what your dream vacation is, Know to Go promises to make it a reality. 

The agency doubles down on their philosophy when describing the Full Contact™ methodology: they do their utmost to deliver proximity (24-hour customer support), knowledge (in-depth location expertise), and competence (speedy, knowledgeable advice and responses) to ensure clients get the vacation they want. 

A streamlined diagram outlines the methodology’s three pillars, making it more likely that those skimming the site notice them. The diagram grabs visitors’ attention and quickly and clearly communicates Know to Go’s expertise. 

2. The Hidden Italy

The Hidden Italy offers unique tours in popular cities and hidden-gems across Italy. Their travel site web design is neat and clean, surrounding vibrant images of Italy with whitespace . Placing these images front-and-center on a white background makes colors really stand out conjuring up images of a dream vacation with all Italy has to offer. This might encourage conversions as visitors feel confident the site can deliver experiences that meet their needs. 

The site’s navigation is also effective at inspiring viewers to book. The menu bar travels with the scroller so they can head to “Blog,” “Inspiration,” or “Destinations” whenever they like instead of having to search around for information. This increases the chance they’ll find details they need, or inspiring suggestions that’ll convince them to book a tour of Italy. 

Build completely custom, production-ready websites — or ultra-high-fidelity prototypes — without writing a line of code. Only with Webflow.

3. Bespoke Travel

Bespoke Travel offers luxury trips for every travel style — from leisure to corporate to honeymoons. This agency plays to travelers’ unique concerns. The term “bespoke” means “custom to the client,” and their slogan, “Made for you,” reiterates this philosophy. This instills confidence in the brand, keeping customers on the site by assuring them Bespoke Travel can plan the trip they want. 

The unique CTAs across the site also stress to the reader that this OTA accommodates any travel concern. Phrases like “Start Your Adventure Today,” “We Can Get You There,” and “Give Us a Call to Realize Your Dream” accompany images of various destinations to encourage visitors to take the leap and book a trip. These fun and unique CTAs paired with their high-quality images also make luxury travel seem doable with Bespoke Travel’s help.

Bespoke Travel’s straightforward navigation and design show that excessive animations and interactions aren’t necessary to create an effective travel site. If executed correctly, good photography and creative copywriting go a long way.

Eratur ’s site combines modern design elements like clean, crisp lines and color blocking among whitespace to express their ability to meet modern-day travel needs. The emphasis on up-to-date design helps advertise a similar travel experience.

The site content appears and disappears as we scroll, and images have a parallax effect that shifts at a different speed than the background to immerse users in the site. The dynamic effect engrosses viewers in a new and beautiful scene before they even book their trip. 

A vibrant color scheme including seafoam green, and mustard yellow mirror the atmosphere of certain images. Meanwhile, inspiring phrases like “When in doubt, travel” and “life is short, go explore!” stand out against white backgrounds.

Like Know to Go, Eratur stresses their customized travel packages in the website copy — but they take customization one step further by using the first copy block to express that users can choose every detail. This guaranteed freedom in choosing the details of a trip shows visitors that personalization defines this business. 

5. Bosa Tours & Travel

Bosa Tours & Travel offers Central American travel packages. They make this destination specialty clear early on with the header “Travel and experience Central America”This transparency instills trust in users that the company finds their time valuable and wants to ensure they get their dream trip. 

This OTA uses a layered design — various elements such as text, graphics, and CTA buttons sit on top of each other. This creates a sense of depth so viewers feel immersed in the elements and are more inclined to connect this OTA’s travel options with their ideal vacation. It also means viewers see several travel-based images right away,inspiring viewers to book a trip. Plus, many things a visitor might want to click on are available immediately, increasing the chances they’ll stay on the website to explore instead of bouncing. 

One of the most effective sections of Bosa’s website is their testimonials. Nearly 88% of users say reviews play a role in their purchasing decisions, making this an effective way to prove an agency’s value and increase conversions. 

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The travel industry is constantly evolving — websites can accommodate this by addressing user interests in their designs. The  best travel planning websites inspire viewers and provide information they need to book their next trip. Check out our free resources to create an inspiring and effective travel site today.

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30 essential travel apps every traveler needs before their next trip

When it comes to planning and taking a vacation, travelers rely on their phones now more than ever.

Travel apps are a source of inspiration and are extremely useful for booking and managing logistics — even making restaurant reservations or finding a great fitness class wherever in the world you're flying next.

From apps that help with everything from day-of hotel bookings and last-minute flight changes to those that serve as guidebooks and foreign-language dictionaries, travel is infinitely easier thanks to technology.

Apps can help you navigate a new city, make currency conversions, pack a perfect suitcase and even provide on-the-ground local expertise. Whatever you need when you hit the road, there's an app for that.

We've rounded up the most-loved apps here at TPG. Some may be obvious, and others more obscure, but either way, get ready to download.

Best apps for researching and booking trips

In addition to the apps for the airlines you fly most frequently and your favorite hotel brands, these apps can help you save money on flights and accommodations.

Hopper has changed in recent years from just offering a price prediction tool for flights to being a true online travel agency. The app helps travelers find the cheapest flights, hotels and rental cars.

Of course, Hopper also still offers its signature price prediction technology to help you plan out when to book, as well as travel protection options and a price freeze to help you lock in the lowest possible price on hotels and flights.

Kiwi is used mainly to book flights, but it also helps you book hotels (using its partnership with Booking.com) and car rentals (using its partnership with RentalCars.com).

Some of the app's most interesting features include the "Deals" section, which pulls in discounted flights, and the "Travel hacks" section, which includes options for hidden city ticketing, throwaway ticketing (making one-way flights more affordable) and free price alerts.

Hotel Tonight

A dream for last-minute travelers, Hotel Tonight ( now owned by Airbnb ) lets you book stays for the same evening up to a few months in advance in thousands of cities worldwide. Available hotel rooms are categorized into sections like basic, luxe, hip, charming and solid, so you can select what works for your vibe. Take advantage of the daily drop feature, where you swipe to find a personalized deal with a special price only valid for 15 minutes after unlocked.

At TPG, we love a good loyalty program, and HT Perks, the app's nine-level reward program, is extensive. Not unlike a video game, you "level up" by reaching specific spending thresholds on the app, and you'll gain access to perks like discounts, VIP customer support and credits. Also, your levels never expire, so you can only continue to move up.

To book home rentals instead of hotels, use the Airbnb app. After entering your destination and dates, you can filter results based on the home type, price, requisite amenities and more. If you find something you like, you can book directly through the app.

The app is ideal for managing your trips while on the road — you can access all your bookings under the "Trips" tab, where you can view your reservation (and the address or directions), contact the host or change your reservation. Once you have a booking, you can also explore and book local experiences in your destination, such as wine tastings, kayak tours, hikes, shows and concerts.

We can't talk about travel apps without mentioning the TPG App. Use it to track your credit card, airline and hotel points balances; earn points and miles efficiently through using the right credit card ; and research how many points or miles you'll need to book your dream getaway. You can even curate your own news feed so you see the news and advice that matters most to you first.

The TPG App is available for download on iOS . Android users can join the waitlist here .

Related: The TPG App has arrived — here's why you should download it now

Best apps for organizing a trip

From keeping all your documents in order to perfectly packing your suitcase without forgetting a thing, these are the best apps for organizing travel plans.

TripIt declutters your itineraries and documents by keeping them organized in one place. You can set your reservations to automatically send to TripIt, which lets you view travel confirmations, flight itineraries, tickets, hotel and Airbnb booking information, rental car reservations, ferry tickets and driving directions without ever leaving the app.

TripIt also makes it simple to share your trip plans with whoever picks you up from the airport or train station or anyone else who may need to coordinate with you. TripIt Pro subscriptions cost $49 per year and include extras like real-time flight alerts, security wait times, baggage claim information and updates on your loyalty reward programs.

Roadtrippers

Perfect for organizing that epic road trip you've always wanted to take, Roadtrippers plans out your driving route and lets you book hotels and activities along the way. The app is especially useful for finding interesting and off-the-beaten-path roadside attractions, cool restaurants and can't-miss landmarks you can bookmark.

A Roadtrippers Premium membership includes offline maps, live traffic information, overnight RV parking and more for $59.99 per year. For those looking to only venture on a few road trips per year, the app also offers a Pro ($49.99 per year) and Basic ($35.99 per year) membership.

PackPoint takes all the stress out of packing . The app shows you what to bring based on the length of your trip, the weather in your destination and any activities you're planning along the way. If you have access to laundry facilities at your destination, PackPoint even allows you to account for washing your clothes and wearing them multiple times.

Just download and install the app, type in the city you're visiting and plug in your travel details. So, stop waiting until the day before your trip — or the hours before you have to leave for the airport — and start packing now.

Best apps for navigating the airport and flights

Track flights, navigate airports and find airport lounges with these apps.

LoungeBuddy

LoungeBuddy offers access to premium airport lounges around the world, regardless of the airline or class you're flying. When you create a trip in the app and type in the credit cards you currently hold, it will tell you which lounges you have access to based on the airports you'll be transiting through and how to purchase access if you don't already have it.

You can purchase access on the day you're traveling or up to two months in advance if you're the plan-ahead type. If you prefer to search by lounge or lounge program, the app will tell you exactly what is needed to use them.

Priority Pass

Priority Pass offers access to more than 1,300 lounges worldwide and provides meal vouchers at select airport restaurants across the world for an annual fee starting at $99.

Several cards, including The Platinum Card® from American Express , the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve , offer Priority Pass memberships for all cardholders (enrollment required). Otherwise, you'll have to pay an annual fee to be a member and, depending on your membership tier, a fee to enter each lounge on top of the annual fee.

To use the Priority Pass app, enter the name or code of the airport you're in, and Priority Pass will pull up the lounges or restaurants that you have access to, including photos, hours, amenities and specific location information. For more information on the Priority Pass Program and how to gain lounge access, click here . Enrollment is required for select benefits.

Related: The best credit cards for Priority Pass lounge access

FlightAware

The FlightAware app allows you to track flights online, see a live map of a flight and check on delays, cancellations and gate changes. This app is especially helpful if you have a tight connection or want to track your flight.

It's also useful when picking up friends and family at the airport, as you can track their flight and see updated landing times or delays. AvGeeks will enjoy digging into flight statistics, flight maps and community aviation discussions on the app.

Best apps to use during your flight

Timeshifter.

What better way to cure jet lag than with an app? Timeshifter actually helps you avoid jet lag long before your flight takes off and also offers inflight and post-flight suggestions. The app relies on neuroscience research about sleep and circadian rhythms to provide personalized recommendations, taking into consideration your age, gender and normal sleep patterns — as well as specifics about your trip and travel plans. Timeshifter maps out when you should avoid or seek light, take a nap or try to stay awake. It even tells you if you should consider supplementing with melatonin or caffeine.

Your first jet lag plan is free, then $9.99 per plan, or you can enjoy unlimited plans for a year for $24.99.

Flying can cause anxiety — or provide a welcome relief from constant contact with our digital devices. Either way, use travel as an opportunity to relax, meditate or listen to soothing sounds that will lull you to sleep or a deep, relaxed state. Or, perhaps, you'll simply find it helps pass the time during a long flight.

Calm offers meditations on topics such as self-awareness, calming anxiety, breathing, lowering stress levels and happiness, among others. The app also has music options for focusing, relaxing and sleeping, as well as stories for adults and content for kids.

A limited selection of meditations and music is available for free (which you can download to use when you're offline or in flight). The premium version of the app costs $14.99 per month or $69.99 annually.

OK, so Netflix isn't really a travel app, but it can be a lifesaver during a long flight on an aircraft without seatback inflight entertainment or at the airport during an unexpected flight delay or boring layover. If you have a Netflix account, the app allows you to download your favorite shows onto your device to watch offline.

Just make sure to download your shows while connected to Wi-Fi before flying and check them again preflight to make sure they haven't expired (you can usually renew any expired downloads, but you must be connected to Wi-Fi or data to do so). Monthly prices vary depending on the plan.

Another app that's not really a travel app, Spotify can still be incredibly useful during tedious travel moments — just pop in those noise-canceling headphones and listen to your favorite music, meditations, podcasts and more.

The app's Premium plans (prices vary) allow you to download all your content offline on your phone, so you'll have it during long flights or when you don't have data or Wi-Fi access. Whether you want to take a morning jog in Bali to your favorite tunes or pass the time with a podcast on the metro in Barcelona, Spotify has it all.

Best apps to use in your destination

From exchanging money and sightseeing to communicating and knowing all the local tips and tricks, you don't want to land in a foreign city for the first time without these key apps.

XE Currency Converter

The XE Currency Converter app quickly provides live, up-to-the-minute currency rates, then allows you to store and view them even when you're offline. You'll never need to wonder if you're really getting a good deal in another country if you have this app.

Google Translate

Google Translate is a translation app that allows you to do it all — translate into more than 100 languages by typing, access 59 languages offline, translate via photo, translate bilingual conversations and even use the handwriting tool to translate.

The app is simple to use, too, with icons at the top you can click on to draw, take a photo, speak or type.

Not quite sure how much to tip when traveling internationally? GlobeTips will advise you on how to tip appropriately in more than 200 countries. It also offers a tip calculator for easy math. Globe also has apps for currency conversion, unit conversion and more that may be useful for travelers.

Related: The ultimate guide to tipping while traveling

For travelers globe-trotting with friends and family members or simply splitting the cost between groups, Tricount calculates shared costs and splits bills so you don't have to think twice about who owes what. Just enter your trip and currency and invite your travel mates to join your trip.

Each time someone pays for something, you enter the amount in Tricount, and the app splits everything up. You can also snap and store photos of receipts in the app. At the end of your trip, it will show the balances of who owes who what, making it easy to settle up.

Metric Conversions

Never be baffled by Celsius temperatures or suitcase weight in kilograms again with the Metric Conversions app . Whether you're measuring flour to cook at your Airbnb, figuring out distances for your Europe road trip or deciding whether to take a sweatshirt with you during your walking tour of the Great Wall of China, this app has you covered with easy conversions in volume, weight, temperature, area and more.

Google Maps

Google Maps is essential when visiting a new city (or even for getting around your hometown). You can map locations, get directions (walking, driving, public transportation, ride-hailing services and beyond) and see how crowded your subway will be in select cities .

You can make restaurant reservations, save your favorite spots and read and write reviews of attractions, eateries, shops and more. Make sure to download specific city or area maps ahead of time for offline access if you know you'll be without internet at your destination. For obvious reasons, the app works best when your GPS is turned on.

WhatsApp is a handy messaging service for travelers abroad as it uses an internet connection to avoid SMS fees.

It works like most other messaging apps: You start by creating an account, then add your friends and family members to contact and voila! You're able to call, video chat and send messages, images, voice memos, gifs and files just as you would in, say, iMessage (but with Android users too). You can also download WhatsApp on your Windows or Mac computer.

Best apps for planning activities

Traveling is about more than just getting from point A to point B. If you're looking for activities to add to your itinerary, check out these apps.

Meetup is an app designed for interacting with locals and other travelers who have mutual interests or shared hobbies. Whether you're traveling or at home, take what you love and do more of it with Meetup.

The app shows you groups that are formed around particular interests in your city, including yoga, photography, cooking, wine tasting, hiking, cinema and other activities. You can join groups to get updates on particular events you may want to participate in. The app can even help with networking, as there are many groups dedicated to business and technology. You might even be able to join a coworking group. Travelers with kids can participate in family-friendly meetups, and it's a great way for solo travelers to make friends and connect with others.

TheFork is one of the most useful resources for making restaurant reservations in Europe. Similar to OpenTable or Resy, the app lets you browse different restaurants by category and make reservations. TheFork features more than 60,000 restaurants in cities like London, Madrid and Geneva, as well as spots outside of Europe like Sydney, Australia.

The biggest perk is that many restaurant reservations come with discounts — in some cases, you can get up to 50% off your meal just by reserving a table through TheFork. Since we here at TPG are always down for earning rewards, make sure to monitor your YUMS — TheFork's reward system. You'll earn YUMS with each reservation, and when you hit 1,000, you receive a discount on your bill. Foodie travelers should also consider downloading these apps , too.

Happy Cow helps vegan and vegetarian eaters locate more than 180,000 restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, farmers markets and grocery stores in over 180 countries around the world. The app allows you to filter by not only vegan and vegetarian but also gluten-free and cuisine types. You can also read reviews and get recipes on the app as well.

The app does cost $3.99, but it's a one-time expense.

TripAdvisor

Besides reading reviews of restaurants, hotels and attractions, you can book almost anything on TripAdvisor, from vacation rentals and restaurant reservations to tours and tickets.

The app has grown to include almost all things travel, allowing you to search by destination or interest (like the outdoors, food and drink, family or by the water, for example), which can give you inspiration for a trip or help you get your activities, meals and accommodations organized before traveling or on the fly.

With over 400,000 curated trails, AllTrails can help you find the hike or walk perfect for you and your group. It's not just mountain trails — AllTrails offers city walks, too, like easy meanders through the Marais district in Paris or peaceful strolls through Bangkok's Lumpini Park in Thailand.

See photos, updated weather predictions and key information about each route and connect with other travelers through reviews and forums. Access to AllTrails+ is $35.99 per year, which offers perks like offline maps and wrong turn alerts.

Best apps for staying safe

Use these apps to stay safe when traveling.

Smart Traveler

Smart Traveler is a free service that offers tips and information specifically for U.S. travelers. You can see what visas and vaccines you'll need before traveling and where to find help if you need it during your trip.

Register your trip on the app, which gives your information to local embassies and consulates in your destination. If there's any kind of disaster or tragedy, the local embassy can contact you to see if you need help.

TripWhistle

Another app dedicated to keeping you safe, TripWhistle maps your location and allows you to easily text or send your GPS coordinates or location. It also provides emergency numbers for firefighters, medical personnel and police in nearly 200 countries. After all, 911 is only for U.S.-based emergencies: Each country has its own specific emergency number.

Yes, Uber (or any local ride-hailing service app) is convenient, but it may also keep you safe. Using this app when traveling means you'll never get stuck wandering around in an unfamiliar area late at night or have to deal with unscrupulous taxi drivers trying to scam you. Uber also has in-app safety features such as an emergency assistance button which will allow you to call local emergency services right in the app.

Most Popular Travel Booking Websites & Apps (Aug 2018)

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With all the different travel websites out there, it is hard to decide which one to use. Each travel company makes you believe they are the best choice.

So which websites do actually provide the best value to travellers?

To answer this question, we first need to know which travel websites and apps people use.

5 Key Takeaways

• TripAdvisor is the most visited travel website, followed by Booking.com
• Ctrip is now the 7th most visited travel website. In 2014, Ctrip only ranked 24th
• Travel apps are more than 2 times as popular with Europeans than Americans!
• Airbnb is the most downloaded travel app in the US
• Google Trips is the 6th most downloaded travel app in the EU

What can you expect from this article?

If you want to learn about the most popular travel websites and apps, continue reading.

We will share various infographics, highlight the most interesting insights and share our expectations for 2025. Note that the popularity of apps and travel websites differs a lot per country.

Travellers who are planning a trip from Bali to Gili Islands in Indonesia will likely use different websites than someone who is looking for the best things to do on Koh Tao in Thailand.

Below, you can already find a sneak preview of our forecasts for the most popular travel brands.

GeckoRoutes expectations for 2025

• Airbnb will become the #1 most popular travel brand
• At least one Chinese travel brand will be in the top 3
• Google Trips will serve as your personal travel assistant

For now, let start with the most popular travel booking websites and apps of August 2018.

Top 10 Travel Booking Websites

The graph above shows the sum of the website visits for all domains with at least 1mln visitors in the month August 2018. For Booking.com there is only one domain (.com), but in the case of TripAdvisor we included 32 different domains. TripAdvisor has many international domains like www.tripadvisor.co.uk, www.tripadvisor.it etc.

1. Tripadvisor.com

The nr 1 visited websites is  TripAdvisor  with 588.8mln visitors. This doesn’t come as a surprise. TripAdvisor offers more than 660mln reviews about accommodations, restaurants and activities all over the world.

Although many people visit TripAdvisor only to read reviews, the website also offers the option to compare hotel prices of many different booking websites. Also are they experimenting with booking directly on TripAdvisor.

[bctt tweet=”TripAdvisor is the most visited travel website with 588.8mln visits in the month Aug 2018.” username=”geckoroutes”]

2. Booking.com

The second most visited website is Booking.com . This Amsterdam based OTA (Online Travel Agency) received 563.3 million visitors over the month August 2018. Just 25.5mln visitors short of TripAdvisor,

The majority of the visitors visit Booking.com to book their accommodation. Traditionally focussed more on hotels, they also started to add millions of non-traditional accommodations. The website now lists over 27 million accommodations, of which more than  5 million non-hotel listings .

The third spot belongs to Airbnb . Thanks to this fast-growing company, travellers don’t have to limit their options to traditional hotels anymore. Now we can emerge ourselves in the local culture by staying at someone’s home.

Airbnb receives a bit more than 1/3 of the visits of Booking.com, but this could change quickly. Although they are still not close to the number of listings of Booking.com , they keep adding accommodations at a rapid pace. And also don’t forget they are expanding into new services like local experiences.

Expedia is the second most popular OTA for hotel bookings after booking.com. This website is more commonly used in the US than in the EU. The graphs about the app usage and downloads further confirm these regional differences in app preferences.

Expedia’s differentiator is that they combine hotels with flights to get the best deals. Besides hotels, they also present a wide range of other travel products like cruises and things to do.

Trivago is a German-based meta-search engine that compares hotel prices from more than 400 bookings websites for 1.8mln+ hotels.

They cover over 1.8mln hotels, but this doesn’t even come close to the 27 million listings of Booking.com. This means you can still find many more accommodations on Booking.com that are not listed on Trivago.

6. Skyscanner

Skyscanner is kind of de facto standard to compare flight prices in Europe. It’s a great tool to search for flights and to compare prices from almost every airline.

Especially their search interface which allows you to view prices for a full month is very helpful.

Ctrip is gaining popularity quickly. In 4 years time, Ctrip climbed up to rank #7 from rank #24 in 2014 .

Ctrip is one of the largest OTAs in China and is looking to expand its reach all over the world. Besides hotels, they also offer flights, train tickets, tours and almost any other travel service you can think of.

[bctt tweet=”Ctrip was the 7th most visited travel booking website in August 2018. In 2014, the website only ranked 24th.” username=”geckoroutes”]

8. Hotels.com

As the name says, their focus is on hotels and not on flights or alternative accommodations. Their loyalty program can be a great reason to book on Hotels.com.

For every 10 nights you book on Hotels.com , you get one for free. Most hotels participate in this loyalty program and you can stay at different hotels to fill your digital stamp card. Next time you go on a business trip, book your hotel on hotels.com and collect your free nights for your next family trip!

This meta-search engine started as a flight comparison tool, but slowly made its shift to hotels. Kayak is quite popular in the US, but doesn’t receive the credits it deserves in our opinion.

Especially their flight search offers many interesting features like searching from any airport within a distance of 70mi and their price prediction tool. Another useful tool is the option to search for a trip of x days in a certain time period. You can for example search for the cheapest weekend trip from the 15th of December and 4 weeks thereafter.

But it doesn’t stop here, Kayak has been expanding their offering beyond flights. Their car rental search is an example of how users can not only find the cheapest car rentals, but also the ones that exactly fit their needs. When you want to rent a car for the route from Cancun to Tulum for example, you can select that you want to drop the car at a different drop off location. This option is sometimes even cheaper than taking a taxi for the same route.

Jalan hasn’t captured much attention in the English speaking countries yet. This Japanese OTA claims to be one of the largest online booking sites for hotels and  ryokans in Japan.

While Jalan didn’t even appear in the top 30 most visited travel booking websites in 2014, they now entered the top 10 worldwide. Interestingly, the OTA only focusses on accommodations in Japan and does not have any international listings.

Web Insights

Web insight #1: tripadvisor and booking.com receive 60% of the visits.

With the following graph we get more insight in the split of website visits between these top 10 booking websites.

TripAdvisor and Booking.com received together 60% of all traffic from the top 10.

If we also add the share of Airbnb and Expedia, we can see that the share is concentrated around the top 4. The top 4 travel booking websites receive more than 75% of all traffic from the top 10.

The other 6 hotel booking websites only receive between 3% to 5% of the total pie.

Website insight #2: The emergence of Asian travel brands in the top 10

Most travellers from Western countries haven’t even heard of Ctrip (#7) and Jalan (#10), but their usage is growing quickly. In 2014, Ctrip only ranked #24 and Jalan didn’t even appear in the top 30. Ctrip is one of the largest OTAs in China and Jalan in Japan.

The mother company of Ctrip acquired the Edinburgh-based Skyscanner in 2016 and uses Trip.com to reach international customers. Note that the number of visitors in the graph above only includes the visits of the domain Ctrip.com.

One of the major reasons behind the quick growth of Ctrip is the rapid growth of the middle-class. Add the fact that the Chinese population is more than 4 times as large as the US, and you will understand why they are climbing up in this ranking so quickly.

In Japan there is no rapid growth of the middle class. An explanation of their position in the top 10 is the proximity to China and also the aging population. A large part of the 127mln people living in Vietnam go with retirement and now have money and time to travel. The train from Hanoi to Sapa is a good example of this. The route has always been a very popular trip with tourists, but nowadays you will also see many Vietnamese tourists using this train as a holiday trip.

Top 10 Travel Booking Apps

Android apps

To create a list of the most popular travel booking apps, we compared the Daily Active Usage and the number of downloads in the month August 2018.

The data is based on downloads and usage from the Android Apps from the Google Play Store. The data from IOS applications was unfortunately not available.

Comparing EU and US

Note that the website visits are measured globally, and the app usage and downloads are split between the EU and the US.

The data from the EU is based on the 5 most populated countries in the European Union. This are Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain. This also makes the comparison easier as the population of these countries is about the same as the US (between 325-330mln).

Daily Active Users

App Insights (DAU)

App insight #1: airbnb stay tight, homeaway is coming to europe.

HomeAway has its roots in the US, but is starting to expand its reach internationally. While the website of HomeAway didn’t appear in the top 10, it’s already the 6th most popular app in Europe in terms of daily active users (DAU).

HomeAway differentiates from Airbnb by focusing offering vacation rentals which can be a complete apartment, house or villa. Airbnb focusses more on home-sharing.

At first sight, the HomeAway app looks less popular in the US than in the EU, but if we add the share of VRBO, we see that the brand also claims the 6th spot in the top 10 in the US. VRBO is part of the HomeAway brand and has the same interface and listings as HomeAway.

App insight #2: Europeans use travel apps more than 2 times as much as Americans

The number of daily active users of the top 10 travel booking apps is 2,7 times as high in the EU as in the US.

Furthermore, we can see that the app usage in Europe is much more concentrated around the top 3 apps. In Europe, TripAdvisor (#1) Booking.com (#2) and Airbnb (#3) make up 90% of the app usage. The same top 3 most used apps in the US receive 70% of the total share.

[bctt tweet=”Europeans use travel apps more than 2 times as much as Americans” username=”geckoroutes”]

App insight #3: Trivago more popular in EU. Kayak more popular in US

Trivago is the 5th most popular travel booking app in the EU, but doesn’t even appear in the top 10 in the US. The US counterpart of Trivago is Kayak.

Both brands fall within the category ‘meta-search engines’ which combine hotel prices from different booking websites. The difference between the brand is that Trivago only offers hotel search and Kayak also compares flights, cars and cruises.

Our advise is to use Kayak instead of Trivago. They offer more useful options such as price forecasting tools and often show better prices than Trivago.

App insight #4: Skyscanner app isn’t so popular yet in the US

Skyscanner is the most used app by Europeans to search for flights. It’s currently the 4th most popular travel booking app in the EU.

In the US, however, it only managed to get the 10th spot. App users in the US seem to rely more on apps like Expedia or Kayak to search for flights.

App downloads

App Insights (downloads)

App insight #5: booking.com is the most downloaded android app for travel bookings (aug 2018).

Booking.com is the most downloaded travel booking application in the EU, with 1.296 thousand downloads in the month August 2018.

Also if we combine both datasets, Booking.com is still the winner. With 1.630,4 thousand downloads the app still easily beats Airbnb which holds the second rank with 1.063,3 thousand downloads.

Nevertheless, Airbnb managed to rise to this second rank in only a few years and is not giving up the challenge to beat Booking.com. If their expansion to experiences will become a success, their application will become a more important piece in our trip planning process.

[bctt tweet=”Booking.com is the most downloaded travel booking app for Android (Aug 2018)” username=”geckoroutes”]

App insight #5: Google Trips more popular in Europe

Google Trips is ranking as the #6 most downloaded travel booking app in Europe, but only claims the #9 rank in the US. Google hasn’t been advertising this app aggressively, but it is already picking up in popularity.

The app has enormous opportunities to rise to the top 3. In our opinion, it’s one of the most advanced travel apps out there. You can search for flight tickets, hotel bookings , search for activities and even choose from popular day plans.

As Google collects data from millions of users, they can easily track which destinations and activities are most popular per demographic. If they use this data to give its users personal travel advice, it could become a very important app in our trip planning arsenal.

GeckoRoutes expectations for  2025

Forecast #1: airbnb will rank nr 1 before 2025.

This start-up grow from an idea that started with ‘AirBed and Breakfast’ to one of the most popular travel booking websites.

Thanks to Airbnb we can now experience our destinations like a local. And that doesn’t stop with accommodations.

Besides accommodations, Airbnb also offers ‘Experiences’, organised by locals. Experiences range from family dinners to surf classes and are one of the best ways to immerse in the local culture.

GeckoRoutes view is that travellers choose a destination because of the things to do at the destination. And that is also why we think ‘Experiences’ will become one of the most important products for online travel bookings.

Airbnb already created a new market for home-sharing and alternative accommodations.

We are convinced they can do the same for experiences. And that is also the main reason why we think Airbnb will become the most popular travel brand.

We expect Airbnb to become the nr #1 most popular travel brand before 2025.

Forecast #2: The rise of Chinese travel booking companies in the top 3

Ctrip rose from the 24th rank in 2014 to the 7th rank in 2018. And we don’t think it will end here..

There is a strong growth of the middle class in China and the big Asian tech companies don’t want to miss on this opportunity.

Besides Ctrip, we have three other major tech companies diving into the travel market.

The giant e-commerce company Alibaba, serves the Chinese traveller with its subsidiary Fliggy. Baidu, China’s largest search-engine, serves travellers with its subsidiary Qunar. And the start-up Meituan-Dianping, which started with food-delivery, is now the  market leader in travel in the Chinese travel market .

These companies have big aspirations. And that’s also what the western travel companies realize. Booking Holdings, the mother company of booking.com, partnered with Chinese travel brands  and Expedia is also investing in the Asian travel market .

There is no way to stop these companies from growing. China’s population is the largest in the world and is more than 4 times larger than the US. Chinese travellers prefer to use a travel company that uses the same language and understands the customer. And that’s why we think it is only a matter of time before these Chinese travel brands appear in the top 3.

We expect that at least one Chinese travel brand will be in the top 3 by 2025.

Forecast #3: Google Trips as your personal travel assistant

One of the main reasons we all use Google is because they are great in what they do. The search-engine helps us to find information quickly and re-directs us to the best sources.

So why can they not do this in travel?

Online travel companies like Booking.com have been one of the biggest spenders on Google advertising. And that’s maybe why Google never pushed into travel.

But times are changing. The travel market is the second largest industry in the world and Google seizes this opportunity.

A few years back, the company launched the app Google Trips. Most features were only available in the app, but slowly we see them appearing in the search results as well. Examples are Google Flight, Google Hotel search and recommendations of places to visit.

By analyzing the data from Google maps, your search history and booking confirmations on Gmail, the company will be able to give you the best recommendations and answer your questions in no-time.

We are not there yet. But don’t be surprised to see Google Trips as your personal travel agent in a few years.

We expect Google Trips to serve as your personal travel assistant by 2025.

One thing is clear. The top 3 brands dominating the travel sector are TripAdvisor, Booking.com and Airbnb.

However, this doesn’t mean this cannot change over time.

Airbnb has proven that the third rank of Expedia wasn’t forever. And the emergence of the Chinese company Ctrip shows how quickly a travel brand can climb up in the global rankings.

What’s next?

This was the first part of a series. For now, we know what the most popular travel websites and apps are. Time will show if our predictions become reality.

In the next post, we will analyze which travel websites provide the most value to the users .

Which travel brand offers the largest choice of accommodations? And what are the price differences between booking websites? Follow us on Facebook or subscribe to our newsletter to get an update when we finished our next piece!

Let us know what you think!

We hope this research was useful to you and are curious to read your opinions. What is your favourite travel booking website or app? Do you think Airbnb will become the most popular travel brand?

Share your opinion in a comment below!

More insights

Interactive graph of daily active users (aug 2018), interactive graph of app downloads (aug 2018).

All data is based on the app downloads (rounded to thousands) in the Google Play Store in August 2018. Source: Similarweb.

Limitations

• Research about the app usage and downloads is limited to Android app and doesn’t incorporate the IOS application
• The data is not obtained from the direct source which would be the Google Play Store. We used the estimates from the intelligence platform Similarweb
• The definition of ‘travel booking websites and apps’ only includes sites and apps that are mainly used to book travel products and services of a broad range of suppliers. Hotel chain apps which present a limited amount of hotels such as the Hilton app are excluded. This app is also included because it is required to use their digital roomkey service. When we would have included the Hilton app, it would have earned the 10th position (107.000 downloads) in the most downloaded Android apps and even the 6th rank in the app with the most daily active users (39.000 DAU)!
• Ground Transport websites and apps that solely focus on taxi’s (like uber) or railway are not included. Including these services would not give the right representation of the online travel booking services we wanted to analyze. These services are also used for daily commute what we wanted to exclude from this research.

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Based in Bali, Maarten’s passion for travel is undeniable. In 2016, he decided to quit his job as a stock analyst and started doing what he always dreamed of: travelling through South East Asia and helping other people plan their trips. When he is not working on Gecko Routes, you’ll find him surfing in the ocean or exploring the best gems of Indonesia.

what a great list! Would also recommend ATM Fee Saver – it helps find the ATMs abroad which are zero fees or have lower fees than others along with withdrawal limits for foreign card holders, I use it quite a bit, helps in saving up on those costs! Worth adding to your list!

This sounds like an awesome app, thank you for sharing! We’ll be sure to use it in our travels too.

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28 Best Travel Website Design Examples for 2024

Are you aware that an improperly designed travel website can alienate potential customers and hinder user experience?

In an era where user accessibility is paramount, neglecting proper website design can be costly. The best website builders like Wix and Squarespace provide you tools for creating visually stunning and accessible travel websites.

Just as ADA compliance is crucial for inclusivity, travel websites must prioritize aesthetics and user-friendliness.

This blog post covers the 28 best travel website design examples that serve as inspiration to elevate your travel website appeal and user experience.

Let’s get started.

1. Big Adventure Travel Company

Made with Squarespace

Big Adventure Travel Company has a website design urging you to live the world, not just see it. Above the fold, a dynamic carousel showcases destinations, people, and travel vehicles, igniting excitement for your next trip, perhaps even to the Hawaiian Islands. 

The white background offers a clean canvas for easy access to information, complemented by a rectangular call-to-action button urging you to experience the world.

Scrolling down, find Instagram and Facebook icons, fostering seamless social media connection. The company’s phone number and email address are conveniently in the footer for quick and direct communication.

2. Along Dusty Roads

Along Dusty Roads, curated by Andrew & Emily, unfolds the beauty of a life filled with travel on its website. Above the fold, a clear picture of a desert captivates visitors, displaying mastery in taking photos.

With a white background providing a crisp canvas, the website showcases outdoor activities through a card layout, combining captivating photos with detailed descriptions of different locations.

For those inspired to follow their journey, a prominent purple box invites visitors to connect with Along Dusty Roads on Instagram. This travel website has social proof, encouraging others to join the community of travel enthusiasts.

3. Champlain Tours

Made with Wix

Champlain Tours beckons travel enthusiasts with stress-free global experiences, day trips, and short-term excursions, standing out among the best travel agency websites. 

This tourism website design, adorned with a calming color scheme of Chatham blue and white , creates an inviting digital space that encourages visitors to explore.

Navigating the site is effortless, thanks to a sticky menu bar and a clever logo that doubles as both the home and refresh button. The thoughtful addition of a sign-up box invites engagement, allowing users to sign up for tour updates.

4. Bella Vista

Bella Vista's website design boasts captivating picture backgrounds that dynamically change as visitors scroll down, incorporating enticing design elements to entice travelers. 

This travel blog now includes a chat widget at the bottom for seamless communication with customer care, making the experience more personalized.

A sticky menu bar remains readily accessible as users explore the site. The thoughtfully integrated form simplifies the booking process, allowing travelers to register check-in and check-out dates effortlessly.

Bella Vista is user-friendly for those who want to plan and book accommodations through this well-designed travel website.

5. Pack Up + Go

Pack Up + Go is a travel website tailored for spontaneous exploration of the US. With a jacked ice, black, and white color scheme against a clean white background, Pack Up + Go is one of the design examples.

Engage seamlessly with the travel experience by subscribing to their newsletter through a strategically placed pop-up box. 

The black curved edge call-to-action button boldly says book your vacation, inviting users to embark on a journey with simplicity and spontaneity. 

Pack Up + Go design harmonizes visual appeal with user-friendly features, making it a standout choice for those seeking adventure and surprises in their travels.

6. Classic Travel Connection

Classic Travel Connection transforms vacations into extraordinary experiences. I love the use of a clean white background as a canvas for a carousel of high-quality pictures above the fold, showcasing enticing destinations.

Engaging visitors effectively, social media icons on the menu bar connect users with the broader travel community, fostering user engagement.

This travel website integrates a live chat widget , allowing users to interact and inquire about various aspects of their journey.

This stunning web page goes beyond showcasing destinations, ensuring every visitor finds the information they need for a memorable vacation experience.

7. Poe Travel

Poe Travel positions itself as an easy and rewarding approach to booking through travel advisors. The light coral, white, and black color scheme against a clean white background sets an inviting tone. 

High-quality pictures showcase popular destinations, while the inclusion of city guides distinguishes this website from other travel platforms.

The bottom-of-the-page map helps visitors locate Poe Travel, enhancing user experience. Beyond a mere booking platform, this website is a trusted travel advisor, providing services and valuable insights into various cities and sought-after destinations. 

8. Earth + Ocean Travel Co

Earth + Ocean Travel Co specializes in crafting memorable experiences for destination weddings, groups, honeymoons, and retreats.

This travel website invites users with a high-quality aerial view of a beach above the fold, setting the stage for an enticing exploration of vacation spots. 

I love how the web design features a white background and clear pictures of multiple attractive locations, helping simplify the traveler's decision-making process.

Social media icons on the menu bar connect visitors to a broader community, enhancing engagement with this travel-centric platform.

9. The Sofia Log

The Sofia Log is a website capturing the essence of Sophie's diverse passions. I love the Jasmine white and black color scheme as it complements the clean, clear pictures, showcasing high-quality photography and emphasizing a thoughtful web design.

This travel website footer features social media icons, allowing visitors to stay connected with Sophie's adventures. A strategically placed pop-up form encourages engagement, requesting email addresses for newsletter subscriptions.

Enthusiasts receive regular updates and enjoy high-quality images from this sailor, ballerina, pyromaniac, and environmental scientist's salty soul.

10. Chasing Buffaloes And Beyond

Chasing Buffaloes And Beyond is a website narrating the explorations and adventures of a travel-loving family with its brand's story through stunning photos. The card layout on this website elegantly showcases pictures of the locations this family visits.

A clean white background invites visitors to join their journey. I love the strategic placement of social media icons at the bottom of the page. These social media icons ensure easy connectivity.

There is a captivating large picture of nature above the fold that captures attention and reflects the significant investments in creating a visually engaging travel experience.

11. A Way Abroad

Made with Webflow

A Way Abroad, the ultimate resource for women dreaming of a life abroad, stands out with its thoughtfully designed travel website. 

The white, orange, and pale Robin egg blue color scheme creates a visually appealing backdrop, complementing the artistic picture of a happy traveler. 

Navigating the site is easy with a sticky menu bar, ensuring visitors seamlessly explore the content and resources A Way Abroad offers.

This travel website design captures attention and caters to the needs of those seeking information and inspiration for a life abroad.

12. Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home's travel website offers potential customers a welcoming and visually appealing experience. An old restored farmhouse against a clean white background suggests a blend of authenticity and modernity, creating a visually pleasing contrast. 

There is a helpful map that assists users with trip planning. This travel website has a white background and clear pictures, enhancing the user experience. 

Home Sweet Home ensures that visitors can easily reach the destinations they offer by providing all of their contacts on the footer.

13. Sea Breeze Panormos

Sea Breeze Panormos perfectly blend classical Cycladic style with modern functionality. This tour company website communicates an authentic island feel with whitewashed walls and stone elements. 

The white background provides a clean canvas, while the sticky menu bar ensures easy navigation. Additionally, the social media icon widget remains fixed, allowing users to stay connected as they scroll down. 

An embedded map enhances user experience, helping them locate Sea Breeze Panormo's beautiful properties. 

This travel website ski

14. Milk + Honey Travels

Milk + Honey Travels, experts in individual, inspired, and imaginative travel, present their expertise through a website designed for seamless exploration. 

Against a clean white background and black text, beautiful photos capture key information, enticing visitors with glimpses of destinations like African safaris.

Strategically placed on the header, social media icons facilitate easy connection, inviting users to delve into a community of like-minded travelers. 

This travel website design, adorned with high-quality pictures, invites exploration. A rectangular Contact Us CTA button makes it effortless for visitors to embark on their personalized journey with Milk + Honey Travels.

15. All-Inclusive Vacations Search

All-Inclusive Vacations Search is a seasoned travel agency with over 30 years in hospitality. This travel website design is for seamless international travel exploration. 

I love its white and bright orange color scheme and sticky menu bar, creating an inviting landing page. 

This travel website uses a white background that enhances readability. The transparent call-to-action buttons , urging users to call us now, reflect a commitment to accessible and personalized service. 

I love how the graphic design ensures a user-friendly experience, guiding visitors through the wealth of expertise All-Inclusive Vacations Search brings to travel.

16. The Berlin Storyteller

Dennis Behnke, The Berlin Storyteller, invites prospective travelers to explore Berlin through the carefully crafted design of this website. 

The navy blue and white color scheme exudes sophistication, complementing high-definition pictures of iconic locations in Berlin. 

I love how this travel website design incorporates a sticky menu bar and a striking navy blue call-to-action button, directing visitors seamlessly to the available tours. 

This user-friendly platform ensures a smooth experience for those seeking private tours in Berlin, focusing on simplicity and visual appeal.

17. Grand Forest Metsovo

Grand Forest Metsovo travel website beckons visitors with eye-catching photos showcasing the natural beauty and its connection to the hotel. The high-quality and clear pictures provide a vivid glimpse into the charm of this destination. 

This travel website design includes a sticky menu bar for easy navigation. A hamburger menu on the menu bar helps with additional options, linking to other parts of the website. On getting to the homepage, a strategically placed pop-up box unveils exclusive offers.

18. World of Wanderlust

Made with Teachable

World of Wanderlust invites you to embark on thrilling adventures and explore travel destinations across the entire continent. 

This travel website design, characterized by a clean white, black, and brown color scheme, creates an elegant and inviting atmosphere. 

A sticky menu bar ensures easy navigation, allowing users to browse through captivating travel stories. World of Wanderlust prioritizes user engagement by featuring a pop-up box with an email field. 

By inputting your email address, you can join their mailing list, staying connected with the latest travel updates, destination highlights, and exclusive offers from the travel agent.

19. The Bucket List Family

The Bucket List Family is a great website where a white background sets the exact feeling for an immersive experience.

Above the fold, stunning images paint a vivid picture of their global adventures, while high-quality pictures throughout the site bring their family travel journalism to life.

This travel website is a visual delight, offering more than just information. With social media icons neatly placed on the footer, users can easily connect and share the captivating journeys of the family.

Immerse yourself in The Bucket List Family, where a seamless blend of website design and stunning images makes every virtual visit an enchanting travel experience.

20. Aperture Tours

Aperture Tours, specializing in professional photography guided tours, showcases its expertise through a website designed for all levels of enthusiasts. 

Against a clean white background, this site presents clear, good-looking pictures of locations arranged in an engaging card layout.

Aperture Tours proudly displays logos of magazines and TV stations it features in, spanning many industries. 

This travel website offers almost half of its tours in diverse locations, including the vibrant landscapes of live Africa, making it a reliable guide.

21. Under30Experiences

Under30Experiences welcomes young travelers with a vibrant parsley, white, and pink color scheme at first glance. 

This travel website design plays a huge role in travel accessibility, featuring a pop-up box offering a discount, and encouraging visitors to visit exciting destinations. 

With a thoughtful chat widget and a unique logo serving as the homepage and refresh button, this travel website creates an engaging and user-friendly experience. 

Pictures of different locations and descriptions are in the card layout, making it easy to understand which locations the visitor is looking at.

22. Get Your Guide

Get Your Guide, connecting millions of travelers with unforgettable experiences worldwide, offers a vibrant website design. 

As visitors scroll, catchy animations engage, helping potential customers understand the depth of available adventures. 

Against a crisp white background, a royal blue curved CTA button invites exploration, encouraging others to join this dynamic journey. 

The Portland Orange, white, and royal blue color scheme creates a visually appealing backdrop for travelers to embark on their next unforgettable experience.

23. Jon’s Carmel Market Cooking Class and Food Tour

Jon’s Carmel Market Cooking Class and Food Tour takes you on a cultural journey with its website design. The white and Persian red color scheme and a clean white background create a visually inviting homepage. 

Clean, clear pictures and a sticky menu bar enhance the user experience. Personal stories are woven into the photos, showcasing the unique touch of this mother-daughter photography team. 

A video on the homepage features the Israeli mentality, offering a dynamic preview of Jon's immersive culinary experience. This website beautifully captures the essence of the tour through its thoughtful design elements.

24. Bouteco

Bouteco travel website, a purpose-led non-profit consultancy, showcases trusted sustainable luxury travel content. As you scroll, high-quality images of different locations unfold, inviting exploration with captivating visuals. 

A transparent rectangular CTA button encourages users to explore Bouteco loves, guiding them through the commitment to authentic and greenwash-free storytelling of the website. 

Users can easily find contact information, a newsletter sign-up, and social media icons on the footer, enhancing engagement with this platform dedicated to sustainable travel experiences.

25. Inward Travel

Inward Travel Experiences is a travel website example that showcases a dynamic design. I love how this homepage immediately captures attention with a compelling video above the fold, featuring enthusiasts immersing themselves in invigorating cold water activities. 

This company’s logo cleverly serves as both the home and refresh button, adding a touch of seamless navigation to this tourism website. 

A practical sticky menu bar enhances user accessibility, staying fixed as visitors explore the diverse offerings. This travel website has a prominent green rectangular-shaped CTA button that beckons users to take action.

26. Tourism Richmond Hill

Richmond Hills is a travel website that invites exploration of vibrant offerings, spotlighting great restaurants and captivating entertainment. 

This travel web design features a soothing palette of pale olive green, sky blue, and light tan , creating an inviting atmosphere for visitors.

With a user-friendly interface, this travel site boasts a sticky menu bar, ensuring easy navigation while exploring the diverse attractions. 

The clear pictures complemented by simple text font enhance the overall visual appeal, providing an enjoyable experience for users discovering the charm of Richmond Hill. 

27. Selective Potential

Selective Potential, home to blogger Tieka, offers an excellent example of a travel website design. Against a clean white background, potential customers can easily navigate through Tieka's Michigan lighthouse adventures. 

Social media icons on the menu bar encourage engagement, while a brown curved shape CTA button , inviting users to read more, enhances the overall user experience. 

Explore with Tieka and discover the beauty of Michigan lighthouses through this thoughtfully designed platform.

28. Echo Fitness

Echo Fitness goes beyond conventional exploration by focusing on nutritional options and functional fitness, emphasizing their vital role in sustainable overall health. 

This web design uses a crisp white background and a calming color scheme of white, sky blue, and black , providing a visually soothing experience for visitors.

Whether you want to visit Australia or explore the travel industry, its social media icons are conveniently on the menu bar, encouraging users to connect and stay updated. 

The clean and clear pictures throughout the site enhance its aesthetic appeal and serve as a visual guide. This travel agency website offers a unique blend of fitness exploration and sustainable well-being.

Travel Website Examples FAQ

To create a compelling travel and tourism website, focus on showcasing unique things visitors can experience, separate yourself from other websites with your own unique storytelling, and craft content that helps potential customers understand the destination's allure.

Tourism websites are platforms with eye-catching photos to entice visitors to discover interesting locations and attractions. These sites often provide information on language exchanges, offering a comprehensive guide for travelers.

Wix and Squarespace are excellent website builders for a travel site, offering diverse site features that effectively communicate unique experiences. Whether you are a mother-daughter photographer team or an individual adventurer, these platforms provide user-friendly tools to build your own travel site.

Craft a comprehensive tourism and travel site by including captivating destination descriptions, vibrant visuals, travel itineraries, and user-friendly navigation for a seamless visitor experience.

Explore Further

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How To Make A Travel Website: Step-By-Step Guide

Table of contents.

The boundless world of travel beckons, filled with vibrant cultures, breathtaking landscapes, and unforgettable adventures. Whether your dream is to share these experiences with fellow explorers through a captivating travel blog or to transform your travel expertise into a successful online business, a well-designed website is your gateway to the world.

Creating a travel website may seem daunting, but with the right tools and guidance, it’s incredibly achievable – even if you’re starting with little technical know-how. This comprehensive guide will break down the process into clear steps, providing everything you need to launch a stunning and functional travel website.

We’ll delve into choosing the best niche, crafting persuasive content, and optimizing your website to attract your ideal audience. And, to streamline the process, we’ll introduce you to the power of Elementor – a leading website builder designed to simplify the web creation journey. With its intuitive interface and travel-focused features, Elementor acts as your all-in-one toolkit for building a website that captures the spirit of exploration.

Let’s embark on this journey together!

Defining Your Travel Website’s Foundation

Choosing your niche.

The travel landscape is vast and diverse, so finding your unique voice and focus is essential for attracting the right audience. A well-defined niche will help your website stand out and make it easier for passionate travelers to find you. Consider these niche ideas:

• Adventure Travel: Target thrill-seekers with guides to hiking, camping, extreme sports, and off-the-beaten-path destinations.
• Luxury Travel: Cater to those seeking high-end experiences, focusing on exquisite accommodations, fine dining, and exclusive tours.
• Budget Travel: Become a go-to resource for backpackers and budget-conscious adventurers, sharing savvy tips for saving money while exploring.
• Local Guides: Specialize in your city or region, offering insider knowledge, hidden gems, and authentic experiences.
• Solo Travel: Support independent travelers with resources, safety tips, and destination recommendations tailored for solo journeys.

Target Audience 

Once you’ve selected a niche, delve into understanding who your ideal traveler is. Consider their:

• Age and Demographics: Are you targeting millennials, families, couples, or retirees?
• Interests: What excites them – food, history, culture, wellness, photography?
• Travel Style: Do they prefer luxury, adventure, slow travel, or short getaways?
• Pain Points: What are their common frustrations or anxieties when planning travel?

By understanding your target audience, you can craft content, features, and travel offerings that directly address their needs and desires.

Choose a Domain Name

Your domain name is your website’s digital address, so make it count! Choose something that is:

• Memorable: Easy to spell, pronounce, and remember.
• Brand Relevant: Reflect on your chosen niche or brand name.
• Keyword-rich (optional): Include relevant keywords for a potential SEO boost, but prioritize memorability.

Reliable Web Hosting: The Backbone of Your Travel Website 

Your website’s hosting is like the foundation of a house – it needs to be sturdy to support everything you’ll build on top of it. Choosing the right hosting provider is essential for ensuring that your travel website is fast, secure, and always online. Here’s what to look for:

• High Performance: Slow loading times can drive visitors away. Opt for a hosting provider that guarantees excellent speed and uptime. Look for features like SSD storage, content delivery networks (CDNs), and optimized server configurations.
• Robust Security: Travel websites often handle sensitive information like customer data and payment details. Prioritize hosting solutions with advanced security measures, including firewalls, malware scanning, automatic updates, and secure data backups.
• Scalability: As your website grows and attracts more traffic, your hosting needs to scale with it. Choose a provider that offers flexible resources and upgrade options.
• Reliable Support: When you encounter technical issues, having access to knowledgeable support is invaluable. Look for hosting providers with 24/7 availability and multiple support channels (live chat, email, phone).

Why Elementor Hosting is a Game-Changer

Elementor Hosting is not just web hosting ; it’s a tailored solution specifically designed to power exceptional WordPress websites built with the Elementor website builder.  Here’s why it stands out:

• Built on Google Cloud Platform : Leverages robust infrastructure for lightning-fast speeds and reliability.
• Cloudflare Enterprise CDN : Accelerates content delivery across the globe, ensuring your website loads quickly, no matter where visitors are located.
• Premium Security: A multi-layered security suite, SSL certificates, and regular backups protect your site and customer data.
• Exceptional Support: Benefit from Elementor’s expert team, which is available 24/7 to assist you with both website-building and hosting-related concerns.

By choosing Elementor Hosting, you’ll equip your travel website with the performance, security, and support it needs to thrive in the competitive online landscape.

Setting Up the Essentials with WordPress and Elementor

Wordpress overview .

WordPress is the world’s most popular Content Management System (CMS), powering millions of websites across the globe. Its flexibility, vast community, and extensive plugin ecosystem make it a perfect foundation for your travel website.  Key benefits of WordPress include:

• Ease of Use: User-friendly interface, even for beginners.
• Customization: Thousands of themes and plugins to personalize your website’s look and functionality.
• SEO-Friendly: Optimized structure and tools to help your website rank higher in search engines.
• Community Support: Access extensive online resources, tutorials, and forums.

Installing WordPress 

While many hosting providers offer one-click WordPress installation, Elementor Hosting takes it a step further with pre-installed WordPress . This means your website-building journey begins immediately upon signing up! If you’re using a different hosting provider, they’ll likely provide clear instructions on the WordPress installation process.

Choosing a Travel-Focused Theme 

Your WordPress theme determines the overall appearance and layout of your website. Look for themes specifically created with travel websites in mind. These often include features like:

• Stunning Image Galleries: Showcase breathtaking destinations and travel experiences.
• Destination Listings: Organize and display locations with essential details such as maps, descriptions, and reviews.
• Booking Integration: Seamlessly connect to booking systems if you plan to offer tours or accommodations.
• Responsive Design: Ensure your website looks fantastic on desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
• Travel-Specific Widgets: Display weather forecasts, currency converters, or destination spotlights.

Introducing the Elementor Website Builder

Elementor revolutionizes the WordPress website-building process by empowering you to craft visually stunning pages and posts without needing to write a single line of code. This intuitive drag-and-drop builder is incredibly user-friendly, even for those with zero web design experience. Here’s what makes it stand out:

• Live, Visual Editing: See changes instantly as you build, streamlining the design process.
• Pre-designed Templates and Blocks: Kickstart your design with professionally designed layouts for homepages, destinations, blog posts, and more. Customize them effortlessly to match your brand.
• Extensive Widget Library: Access numerous content elements like headings, buttons, image galleries, testimonials, maps, and more – simply drag and drop them into place.
• Theme Builder : Gain complete control over your entire site’s design, including headers, footers, single post layouts, archives, and custom page templates.
• Mobile-Responsive Editing: Ensure your website looks perfect across all devices with dedicated tools for adjusting layouts on tablets and smartphones.

The Power of Elementor for Travel Websites

Elementor goes beyond general website building. It offers features that perfectly complement the needs of travel websites:

• Destination Showcases: Create captivating destination pages with Elementor’s versatile widgets and layouts.
• Interactive Maps: Embed maps to highlight locations, routes, or points of interest.
• Stunning Galleries: Display breathtaking destination photos and travel experiences.
• Customer Reviews: Build social proof by showcasing testimonials with dedicated widgets.
• Booking Forms : Integrate booking forms seamlessly with customization options to match your website’s design.

With Elementor, designing a professional and engaging travel website becomes a truly enjoyable experience, empowering you to focus on sharing your passion for travel.

Designing Your Homepage for Success

Homepage structure: the key elements .

Your homepage is the digital doorway to your travel website. It’s where you capture visitors’ attention, introduce your brand, and guide them toward further exploration. Here’s a breakdown of essential elements to include:

• Compelling Header and Navigation: The header is prime real estate. Include a clear logo, tagline if applicable, and an intuitive navigation menu, making it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for.
• Hero Section with Stunning Visuals: Make a powerful first impression with high-quality images or videos representing the essence of travel. Accompany this with a captivating headline, concise tagline, and a clear Call to Action (CTA) button (e.g., “Explore Destinations,” “Book Your Adventure”).
• Destination Search Bar: Help visitors quickly find what they seek. Consider Elementor’s dynamic capabilities to create a search bar that pulls and displays relevant destination content as users type.
• Featured Destinations or Travel Packages: Immediately showcase your top offers or popular destinations to pique interest. Consider image carousels, eye-catching grids, or short descriptions paired with alluring visuals.
• Calls to Action: Clearly guide visitors towards the next step, whether it’s browsing destinations, reading your blog, or signing up for your newsletter.
• Customer Testimonials or Social Proof: Build trust early on by displaying positive reviews from past travels or showcasing social media feeds with user-generated content.

Design Best Practices 

Keep these principles in mind when crafting your homepage:

• Visual Hierarchy: Use size, color, and spacing to guide the eye toward the most important elements.
• Mobile Responsiveness: Prioritize design that seamlessly adapts to various screen sizes, providing a smooth experience for all visitors.
• Compelling Travel Content: Use short but descriptive text to evoke wanderlust and inspire action.
• White Space: Let your design breathe, ensuring elements don’t feel cluttered.

Leveraging Elementor’s Power: Widgets, Templates, and Customization 

Elementor simplifies homepage design with a wealth of tools and resources:

Homepage Templates:  

Elementor offers a vast library of pre-designed homepage templates catering to various travel niches and styles. Choose a template that aligns with your vision and use it as a solid foundation, saving you precious time.

Dedicated Widgets:  

Elementor provides a diverse set of widgets tailored for your homepage. Here are some key ones:

• Hero Section Widgets: Design customizable hero areas with images, videos, text, and buttons.
• Destination Widgets: Create interactive destination grids, lists, or carousels for seamless browsing.
• Call to Action Widgets: Craft eye-catching CTAs for various purposes like booking, subscribing, or exploration.
• Testimonial Widgets: Showcase customer reviews in a variety of layouts.
• Map Widgets: Integrate maps to highlight specific locations, routes, or points of interest.
• Social Media Widgets: Display your social feeds to encourage engagement.

Customization Power:  

Elementor gives you full control over the appearance and functionality of these widgets.  Adjust these elements:

• Colors and Typography: Match your website’s branding perfectly.
• Spacing and Layout: Create the optimal visual flow for your homepage.
• Animation and Effects: Add subtle interactions to boost engagement.
• Responsive Controls: Fine-tune how your homepage looks on different devices.

Theme Builder:  

For advanced control, Elementor’s Theme Builder lets you design custom headers, footers, and templates that apply to your entire site, including the homepage. This ensures a cohesive look and feel throughout your website.

The Beauty of Elementor: Ease and Flexibility

The true magic of Elementor lies in its drag-and-drop interface. You can visually arrange widgets, see results instantly, and experiment with different layouts without any coding knowledge. This empowers you to iterate on your design until it perfectly conveys your travel brand’s personality.

Must-Have Pages for Your Travel Website

About us: building trust and connection .

Your “About Us” page is an opportunity to introduce yourself, your team, or your brand’s story. Here’s how to make it compelling:

• Share Your Passion: Explain what inspires your love for travel and why you’re qualified to provide travel advice or services.
• Highlight Expertise: Showcase any unique experiences, skills, or certifications that set you apart.
• Be Authentic: Use a conversational tone that reflects your brand’s personality.
• Include Visuals: Incorporate photos of yourself, your team, or destinations you’ve visited to add a personal touch.
• Social Proof: Feature customer testimonials or brief case studies to enhance credibility.

Contact Us: Facilitating Smooth Communication

Provide multiple ways for visitors to reach you:

• Contact Form: A simple form with fields for name, email, and message is essential. Consider Elementor’s Form Builder for creating custom forms that integrate with your CRM or email marketing tools.
• Email Address: Clearly display your contact email and aim for timely responses.
• Phone Number: Include a phone number for those who prefer to call directly, especially regarding urgent inquiries.
• Map Embed: If you have a physical location, embed a map for easy directions.
• Social Media Links: Prompt followership for further engagement.

Travel Blog: The Heart of Content Creation 

A well-maintained blog adds immense value to your travel website:

• SEO Benefits: Fresh, high-quality blog content can boost your website’s visibility on search engines.
• Audience Engagement: Share informative travel guides, inspiring stories, and insider tips to build a loyal following.
• Establishes Authority: Demonstrate your expertise and build trust among your target audience.
• Internal Linking Opportunities: Strategically link blog posts to related destination pages or offers, improving your website’s structure for both users and search engines.
• Social Media Shareability: Compelling blog content encourages social sharing, expanding your reach.

Destination Pages: Inspiring Exploration

Your destination pages should transport visitors to the heart of a location, showcasing its unique charm and enticing them to visit. Consider including these elements:

• Stunning Visuals: High-quality photos and videos are crucial. Feature landscapes, landmarks, accommodations, and local experiences.
• Detailed Descriptions: Provide essential information about climate, best times to visit, historical background, major attractions, and popular activities. Craft descriptions that are both informative and evocative of the destination’s character.
• Practical Travel Tips: Offer advice on transportation, local currency, visa requirements, cultural considerations, and recommended packing items.
• Local Insights: Share off-the-beaten-path gems, authentic food recommendations, and insider knowledge to help visitors experience the destination like a local.
• Customer Reviews and Testimonials: Include specific testimonials about the destination to build credibility.
• Tour or Accommodation Options: If applicable, showcase tours you offer or list accommodations within the destination, providing links for further exploration or booking.
• Maps and Directions: Embed relevant maps to help visitors visualize the destination and its surroundings.
• Calls to Action: Encourage visitors to book a trip, read related blog posts, or sign up for your email list for future updates.

Elementor Tools for Destination Pages

Elementor simplifies the process of designing visually appealing and informative destination pages:

• Pre-designed Templates: Choose from destination-specific templates for a headstart.
• Image Gallery Widgets : Create beautiful galleries to showcase the destination’s best features.
• Testimonial Widgets: Display testimonials and reviews strategically throughout the page.
• Map Widgets: Integrate interactive maps, and allow visitors to explore nearby attractions using custom markers.

Booking and Reservations: Streamlining the Process

If you plan to allow direct bookings for tours, activities, accommodations, or flights, choosing the right booking system and integrating it seamlessly into your website is paramount. Here’s what to consider:

Industry-specific Solutions: Research booking systems designed specifically for the travel industry. These often include features like:

• Real-time availability calendars.
• Secure online payment processing.
• Inventory management.
• Customer booking management interfaces.

WordPress Integration: Look for booking systems that offer dedicated WordPress plugins or have well-documented integration methods compatible with Elementor.  Popular options include booking solutions that work well with WordPress and Elementor, but be sure to conduct thorough research before making your final selection.

User Experience: Prioritize a booking system that provides a smooth and intuitive experience for your visitors.  The booking process should be clear, quick, and mobile-friendly.

Customization: Choose a system that offers some level of customization to align with your website’s design and branding.

Payment Gateways: Ensuring Secure Transactions 

To process online payments, you’ll need to integrate with a payment gateway. Look for reliable gateways that:

• Widely Accepted: Support major credit cards, debit cards, and potentially alternative payment methods like PayPal or digital wallets.
• Security and PCI Compliance: Select a payment gateway offering robust security measures and adhering to Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) to protect sensitive customer data.
• Fees and Transaction Costs: Consider the various fee structures associated with payment gateways and choose one with a transparent pricing model that suits your expected volume.

Elementor Integration

Elementor’s Form Builder offers flexibility for creating custom booking forms that can be integrated with your chosen booking system and payment gateway.

Optimizing for Search Engines (SEO) and User Experience

Seo basics: the key to online visibility .

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of improving your website’s ranking in search results pages (SERPs) like Google or Bing.  With well-implemented SEO, potential travelers are more likely to discover your website when searching for destinations, travel advice, or experiences. Here’s an overview of the fundamentals:

• Target Keywords:   Identify the terms people use to search for content that your travel website offers.  Consider location-specific keywords, activity-based keywords (e.g., “hiking trails in Colorado”), and question-based keywords (e.g., “best time to visit Bali”).
• Content is King:   Consistently create high-quality, informative, and original content that aligns with your target keywords. This includes blog posts, destination pages, and detailed guides.
• User Experience (UX): Design your website to be user-friendly, with fast loading times, clear navigation, and mobile responsiveness. Search engines favor websites that provide a positive visitor experience.

Keyword Research: Finding the Right Terms 

Keyword research forms the basis of your SEO strategy. Here are some helpful tools:

• Google Keyword Planner: Discover keywords for your niche and estimate their search volume.
• SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Similar Tools: These platforms provide comprehensive keyword research capabilities, including competitor analysis and search volume trends.
• Answer the Public: This tool shows common questions people ask around certain topics, providing insights into long-tail keywords.

On-Page Optimization: Crafting Content that Search Engines Love 

On-page optimization refers to the techniques you implement directly on your website’s pages to improve their ranking in search results. Here’s how to do it:

Meta Titles and Meta Descriptions: These snippets appear in search results and help users understand your page’s content. Follow these guidelines:

• Include your target keyword.
• Write compelling descriptions that encourage clicks.
• Stay within optimal character lengths (typically around 50-60 characters for titles and 150-160 characters for descriptions).

Header Tags (H1, H2, H3): Structure your content by using headings, with the H1 being the most important (usually the page title). Include relevant keywords in your headings while prioritizing a natural flow for the reader.

Image Optimization (Alt Text and File Name): Describe your images using informative alt text that includes keywords. Also, optimize file sizes to improve page load speed. Elementor Image Optimizer can help with this.

Internal Linking : Build a network of relevant internal links within your website. Link between relevant destination pages and blog posts, helping search engines understand the structure and hierarchy of your content.

Content Quality: Focus on creating unique, informative, and engaging content that fulfills the visitor’s search intent. Avoid thin or duplicate content.

Keyword Placement: Strategically incorporate your target keywords throughout your content, including in headings, the first paragraph, and image alt text. Avoid keyword stuffing, as it can hurt your rankings.

Elementor Tools for On-Page Optimization

Elementor offers some features to assist with on-page optimization:

• SEO Fields: Easily set your meta title and meta description directly within the Elementor editor for each page.
• Heading Widgets: Structure your content using H1, H2, H3, etc., with styling control.
• Image Widget + Alt Text: Add images with detailed alt text descriptions.

Website Speed: Why Fast Loading Times Matter 

Website speed heavily influences both user experience and search engine rankings. Here’s why it’s crucial:

• User Bounce Rate: Slow loading speeds lead to higher bounce rates – visitors abandoning your site out of frustration.
• Search Engine Penalties: Search engines like Google prioritize fast websites in their rankings. Slow websites may need help to gain visibility.
• Conversion Rates: Website speed directly impacts conversions. Faster websites often convert visitors into travelers more effectively.
• Overall User Satisfaction: A snappy, responsive website creates a positive first impression and keeps visitors engaged with your content.

Optimizing for Speed: Key Techniques 

Let’s discuss some essential tactics for improving your website’s loading speed:

• Performance-Focused Hosting: Choose a high-quality hosting provider optimized for speed, like Elementor hosting with its Google Cloud Platform foundation and Cloudflare Enterprise CDN.
• Image Optimization: Compress images using tools like Elementor’s Image Optimizer without sacrificing quality. Properly size images to avoid them being larger than they need to be on the page.
• Caching: Implement caching mechanisms (browser caching, server-side caching, object caching) to store frequently accessed data and reduce server load. Elementor Hosting offers various caching features to enhance speed.
• Content Delivery Network (CDN): A CDN like Elementor Hosting’s Cloudflare Enterprise CDN distributes content across servers worldwide, decreasing load times for visitors from different locations.
• Minimize HTTP Requests: Combine resources where possible (CSS and JavaScript files) to reduce the number of requests the browser needs to make.
• Clean Code: Ensure your website is built with optimized code to minimize bloat.

User-Friendly Navigation: Guiding Your Visitors 

Intuitive navigation is like a well-marked path through the rich landscape of your website. Let’s discuss the best practices for designing a user-friendly menu system:

• Clear and Concise: Menu labels should be descriptive and easy to understand. Use familiar terms like “Destinations,” “Blog,” “About Us,” and “Contact.”
• Limited Options: Avoid overwhelming users with too many choices in your main navigation. Focus on the most important categories.
• Hierarchical Structure: Organize subcategories within dropdown menus or mega menus to create a logical hierarchy for complex content.
• Prominent Placement: Ensure your navigation menu is easily visible, typically at the top of the page (header) or as a persistent sidebar menu.
• Mobile Responsiveness: Prioritize a navigation experience that adapts seamlessly to smaller screens, with features like hamburger menus and clear tap targets.
• Search Functionality: Include a prominent search bar to help visitors quickly find specific content, especially on websites with extensive destinations or blog posts.
• Breadcrumbs: Consider using Breadcrumbs, especially on pages with a deeper hierarchy, to help users understand their current location within the website and navigate back to previous levels with ease.

Elementor’s Navigation Tools

Elementor streamlines menu creation with:

• Nav Menu Widget: Design custom navigation menus with drag-and-drop functionality and extensive styling options.
• Mega Menus: Create expansive dropdown menus for navigation-rich websites to display a wide range of subcategories at once.
• Responsive Controls: Fine-tune the appearance of your menus on different devices for optimal usability.

Marketing Your Travel Website

Social media:  building a community & sharing your passion.

Social media platforms offer a unique opportunity to connect with travel enthusiasts, showcase your brand’s personality, and inspire wanderlust.  Here’s how to harness their power:

Channel Selection: Focus on platforms where your target audience is most active. Popular choices for travel include:

• Instagram: Ideal for sharing visually stunning photos and videos.
• Facebook: Great for building community, sharing updates, and running targeted advertising campaigns.
• Pinterest: Excellent for driving traffic with inspirational travel imagery and guides.
• YouTube: Perfect for longer-form video content like destination tours and travel vlogs.

High-Quality Content:   Post a mix of:

• Inspiring visuals (photos and videos) of destinations.
• Travel tips and advice.
• Behind-the-scenes glimpses of your brand.
• User-generated content (reposting visitor photos and testimonials with permission).

Engage with Your Audience: Respond to comments, host contests, ask questions, and actively participate in conversations.

Hashtags:   Utilize relevant hashtags to increase the visibility of your posts (both general and location-specific).

Paid Social Media Advertising 

Social media ads allow you to target specific demographics,  interests (i.e., “adventure travel”), and even the locations where your ideal travelers are based.

• Attention-grabbing visuals: Use compelling images or videos for your ad campaigns.
• Persuasive Copy: Highlight unique selling points and include a clear Call to Action (CTA).
• Targeted Ads: Use platform-specific targeting options to reach your ideal audience.

Email Marketing: Personalized Communication for Long-term Engagement 

Email marketing allows you to connect with your audience directly, delivering personalized messages tailored to their interests and stage in the travel planning process. Here’s why it’s important:

• Direct Connection: Email marketing gives you a direct line of communication with people who have expressed interest in your website or brand.
• Targeted Campaigns: Segment your email lists based on demographics, travel interests, or past interactions, enabling you to send highly relevant content.
• Nurture Leads: Build relationships over time by providing value, positioning yourself as trusted experts, and ultimately encouraging bookings or return visits.
• Promotions & Offers: Share exclusive deals, time-sensitive discounts, or loyalty programs to drive conversions.
• Measurable Results: Track open rates, click-through rates, and conversions to get actionable insights and continuously improve your email campaigns.

Email Signup Forms (with Elementor) 

Strategic placement of signup forms is key for growing your email list:

• Homepage Prominence: Include a highly visible form in your hero section or primary content area.
• Blog Sidebar or Popups: Use unobtrusive sidebars or timed popups on your blog to capture readers’ attention. Elementor’s Popup Builder offers robust options for creating eye-catching signup forms.
• Dedicated Landing Pages: Create targeted landing pages with enticing offers to collect email addresses.
• Compelling Incentives: Offer valuable lead magnets like destination guides, travel checklists, or exclusive discounts to persuade visitors to subscribe.

Advertising: Reaching the Right Audience at the Right Time 

Targeted advertising allows you to promote your website in front of people who are most likely to be interested in your offerings.  Here’s a look at some effective platforms:

• Search Engine Ads (e.g., Google Ads): Appear atop search results pages for specific keywords, ensuring you reach users with high intent.  Target terms like “budget flights to [destination]” or “best [destination] hiking trails.”
• Social Media Ads (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest): Utilize detailed targeting options based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. Leverage eye-catching visuals and persuasive copy for your ad campaigns.
• Display Ads (e.g., Google Display Network): Showcase banner ads across a vast network of websites, often related to travel content or visited by people who have shown an interest in travel.
• Retargeting Ads: Reach users who have already visited your website but haven’t made a booking. This serves as a reminder, bringing your brand and offerings back into their consideration.

Tips for Effective Travel Advertising

• Compelling Ad Creative: Use eye-catching images, videos, and persuasive copywriting that highlights your unique selling points.
• Targeted Audience: Define your ideal traveler and utilize platform-specific targeting options to reach them more precisely.
• Clear Calls to Action: Guide users towards the desired action (booking, subscribing, visiting a specific destination page).
• Track and Analyze: Utilize platform analytics to monitor your ad performance, identify areas for improvement, and optimize your campaigns over time.

Content Marketing: Value-Driven Strategies to Attract Travelers 

Content marketing involves creating and distributing valuable, informative content that aligns with your potential visitors’ interests and pain points. Here’s why it’s crucial for your travel website:

• SEO Benefits: High-quality content helps improve search rankings for relevant keywords, attracting organic traffic over time.
• Establishes Authority: Demonstrate your expertise by offering in-depth guides, expert tips, and local insights. This builds trust and positions you as a go-to resource.
• Audience Engagement: Captivating content encourages social sharing and sparks conversations, expanding your reach and fostering community.
• Supports Other Marketing Channels: Repurpose content for social media posts, email newsletters, and even ad campaigns.

Types of High-Value Content for Travel Websites

• Blog Posts: Share travel guides, itineraries, local recommendations, packing tips, budget travel advice, cultural insights, and personal travel stories.
• Destination Guides: Provide comprehensive information about specific locations, including attractions, accommodations, transportation, cultural tips, and hidden gems.
• Listicles: Create engaging listicles such as “Top 10 Family-Friendly Destinations” or “Best Hikes in [Region].”
• Infographics: Use infographics to illustrate travel data, packing lists, or itineraries in a visually appealing way.
• Videos: Showcase destinations, create travel vlogs, or offer how-to tutorials for packing or navigating a new city.

Enhancing Your Website

Tips for high-quality, seo-friendly travel content .

• Focus on a Specific Topic: Each piece of content should have a clear focus, addressing a single travel-related query or theme.
• Keyword Research: Use the techniques discussed previously to identify relevant keywords for your content and naturally incorporate them throughout.
• Answer User Queries: Understand the searcher’s intent and structure your content to provide clear and informative answers.
• Compelling Writing: Craft engaging content with an authentic voice that resonates with your target audience.
• Detailed and Informative: Provide in-depth information, practical tips, and unique insights rather than offering generic content.
• Structure for Readability: Use headings (H2, H3), short paragraphs, bullet points, and images to break up your content and improve readability.
• Unique Perspective: Share your own experiences, insider tips, or curated recommendations to differentiate your content and stand out in the competitive travel writing landscape.
• Optimize for Featured Snippets: Consider structuring some sections of your content (like lists or FAQs) in a manner that can be pulled as featured snippets on search results pages, increasing visibility.

Travel Tips and Packing Lists: Essential Resources for Every Trip 

A dedicated section for travel tips and packing lists helps position your website as a comprehensive resource. Consider including

• General Travel Tips: Cover topics such as booking flights and accommodations, planning a budget, staying safe and healthy while traveling , responsible tourism practices, and navigating cultural differences.
• Destination-Specific Tips: Create guides tailored to unique destinations, addressing the best times to visit, local customs, transportation tips, budgeting, and must-try experiences.
• Packing Lists: Provide customizable packing checklists for different types of trips (adventure travel, beach vacations, city breaks, backpacking, etc.)
• Travel Gear Recommendations: If relevant, curate lists of your favorite travel gear, from backpacks and luggage to tech gadgets and comfort items.
• Additional Resources: Link to external resources such as weather websites, currency converters, or vaccination information.

Benefits of Travel Tips and Packing Lists

• Added Value for Visitors: Provide practical advice, helping travelers plan and prepare for their trips with ease.
• SEO Opportunities: Target long-tail keywords like “packing list for [destination]” or “travel tips for [country].”
• Build Trust: Establish yourself as a knowledgeable source of travel information.

Reviews and Testimonials: The Power of Social Proof 

In the travel industry, online reviews and testimonials wield immense influence over potential travelers’ decisions.  Here’s why they are crucial:

• Build Trust: Positive reviews foster a sense of trust with potential travelers, easing their anxieties and making them more confident in choosing your travel experiences or services.
• Influence Decisions: Travelers often consult reviews before making bookings. Compelling testimonials can be the tipping point for their decision.
• Boost SEO: Integrate reviews directly on your website, adding fresh, keyword-rich content that can improve search engine rankings.
• Gain Insights: Reviews offer valuable feedback, helping you identify areas for improvement and cater to your travelers’ needs even better.

Acquiring Customer Reviews 

Proactively encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews. Consider these strategies:

• Post-Trip Emails: Send automated follow-up emails after a trip, requesting feedback and providing links to review platforms.
• On-Site Prompts: Include subtle prompts on relevant website pages, encouraging customers to share their experiences.
• Social Media: Ask customers to leave reviews on your social media pages.
• Incentives: If appropriate, consider offering small incentives (discounts, loyalty points) for customers who write reviews.

Strategic Placement of Testimonials

Where you showcase testimonials on your website significantly affects their impact. Consider these key areas:

• Homepage: Include a few impactful testimonials in a carousel or dedicated section, especially highlighting experiences relevant to your target audience.
• Destination Pages: Incorporate testimonials specific to each destination, reinforcing its appeal.
• Booking/Tour Pages: Displaying testimonials near booking forms or calls-to-action can provide that extra nudge for hesitant visitors.
• “About Us” Page: Testimonials about your overall brand or company strengthen your credibility.
• Dedicated Testimonials Page: Create a comprehensive page showcasing a larger collection of testimonials, allowing potential travelers to delve deeper into the experiences of others.

Effective Presentation with Elementor

Elementor simplifies the process of creating compelling testimonial displays:

• Testimonial Widgets: Utilize dedicated Testimonial widgets for easy customization and seamless incorporation into various page designs.
• Carousels or Sliders: Display testimonials in a rotating format to maximize visibility within limited space.
• Ratings and Stars: Include star ratings alongside testimonials for an additional layer of social proof.
• Customer Photos: If possible, feature real customer photos alongside their testimonials to increase authenticity.

Currency Converter and Language Translation: Welcoming Global Travelers 

Expanding your reach to a worldwide audience can significantly boost your travel website’s potential. Here’s how currency conversion and translation tools play an essential role:

Currency Converter

• Convenience for Travelers: Allow visitors to easily understand pricing in their local currency, simplifying their decision-making process.
• Ease of Comparison: Travelers can compare prices to make informed choices without navigating to external conversion websites.
• Enhanced User Experience: Providing a seamless experience that avoids confusing visitors with unfamiliar currencies builds trust and credibility.

Language Translation Tools

• Cater to a Global Audience: Reach a wider range of potential travelers by making your website accessible in multiple languages.
• Inclusivity: Demonstrate a commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all travelers, regardless of their native language.
• Improved SEO: Multilingual websites can potentially improve search rankings in different regions, increasing your visibility globally.

Integration Options

• Plugins and Widgets: Explore WordPress plugins and widgets that specialize in currency conversion and language translation. Popular options include Currency Converter and Translate WordPress with GTranslate.
• External Services: Consider integrating with external translation services that offer advanced features and support for a wide range of languages.

Accessibility Features: Building an Inclusive Travel Website 

Web accessibility involves designing and developing websites that can be used by everyone, regardless of their abilities or limitations. Here’s why it’s crucial for travel websites:

• Cater to a Wider Audience: Making your website accessible allows you to serve a broader market, including travelers with disabilities who represent a significant portion of the travel industry.
• Improve User Experience for Everyone: Accessibility features often benefit all users. For example, clear headings and image descriptions enhance readability and navigation for everyone.
• Legal Compliance: In some regions, website accessibility is mandated by law, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• Ethical Considerations: Building an inclusive website aligns with responsible and ethical business practices.

Key Accessibility Considerations for Travel Websites

• Alternative Text (Alt Text): Describe all images using informative alt text, enabling screen readers to convey visual content to users with visual impairments.
• Descriptive Heading Structure: Utilize clear headings (H1, H2, etc.) for easy navigation and content comprehension, especially for those using screen readers.
• Color Contrast: Ensure sufficient contrast between text and background colors for better readability by those with visual impairments.
• Keyboard Navigation: Ensure all website functionality is accessible using only a keyboard, which is crucial for users with motor disabilities.
• Screen Reader Compatibility: Test your website with screen readers to optimize the experience for visually impaired users.

Staying Ahead in The Travel Industry

Tracking and analytics: understanding your web traffic.

To make informed website improvements, it’s essential to understand how visitors interact with your content. Here’s where analytics come into play:

Google Analytics (or Similar Tools):   Install an analytics tool on your website to gain insights into:

• Traffic Sources: Learn where your visitors are coming from (search engines, social media, referrals, etc.).
• Popular Pages: Identify the content that resonates the most with your audience.
• Bounce Rates: Understand which pages might be causing visitors to leave prematurely.
• Visitor Demographics and Interests: Gather data to tailor your content and offerings further.

Conversion Tracking:   If you have bookings or subscriptions, track which pages and campaigns lead to the most conversions.

Continuous Improvement: Adapting to Visitor Needs 

Use the insights from analytics to guide your website optimization:

• A/B Testing: Experiment with different versions of pages or design elements (e.g., CTA button placement) to see what performs best.
• Cater to Emerging Trends: Analyze your website traffic to spot changing interests or preferences among travelers and adjust your content strategy accordingly.
• User Feedback: Actively solicit feedback through surveys, polls, or direct contact forms to gather valuable insights and address pain points.

Website Security: Protecting Your Site and Traveler Data 

Travel websites often handle sensitive traveler information such as names, contact details, and payment information. Ensuring robust security is essential for safeguarding this data and maintaining customer trust.  Let’s discuss some vital measures:

• Strong Passwords and Authentication:   Enforce strong password policies for both your website’s administrative area and any user accounts you might have. Consider implementing Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for an additional layer of security.
• Regular Updates: Keep your WordPress installation, themes, plugins, and hosting environment updated with the latest security patches. Outdated software is a prime target for hackers.
• SSL Certificate: Install an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate to encrypt data transmission between your website and visitors’ browsers. Look for the “https://” prefix in your website URL and a padlock icon in the address bar.
• Security Plugins:   Utilize WordPress security plugins for added protection. These plugins offer features like firewall protection, malware scanning, and intrusion detection.
• Elementor Hosting Security Features: Take advantage of the built-in security measures provided by Elementor Hosting, including frequent site backups, malware protection, and Cloudflare security services.

Building a successful travel website involves more than just beautiful visuals and tempting destinations. Throughout this guide, we’ve explored the key considerations for success:

• Strategic Niche and Audience: Find your unique focus within the travel space and tailor your content to the ideal traveler you wish to serve.
• High-Quality Content and SEO: Create informative content that aligns with what searchers are looking for, and optimize it to rank well in search results.
• Excellent User Experience: Prioritize a website that’s fast, mobile-friendly, easy to navigate, and brimming with valuable features.
• Social Media Presence: Connect with potential travelers on social platforms, sharing inspiring content and building a thriving community.
• The Power of Elementor: Elevate your web design with Elementor’s intuitive tools, enabling you to create visually stunning and functional pages effortlessly.

Creating a thriving travel website takes dedication and a willingness to adapt to an ever-evolving landscape. Embrace experimentation, learn from your audience, and continue refining your strategy over time.  Remember, the journey is an adventure in itself!

• web application

Travel & Tourism Web Applications - How to make them Successful?

Remember those times when you had to scour newspapers and magazines to find out about vacation rentals. When you had to hail a taxi by hand and rely on paper maps to explore a new place. When hotels, flights, buses, trains, etc. had to be booked by physically visiting the buildings. That time was not a long time ago. Technology has changed the tourism industry at an exponential rate in the last two decades.

New Era of Web Apps

With the introduction of web apps in the 1990s and mobile apps in the late 2000s, almost every business related to travel and tourism started fighting for a place on the internet. It also brought a lot of fortune to the travel portal development services. The global rise in young population and internet penetration has given such a boost to technology in this industry. And if you think that you have missed the train, then you are so wrong because if you look at the past trends, this industry is not stopping to grow any time soon. Just look at the rise in traveling related businesses in the US alone in the last decade:

(Image Source: Deloitte)

That should be enough to turn your head towards the business opportunities lying in the amalgamation of technology and tourism. Although mobile apps are the most preferred tools to provide a personalized and engaging experience to users but to start with a low budget and to gain broader audience reach, a web application is not a bad option either. So if you have a unique idea which is going to serve the travelers better, then pick up your backpack and get ready for a fantastic journey of a travel web application development.

Travel Web Application Development

Like you plan your trips to make them fun, plan your development process too to make that web app successful. And to help you with the same, we present you the following points which you should keep in mind before you take your first step in the process:

This is the most basic point and it is highly dependent on your idea. Remember one thing, if it’s an app it should get some job done. You are not merely developing a static website, you should save some time and effort of the user. Whether you are providing useful information or helping with some bookings, just try to automate each and every step in your app. Right from suggestions to billing, everything should be done at a couple of clicks in the app.

Travel portal development companies integrate tools like Google maps, GPS, email service and digital wallets, etc. to give your idea a better shape through your web application.

Collaborate

Travel apps are successful if they are one-stop solutions. If tourist books a flight ticket from one app, then books a hotel room from another and uses different apps for taxi and train bookings. Ultimately he keeps hopping from one app to another for the whole journey. Why not you, through your web app, provide him a single assistant for the whole trip?

Just look out for opportunities. Think about how your app can be of further use. Collaborate with other businesses and relish the mutual gain. It will increase customer engagement and will provide an additional source of revenue. I am not asking you to cover all the aspects of traveling and make one complex web app, but you should also never sell pillows without offering them pillow covers.

A travel portal development is incomplete without transactions. The payment through digital mediums has provided the next level of comfort to the travelers. Now they travel without carrying huge amounts of cash and can avoid those cumbersome tasks of bank transfers.

But this does not come without extra risks of hacking and cybercrimes. And web apps have a reputation of being more vulnerable to these dangers than the mobile apps. Therefore, to make your web app a successful one, you need to make sure that the payment options you provide to your customers are safe. Users can forgive many mistakes, but carelessness with their hard earned money is unacceptable and this can hamper your reputation for a long time.

A web app will not be successful if your users are not coming back again. To call them back again and again, you need to build relations with them. Relationships need information, communication & most importantly personalization. But how can you provide all these things to thousands of users? The answer is CRM, i.e. a Customer Relationship Management tool.

CRM software basically collects all the data of your users from their interests to bookings. You will get useful insights from the data such as what places these users are interested in, what services are they looking for and what price are they ready to pay for those services. These tools suggest you what you can do to improve the sales cycle by providing a single view of all the customer activities. And integration of CRM with other business systems will let you manage your customer relations like never before.

A peacock’s dance in the deep dark forest is appreciated by none. It means if the world does not get to know about your web app, then what is the point of developing one. Just like you have the option of online travel portal development, you can market your web app online too. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and what not, all these social media channels can be used for the digital marketing of your travel app. Do not ignore Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools, which help in improving your rankings in the web searches.

But the catch here is, digital marketing needs its own homework. You need to know your target audience. For example, if your travel app is something related to different types of triathlons , then Instagram will be a suitable channel to advertise as it has a majority of the younger user base. And if your tourism app is meant for temples and pilgrimages, you should go with Facebook and YouTube as these channels will help you reach the people with higher age who are more interested in spiritual tourism.

Many tourism portal development companies will also provide you with assistance in marketing and advertising of your app. But before you blindly follow any suggestion, you should do your research and come up with a marketing mix for your web application.

This is the whole purpose of your web application. Your app tends to make the lives of your customers easy. But traveling is a hassle-prone experience. Your users may need you anytime. They can feel confused with your application and services anytime and that too in the unknown places. At that time, you cannot afford to give them the cold shoulder.

Your customers may have been facing some difficulty with the billing, payments, offers, discounts, etc. On the field, problems can be as big as natural disasters or as small as directions, locations, local language, and gestures. You build trust in those difficult moments by providing excellent assistance to your users and helping them with whatever they need in those emergency situations.

Here is the infographic:

Developing travel web applications can be tricky, but just like any other business, if you know your 4Ps that are the product, people, promotion and price then you can be the master of your game.

Making traveling easier will not only help your business, but it will also boost the whole industry. People want to move around the world, explore new places, experience different cultures and taste other cuisines but they sometimes hesitate because of the fear of unknown. And if you can play a part in eliminating this hesitation through your web application, then you must go ahead and help other eyeballs to see the world.

Aaina Bajaj

I am Social Media Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology and services industry. Getting the word out in the digital space about your brand and product is the key role of my job.

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Best examples of travel web applications

It’s not worth talking about the benefits of Booking – this service is known to almost all travelers. A clear advantage of the statement is that it makes it possible to easily and quickly get to the confirmation of the reservation or contact the accommodation facility if it is suddenly necessary.

Mobile apps have taken a free journey to the following step: every feature of a tiny travel & tourism agency can presently simply go in the pouch. GPS and plans, money abacus and town model, glossary, plus comfortable resort research – a sufficient collection of statements improve to design tours and free time, cash, including courage while remaining in a cafe, taking a taxi, or resting in bed.

PackPoint – listing of tasks For half a day they packed up the suitcase, and then “they forgot everything, they didn’t take anything”. If that's you, try PackPoint. Place the town, time, a distance of the voyage and specify what you will make, and the purpose, based on the climate prediction, will supply a ready-made listing of information. The rest can be transferred, and your favorite cup, without which you can go nowhere, can be attached. Mark everything in the app as you place it in your case so you don't need anything.

Booking It's not worth talking about the benefits of Booking – this service is known to almost all travelers. A clear advantage of the statement is that it makes it possible to easily and quickly get to the confirmation of the reservation or contact the accommodation facility if it is suddenly necessary.

WiFi Finder The Internet has become an integral part of our life. And when traveling, when mobile Internet is not cheap, we begin to depend on the availability of wireless Internet. This application will help not only find WiFi access points but also sort them by connection speed.

Rome2Rio – difficult route planner It happens that from point A to point B you have to get through C and D. For these cases, Rome2Rio comes in handy – an application that creates complex routes, including between countries. It will give ideas on which buses to go from Antalya to Tbilisi and how many trains to change to get from Moscow to Ulan Bator without a flight. For each segment, the approximate price and the site where you can buy tickets are indicated.

Uber – cheap taxi Open the app, enter the address, click "Order Uber" – and in ten minutes a taxi will drive up to you, not much more expensive than a bus. In the Uber application, for searching, calling, and paying for taxi services or private drivers, you can track on the map where your car is now and when it will pick you up. Travelers also love Uber for low prices and for the fact that they do not need to talk to the taxi driver in an incomprehensible language and wonder if he understood the address correctly.

Find out ahead of time how Uber is doing in the cities you are looking for. For example, in India, you can pay for a trip only in cash, while in Bulgaria, Denmark, and Italy the service is generally prohibited. If anything, there are inexpensive Uber alternatives in almost all countries – see our selection of applications for calling a cheap taxi.

Couchsurfing – hospitality network Couchsurfing is a social network for travelers. Homeowners invite you to visit and do not take money for it, and such "entries" can be found anywhere from Barcelona to Ubud. But CouchSurfing is not only about the lack of payment, it is primarily about communication. You will never learn so many interesting things in a hotel and feel as comfortable as visiting a local. But keep in mind: if you are on your own at the hotel, then CouchSurfing usually means that you spend part of the time with the hosts and agree on your schedule with them.

MAPS.ME – offline maps MAPS.ME is the navigator everyone loves. It is powered by constantly updated OpenStreetMap maps. What is important: all cards are offline, that is, having downloaded them at home, you don't have to buy a local SIM card and don't worry about Internet prices in roaming. MAPS.ME also has a simple and intuitive interface, high loading speed and good detail: the application will pave the way not only to key attractions, but also to: ● a playground, ● a local bakery, ● toilets and anything else.

Stavros Andriopoulos

• Stavros Andriopoulos https://www.traveldailynews.com/author/stavros-andriopoulos/ Skiathos island, Greece: Unique by Nature
• Stavros Andriopoulos https://www.traveldailynews.com/author/stavros-andriopoulos/ Secret havens: Unlocking hidden gems of the luxury world with VIP access
• Stavros Andriopoulos https://www.traveldailynews.com/author/stavros-andriopoulos/ Meet Porto Angeli Beach Resort and Olympic Palace Resort in Rhodes island, Greece
• Stavros Andriopoulos https://www.traveldailynews.com/author/stavros-andriopoulos/ The pros of visiting land-based casinos during your travels

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Static Site Generation (SSG) with Next.js

Static Site Generators (SSGs) are tools for producing HTML in advance so a server can efficiently send the same content to all visitors without creating it first. Unlike dynamic web pages, where a server may query a database on page load and populate templates, an SSG pre-builds the files so that when you deploy them, the server has less work to do when your website is visited.

SSGs have several benefits, such as faster loading time and better visitor user experience. For developers, scalability is also convenient with static sites as you can cache and serve entire websites in Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) instead of deploying more servers. With no server-side processing or database interactions, static sites are more resilient to security vulnerabilities like SQL injection or cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.

In this article, we will create a Next.js application and use the default rendering mode to create a static site that is performant and efficient.

Setting up a Next.js app on Vultr

To begin, deploy a server using the NodeJS image by following the steps in Deploying a server on Vultr section in our previous article. Next, let's proceed to access the server terminal via SSH and set up a project for our web application.

To get us started, we'll use create-next-app , a starter template for quickly bootstrapping Next.js applications. For illustration, we'll use static generation in our app but fetch some data at build time. This way, we will build a flexible website while still benefiting from deploying static pages.

We'll be using the Nano text editor to create and edit our project files on the server. You can check the shortcuts cheatsheet for help using Nano. We'll also be using Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW) to control the traffic that is allowed in and out of the server. Our Next app uses port 3000 , so we can enable incoming traffic via only this port using UFW.

• Allow incoming connections to port 3000 , and reload the firewall. bash sudo ufw allow 3000 sudo ufw reload
• Create a Next.js application sample-app . bash npx create-next-app@latest sample-app
• In the setup wizard, enter the following responses: ✔ Would you like to use TypeScript? … No ✔ Would you like to use ESLint? … Yes ✔ Would you like to use Tailwind CSS? … No ✔ Would you like to use `src/` directory? … Yes ✔ Would you like to use App Router? (recommended) … Yes ✔ Would you like to customize the default import alias (@/*)? … No
• Navigate into the project directory, and open the package.json file: bash cd sample-app nano package.json
• Change the start value, to access the application via server IP. json "scripts" : { "start" : "next start -H 0.0.0.0" , } ,
• Save and exit the file.
• Navigate into the src/app directory. bash cd src/app
• Create a new directory posts within the src/app directory, and navigate into it. bash mkdir posts cd posts
• Create a JavaScript file called page.js bash nano page.js
• Copy and paste the below code into the page.js file. jsx import React from "react" ; import styles from "../page.module.css" ; async function getPosts ( ) { const res = await fetch ( "https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts" ) ; return res . json ( ) ; } const posts = await getPosts ( ) ; export default async function PostsPage ( ) { return ( < main className = { styles . main } > < h1 > Posts archive </ h1 > < ol > { posts . map ( ( post ) => ( < li key = { post . id } > { post . title } </ li > ) ) } </ ol > </ main > ) ; }
• Save and exit the file
• From the project root, create a production build and start the Next.js application in production mode: bash npm run build && npm run start

You should see something like this:

You can view the application at http://<server-ip>:3000/posts to see what we're generating at this point.

Let's look at the code we used to get this far. For fetching data, getPosts() sends a GET request to a URL that serves placeholder data. You might not make fetch requests in your application; you might instead get some information from data files on disk on the server or even query a local database. This example is helpful because we see what happens when we need external data from our website.

We're storing the request result as a variable posts that we can iterate over in the page template. The PostsPage function is the default export of the component, and it returns a JSX element that will be rendered as the component's output. We're iterating over each post returned from the endpoint and creating an ordered list of post titles.

You can stop the application by pressing Ctrl + C .

Understanding SSG in Next.js apps

Here are the key concepts you should understand when using SSG in Next.js apps, including the benefits they bring.

• During the build process, all the pages of a website are pre-rendered into static HTML files. The content is generated once and stored as static files.
• You can source content from various places, such as a headless CMS, databases, or REST APIs.
• The content is fetched and processed to create HTML files during the build process.
• You can cache and efficiently serve the built files using a web server or Content Delivery Network (CDN) . If you know the files do not change, you can be more aggressive with caching, which is more efficient for visitors and your server costs.
• You don't have to consider provisioning and maintaining an environment for server-side logic.

Adding dynamic routes to a static Next.js site

Now that we know how to fetch data from a public API at build time and populate a page template with the response for static pages, we might need to do something more complex.

We have a post archive at /posts that lists all the post titles, but we want to create individual pages for each post. We will use the numeric post id for this (e.g., /posts/12 ), but you can imagine it might also be interesting to use the title , for example, /posts/my-cool-post .

This poses an interesting problem because we might not know the IDs of the posts we're fetching at build time. How do we create template pages for every post? We can use dynamic routes to handle this case, which lets us add special handling to the routing but keeps static site generation as the preferred output.

To add dynamic routes for numeric blog IDs, make a directory with the special Next.js format [segmentName] (in this case [id] ). If you're following these steps on a different machine using a shell like zsh, you will have to quote the square brackets like '[id]' :

• Create a new directory [id] within the src/app/posts directory, and navigate into it. bash mkdir "[id]" cd "[id]"
• Create a new JavaScript file. bash nano page.js
• Copy and paste the below code into the page.js file. jsx import React from "react" ; import { notFound } from "next/navigation" ; import styles from "../../page.module.css" ; async function getPost ( id ) { const res = await fetch ( ` https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/ ${ id } ` , ) ; if ( ! res . ok ) { return null ; } return res . json ( ) ; } export async function generateStaticParams ( ) { const res = await fetch ( "https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts" ) ; const posts = await res . json ( ) ; return posts . map ( ( post ) => ( { id : post . id . toString ( ) , } ) ) ; } export default async function PostPage ( { params } ) { const post = await getPost ( params . id ) ; if ( ! post ) { notFound ( ) ; } return ( < main className = { styles . main } > < h1 > { post . title } </ h1 > < p > { post . body } </ p > </ main > ) ; }
• Save and close the file.
• Recreate the production build and restart the application: bash # in the project root: npm run build && npm run start

You should see the following:

Note that we've generated 106 pages this time, so the additional 100 posts are created at build time, and the page paths are pre-rendered depending on external data. If you want to explore other options, you can also look at getStaticPaths and the Next.js examples repository for other ways to add dynamic routes to an SSG build.

You can now visit the server at http://<server-ip>:3000/posts and explore each post at the numeric ID, like http://<server-ip>:3000/posts/2 .

Practical uses and examples

Here are some examples where SSGs using Next.js work well:

• Content-heavy websites : Blogs, documentation, and marketing sites where the content is relatively static and doesn't change much.
• E-commerce : You can pre-render product pages so that you have fast-loading pages where conversions matter.
• Jamstack architecture : Jamstack websites usually use JavaScript functionality on the client side while keeping the server-side static. If you're making a lot of network requests client-side, be aware that you might shift the performance cost to your visitors, so weigh this option carefully.

In this article, we created a Next.js application and deployed it to a Vultr NodeJS image. We learned how to use SSG to make a fast, scalable, and reasonably secure application. By learning how to use SSGs, you can create more resilient web applications with modern tooling and architecture.

This is a sponsored article by Vultr. Vultr is the world's largest privately-held cloud computing platform. A favorite with developers, Vultr has served over 1.5 million customers across 185 countries with flexible, scalable, global Cloud Compute, Cloud GPU, Bare Metal, and Cloud Storage solutions. Learn more about Vultr

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Taiwanese Are Told to Avoid China After It Threatens Independence Backers

Beijing released new rules calling for execution of “diehard” Taiwanese independence supporters, as hostilities surrounding Taiwan’s status rise.

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By Eve Sampson

Taiwan raised its warning level for travel to China on Thursday, urging its citizens not to visit there unless necessary after Beijing spelled out potential punishments — including execution in extreme cases — for what it called “diehard supporters of Taiwanese independence.”

China regards Taiwan, a democratically governed island of 23 million about 100 miles off the mainland coast, as its territory. It demands that Taiwan ultimately accept unification and has long denounced Taiwanese who oppose its claims to the island.

Last week, China turned up the pressure, issuing legal guidelines that detailed the steps it might take to punish supporters of Taiwanese self-rule. They came as tensions between U.S.-backed Taiwan and China ratchet ever higher. Last month, Taiwan swore in a new president, Lai Ching-te, who has vowed to preserve democracy on the island and is denounced by Beijing.

The new rules adopted by China authorize execution for what it describes as exceptionally severe cases of Taiwanese separatism, though the language stops short of saying exactly what actions might constitute a severe offense.

In response , Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, which deals with policy toward the mainland, said Beijing had “raised the risk to personal safety for nationals traveling to China, Hong Kong and Macau” by “clinging to its own position” on Taiwan.

The new president, Mr. Lai, criticized the new rules. “China has no right to sanction Taiwanese people for their political opinions or pursue prosecution across borders,” he said on social media earlier this week. “Democracy is not a crime; autocracy is what’s truly malicious.”

Mr. Lai called on China to engage in dialogue, and has stopped short of calling for Taiwanese independence. He says he wants to preserve the status quo, with Taiwan enjoying autonomous governance.

Beijing, however, has denounced Mr. Lai, declaring him a separatist and greeting his new government with inflammatory rhetoric and a flurry of military exercises near the island.

Despite Beijing’s escalating antagonism and its military muscle-flexing, many Taiwanese appear sanguine. A recent poll showed that most people on the island believe that the United States would intervene should China invade, but some question whether Washington and their own government have nettled Beijing needlessly.

Beijing has a history of detaining people linked to Taiwan.

In 2023, a Taiwanese-based Chinese citizen, Li Yanhe , who published books critical of the Chinese Communist Party, was charged with crimes against national security. And in 2022, a democracy advocate, Li Ming-che, was released after serving five years in Chinese prison over accusations of subverting the government.

A generational gap in travel has also emerged among Taiwanese, fraying ties to the mainland. A 2023 poll showed that travelers over 40 years old were much more likely to visit China than their younger counterparts, who were more likely to visit Japan.

Election latest: Elton John backs Labour and Starmer in general election; Sunak gives very personal speech at London temple

Sir Elton John endorsed the Labour Party and Sir Keir Starmer in a video message at a major Labour campaign rally in London. Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak was mobbed by worshippers at a temple in London.

Saturday 29 June 2024 22:40, UK

• General Election 2024

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

• Sir Elton John endorses the Labour Party
• Farage urged to 'get a grip' of Reform UK
• Reform canvasser in PM racism row says he was 'a total fool'
• Rob Powell:  With more coverage comes more scrutiny
• Faultlines:   Eight-hour school runs and kids too hungry to sleep - the families caught up in housing 'social cleansing'
• Politics at Jack and Sam's : The last weekend
• Live reporting by Ben Bloch and Jess Sharp

Election essentials

• Manifesto pledges: Conservatives | Greens | Labour | Lib Dems | Plaid | Reform | SNP
• Trackers:  Who's leading polls? | Is PM keeping promises?
• Campaign Heritage:  Memorable moments from elections gone by
• Follow Sky's politics podcasts:  Electoral Dysfunction | Politics At Jack And Sam's
• Read more:  Who is standing down? | Key seats to watch | What counts as voter ID? | Check if your constituency is changing | Guide to election lingo
• How to watch election on Sky News

Pledges and promises are coming thick and fast from every party as the general election approaches. 

Struggling to keep up with who is saying what?

Here is a summary of where the main parties stand on major issues.

For a more in-depth look at what each party has pledged, scour our  manifesto checker ...

TV presenter Rylan Clark has said he would "love" to become a politician - and replace the party system with a "Power Rangers of government" model.

The TV personality, 35, joined political editor Beth Rigby and former Scottish Conservative leader Baroness Ruth Davidson for this week's Sky News Electoral Dysfunction podcast.

Asked if he would ever consider the career change, he said: "If I wasn't in the job that I was in, I would love nothing more."

Rylan, who won Celebrity Big Brother and also appeared on the X Factor, appeared on the podcast in place of Labour candidate Jess Phillips after tweeting his praise for Rigby on the day Rishi Sunak announced the general election.

Sharing a clip of her and Sky presenter Sophy Ridge outside a rainy Downing Street waiting for Mr Sunak to appear at the lectern, he said: "Obsessed with the Rigby."

Speaking to her and Davidson, he said his "obsession" with politics began with Brexit - "as we've seen so many promises which weren't fulfilled" since then.

He added: "I lie there at night sometimes, and I think about [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy. He hosted one of the same shows I've hosted in Ukraine."

The TV presenter also shared his idea of abandoning political parties altogether.

Read the full story here: 

A short while ago, Rishi Sunak gave a speech BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, also known as Neasden Temple, which is a traditional Hindu temple in London.

Rishi Sunak, who is of the Hindu faith, told attendees: "Like all of you, I draw inspiration and comfort from my faith.

"I was proud to be sworn in as a member of parliament on the Bhagavad Gita [one of Hinduism's most prominent sacred texts].

"Our faith teaches us to do our duty, and not fret about the outcome as long as one does it faithfully."

"My family also strengthen my commitment to service," the PM said.

He spoke about the philanthropic work that his mother-in-law does in India, and praises his wife as "the greatest support that any husband could ever have" and "someone committed to a life of service".

To the attendees, Mr Sunak said: "I want to start by thanking all of you for your support, your prayers, and your love. You have been with me every step of the way.

"On the hardest days in this job, I have felt your backing, and I know the pride that it is to have a British-Asian prime minister, and I am determined to never let you down."

The PM argued that so many Indians are Conservatives because "our values bind us together", citing education, hard work, and family.

Mr Sunak said: "One of my most memorable moments of the last few years came on Diwali, sixty years after my [grandmother] boarded a plane in East Africa - her first ever, all by herself - to come ahead and make a new life for her family here in this country.

"Sixty years after that moment, her great-granddaughters, my girls, they played in the street outside our home."

They "had fun like so many other families do on Diwali - except, the street that they were playing in was Downing Street".

In reference to the racial slur a Reform UK campaigner had used about him, he said that the "events of the last few days should not make us forget that the United Kingdom is the world's most successful multi-ethnic, multi-faith democracy, and we should all by uplifted by that".

In conclusion, the PM said: "Thank you for all your support. I can only hope that I can make you all proud every day."

Even by Reform's standards, the frequency and ferocity of attacks flying out from the party has stepped up today.

We've had complaints going into Ofcom, the Electoral Commission and Essex Police.

The BBC boycotted, Channel 4 reported, and a former campaigner cut adrift.

This tells you more about Nigel Farage's mindset than his decision to suspend three candidates over online posts.

So, five days from the election, will these seemingly rolling controversies shift many votes?

Much like the row over the Reform leader's comments on Russia and Putin, that probably depends on how fully signed up you are to the party’s agenda.

For the diehards, talk of an establishment stitch-up will find sympathetic and supportive ears.

But wavering Tories dabbling with Reform may be queasier about all this talk of racism and a big media conspiracy.

One final point.

A fortnight ago, Nigel Farage demanded to be treated as one of the big players in this election, citing a poll putting him ahead of the Tories.

But with more coverage comes more scrutiny.

You can construct a fair argument that that's exactly what Reform has been exposed to in the last week.

We've also had the results in from a poll carried out by Opinium for The Observer. 

Similarly to the Savanta poll we mentioned in our previous post, it found Labour was still in the lead and the Conservatives remain unchanged. 

However, it found support for Labour hadn't dipped and was still the same at 40%. 

Reform UK were up one point to 17%, the Greens fell three points to 6% and the Lib Dems and SNP remained unchanged. 

 Labour has fallen four points to 38% - the party's lowest share since Rishi Sunak became prime minister - in a Savanta poll for the Sunday Telegraph. 

But, it still holds a 17 point lead over the Conservatives, who were unchanged on 21%, indicating a landslide majority for Sir Keir Starmer. 

"This is our lowest Labour vote share since Rishi Sunak became prime minister, and the Conservatives for their part do appear to have slowed or stopped their downward spiral," said Savanta's political research director Chris Hopkins. 

"However, that's where the good news ends for the prime minister, as if this vote share was replicated on polling day, Labour would still likely have a majority of over 200." 

Here's how some of the other parties did in the poll: 

• Reform UK unchanged on 14%
• Liberal Democrats up one point on 11%
• Green Party up one point on 6% 
• SNP down one point on 2%
• Others up one on 7%

Mr Hopkins said the increase in vote share for the Greens and independent candidates is "notable".

"Not because it will have an impact on this election in any significant way, but could point towards trouble for the Labour Party in government and over the coming years," he added. 

Some 2,092 UK adults were polled from 26-28 June. The comparison is with an earlier poll conducted from 21-24 June. 

Thank you for watching tonight's edition of Politics Hub With Ali Fortescue .

We heard from:

• Mark Spencer , Conservative candidate and farming minister;
• Sir Anthony Seldon , educator and contemporary historian.

And on the panel were:

• Max Wilson , former Labour political adviser;
• Claire Pearsall , former Tory adviser.

Scroll down for all the key moments and highlights - and stick with us here in the digital Politics Hub for the latest political news throughout the evening.

Sir Anthony Seldon is our next guest on Politics Hub With Ali Fortescue .

He has penned a new book entitled '2010-2024: 14 wasted years?', and we ask for his reflections on the Tory years in power.

He says there were some good things, such as in education where standards rose, "aspects of pensions, aspects of science, aspects of the arts, Universal Credit".

But he goes on: "Overall, growth and productivity has been stagnant since the global financial crisis of 2007-8, and if we look at health, if we look at transport, if we look at housing, if we look at the state of defence, if we look at Britain's position in the world - we don't see the different historians and academics who wrote the book... there isn't the kind of significant change in the standard of all those various areas and other that we have tended to see in long periods of Tory government in the past."

He says there have been "some progressive, important, and incremental changes, but overall a disappointing performance, frankly".

"It's hard to think of any period of single-party domination by the Conservative Party that has achieved less than the party's achieved since 2010."

Infighting has been partly to blame, and it is also a party that is "unsure what it believes in" and is "confused", Sir Anthony says.

He also says "the flip flop" of policies and ideological direction has been a problem.

"There were so many opportunities that the Conservative government could have had for consistent and thoughtful policymaking, and it simply hasn't happened."

Despite the "stability" brought by Rishi Sunak and Lord Cameron, Labour is on track for "a very significant victory" on Thursday.

He notes that no party since 1832 have ever won five general elections in a row, and adds: "It is going to be a colossal Labour victory, akin to 1945."

Celebrities endorsing political parties is not a new phenomenon, but Sir Elton John publicly backing Labour today has got people thinking - do they actually help things shift? 

Max Wilson, former Labour political adviser, tells the Politics Hub With Ali Fortescue that endorsements from the famous are a "good thing".

But, he says that they are unlikely to "shift the dial" or increase the number of votes. 

"It is a nice thing to have, but I don't think it is a prerequisite to winning," he adds. 

Former Tory adviser Claire Pearsall feels the idea has "really gone out of fashion". 

"It has sort of slid away over the years... I would be more impressed if it was sort of Margaret from Burnley telling us exactly why she's voting for whichever party," she adds. 

"We're now in the realms of understanding that real people want to see people like them." 

It is the final weekend before the election, and parties have been making the most of it with leaders out campaigning.

Here's where they've been focusing their efforts today: 

Rishi Sunak has been marking Armed Forces Day by meeting veterans at an event near Catterick in North Yorkshire. 

He hailed the "duty, dedication and selfless personal sacrifice" of servicemen and women, before embarking on a community visit in Neasden in northwest London.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey promised to reverse cuts to numbers in the armed forces as he set off on a 1,300-mile battle bus tour from John O'Groats in Scotland to Land's End in England.

The SNP's leader John Swinney has been campaigning in a couple of areas in Scotland, including Glasgow, where he told voters a Labour government is a foregone conclusion.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has been at a veterans' coffee morning in Hampshire, where he has pledged to "lead a government of service" if elected. 

This evening, he has held a rally in Central London - where there was an endorsement from Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish -and a warning that the Tories could still win the election. 

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