CNN rcently listed their top 25 travel sites. There are alot of the usual supsects but I came across a few that I liked, if only for the novelty effect:
- Meethalfway.com helps plan trips with your friends to meet half way. It seems to be targeted especially at business people that need to travel alot. I like the idea, but with a little brain use, you could do the same thing on Google Maps, which is also on the CNN list.
- Travel + Leisure is at the top of CNN’s list and I can see why. I’d never come across this site before, but now I’ve bookmarked it. Compared to standard booking and information travel sites, Travel + Leisure can easily be browsed, even if you don’t have a vacation in mind, due to its diverse content.
- Dontforgetyourtoothbrush.com is a great site for organization freaks, myself included. It doesn’t provide information about travelling but helps you make your planning a bit more manageable. The layout is simple, with email reminders or printouts to put on your fridge. It’s won BBC Radio 2 Website of the Day twice.
- TheBathroomDiaries.com is known to me, but I’m so pleased that it made it to the list that I wanted to give it some more praise. If you are travelling with children, elderly people or just want to make sure you don’t get caught short, this site lists and rates bathrooms all over the world.
- ViaMichelin is similar to several road planner sites but this has the added bonus of listing Michelin-rated restaurants and tourist sites. It also has the standard information provided on road planner sites, such as gas consumption, toll and speed camera locations.
- Farecast.com is a price comparison site that helps you predict whether or not prices will drop or rise over a future period. This is one of the best finds so far. It’s received a number of awards and for good cause. Sites like this demonstrate that the travel/tourism market fluctuates just like any other market and should be treated as such. Too often travel sites present pricing as having the lowest prices that have been created in a void. This site presents a more realistic view of how world events, weather and other factors influence pricing.