Planning a holiday has never been so easy. It’s also a bit of a swamp of information. Whether you’re after a last minute city break or the long haul holiday of your dreams, there is plenty available in terms of transport, accommodation, package deals, and last minute savings. Even the variety of sightseeing tours and day trips can be a bit of a minefield.
To help you wade through the waffle, here at Economy Car Hire we’ve picked out a few of our favourite resources for planning a holiday.
The Money Savers
Transport
For the best price on flights, check out Skyscanner and Kayak. Simply enter in the relevant information and you’ll be presented with a list of available flights enabling you to choose a time, airline and price that suits you best. Their transparent approach to airline fees makes these sites extremely useful.
Alternatively Avro and Flights Direct offer deals on charter flights to resorts along with spare tour operator flights.
Know when you want to go but not bothered where? Skypicker pools the cheapest flights from your home country to destinations worldwide.
The early bird catches the worm. If you’re the type to get organised months in advance, comparison site Momondo has a helpful insight bar. This will tell you when flights are cheapest to your chosen destination.
Don’t forget to consider taking the train. Yes, there is more to travel then by plane. The Man in Seat Sixty-One offers superb advice on how to reach your destination by train. It includes a step by step guide on how to book, prices and train times.
Rome2Rio is another fantastic resource that will help with route planning. It will map an itinerary to and from any location. It also suggests the best mode of transport and associated costs.
Accommodation
The age old star rating system was originally developed to display the facilities to expect at a hotel. It is now widely used across the world to measure quality. Unfortunately, as these are not standardised they can be misleading and difficult to interpret.
Review sites like TripAdvisor offer personal accounts and experiences. They give you a truer impression of your potential accommodation. Look at the photos submitted by travellers for a more realistic impression of what is being offered. Remember to take account of the number of reviews that have been submitted too. It does also feature a price comparison function.
Many accommodation websites also collect their own reviews too. Bear in mind that these are other people’s opinions and you may disagree!
If it’s the best deal you’re after, be sure to check Trivago. This will tell you if the hotel you have chosen is cheaper elsewhere.
Top tip
What do you do if you have your heart set on a particular hotel and it appears to be sold out? Try contacting the hotel directly. Find their website, email address or phone number and ask. The worst they can say is no!
Take a risk! Lastminute.com and Hotwire both offer secret hotel deals. Whilst you won’t know the name of the hotel until you’ve paid, you’ll bag big discounts. Are you tempted but still feeling cautious? There are usually clues in the description to reveal the hotels identity.
City Guides and Review Sites
Oyster.com is a refreshingly honest booking site. It sends its own investigators to review and rate hotels. Warts-an-all photos provide side by side comparisons of the brochure image versus the guest photos.
Mr & Mrs Smith is the perfect resource for those looking to book a romantic getaway. The site rounds up and reviews the best boutique hotels. The team have personally stayed in every hotel advertised on their site. It offers plenty of inspiration for that special treat.
With its eclectic selection of hotels and interesting and in depth travel guides, I-escape is just as fun to browse as it is to book with them.
Whilst price comparison sites can collect all the cheapest options for you, sometimes the extent of information provided can be a bit overwhelming. HotelGuru cherry picks what it considers to be the best offers regarding price and quality.
In Your Pocket and Spotted by Locals are both fairly recent additions to the holiday planning scene. They are firm favourites nonetheless. Locals in cities worldwide offer their inside knowledge on their favourite bars, restaurants, shops and festivals. These are all accessed via free apps for your smartphone. It’s like having a friend show you all the best spots.
Festivals are a unique way to experience a foreign place. The Festival Calendar is a handy way of seeing what’s on offer in Europe and the UK throughout the year. Offering information on everything from small local celebrations to nationwide holidays, you’re sure to find something that catches your interest.
Sensible Advice and Info
Last but not least is The Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advice Guide. It’s always useful to seek practical information about your destination. Problems abroad, travel health advice, security alerts and necessary emergency information are all things you should check before travelling.
Now you’re in the know, all these handy sites should give you a good heads up on the who, what, where, when and why on your next holiday.
If you’ve got a trusted travel resource that you simply can’t holiday without referring to then let us know and leave a comment below! We’re sure our other readers will also be glad of the pointer!
