Our Ultimate List of Travel Planning Tools & Resources to Make Your Journeys & Travelling Easier.
We keep getting asked what travel tools, apps, services or resources do we use to plan our trips and ensure we have a ton of fun wherever we go! We Looove to travel, it’s a known fact in our family and circles. Yet travel planning can be stressful if you don’t know where to start.
We have over the years tried, tested, and enjoyed some awesome, useful, some essential and some downright quirky online travel planning tools. Therefore, we have put together this Monster Ultimate Travel Tools Guide to help you simplify your trips be them business or pleasure and enjoy the planning process more.
We are not even touching on the best travel accessories that could be a blog for another day! Although we love the lil GoToob easily refillable liquid travel bottles, we usually take Ziploc bags. As stated in our earlier post on what not to pack for travel; save your cash by reading it here at a much lower cost. 🙂
So would you like to learn what travel planning tools we use? We hope you said heck yeah Paul & Jules!
It’s not just a couple of resources…This is the mother of all lists we could come up with, tried tested recommended. Resources that help us travel more efficiently and work our business anywhere. A bloggers job is never done and ideas pop up in the weirdest of places so we gotta be prepared. Our focus is on tools that get you Traveling, enjoying and getting there more efficiently and of course getting results. What we do appreciate about them is not only their great functionality but most of the apps have simple, understandable and intuitive user interface. These allow us to travel the world and live our lives by design!
We travel as much as we possibly can around our children’s school commitments and Pauli’s consultancy. To make our travel experiences more pleasurable, we always research and plan a lot. So without further ado below is our list of Travel planning tools & resources.
DreamTrips App – We wrote a full article on this amazing travel App. We cannot emphasize enough how amazing it is and how it has totally revolutionized travel planning not just for us but for millions of users worldwide and counting. With this app, most of the tools and apps below are redundant. You can register to be alerted when this App goes public here.
But we know most of our readers are not yet users of the amazing platform that offers this app at Zero cost for members. How would you like to have access to an app the does what half of the travel planning resources mentioned below do. Thus more space on your Android for more of your fun games?
This travel app rewards it users with benefits that equate to travel points that we can use for flights, meals, experiences or stays in many hotels and luxury locations! Users create our travel Bucket lists, plan our trips out, the attractions, restaurants we will eat at and earn even more benefits.
We book our flights and will 100% receive the difference back if that particular flight price drops before we travel. Also we can hire cars and plan our activities. We do have our very own 24/7 travel concierge.
You can learn more about the travel club here.
SkyScanner – find great value and often times the cheapest flights. Yes lots of resources online to find your flight worldwide, yet we find Skyscanner reliable. It compares very favourably with the Travel Club we are members of apart from several major differences and benefits mention in a detailed article here.
You can get lots of inspirations for your next trip based on flight prices. Click To Tweet
Try searching flights 9-12 months away to any destination. This is great for finding the cheapest flights over the year when we don’t have a specific destination in mind. Yet we know we will be travelling so we check…Gets our juices flowing (you know the feeling, right?) You can get lots of inspirations for your next trip based on flight prices. You don’t need to be specific with destination and if Europe is your general destination Skyscanner also searches low cost carriers like Wizzair, Ryanair, Easy Jet, etc. making it more cheaper for you Europe Travel Planning
Google Flights – This was our go to resource for checking the world map with available flights to numerous destinations and prices until we found even more resources mentioned herein.
Google Translate – This a great App to have on Android or iOS or simply got to google website. If you do have data and are lost or need some form of local help to the nearest exit to Taco-Bell or whatever; simply pull out your smartphone or gadget and show a local. Chances are some of the phrases will be down right hilarious or spelt wrong but you will get the help you need.
Accuweather – Well you don’t want to spend your whole vacation indoors with rain, storms and generally horrible weather coz you didn’t check the weather to your destination. Enter accuweather an awesome tool for planning trips. Always research about local weather throughout the year, find out the best time to visit a specific destination. You can check the weather for any destination for any month of the year. You’ll get weather predictions based on past years. Take a look at the data from the year before to be more sure of your chosen destination time and weather.
Booking – Wanna find and book or reserve a value or cheap hotel without payment, you can pay once you arrive, great if you find yourself otherwise engaged! Grab your 10% Discount when you use our Link above to make your next booking. And so will your friends!
TripAdvisor – Who doesn’t know this travel planning tool? Seriously you gotta check this out for reviews on all things travel related, Hotels, Flights, etc. And also compare prices at different times of the year! You can also find flights accommodation activities. You can write your own review of experiences at a specific location resort or hotel and its also an App downloadable to your smartphone. TripAdvisor is a treasure trove of travel tools…I am sure you agree! Thanks Czjai for the reminder!
Rome2Rio – a simple and yet very effective search travel engine where you can find travel routes for practically any journey. Simply type in your departure stage and your final destination, specific dates if you know them and this search engine will find and return lots of suggestions for you. From flights (flight information comes from Skyscanner), to buses, driving & train routes, even ferries. Of course including costs or prices and estimated time frames of your journey. Great for comparison purposes esp with our own resource.
TravelNerd – You never have to go round in circles looking for airport gates, lavatories, Not anymore. If you are an iOS user, download this app. It features custom maps of terminals of the world’s 50 busiest airports. It includes ground transportation, locations of gates, bathrooms, etc. You can also use its cab-sharing feature to find other travellers headed in the same direction so you could buddy up and split cab face costs. I did this in Tampa FL, it was great. Cost me all of $5 inc. a tip to get to my hotel. 😉
Google Maps – no introduction needed for this amazing service for finding your way anywhere in the world. But for those moments without Internet or WiFi YOU MUST TRY…
Triposo – This is your quintessential FREE OFFLINE Smart Travel Guide. We can’t tell you how many times we have been without internet and looking desperately for a specific location, sans local lingo. Well you can now locate the train or bus station, pin point where you are, with these offline maps, guides and yours local features. So I would download this app NOW for your next trip both for iOS and Android users, no internet/data or Wi-Fi needed!
We know you gotta eat esp. on that long winding road trip in the USA, you can find your desired pit stop for your fav Maccies or burger joint via…
iExit – We have learnt from several Road Trips both in UK and USA that, not all rest stops are created equal. So we now ensure we know how far our next meal, restroom stop and prawn & mayo sammich will be within the next 100 exits…seriously! You can also find out what they offer at each Pit stop how cool is that?
[clickToTweet tweet=”when you gotta go you gotta go so #SitorSquat #travelplanningtips” quote=”When you Gotta go you Gotta GO”]
And after maybe some dodgy tacos, or too much water you know when you gotta go you gotta go so enter…
SitOrSquat – this app available for both iOS and Android, shows you more than 100k public bog houses aka loos around your geo-location. These are sourced by users also recommend whether you can “sit” or “squat,” thus the name lolol…Seriously essential esp. if you got a bit of the tummy rums or remnants of holiday tum or maybe your kido needs to go, know what we mean! 😉
More Travel Planning Tools for finding that Cheapest Flight:
JetRadar – Search various airlines for really cheap tickets, yet another great tool.
Skypicker – an amazing tool to find really dirt cheap last minute flight prices.
Momondo – A smart resource to find more cheap flights.
Travel Tools for Finding Cheap Deals and Traveling anywhere:
Nomad List – Wanna find where you could be heading to next if you have no specific location in mind. Find prices for accommodation, the customs, and weather with this tool.
Discover, Plan, Enjoy your travel with #Triptomatic #traveltuesday Click To Tweet
Triptomatic – Discover, Plan, Enjoy your travel. An amazing tool specially for searching for and finding activities or attractions in any destination, an amazing feature. This app collects data about local attractions so you can discover them easily on the app’s map instead of browsing through book guides or other sites. Or why not try….
Localscope – You wanna learn about a new destination, or local spot, whats the word on the streets, yelp reviews, what factors determine your choice? Location, location, location…!
Localscope as your travel planning tool, will sort all that out by collecting geo-tagged information from social networks e.g. YouTube videos, Instagram images, more than a dozen search engines and other apps. Localscope uses Google maps to show you the exact location. You’ll be able to read yelp reviews etc. You could even add geo-tagged reminders for your next visit. Amazingly we used it to ping us a reminder to our best Pizza bar in Rome, in our opinion anyway.
You could even add geo-tagged reminders for your next visit. #Localscope #traveltips Click To Tweet
Foursquare – You can find your best brand gym, bar, coffee shop, restaurants and a heck of a lot more with this tool. So it’s a staple on our PCs.
Agoda – Looking for cheap value hotels esp. in Asia. This should be one of your best travel planning tools.
Airbnb – This travel planning tool helps you find accommodation anywhere in the world, you shouldn’t plan your trip before you try it, if you have no clue where you’ll stay. It gives you access maps to neighbourhoods across London, Berlin, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Rio de Janeiro, Washington D.C. and much more!
So don’t be that person that needs a vacation from a vacation…use these travel planning tools to stay ahead of the game and travel like a Pro Digital Nomad 🙂 TWEET THIS NOW 🙂
don't be that person that needs a vacation from a vacation #travelplanning Click To Tweet
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We’re sure we’ve a few travel planning tools yet to discover or even use on this humongous list. So we will be updating it quite often, why not bookmark it for quick reference. And we know you too have a few tools or apps we know nought about, so why not tell us your version of what travel planning tools and resources that make your journeys so much more fun? What tips do you have for first time travellers? Do share below!
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After you’ve left a comment, let’s CONNECT and bond some more on Facebook or on Twitter, Instagram and Google. We also Podcast on iTunes and you’ll definitely want to check out our amazingly helpful Travel Club to help you plan your next life changing 5 Star trip like a VIP.
See, Do, and Be more!
Julie Syl Kalungi
Email: support[at]Juleskalpauli.com
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Julie, as always you are overdelivering on value. I consider myself to be a seasoned traveller but some of the apps and tools that you are using are foreign to me so I need to add to my travel tool kit. Thanks for the tips and value.
Always be learning right David 🙂 Glad you got value!
PKJW~
wow Julie once again you gave amazing info and value…have to book mark for future travel tips and advice for others awesome post thanks for sharing… 🙂 you ROCK GIRL!!
Glad you got value LuAnn 🙂 Keep rocking!
PKJW~
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Your statement about picking where to go based on airline prices really hit home with me… I usually do the opposite, pick a place to go and then lament the airfare. Then I either don’t go, or I put it on my “one day” list. Maybe if I did it the other way around, I’d travel more! – Jerusha
Hi Jerusha,
Its always best to find that bargain flight unless you fly Biz Class…even then find t=your floght and check out the weather first even if you are looking for snow. It may not be there…THEN Book your Other bits like accommodation, activities etc…You may travel some yet hun 🙂
PKJW~
Thank you so much for bringing this quality post to The Blogger’s Pit Stop. What an amazing help for those wanting or planning to travel. You have it all covered.
Kathleen
Hi Kathleen
We thank yo for hosting. We wish we had covered everything, We have done our darnedest best though. Lots of resources our there that arent even in English…We could only list what we know and have tried!
PKJW~
Great post Julie. I’m going to bookmark this page! very useful for when I plan for my next holiday. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Steph,
And we wish you lotsa of fun, chillaxing and good food on your next travels 🙂
PKJW~
This is an incredible resource of valuable information Julie. We love to travel and having this kind of information is very helpful. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Lynn,
Its an absolute Pleasure to share too. Thanx for stopping by 🙂
PKJW~
I am going in for a meeting for TSA pre-check and what not on the 25th and I am pumped!!!! 😀
Wohooo GiGI, We are pretty pumped up for ya too. Go enjoy <3 🙂
PKJW~
Such a great post. Thanks for the ideas and tips! will try out a few of these when i plan my next travel!
Suchi
Glad you will use on your next travel, feel free to bookmark and share Suchi 🙂
PKJW~
Being a travel geek myself, this is an AWESOME post. Thanks Julie
You are most welcome Steve…we like “Travel Geeks” They make us feel right at home! 😉
PKJW~
What an intensive list! I think you covered just about everything imaginable. I love skyscanner and google flights. I haven’t heard of many of these but I’m all about finding deals and cool things to do. Can’t wait to check them out.
Glad you found it Intensive Roxy, we like that word 🙂 Go check them out and enjoy the planning and the travel 🙂
PKJW~
Such a great post. Thanks for the ideas and tips! Glad you shared it.
Glad you got value Nicole, Ta for your time 🙂
PKJW~
TripAdvisor, Google Maps, and Accuweather have become my best friends lately. Also subway apps, particularly the ones in Korea, have been a great help to me. 🙂
Indeed how could we forget Trip Adviser, Thanks for that reminder Czjai. We use it for reviewing all kinds travel related 🙂
Glad you got value too 🙂
PKJW~
Wow.. This is wonderful list of travel tools. I have saved this post for future use and will use these resources to plan any travel!!
Glad to inspire and be of service Jasmine. Ta for your time 🙂
PKJW~
What a full of details and full of guides. All of them are so useful. Because of those apps we can save an energy, money and specially a lot of time.
I bookmarked this post of yours 🙂 BTW thanks for sharing this useful tips.
Hi,
Glad you got so much value and understand the sheer effort it took us to put our list of tools and resources together. Ta for your time too Feel free to share and bookmark away 🙂
WOAH! So many resources! I love the idea of having all these apps when you’re traveling, they are definitely useful. My only concern would be the internet connection since it’s going to be pretty expensive to pay for roaming and some countries do not have wifi coverage.
Hi Elizabeth,
We do have an ace on Internet/WiFi issues, listed in this Travel planning super post above 🙂 Ta for sharing your concern 🙂
PKJW~
My daughter has been obsessing about travel destinations lately so this resource will be of great interest to her! 🙂
Your daughter is a good ole Magnificent being like her moma, who knows she is destined to see, reign and dominate this planet…Give her this resource and your blessings gal 🙂
PKJW~
Great list of resources…there are so many of them, I had to bookmark. Thanks for this list…should be useful when planning my own trips.
We are glad you got value Adewale, Keep rocking and Ta for your time!
PKJW~
Wow. We have a trip planned for Sept. to Manila. I showing this to my hubby for sure. May need to add more GB to my device to download. … Thank you for taking the time. I had never even thought about a yelp for public restrooms. Awesome.
Hi Lori,
wohoo Manila, The Asian continent is on out list ans we get super excite when one talks about it. Soon and very soon. As for you enjoy Manila soonest hun with these resources to add to the whole cuisine yup you will find out whether to SitOrSquat 🙂
PKJW~
Travel technology sure has changed since I was a backpacker in the late 90s and early-mid 2000s! I wish there’d been SMART phones back then, let alone a cool app!!
Yeah Kylee, These days theres an App for anything and everything. Making life darned easier and also less fun sometimes as you look at people lost in technology barely communicating with others right next to them. we use tech as a cloak now to ignore life 🙂
BUT in this case,Technology is amazing 🙂 real Kool
PKJW~
Love this Julie…
Gonna bookmark this for when i go to the states in 2 weeks – thanks heaps!
Hey Alex bro,
Good to hear from you, Hope you enjoy the United states of A when you pop over 🙂 feel free to book mark and ejoy xoxo 🙂
PKJW~
I often use Sky Scanner to find great deals on flights. I had not idea that there are so many other useful travel tools out there. I’ll bookmark your post for the future reference.
Yup Izabela,
Lots and Lots more out there and some being created even as I type this so bookmark as we will keep this list updated into an ultimate guide to Travel Planning 🙂 How cool is that! 😉 <3
PKJW~
This is the best traveling resources I have come across. I do like to travel and I am a huge planner when I do . So this is like heaven for me! I use a few of these tools but I had no idea that some of these existed! Thanks!
Hi Alison,
What a pleasure to serve you. Glad you found us and hope to serve you even more. feel free to share, like and bookmark 🙂 Long may you travel and Thanks for your time!
PKJW~
Great list! My husband and I travel quite frequently as well however a lot of it is for business so the fun gets lost sometimes. One of the helpful tools we have used when traveling is the google translator app. We were stuck in the Rome train station last year and used this to translate to the police that we needed help finding our car. It was a lifesaver 🙂
Hey, Thanks for that contribution indeed. If in doubt use good ole Google translator or ask a local Bobbie 🙂
PKJW~
I never knew there were so many travel tools! This is a great resource 🙂
Gad yo fund value Nicole. There are lots more some more famous than others, but then again We can only use so many for the same purpose. We love our Travel App that allows us to do so much and still have it on a smartphone 🙂
PKJW~
This was a way bigger list than I expected when I clicked to read. CRAZY, you must have spent forever gathering them, thank you for sharing with the rest of us 🙂
Hi Jen,
We indeed spent a good amount of time going through our Phones, Diaries, Files coz dome we use only a few times. Glad you appreciate the effort. Ta for your time too 🙂
PKJW~
Great resources shared here! I have used several, yet found several to check out too! Thanks for this list!
Glad you got some value from our List of Travel tools Dr J. Ta for stopping by 🙂
PKJW~
I So Much appreciate This Julie! My Favorite app you mentions is the Sit or Squat app!! Very Smart indeed 🙂 Thank you
Hey Tara,
Tehehehe we like “SitOrSquat” too, super cool lil tool 🙂 Ta for your continued support 🙂
PkJW~
Great list, I am saving this as I have some travel plans in the future.
Hello Mardene,
Glad you got a go to travel planning resource 🙂 Ta for your time!
PKJW~
thanks for sharing these go to travel planning tools. i will be checking some out for sure
Hey Sheena,
Good to see you over here, Ta for stopping by 🙂
PKJW~
Some great apps and planning tools. I use skyscanner a lot as you’ve said to see where the best flight prices are too when I’m not sure where I want to go. Will definitely have to check out some more of these x
Hi Rhian,
when you use SkyScanner, be sure to clear your cache before every new search and after your last one so hat when you next search they dont give you prices based on your last search…make sense? 🙂
PKJW~
It’s funny because living in the US people think I’m crazy for analyzing accuweather so much! I use so I don’t get any nasty surprises and can plan, as you said, for whatever eventuality! Lots of good resources in this post, thanks! I’ve never google flights so that’s bookmarked as of now!
Ha haaa Since weplan our own travel, no one dare saye we are crazy….As long as we are having fun…who cares what they think Amy. You shouldnt either!
Glad you got value too 🙂
PKJW~
What a great list of resources. I hadn’t heard of many of these. I’m pinning this for later!
Hi Krystal,
Pin away and Share alike, Ta for sharing and glad you got value 🙂
PKJW~
This will be insanely useful to me come the end of the year – because I am going to Thailand Cambodia and Vietnam!!! 😀 😀 😀
Hey GiGi,
Can we come as handy luggage :p Wohoo Thailand is on our Bucket List woot! Ta for stopping by 🙂
PKJW~
Thank you for sharing! These are great tips for travel planning and I’m always seeking resources like that~
Glad you got a resource to sink your travel teeth into Steph 🙂
PKJW~
Hi Joyce, Its a pleasure to serve Ta for your time!
PKJW~
Wow there are loads! I am going to save this for reference in the future when we finally get to travel! I like the sound of the booking app because it gives you more time to save up before you pay haha
Hi Hannah,
That booking app is great, there are better mentioned herein. Hope you will get to travel lots hun x0x0 🙂
PKJw~